Resolved Now that it's November...

[dlimes13]

Black Friday is coming around and deals have already started online. I bought a 1000W ATX Modular Power Supply for $59.99 yesterday on an impulse since it was dirt cheap, now I'm contemplating this idea. Please hear me out:

I currently have a 15" MBP (see specs in sig) and a Mac Mini as my file server (will keep). I am going to keep my Thunderbolt Display for if I change Mac's, but hear's my situation. I may have a golden opportunity to get an i7-2700K custom built desktop throughout the month by buying parts at the right time.

NZXT H2 Case
i7-2700K
ASRock Motherboard
16GB DDR3 RAM (I have 8 already)
A 6750 or higher end gfx card
64GB Samsung 470 + 2TB HDD
24 inch Dell IPS Monitor (1920x1200)
etc. etc. for around 800-900 shipped, which is kind of cheap (pending certain deals come about)

The machine is around $1200-$1400 right now and I will not do this if it's this much. I will only do it if I can come out $100 down, even, or ahead.

I do a lot of heavy lifting on my MBP now like VM's, video editing and rendering, some photo editing and some gaming (maybe more since I just sold my gaming consoles). I want to either do the following:


-Sell the MBP for $2000-$2500 (has 3 year AppleCare) but keep the SSD+HDD that's in it (replace with stock HDD/SuperDrive from 13" MBP) leave the 16GB RAM inside. But may want to keep the 16GB RAM for future use.

-Buy a base 13" MBP for $1100-$1125 and get 8GB RAM for dirt cheap, this for my portable computer and this would be my primary computer, everything but heavy lifting. I do not want an Air simply for the upgradability factor, 4GB RAM sucks.

-Buy the Windows PC for $800-$1000 and possibly come out ahead. The Windows machine would be Ivy Bridge ready with a Z68 chipset so that would be a dedicated heavy lifting machine. Plus, resale value is MUCH better on a 13" Base MBP more than anything.

I work with Mac and Windows everyday and both are fine. Certain things I miss Windows on and certain things are better in OS X. So the OS isn't really a huge factor, all of my programs work on both platforms too. I would just say Mac Pro, but that's WAY to much money (plus no Thunderbolt support for my display).

I just want to know other's opinion on this. I just feel like I can get more bang and more power for a cheap price and don't want to pass it up. I know my 15" is powerful, but I kind of miss having a dedicated desktop. Would you stick with the Mac only, would you do what I'm doing? Sorry for the long rant but it's going through my head constantly and need some opinions. Thank you.

 

[Spadoinkles]

$800. That's equivalent to NZ$1000, which is roughly 2/3 of a basic i3 machine.
Heck yeah.

Sub the ASRock. I haven't particularly had good experiences with them.

13" > 15" BIG TIME if you're gonna be on the move a lot. If not, keep the 15".

 

[dlimes13]

$800. That's equivalent to NZ$1000, which is roughly 2/3 of a basic i3 machine.
Heck yeah.

Sub the ASRock. I haven't particularly had good experiences with them.

13" > 15" BIG TIME if you're gonna be on the move a lot. If not, keep the 15".

My friend has a 13 inch he just got (2 days before the refresh, lol and never returned it) and I like it. I will miss Anti-Glare and a decent resolution on the road, but I can just hook it up to my ATD at home and it'll be basically no different.

ASRock I've had great experiences and nothing but excellence. That was my last 2 motherboards before going all Mac. Plus it was like $105 for the board and maybe cheaper throughout the month.

 

[Spadoinkles]

My friend has a 13 inch he just got (2 days before the refresh, lol and never returned it) and I like it. I will miss Anti-Glare and a decent resolution on the road, but I can just hook it up to my ATD at home and it'll be basically no different.

ASRock I've had great experiences and nothing but excellence. That was my last 2 motherboards before going all Mac. Plus it was like $105 for the board and maybe cheaper throughout the month.

Wow.
Well, if you're happy with ASRock, by all means go with it. I'm talking out of experience and it really is only my two cents

P.S How much detail do you actually go into while on the move? You wouldnt be sitting on a bus or at starbucks and squinting specifically at low resolution detail. + It's easier to read

Cheaper screen + Nice home monitor (think Depp IPS > Nice built-in monitor in most cases unless you're like myself, planning to live the next three years around and in the middle of nowhere

 

[dlimes13]

Wow.
Well, if you're happy with ASRock, by all means go with it. I'm talking out of experience and it really is only my two cents

P.S How much detail do you actually go into while on the move? You wouldnt be sitting on a bus or at starbucks and squinting specifically at low resolution detail. + It's easier to read

Cheaper screen + Nice home monitor (think Depp IPS > Nice built-in monitor in most cases unless you're like myself, planning to live the next three years around and in the middle of nowhere

Traveling not a whole lot, just taking the laptop to work, on it most of the day doing basic stuff as it is. It'd not a struggle at 1280x800, just wish it was like the MBA at 1440x900. But the laptop is either in a hotel 1-2 times a year, on a desk at work 8-10 hours a day or at home. No major traveling.

 

[Spadoinkles]

Traveling not a whole lot, just taking the laptop to work, on it most of the day doing basic stuff as it is. It'd not a struggle at 1280x800, just wish it was like the MBA at 1440x900. But the laptop is either in a hotel 1-2 times a year, on a desk at work 8-10 hours a day or at home. No major traveling.

I'd keep the 15". You could always get the 13 and give me the 15" to save me a couple grand though

 

[dlimes13]

Anyone else? I just tested the 13 inch with basic stuff and I kind of like it. I want more opinions!

 

[Berius]

Anyone else? I just tested the 13 inch with basic stuff and I kind of like it. I want more opinions!

I have a dedicated gaming rig and a 13" early 2011 pro. I was looking at the 15" high end previously but felt it was not worth the cost or increase in size. Keep in mind that i was new to the world of mac and was looking for something portable and reliable. Since I already had a dedicated gaming pc I didn't really need the extra power and i could use the money to pick up a couple things before starting class in January.

I think a powerful desktop PC and a mac laptop is a great combo. I do more intense things on my desktop which is my main PC. If I was you I would sell the 15" Pro, get a 13" Pro and windows desktop.

IMO having a custom PC is nothing like owning an emachine or other branded desktop. They allow you to control the quality and windows is much nicer without all the bloatware. You should check out the corsair branded computer cases. They are high quality with a lot of features and elegant designs.

 

[dlimes13]

I am leaning towards returning to the custom desktop. Here's my configuration thoughts:

Base 13" MBP (Late-2011), upgrade to 64GB Samsung 830 SSD + 1TB Samsung HDD (OptiBay), 16GB RAM. I already have the RAM and 1TB HDD/OptiBay, just need the SSD

Custom Desktop

Rosewill 1000W Modular Power Supply (have already)
i7-2700K CPU
16GB G.Skill DDR3-1333 RAM (I have 8GB already)
ASRock Z68 Extreme3 Motherboard
AMD 6770 1GB or better video card (undecided)
NZXT H2, White Case
Logitech Solar Powered Keyboard (have mouse already)
Dell U2412M IPS Monitor, 1920x1200 (or a standard 1920x1080 LED)

All hopefully for under $1000, including monitor. Pending certain Newegg deals pop-up.