Should i get a 27" iMac i7 or 17" MBP?

[catalyst1489]

So i am a graduating senior in college and my 2007 MBP is awesome, but certainly showing its age and capacity. Yes i do have an external hd, but i am really looking to update my computer so that i can have a media/work hub.

With that in mind and considering how i use my iPad for mostly media intake (magazines, videos, music, newspapers, etc.), i am stuck between two choices of computers that i could buy:

1) The recently updated 27" iMac i7 with 1TB hd, 4gb ram, and 2gb vram (i like to play videogames too but my mbp just cant handle much of the new stuff). I would keep my mbp and turn it into an all work computer (excel docs, word docs etc) and move all the media to the iMac and turn that into my base station if you will. my iPad would continue what it does best by being my mobile (as in around town or around the house) media consumption device. My iphone would keep doing its thing too by basically expanding my range of getting email and some data coverage.

2) The not as recently (but still quite new) 17" MBP i7 with 4gb ram. Now this would basically accomplish what the 27" imac would, but at a higher price and a lower speed/power. Not by much, but for hd video and gaming and what not it would simply not perform quite as well. Oh and again it would be more expensive. BUT it would allow for portability and in this case i would probably trade in my current MBP to get some money back towards it. So perhaps the price difference could be null. It could still be a home base of sorts, but just a higher probability of portability (duh).

Considering sizing of both of these computers i would like to be on the largest size available for both watching movies, or multiple window use, and also for excel use as it makes working with thousands of lines of data that much easier. Just as an aside to that, there is no way i will be buying either the magic mouse or trackpad because there is no scroll wheel, and i would also love it if apple stopped being such a thorn in my ass and made a bluetooth keyboard with numeric pad, not just a wired one.

So any ideas on what i should do? I am really leaning towards turning this computer (my 2007 MBP) into my work computer (as in taking it to the office/on the road depending on what ill be doing exactly) and having the iMac for fun at home. But i am seriously considering killing two birds with one stone with the 17" MBP (though i hear there's an overhaul update coming next january)

 

[Repo]

I'd go for the 27" iMac. It's more powerful then the 17" MBP, plus, you already have a 2007 MBP, iPad, and iPhone.

 

[Dresevski]

I'm too am a senior (with an extra semester due to transfer). Also have a 2007 MBP (as you can see). Chose the 27" iMac for amazing screen and utter dominance on a desktop. It is certainly enough horsepower for me and should carry me through the next several years. You already have a laptop and with the majority of your stuff on the iMac you can make your MBP the portable powerhouse the iPad will never be!

 

[nightfly13]

Other iMac advantages

It's more expandable:
1) 4 RAM slots (vs 2 in MBP)
2) 3 SSD/HDD/Optical bay slots (vs 2 in MBP)
3) Video card might be swappable in future (using MMX form factor or something like that - looks promisingly upgradable)

The huge screen is great for movies, and to work on. 3.7 million pixels on the 27" - changes the way you use your computer.

 

[MacBookPr0]

I personally use the 17 inch so I could move around but still have a desktop replacement with pretty close specs

 

[Duluth Baptist]

This is a no brainer. Think of what you have in your possession--a laptop, an iPhone, and an iPad.

If you get another laptop, you will upgrade your current machine. You will have a lineup that looks like this: Laptop, iPhone, Ipad. Nicer specs, better options, yes, but your old machine will be obsolete--there is nothing you would use it for that your new MBP would not supersede.

If you get a 27" iMac, you will have a much better machine at home--and still have your laptop. Your new lineup would look like this: Jawdropping iMac with big honking screen, laptop, Iphone, Ipad.

At home, you will use your iMac. You will find excuses to sit in front of it. You will gaze at its screen. You will do things on your computer that never even occurred to you. On the road, you will use your iPad; for those few times when you need flash or need to do some productive work, your 2007 MBP will be fine. But for most of what you do, your new, ultra-powerful iMac or your iPad will be it.

I will always get a desktop before a laptop anyway, for my personal preference, but with a decent MBP already in your possession you don't have to answer the question "what if I need to do something on the road?" You have the answer. Get the iMac.

 

[ttttaylor]

another vote for 27" iMac, especially since you already have a MBP. as long as you don't get a bad case of the yellowtint, you're gonna love that screen.