Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

What to buy? new iMac or a MacBook Pro? =O

I

ilanasaysrawr

macrumors member
Original poster
Nov 12, 2007
30
0
New York
I am currently in 10th grade and i own an old eMac unfortunately. Anyway, i was looking for a new computer... and the iMac looks like it is an amazing deal. I enjoy making movies and i take this film class in school...which brings me to my next point.

My film teacher says that we are allowed to bring in our laptop if we want to edit video durinig class. Otherwise, we need to use the crappy school computers that lose all of your data.

I also make a lot of movies at home. My dad thinks a desktop would be able to handle movies better. If the whole film class thing wasnt such an issue, i would definitely, without a question buy the iMac.

How does a MacBook Pro compare to the new iMac?
HELP!!!!!:eek:
 
The iMac's biggest strength and weakness is the all-in-one nature. They're great machines, certainly, but they're heavy and don't fold up and fit in your bag.


You could always just hook the MBP up to a large monitor and get the best of both worlds. That's what I plan on doing
 
Well, actually, the iMac and the MacBook pro are nearly identical hardware wise. Although the first is a desktop machine, it uses laptop hardware (otherwise it wouldn't fit in such a small package). They both have identical Core 2 Duo processors (and similar frequencies, 2.4 GHz in the middle range), use the same ram (SODIMM DDR2 667), have equivalent graphics solutions (Radeon HD2600 vs GeForce 8600M), etc.

That means that apart from the screen size/resolution and some other minor things, they are completely comparable (you can put their frequencies, memory and disk capacities and other stuff side by side). If we ignore the 3D video card (which, ironically, doesn't affect video editing much), the same goes for the cheaper MacBook.
 
If all you are doing is amateur video editing, the MacBooks should suit your needs just fine, this way you save money and can buy a 20' monitor or something for your desk at home.

The new MacBooks are great, I have one myself.
 
I personally think the macbook pro would be a better choice. You have the portability to do on the road-editing and the power you would get out of purchasing an iMac. Also, some of the tiny things (like the back lit keyboard and the more even lighting of the LED backlight) make the macbook pro a great choice.

Hope that helps.

-Josh :apple:
 
Get the MBP cause if you can use it in class then I would go and do it. If that wasn't a option then I would have said iMac. ;)
 
i traded my iMac for a MBP and i love it, you'll definitely enjoy the portability of the notebook and its still really fast
 
The fundamental question is "do you require laptop portability?" If not, then consider the iMac. You pay a significant premium and sacrifice some performance and features for the portability of a laptop. Consider carefully, young Patawan.

1. For $1,000 less you get more computer. Yes the MBP is comparable, but the iMac is faster, larger HD, larger screen. I'd use the savings for software and hardware accessory goodies.
1a. IMHO Applecare is a necessity, not a luxury, for a laptop. Not so, again IMHO, with a home-bound computer that just won't get the abuse a laptop naturally receives. So you're saving over $300 bucks there too. Laptops are simply more prone to problems than a stationary box.

2. Larger screen, better for watching (and making) movies, I'd say.

3. The iMac is still in-house portable. This, and #1 above, is why I'm getting an iMac (after 8 years of laptops). It is practical to drag the iMac from room to room as desired. Of course it will be more convenient with wireless internet connection, wireless keyboard and mouse, and maybe a couple extra power cords placed strategically around the house.

4. Significantly larger capacity internal hard drive. Better for large video files.

You didn't say what kind of computers your school is using. If it's macs and you want to work at home too, just use a small portable USB hard drive. If not macs and your video files are small enough a thumb drive would do the trick. Again, the cost of these is offset many times over in the savings compared to a MBP.
 
If you need any type of portability, get the MacBook Pro. You can get a 15" for $2,000, it's totally worth it. I love being able to use Photoshop, Aperture, Illustrator, Final Cut Studio wherever I'm at. I ran into the same issue, it was either my 17" MBP or a Mac Pro Quad-core. Quad-core much better deal, but I wanted portability so I spent $2,700 for my MacBook Pro.

Do you know if you will be able to edit video at your school using mac software? You won't need to edit it using school software?
 
radarbob said:
The fundamental question is "do you require laptop portability?" If not, then consider the iMac. You pay a significant premium and sacrifice some performance and features for the portability of a laptop. Consider carefully, young Patawan.

1. For $1,000 less you get more computer. Yes the MBP is comparable, but the iMac is faster, larger HD, larger screen. I'd use the savings for software and hardware accessory goodies.
1a. IMHO Applecare is a necessity, not a luxury, for a laptop. Not so, again IMHO, with a home-bound computer that just won't get the abuse a laptop naturally receives. So you're saving over $300 bucks there too. Laptops are simply more prone to problems than a stationary box.

2. Larger screen, better for watching (and making) movies, I'd say.

3. The iMac is still in-house portable. This, and #1 above, is why I'm getting an iMac (after 8 years of laptops). It is practical to drag the iMac from room to room as desired. Of course it will be more convenient with wireless internet connection, wireless keyboard and mouse, and maybe a couple extra power cords placed strategically around the house.

4. Significantly larger capacity internal hard drive. Better for large video files.

You didn't say what kind of computers your school is using. If it's macs and you want to work at home too, just use a small portable USB hard drive. If not macs and your video files are small enough a thumb drive would do the trick. Again, the cost of these is offset many times over in the savings compared to a MBP.
Click to expand...

The school is using 2 old macs and 5 Dell computers. I am not using a Dell computer...EVER AGAIN! Hell, I don't even know what kind of Mac it is. It's one of those small, blue-ish, see-through iMacs. It's running on Panther i think. No iLife. I used it for my first project but it froze a lot and then lost all of my data. It was horrible!

It's fine. I'm still in high school and have a lot to learn. I'm gonna go with the iMac. Also, a bonus. When i go to college, i get a small discount on a notebook computer :)

Thanks a lot, everybody!
 
I went with a 15" Macbook Pro simply because I never used my desktop... it's so nice to be able to take the laptop anywhere you want.
 
Well, I think the iMac would produce better results in terms of video editing, plus it's much cheaper. From the money you save, you could get Final Cut Express or something similar. Or, you could get a regular Macbook, which would probably be fine for video editing. Either way, you save hundreds of dollars which could be put to better use. If your really intrested in movie making, then maybe buying a MBP would be a good choice, because it can handle any video software you throw at it.
 
I own a MBP and it replaced my PC desktop. This is my first laptop and the ability to take it anywhere has made a huge impact in my productivity. I dont think I would ever replace my MBP with a desktop anymore.

My advise, get the Macbook (not the Pro), and get a nice monitor for home work later on.

Now, if money is not an issue, go PRO. My MBP is the best computer that I have ever had.
 
I have given my 24" iMac to my mother, I have got a BlackBook but it wasn't powerful enough to run a 23" monitor that great (good to get by though) so I have gone out and bought a MBP, love it and it is fab hooked up to my 23" ACD...
 
If you need the portability, Go the MBP. Recent Mac convert here, and never again will i be without a Laptop. One day i'll get a desktop as well..... dunno what for, probably just because i can :D
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back