Why shouldn't I get the base 21.5"?

[GrantMeThePower]

This is my first Mac. This is my first desktop since 1998. This is my first computer period since 2006.

Ever since I got my iPad on release day last year I stopped using my PC.

That all being said, I realize now that things are missing. Stuff i used to have run through my PC (media), doing all my backups and updates on my work computer, and now my photography is getting disorganized (i keep it on an external drive at the office). Its time to get a computer for real.

But I can't decide whether or not I need, or should get, anything more than the base 21.5. I will need photoshop and lightroom, but other than playing a few games, i can't think of anything that is resource intensive (ok, ripping and encoding videos would be).

It just seems like most people here get the 27 or the i7 and all of the upgrades, and I'm wondering, what am i really missing with the smaller one?

 

[briand05]

I just got the base model earlier. Originally I bought a 13" macbook pro, which was fine but I decided I wanted the bigger screen and didn't really need portability. I was pretty impressed by how much they upgraded the base model, I really didn't expect it to be quad core and have a 6750m. The way I see it with the new models, the only ones worth getting are either the base model or the top end model all decked out, I don't feel like spending 2200 to deck the 27" out with i7 so I just went with the base model.

 

[Noisemaker]

If price is an issue there's always the refurbs. I saw the base 21.5" model from July 2010 in there the other day for $800 or so.

 

[RedReplicant]

You're missing nothing, the base 21.5" is great and if you feel the need for 8gb of ram then it only costs like $40-50 for another two sticks of 2gb ddr3.

 

[dal20402]

It just seems like most people here get the 27 or the i7 and all of the upgrades, and I'm wondering, what am i really missing with the smaller one?

Mostly bragging rights on this site.

The extra resolution is really, really nice. But you probably don't need anything else the 27" offers from your description, or even that the uplevel 21.5" offers. The base will be just fine for you, although you'll probably want an 8 GB RAM upgrade sooner rather than later.