Hey guys, Finally, finally upgrading to an Intel Mac. I find I cannot make a decision between the Macbook Pro and the Mac Pro. So I am hoping some of my design peers can give me some advice. It's a huge purchase, so I need to make sure I am getting all the advice I can get. Few things unique to my situation. 1. I own a 24" display that I use as a TV and a secondary computer display. It is 1920x1200, and the cool thing is that the inputs maintain the aspect ratio of the source, so there is no sick over scan when I use my 1080p OPPO DVD player with it. It has HDMI and component on it, it's pretty slick. 2. I am moving soon, probably in December. 3. This machine would primarily be used for freelance and personal stuff at home, I have a PowerPC G5 at my office. Macbook Pro 2.4Ghz dual core 17" 1920x1200 display 160GB 7200RPM HDD 4 GB RAM (maxed out) NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT graphics 256MB SDRAM 8x Superdrive DL Bluetooth, Airport $3,084 Mac Pro 2X 2.66Ghz dual core 4 GB RAM (2x 2GB modules, possible to upgrade to 16GB) 250GB 7200 RPM drive, plus two extra 320 GB hard drives, plus 1 more free bay ATI x1900 512MB with 2 dual link DVI ports 1 16x Superdrive DL, with a free expansion bay for a second drive Bluetooth, airport $3,026 For me this is a tough call, the portability of the Macbook Pro is amazing, and the 1920x1200 resolution is incredible. The Pro has so much power and expandability. Help!
if you are dropping 3 g's on a computer, after having used a laptop for design i would have to recommend a desktop. i have had this machine for 3 years and it is shopwing it's age... and unfortunately there isnt much more i can do to it. at least with a desktop you can expand it much easier the portability is nice, but you will want to use that large display you have already which automatically cuts your portability when i do the computer purchase thing again, i am going mac desktop for design stuff and pc laptop for games and checking email and stuff
I have been using a 17" Powerbook for about 3 years now. It is an amazing computer. When it is time to buy a new computer I will be getting a desktop for sure. The portability is nice but honestly I hate carrying the thing around.
I would vote for a desktop as a designer... Have you considered the new iMac then only strike against it is the glossy screen which is fine since I design in minimal light anyways... 2.4GHz Intel Core 2 Duo 1GB memory (up to 4gb) 320GB hard drive1 8x double-layer SuperDrive ATI Radeon HD 2600 PRO with 256MB memory $1799 OR 2.8GHz Intel Core 2 Extreme 2GB memory (up to 4gb) 500GB hard drive1 8x double-layer SuperDrive ATI Radeon HD 2600 PRO with 256MB memory $2299 and not to be a total tool but... you listed the Mac Pro G5 There are no more G5s....
Thanks for the replies, I got some good advice from PMs too, you guys are great, thanks! I am definitely leaning toward the Mac Pro. Being so indecisive I am going to take a trip to Syracuse to check out the MacBook Pro, apparently they do have a model with the high resolution screen. I am curious to see what a 17" 1920x1200 display looks like. Either way, I am probably going to have to part with some toys to pay for the new machine. But it is my source of income, so...
