Macbook Pro with Display vs iMac...

02/20/2012 10:22:10 PM · #1

Hi all

Just wondering if anyone mac users here can give me advice on which way I should go... I currently have a 13" macbook pro (current version) with 750gb harddrive, 4gb ram. I do all my photo editing etc on this little 13" screen, and want to upgrade as I now take my photography more seriously.

I am trying to decide between the following:
- 27" iMac, upgrade to 8gb ram and 2TB harddrive - total cost $2370.00
- Keep using macbook pro (as I will continue to use it as a portable device), but buy a 27" Thunderbolt Display to hook it up to - $1199 (plus cost of wireless keyboard and mouse, so that I can close the macbook and just use the screen)

So, there is a significant price different, clost to $1200 worth... is the extra capabilities of the iMac worth an additional $1200 when it comes to photo editing? Harddrive space isnt a big factor as we have quite a few external harddrives which I use to back up my work to, but ram and processors etc could be. Another bonus of using a 27" Display with MBP is that my husband also has a MBP, so he can use the screen if he needs to as well (could be a negative really, as I will have to fight him for it haha)

What are your thoughts? Pros and cons of each? Money is a big factor... which is why I've changed my tune from iMac to display. But I just want to make sure I'm not missing some big deciding factor and making the wrong choice. Bear in mind, if I get my foot in the door and begin to do professional photography work at some point, I will likely get an iMac then (if the budget permits).

Message edited by author 2012-02-20 22:23:29.

pgirish007

Canon EOS-5D Mark IV

Canon EF 24-70 2.8L II

02/20/2012 10:46:22 PM · #2

two things you can do!

1. in existing Macbook Pro, upgrade hard drive to SSD (another $250). This would speed up your development/editing time to a great extend.
2. buy additional monitor as you already added in along with Keyboard and mouse

This would help in couple of things:

1. you will be able to manage your editing on big screen at the same time you will keep your self portable.
2. if you visit to any client, you can take your notebook along with you and show your great work.
3. if you going somewhere and want to do some photography but manage exposure etc. via notebook, you can very well hookup you camera and use it as trigger. I believe with Nikon you can use notebook screen to monitor and live capture (similar to what you would see on camera screen).

At the end, you would save money but will keep your self portable!

These are just my thoughts!!!!

Message edited by author 2012-02-20 22:47:53.

02/20/2012 11:58:17 PM · #3

Originally posted by pgirish007:

Thanks for that! I didn't realise upgrading the hard drive can speed things up as well... I might start with the monitor and then upgrade the hard drive down the track when I need it more and I can afford it (seeing as though a trusted brand 250gb ssd drive is going to set me back around $600 or so!)

Covert_Oddity

Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 24-70mm f/2.8G ED

02/21/2012 02:11:28 AM · #4

Go for the monitor. I have a MBP and an iMac, I rarely use the iMac now as it's just too much hassle to move images between them, especially if you're using some sort of image library like Aperture or Lightroom.

SSD drive will really speed things up like

pgirish007 said, I would also look at taking the amount of RAM you have to the max, makes a big difference for editing. Depending on the generation of MBP you have, you may already be there, but the newer ones go to 8G.

Tiberius

Samsung Galaxy S22, S22+, S22 Ultra

Panasonic Lumix G 14mm F2.5 ASPH

02/21/2012 02:40:01 AM · #5

I friend of mine just upgraded his 15" MBP to SSD and claims its worth all the money in terms of speed. He does claim that is not that stable. He also took out the DVD player and installed a HHD for storage (ha!)

Go for the monitor. I bought a Dell UltraSharp U2410 for my Lenovo SL400 and was a great investment.

Also pump the RAM to the max!

Voigtlander Ultron 21mm f1.8

02/21/2012 02:50:39 AM · #6

Thanks everyone. I'm a noob when it comes to upgrading the hardware on pc's and mac's... is it pretty easy to do? I saw a tutorial on replacing the hard drive, didnt look too scary... ram should be similar yeh? Might get my more tech-savy hubby to do it lol

ETA: Actually maybe I wont, coz then he will want to upgrade his too :/ haha

Message edited by author 2012-02-21 02:51:04.

MAK

Leica M Monochrom

02/21/2012 06:17:27 AM · #7

Originally posted by Tiberius:

He also took out the DVD player and installed a HHD for storage (ha!)

That's my next move right there.

The fastest ever upgrade I did with my macbook pro was to get rid of the 5400 drive and replace it with an SSD, HUGE difference. The only issue I am having is that of storage and dragging stuff to & from my external...

HawkinsT

Canon EOS-5D Mark II

Olympus G-Zuiko Auto-S 55mm f/1.2

02/21/2012 06:55:51 AM · #8

If you're happy with your laptops performance, go for the monitor, it will last longer than the imac.

SwordandScales

Canon EOS-6D

Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 USM

02/21/2012 07:12:16 AM · #9

I'd remain versatile and go with the monitor! Although, you can certainly get a cheaper display. I love Apple and my MBP, but I think you can definitely find a very good monitor solution for less than $1199. Maybe others can chime in here and correct me, but that would be my thinking.

kirbic

Canon EOS R5

Canon RF 24-70 f2.8 L IS

02/21/2012 07:49:26 AM · #10

Originally posted by SwordandScales:

Ditto that. Look at the Dell U2711, around $840 last I looked. It's every bit as good a display as the Apple 27", and has almost every conceivable option for connection (except thunderbolt).

HawkinsT

Canon EOS-5D Mark II

Olympus G-Zuiko Auto-S 55mm f/1.2

02/21/2012 07:54:39 AM · #11

You can, e.g. the HP LP2475w. It's 24" instead of 27", but for $600 and covering almost the entire adobe rgb colour space, I think it's hard to argue with for photography. The thing is though it's not built by apple and I know most apple users like to stick to the one brand.

Originally posted by kirbic:

Originally posted by SwordandScales:
I'd remain versatile and go with the monitor! Although, you can certainly get a cheaper display. I love Apple and my MBP, but I think you can definitely find a very good monitor solution for less than $1199. Maybe others can chime in here and correct me, but that would be my thinking.

Ditto that. Look at the Dell U2711, around $840 last I looked. It's every bit as good a display as the Apple 27", and has almost every conceivable option for connection (except thunderbolt).

I hear the dell ultrasharp monitors often don't have a uniform brightness/colour across the screen (I was looking at reviews recently and this was the number 1 issue that came up). They don't require calibration to get a passable picture either though, so swings and roundabouts...

Message edited by author 2012-02-21 07:58:50.

kirbic

Canon EOS R5

Canon RF 24-70 f2.8 L IS

02/21/2012 08:45:06 AM · #12

Originally posted by HawkinsT:

It's true that some Dell models have had this issue, but it's very model-specific. I have not seen it reported for the U2711, and mine certainly does not have the problem. The very similar U2411, by contrast, is widely reported to suffer from this.

Denielle

Canon EOS-7D Mark II

Canon EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS

02/21/2012 08:57:55 AM · #13

Originally posted by HawkinsT:

If you're happy with your laptops performance, go for the monitor, it will last longer than the imac.

That's what I would do. But my hubby wants us to have a desktop, so we will just go with both (in time).

That thunderbolt monitor looks nice. Wish I could get it with the MacBook Pro.

Hell, you can never have too many computers, or too many cameras/lenses for that matter. :)