MacBook or Macbook Pro 13"

[Fullthrottledesigns]

I am a graphic/web designer at a college university and I recently moved to an office space off campus. I am going to be working on campus a few days a week so I need to get a laptop to transport to and from the office. I have a 20" iMac as my desktop so which laptop do you think would best serve the purpose? It will most likely be used for working on various projects like brochures/flyers etc.. but mostly I will work on the big projects on my iMac. So the question is between a 13" MacBook and MacBook Pro which do you think will be the best solution? I will be installing the CS4 Creative Suite and Office 08' on the laptop. :confused:

[Yontsey]

Why not get a 15" MBP, sell the iMac, and buy a nice additional monitor to hook up to on your desk?

Just food for thought.

[Swox]

Why not get a 15" MBP, sell the iMac, and buy a nice additional monitor to hook up to on your desk?

Just food for thought.

That's probably what I'd do - it's actually what I've been doing for the past 3 years.

If you want to keep the iMac, then I'd personally go for the Macbook Pro, if only for the more rugged enclosure. It really is invaluable on a mobile device.

[Fullthrottledesigns]

I don't need to sell the iMac because the university is buying the new laptop and have a 24" screen I can attach to the laptop. I can get whatever I want under $1500 but I want the most logical choice.

[Kraetos]

Go for the $1,199 13" MacBook Pro, and upgrade (http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=2010170381%201309239101&bop=And&ActiveSearchResult=True&Order=RATING) the RAM yourself.

For only $200 more, you're getting a much better machine. But don't bother with the $1,499 version.

[Swox]

I firmly believe that grants are meant to be spent in full. Maybe that's just me though ;)

[psmith2.0]

If someone else is paying for it, do what Kraetos said. That $1,199 MacBook Pro is nice (but I wouldn't dish out the extra for the $1,499 model).

But, then again, the white plastic MacBook for $999 (or a refurb one for $849, with the 9400M graphics) is a nice deal.

But if it's not my money being spent, yeah...I'm going for the sleek, aluminum goodness of the 13" Pro (and those are even now showing up as refurbs).

[stratotom]

Go for the $1,199 13" MacBook Pro, and upgrade the RAM yourself.

This is what I did - it's a great idea and the Pro is an awesome machine.

[MBHockey]

I LOVE my 13" MBP. Most perfect laptop I've ever owned.

[Robo]

I used to say that anyone asking "Should I get a MB or MBP?" should get the MB, because people who need the MBP know they need the MBP.

But times have changed; the 13" aluminum MacBook has suddenly become "Pro" and it's actually cheaper than ever - just $200 more than the old plastic MacBook (!!!).

And you said that your university was paying for it, so this sounds like a total no-brainer to me.

You're getting a thinner, lighter aluminum enclosure, a (twice!) newer LED-lit display, an illuminated keyboard, much better battery life, FireWire 800, Mini-DP out, an SD card slot, and a faster processor. It's the best $200 you'll ever not spend. :D

In fact, with student discounts the MBP is only $150 more than the white MB. You can take that base $1,099 MBP, double the RAM and hard drive, add an AppleCare warranty, and still come out under your $1,500 limit, so you can add a video adapter if you need one - or an Apple Remote if you don't. ;) (iWork '09 pushes the price to $1,503, sadly.)

That's an insanely great deal.

[curiousuburb]

Brochures and flyers might benefit from screen real estate for layout, so a refurb 15 is worth keeping an eye out for, but otherwise I think Robo's last recommendation is tough to beat... low end MBP with add-ons (3rd party if necessary), AppleCare, and a perhaps a portable drive for archiving.

[stratotom]

Also, the deal on AppleCare if you get the education discount is insane. I don't know about the US, but mine went from £195 to ~£40/50. Incredible.

[Fullthrottledesigns]

Well an interesting turn of events...

I was talking to someone in our department and we happen to have a spare black MacBook I can have that instead of buying a new laptop. Now the question is RAM. The MacBook has 2GB of RAM and I know Apple says 2GB is the max but I was told the intel chip will recognize up to 3GB. Is this true and if so can I use an extra stick I have from my iMac?

[Wyatt]

Find your MB on this site. It should give you details about exactly how much RAM you can use (and whether the Mac will address it all).

http://www.everymac.com/systems/apple/macbook/index-macbook.html

[Yontsey]

Maybe it's just the con in me, but if I had to choose between a new MBP 13" and an older MB Black, it would be a no brainer to me
;)

[PB PM]

I'd op for the new machine every time. ;)

[Fullthrottledesigns]

Well so would I, but once they found out there was an extra MacBook laying around they didn't want to shell out the $1500 for a new MP Pro. I think it will do the job I just hope I can add more RAM to it and help speed it up.

[Robo]

Aw well. At least you're being eco-friendly. :)

[nikstar101]

I am thinking of buying a 15" MacBook Pro but i have a nagging feeling that there will be an update just round the corner.

Now i know that you can always say that, but with the release of the new intel i7 mobile chips do you reckon that Apple will update them before Christmas?

Although i will certainly be getting the matte version of the screen, non of this glossy stuff for me!

[Robo]

Now i know that you can always say that, but with the release of the new intel i7 mobile chips do you reckon that Apple will update them before Christmas?

It's hard to say - not all mobile processors are created equal, and Apple might need to wait for lower-power chips. There's a discussion about all that in the iMac thread in Speculation & Rumors. :)