iMac vs MacBook Pro

Question

Level 2

162 points

iMac vs MacBook Pro

I own an iMac with the following specs and I really fancy one of those unibody MacBook Pro's 15". I was wondering if I would notice a big difference (processor/graphics/hard drive) and if it would be worth trading my iMac in for a beautiful unibody MacBook Pro...

Here are the specs of my iMac:

iMac "Core 2 Extreme" 2.8 24-Inch (Aluminum) features a 2.8 GHz Intel "Core 2 Extreme" processor (X7900), with two independent processor "cores" on a single silicon chip, a 4 MB shared level 2 cache, an 800 MHz system bus, 2 GB of RAM (667 MHz DDR2 SDRAM, PC2-5300), a 500 GB (7200 RPM) Serial ATA hard drive, a vertically-mounted slot-loading DVD+R DL "SuperDrive", ATI Radeon HD 2600 PRO graphics acceleration with 256 MB of GDDR3 memory.

Your advice would be much appreciated!

Thanks,

Walter

iMac 2,8 Intel Core 2 Extreme, Mac OS X (10.5.6)

Posted on Jan 15, 2009 1:30 AM

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Answer 1

capaho

Level 4

3,673 points

Jan 15, 2009 2:51 AM in response to W M R

I have a 2.4 GHz, 20" aluminum iMac (upgraded to 4 GB RAM), and my 2.53 GHz, 15" MBP seems only slightly faster. You would have a better GPU in the MBP, but you'd also be trading your 24" S-IPS panel for a 15" TN panel, so that might be something to consider. If you want portability, it might be worth trading. If you're looking for better performance, overall, there probably isn't enough of a difference to see a significant change.

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Answer 2

LukeD

Level 4

3,144 points

Jan 15, 2009 4:51 PM in response to W M R

Capaho is right. It comes down to your preference on portability.

What type of programs do you run?

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Answer 3

opertone

Level 1

0 points

Jan 15, 2009 5:48 PM in response to W M R

MacBook Pro tends to overheat when

Playing ported DirectX games
Using Windows operating system
Using it on a soft surface, such as in bed

MacBook pro is my device of choice, but if that matters I like Ipod nano too.

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Answer 4

Jan 16, 2009 5:37 AM in response to W M R

Given the iMac has a superior display panel and the speed difference between the two is negligible the only true deciding factor is the mobility factor.

Will you need or want to use the computer other then on your desk. I find that my MBP is great, its on the desk 80% of the time but that other 20% comes in extremely handy whether that's just in the living room, surfing apple discussions 😉 or traveling.

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Answer 5

gbMac

Level 2

320 points

Jan 17, 2009 7:57 AM in response to capaho

I believe the panels in the 15" MBPs are IPS not TN.

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Answer 6

W M R Author

Level 2

162 points

Jan 17, 2009 10:58 AM in response to gbMac

Thanks for your guys input! It helped me making the decision to keep my iMac.

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