Which system should I go for?

Mister Man

Hi all.
I've been thinking about getting myself a mac system for some time now. I've around €1500 or so. Can be stretched for the right system. I should mention I'm not sold on getting one just yet. I'm just seeing which system others think will suit me, then going to do my research.

I work as a freelance designer & developer. So it will basically be used just for that. Of course, i'll be doing the internets and emails too, but that goes without saying.
I notice my current desktop system can be quite slow on some programs from time to time, so I'll probably need 8gb or ram as a minimum.
Hard drive space isn't a big deal. I never seem to use much on internal storage devices. All my stuff is on externals. Mainly because I tend to switch from my desktop to laptop for meetings/draft reviews/etc. But it's become a habit at this stage.
I like the idea of a MPB, but would the iMac be a better choice in terms of bang for my buck? I don't tend to work on my laptop currently, as It's simply not as powerful as a desktop. The screen real-estate on my desktop is also much greater (2 19inch monitors) which might also be a key factor.
I really don't have a preference either way myself. I would probably get equal use out of either system. If anyone could suggest why one is better then the other, that would be great!

Stuxnet

I bought a pimped out 13" mac air just before Christmas, worst thing I ever bought, stuck ubuntu on it, works much better now, but its very very small...

If I was to go again, Id go for a larger pro, presuming youve decided not to get a windows laptop

jenno86

Stuxnet wrote: »

I bought a pimped out 13" mac air just before Christmas, worst thing I ever bought, stuck ubuntu on it, works much better now, but its very very small...

If I was to go again, Id go for a larger pro, presuming youve decided not to get a windows laptop

Why?

Graham

Stuxnet wrote: »

I bought a pimped out 13" mac air just before Christmas, worst thing I ever bought, stuck ubuntu on it, works much better now, but its very very small...

If I was to go again, Id go for a larger pro, presuming youve decided not to get a windows laptop

Did it come as a surprise to find OS X was installed on the MBA? What did ubuntu make much better?

You realise that if you go for a MacBook Pro in the future, that will also come with OS X.

Graham

Mister Man wrote: »

If anyone could suggest why one is better then the other, that would be great!

As a designer/developer you'll almost certainly appreciate the extra screen real-estate that an iMac will give you. If you don't need the portability that's what I'd recommend.

If you do go for a current iMac, go for the 27" as you can upgrade the RAM yourself (and save a fortune over Apple RAM upgrade prices).

You're a graphic designer I assume.

I agree with the above post, go for the Imac if portability is not an issue for you.

My Girlfriends mom has been using an Imac for the past year for her photo editing (professional photographer/artist) And she can't be pulled away from it.