Which Macbook should I go for? (Photoshop needs)

thebison

Hi folks, been thinking about buying a Macbook for last few weeks and finally going to bite the bullet. The thing is that I’m unsure about which one if best for my needs.
I plan to use it mainly for the usual activities : Web, Netflix, watching TV, music and also more work stuff like Dreamweaver, Photoshop and (hopefully) Final Cut Pro.

Budget is around €1000-€1100. I’m wondering if I should go with a Macbook Air or Macbook Pro?

Macbook Pro: http://www.pcworld.ie/Product/apple-macbook-pro-13/311159/302
Macbook Air: http://www.pcworld.ie/Product/apple-macbook-air-133/325288/302

Thanks in advance

harrymagina

I wouldnt buy either of them. Specs are fairly horrible and adobe software will be a nightmare to use on them. Very overpriced.

Passenger

For professional purposes (Adobe Suite, Final Cut Pro, etc.) I would go for the MacBook Pro tbh. But for that price-range I would go an extra couple hundred euro and get the MacBook Pro from the Apple Store. It has Retina Display, more RAM and a much faster SSD and processor.

13-inch: 2.6GHz
with Retina display
2.6GHz dual-core Intel Core i5
Turbo Boost up to 3.1GHz
8GB 1600MHz memory
128GB PCIe-based flash storage1
Intel Iris Graphics
Built-in battery

Tokyo

I've used both the Air and Pro for the tasks you describe, and currently run the spec that Passenger has listed above (I upgraded to 16Gb RAM), and I don't have any problems. This is in stark contrast to the Macbook Air, which, although it ran Photoshop and FCP, took forever to render anything, and you'll spend a lot of time looking at a beachball for anything more than casual image editing.

Don't get me wrong, the Macbook Air is a fine machine for certain tasks, it's just not built for the heavy duty work you are looking for from it. Macbook Pro Retina, if you can afford it.

thebison

Thanks for the replies.

Any idea what the cheapest would be, if I was willing to add an extra €100-€200?

Maybe I overstated my desire for Final Cup Pro....I'll probably use Photoshop and the likes of Final Cup Pro for casual use as I'm trying to improve my skills with this software.

Zcott

Worth checking out the education store or the refurb store for a MacBook Pro. Some decent discounts there.

Passenger

thebison wrote: »

Any idea what the cheapest would be, if I was willing to add an extra €100-€200?

The cheapest is the one I recommended.

Kavrocks

thebison wrote: »

Maybe I overstated my desire for Final Cup Pro....I'll probably use Photoshop and the likes of Final Cup Pro for casual use as I'm trying to improve my skills with this software.

I've a 2011 Macbook Air - Dual Core Core i5 with 4 GB RAM and an SSD.

I'd be surprised if an Air didn't suit your needs. Mine gets run a lot harder than casual Photoshop use and I can't remember the last time I had a spinning beach ball. I do have to wait for some things I run to finish but I can continue to work away on other things and the Air stays fully responsive.

Passenger wrote: »

The cheapest is the one I recommended.

Not sure how you worked that out. It's €280 more expensive than the Macbook Air linked in the OP.

Passenger

Kavrocks wrote: »

Not sure how you worked that out. It's €280 more expensive than the Macbook Air linked in the OP.

And I said if he goes an extra couple hundred euro he could have a superior spec MacBook Pro from the Apple Store. See...

Passenger wrote: »

For professional purposes (Adobe Suite, Final Cut Pro, etc.) I would go for the MacBook Pro tbh. But for that price-range I would go an extra couple hundred euro and get the MacBook Pro from the Apple Store.

Kavrocks

Passenger wrote: »

And I said if he goes an extra couple hundred euro he could have a superior spec MacBook Pro from the Apple Store. See...

You've contradicted yourself there. The OP asked for the cheapest option, not the best value (in your opinion).

thebison

So just to confirm, this is the best option? I have a €100 voucher for PC World/Currys, so I’m pretty keen to buy from one of those stores?

http://www.pcworld.ie/Product/apple-macbook-pro-13-with-retina-display/318394/302
http://www.techspot.com/products/laptops/apple-macbook-pro-133-inch-retina-mid-2014-mgx92-mgx82-mgx72.105243/#reviewsOffset

whiterebel

You are not allowed to sell on Boards.ie. You need to put it on adverts to sell it

Sad Professor

Posts deleted. Deegs and mynameisoisin, please read the charter, thanks.

mynameisoisin

my apologies, desperate times desperate measures