Macbook or Macbook Pro

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I'm a student who's going to study overseas. Portability is important so I decided to buy a notebook.
I'm going to concentrate on studies and work so I chose to buy an Apple notebook because the operating system is more stable and secure.

Although I do not care about games I am a serious amateur photographer. I also work frequently with graphics. Therefore my computer must run photoshop and aperture at a great speed to process large-sized images.

The main difference between the Macbook and Macbook Pro I'm looking at is that Macbook Pro has a larger monitor for photo editing and a better graphics card. What I want to know is that does the better graphics card do any good when running photoshop.

My present computer runs photoshop very smoothly. As reference, the configuration is: P4 3.2ghz, 1GB RAM, radeon9800pro and Windows XP
 

???


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MBP 2.0Ghz
The ATI card in the MBP are great, the MBP will be better than the MB but it depends on how big the files are. The MB card is ok, but if you are serious and can afford it get the pro. Either way buy as much ram as you can afford.
 
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ive had both and both are great. i DO NOTHING BUT recommend the pro to oeveryone.

this is a first. for your needs (travel, student, lightweight) the MB, not the PRO is the best choice. photo editing will work wonderful on it, and battery life is far better.

i still say get a PRO :) it is a better all around machine no doubt. but again for travel.... you cant beat the mb.


i was under the impression that photoshop will not run any faster while editing photos with a intergrated card vs a ded card.???
 

???


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I don't think so, as the deicated card will always be faster but I think we are talking in times that are not worth measuring. But the MBP better all round too IMO.
 
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i was recently faced with the same decision. I liked the smaller, macbook especially because i already owned a larger external monitor. but i really wanted the external video card for video processing, as i also bought FCE for 100 dollars when i bought the computer. In the long run, in terms of compatibility and longevity and speed, i'd by the MB PRO
 
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MBP deffinatly like you guys i had the same dilema and decided for the macbook pro cuase its really not to much bigger, well its actually thinner just wider then the mb, plus its just over all better :p unless you are crunched for money or just want it for traveling i would suggest mbp.
 
OP
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I seems that Macbook Pro is more suitable for me but the problem is that it's my father who pays for the notebook. Therefore I don't want it to be too expensive unless there's a good reason to it.
Consider the following comparison: Macbook with 2GB RAM vs Macbook Pro with 1GB RAM
Will the Macbook Pro be faster when using photoshop? If yes, is the extra $500 worth the increase in performance?
 
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simply put, NO.

but the screen on the macbook just looks so small after ive been on my pro for 1+ hrs.

the mbp does feel bigger, and it should, because it is. ive got both in front of me, and have used PS on both, and i can say, save your father a little money, if you want. explain to him that the PRO is a more solid machine, and will probably last longer. Never hurts to test the waters. you can get a refurb pro for 1500-1600 anyways, not too much more than a MB with 2gb! def. not 500
 
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Too many to list but have the latest to oldest macs.
I seems that Macbook Pro is more suitable for me but the problem is that it's my father who pays for the notebook. Therefore I don't want it to be too expensive unless there's a good reason to it.
Consider the following comparison: Macbook with 2GB RAM vs Macbook Pro with 1GB RAM
Will the Macbook Pro be faster when using photoshop? If yes, is the extra $500 worth the increase in performance?

Go for the macbook pro, with outa doubt. I have two macbooks and a few macbook pros, the macbook pro wipes the floor with macbooks. Also the screen being bigger helps, also you have a choice off matte. Glossy looks pretty but gives me a headache.

Playing about with photos when travelling is a pain on a small screen, thus I have a 17"MBP.
 
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i would say the biggest part of my decision to go with a pro was the bigger screen/higher resolution.

after that decision, there was no choice.
 
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Yeah, I agree. If you do a lot of graphics work on the move then the MacBook Pro is definately the better option. The MacBook screen is very small, and while the graphics card is good, it is not the best. So get the Pro.
 

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