Help! New to Apple!

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Hello all!

I am a new user and would really appreciate some help. I recently decided, and after many MANY hours of research I have decided to ignore everything I love about PC's and make the move to a MAC.

The only problem is, I have no idea which product is for me.

Knowns:

Must be a portable
Wanting to use for minor video and music editing
Listing to music
Surfing the web
Email

Unknowns:

Screen Size
Processor Speeds
Graphics Speeds.

Being new to the OS X world. I have no idea what the requirments on my meger requests in a machine are.

Any feedback will be greatly appriceated!!

Thanks in advance

-$ilverde$k
 
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Hi $ilverde$k,

First of all welcome to the forum. Can't say that i've been here for a while :p

If you are going to use your mac for any kind of video editing or heavy gaming I would recommend the 15-inch: 2.66GHz Macbook Pro. Else you could go or the 15-inch: 2.53GHz Macbook Pro.

If portability is a big one for you than I would recommend going with something smaller. The 13-inch: 2.53GHz Macbook Pro should be more suitable if you are going to bring it all around the place with you. Believe me when I say that you don't want to carry a huge laptop all over the place, it hurts after a while.

Hope that helps.
 
O

ohiostatefn

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I also have made the move from PC to MacBook Pro. I am loving it! I have a question about storage. I also purchased the AirPort Extreme with 2 TB of storage. I am converting all of our old Disney VHS tapes to digital format to play on iTunes and Apple TV. I fear that I will run out of storage space soon. Is there an effective storage solution, such as a RAID system? preferably wireless? Thanks.
 
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I believe there's is a couple of solution available for your problem ohiostatefn.

The simple one would be to buy a USB hub and attach it to the airport extreme than attach your hard drives to the USB hub. This solution is by far the cheapest and easiest to implement.

Another solution would be to use a Network Attach Storage (NAS). You need to connect the NAS to your Airport extreme with a ethernet cable. This solution is a little bit more costly but your access to the stored files will be abit faster.
 
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Your Mac's Specs
27" iMac Quad Core i7 2.8 ghz 1TB HDD
What is your budget? I would highly recommend a macbook pro if you have the money.
 

CrimsonRequiem


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MBP 2.3 Ghz 4GB RAM 860 GB SSD, iMac 3.4 GHz Intel Core i7 32GB RAM, Fusion Drive 1TB
A Macbook can easily do the things that you listed. However the newer MBs lack a firewire port so that might be a deal breaker for video editing.

The 13 MBP is pretty much a MB with better screen quality, and a few extra features. Back lit keyboard, SD card slot, and firewire.

If you want more power then go with the 15" MBP with the dedicated graphics card. That's if you are into gaming...
 

CrimsonRequiem


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Your Mac's Specs
MBP 2.3 Ghz 4GB RAM 860 GB SSD, iMac 3.4 GHz Intel Core i7 32GB RAM, Fusion Drive 1TB
13" macbook pro with the biggest HD you can get in it.

Meh the CPU speed is more important than getting the largest HDD. You can upgrade the RAM and HDD after you buy it. You can't do that with the CPU.
 
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silverdesk84
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Mac Pro- My budget is about 1600.00 Which puts me right at the lower end 15in MBP (My wife is a teacher)

CrimsonRequiem-Do you think the Lower end 15in will cover my needs?
 
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Macbook Pro 15 2.2 i7 4GB 750GB
Well, I just bought a refurbished Macbook Pro 13 inch 2.26 GHz 2Gb of RAM and a 160 HD for only $999. I think that would be perfect for your needs.
 
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The lower end 15" macbook pro will easily handle your needs just fine. I think you would be very happy with it.
 

CrimsonRequiem


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Your Mac's Specs
MBP 2.3 Ghz 4GB RAM 860 GB SSD, iMac 3.4 GHz Intel Core i7 32GB RAM, Fusion Drive 1TB
Mac Pro- My budget is about 1600.00 Which puts me right at the lower end 15in MBP (My wife is a teacher)

CrimsonRequiem-Do you think the Lower end 15in will cover my needs?

The lower end 15" is pretty much the high end 13" MBP. It just has a larger screen and cost 200 dollars more.

If you can't live without the extra 2" then get the low end 15" MBP.

I would seriously go to the Apple store or where they sell Macs and do a test run to see what size is comfortable for you.

Some things I would keep in mind though. You won't see a difference in CPU speed on everyday computing, such as listening to music, email, and web surfing. You won't even notice it when you do video editing or sound encoding unless you actually have a side by side comparison. Even then the faster processor will only finish a few seconds earlier.

As for the video card...well they are all the same on the lower end models and they pull RAM from the system to operate.

Just keep in mind that I'm only stating the facts. Only you can decide if so and so is worth the money. Pretty much any of the MBPs can do what you want.
 
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Your Mac's Specs
2018 15" MBP, 2019 11" iPad Pro, iPhone 11 Pro
Mac Pro- My budget is about 1600.00 Which puts me right at the lower end 15in MBP (My wife is a teacher)

CrimsonRequiem-Do you think the Lower end 15in will cover my needs?

For the budget-minded (or just those who want a little "bang" for their buck) I would definitely suggest looking at refurbished Macs on apple's site. From what many have said on these forums, refurbs are as good as new and you'd be surprised how much of a computer you can get for a very reasonable price.

As suggested, concentrate on processor speed and possibly video card if that's important to you. Upgrade RAM and a larger/faster hard drive on your own for MUCH MUCH cheaper! ;D (plenty of youtube videos on how to do that)
 
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Can someone that bought a Refurb. tell me their experience?

I personally do not own a refurb but I know multiple people to do and they all say there are no problems and it is just like getting a brand new machine, just cheaper.
 

CrimsonRequiem


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Just because they say refurbished doesn't mean it has been used. It could have had some kind of defect on the assembly line and was taken off and then fixed.

As far as quality they are just like new and the 1 year warranty still applies.
 

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