Considering Switch From iMac to MBP

Hey all. This is a bit foreign territory for me, as I've never had a notebook. Bear with me a bit

I've had my current iMac for about two years now. There's nothing wrong with it - I like it and had no plans of upgrading yet, though what I have is clearly out of date now and I never followed through on upgrading my RAM. Specs are...

20-inch iMac
2.4 GHz Core 2 Duo
1 GB RAM
ATI 2600 HD

I've always had desktops as I generally prefer the setup, having a larger screen, more bang-for-your-buck specs. I made it through college alright taking notes the archaic way while everyone else typed away on their hipster white MBs ( ;D ), and while I certainly thought it'd be nice to have a laptop to take notes with etc., it didn't seem necessary and I opted to not spend the money.

Well now I'm working, and I'm yearning more and more to have my computer be portable. Would be nice to be able to take my work with me, and also take advantage of the other portability perks finally. Seems like a good time to get into the MB market considering they were just updated. I've decided against having both a desktop and a notebook, though. I'm interested in a desktop-replacement.

Seeing as it's been two years since I got my last computer, I am hoping to see some performance improvement even though as stated I really don't have any problems right now. So I guess I'm looking for both portability and upgrade.

I'm looking at the 15" MBP model. The low-end unit has...

2.4 GHz Core i5
4 GB RAM
GeForce GT 330M

So Question 1: Will I see a noticeable performance upgrade? and Question 2: How does this GPU compare to the one I have in my iMac? I really don't know a whole lot about GPUs, especially so in notebook computers. I tried comparing the two on a GPU-specific site, but the 330M was not listed. Is it an upgrade over the HD 2600? I don't do a whole lot of gaming on my computer, but I might be interested in Steam when it becomes available for Mac.

I've heard of overheating issues with the new MBPs. When I'm not using it for it's portability factor, I'd like to have it hooked up to one of my TVs (Samsung HDTV). Question 3: Will I be able to use it hooked up to my TV without overheating becoming a factor? Wasn't sure what kind of issues I'd run into with it plugged into it's power source, my TV, hooked up to my wireless mouse and keyboard, and using it.

And finally, Question 4: What kind of life expectancy can I expect out of a notebook, specifically a MBP?

Thanks for anyone's help. It's appreciated.

Also, if I went instead with the 13 inch, would I see a noticeable improvement with that one?

I thought I'd go for one of the new processors, but I don't really need a 15" screen if most of the time I just hook it up to my TV. Would save me money, too, of course. It would still be an upgrade to the GHz (current 2.4, MBP would be 2.66) and RAM (1 to 4). 320M GPU...no idea if that's better, the same, or worse than what I currently have.

EDIT: Sorry, I thought of another question

If I go the 15" route, should I upgrade the screen to the higher resolution knowing that I'm going to be hooking it up to a 32" HDTV?

You are asking very specific narrow questions and I don't think that many people have experienced what you are asking. First of all laptops will always lag behind desktops in performance and this will probably be more of lateral upgrade meaning that you probably aren't going to notice much of a difference.

Usually if you want to jump from a desktop to a laptop then you will have to wait awhile for laptops to catch up or pass your desktop. The life expectancy of a computer comes down to how fast you need your computers to be in the future. This is asked a lot and nobody really can answer it but yourself. For example, a hardcore gamer will think thier computer is too slow in maybe half a year because they play all the latest highly intensive and demanding games.

I know I was asking very specific questions, and wasn't sure what kind of response I'd get. But I appreciate your help.

I should have been more specific, actually, with that question. I didn't mean to ask how long it'll last in the sense of it becoming outdated. Being technology, it'll obviously be outdated, in a sense, the moment it's bought. I was moreso wondering, just for example, that the battery wouldn't start going south on me after a year or two. Something along those lines; the computer not working as well in certain areas, rather than being behind the new standards.

Other than that, I really just wasn't sure how the i5 in a notebook would compare to the Core 2 Duo in an iMac performance wise. I tried finding some comparisons, but like you said it's kind of a specific question. Thought I might be able to get some help on the GPU thing, though. Like I said, I just couldn't find the new MBP's GPU on review sites so I'm not sure where it really fits in. I know it's better than the old MBP GPUs, but I couldn't compare it to what's in my iMac.

I was also hoping that someone had experience hooking them up to a TV, as I didn't think that would be uncommon, but maybe not. If no one has any other advice I understand. But if anyone has anymore, it's appreciated.

Check Geekbench
Your current imac
Search Results for 2.4 core 2 duo imac : Geekbench Result Browser
vs a 2.4 i5
Search Results for 2010 2.4 i5 : Geekbench Result Browser
See how geekbench measures
Primate Labs Geekbench
It is a starting point to get an idea of comparative speeds.

As far as lasting when it comes to build quality - it seems pretty good. In theory the battery is good for 1000 charge cycles to reach 80% - which is something like 3 years before you'd need to replace it. Unlike desktops - laptops since they move around are more susceptible to damage from moving it around. The unibody and aluminum seem to be more sturdy than the PC plastic that I've used for the last 10 years. If you are worried about such things - you may be better off getting a desktop - since they sit still there is little chance of damage from movement.

If you are worried about overheating - consider getting a chill pad - I have been using targus chill pads and my machine stays between 60-80 degrees C - but running with the lid close does get it hot. Hooking to a TV should work fine with a converter. Check monoprice for cheap prices on mini displayport to hdmi.

MikeIsGood said:

I should have been more specific, actually, with that question. I didn't mean to ask how long it'll last in the sense of it becoming outdated. Being technology, it'll obviously be outdated, in a sense, the moment it's bought. I was moreso wondering, just for example, that the battery wouldn't start going south on me after a year or two. Something along those lines; the computer not working as well in certain areas, rather than being behind the new standards.

Click to expand...

I can't really say about the new computers but I do have a Mac laptop that is becoming more than 5 years old and I'm still using it as a secondary computer. There are others on the forums who also still have older computers and they are still working.

I believe the GPUs on the new Macs are custom made for Apple so you are not going to find much information on them to compare it with what you currently have. You would have to wait awhile for more people to own and use the new MBPs so that you will have a larger knowledge base.

We do have a sticky in the hardware section about hooking up your computer to TVs but that's more about how to hook it up and I don't think you will find the answer you are looking for but it's worth trying a search.

IvanLasston said:

Check Geekbench
Your current imac
Search Results for 2.4 core 2 duo imac : Geekbench Result Browser
vs a 2.4 i5
Search Results for 2010 2.4 i5 : Geekbench Result Browser
See how geekbench measures
Primate Labs Geekbench
It is a starting point to get an idea of comparative speeds.

Click to expand...

Great website - thanks. Had never heard of it or been there before. Definitely gives me a good feel for things. Thanks for your other advice as well.

EndlessMac said:

I believe the GPUs on the new Macs are custom made for Apple so you are not going to find much information on them to compare it with what you currently have. You would have to wait awhile for more people to own and use the new MBPs so that you will have a larger knowledge base.

We do have a sticky in the hardware section about hooking up your computer to TVs but that's more about how to hook it up and I don't think you will find the answer you are looking for but it's worth trying a search.

Click to expand...

Good point on the GPUs. I'll take a look at that thread on the hardware board. There's probably some good info in there.