Which Mac should I purchase?

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Hi there,
I was hoping the members of mac-forums.com could help me out.
I'm not overly tech savvy but am not a complete noob either.
I currently have a an acer laptop running windows7 and I was looking to upgrade. My question is what macbook suits my needs. I don't use the laptop that frequently but my main uses for one would be light internet usage, music/video downloading, writing blogs and I would also like to pursue other interests such as video and picture editing once improved hardware is purchased.

Thanking you, Kevin.
 
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The easy answer, and the one you'll get most, is get the best one you can afford :) The cheapest model Macbook is good enough for light tasks (and probably heavier tasks, though it would be notably slower), and the highest spec Macbook Pro can do some heavy duty work! :)
 
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Your Mac's Specs
2010+ Mac Mini, 2.4 ghz, 8 gigs RAM / iPad (1st gen) 32gb 3G / iPhone4 16gb / iPod Video 30gb
Kevin, I just upgraded from a 1-year-old HP/Compaq notebook to a Mac Mini. I had nothing but problems with the PC. I had to restore it twice to get rid of malware and other conflicts. It still runs a lot slower than when it was new and gets bogged down when editing photos.

Since you posted in the "desktops" forum, I am guessing that you use your notebook like I use mine -- at a desk. I really like the Mac Mini because it can hook up to my 46" flat screen TV in the living room (where I am now), and also to a flat screen computer monitor that I have from a couple years ago (I bought the Apple VGA adapter). The Mini is small enough that moving it around is super-easy. I have the cordless keyboard and cordless super mouse, so there are only two connections: power cord and HDMI cable (or VGA cable). I am looking for a travel case for it currently.

I have even started using it for watching Netflix movies because it is easier to deal with than my PS3. For some reason, when I watch Netflix on the PS3, I have to change the aspect ratio on my TV... but with the Mini, it fills the screen correctly every time.

Since I edit large photos and do a bit of video rendering, I purchased 8 gigs of RAM (aftermarket) for $109. I haven't received it yet, though.

Anyway, you might need more processing power or a larger built-in hard drive than the Mac Mini offers, but it is working out great as a replacement for my stationary notebook computer.
 
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connected neyal

Thank you for your answers.
Money wise, I guess I wouldn't want to be spending much over €1,500. The screen on my current laptop is 15 inches and I am slightly worries about the downgrade to 13 inch.

I realise now that I posted in the wrong section.
If a moderator could move this to Notebook/Laptop section it would be much appreciated. Sorry for the inconvenience.
 
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If you're looking to save some money, I really recommend the Apple Refurb store. You can find higher spec machines there cheaper sometimes. They are like new, Apple has went through them completely, 100%, replaces the batteries, etc. and they come with the same warranty as if you purchase a brand new machine. You can even still buy Applecare for the refurb machines. The stock changes very regularly though, so watch it close and be ready to jump if you find one you like. They are awesome deals!
 
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I have found a refurbed 15' pro meeting my price range but I don't want to spend an unnecessary £500 more if a 13' macbook would do what I want to do. Is the leap down from 15' to 13' noticeably different or would a 13' do me perfectly considering my needs.
 
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Your Mac's Specs
MBP 15" 16/500/2.3GHz, iPad 4 32GB, iPhone 5 32GB
The 13" MBPs are a really good deal. Even using the older C2D CPU (and slower 320M GPU), they're still perform really well. They'll take 8GB of RAM too, so for RAM intensive apps, you've got some expansion available.

For all the tasks except photo/video work, you're probably not going to notice a difference, and if you're just knocking around on personal projects, the 13" does a pretty great job in iMovie (we've been doing a little video work from content via our iPhone 4).
 
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Is pro defiantly necessary?
MacBook, MBP 13' and MBP 15' are my options.
Which one would suit me best for the lowest price?
I have no problem spending more if it's worth it but don't want to spend unnecessary extra cash if I can do all I want to do on say a MacBook?
 
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It really depends on you... If you think you'll do anything like HD video editing or something, you might want to get a higher end computer for the sake of efficiency. But for light tasks or even light editing, there's nothing wrong with getting a base model at all! :) We can't know how you'll use it in the future, so it's impossible for us to give you the "best" answer. If you can do all you want on the base Macbook, there is nothing at all wrong with getting the base Macbook :)
 
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It really depends on you... If you think you'll do anything like HD video editing or something, you might want to get a higher end computer for the sake of efficiency. But for light tasks or even light editing, there's nothing wrong with getting a base model at all! :) We can't know how you'll use it in the future, so it's impossible for us to give you the "best" answer. If you can do all you want on the base Macbook, there is nothing at all wrong with getting the base Macbook :)

So would I be able to run all tasks listed in my original post and some light gaming seamlessly on the base macbook? (Won't be editing in HD, just some personal projects)
 
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You should be able to do all of your tasks in your original post perfectly fine on the base Macbook. But I don't know about gaming... I don't game so I can't speak to that, though I can say I've read that some of the higher end Macs can't even game perfectly. But surely someone with experience in gaming can say :) I guess it depends what kind of games you're talking about.
 
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You should be able to do all of your tasks in your original post perfectly fine on the base Macbook. But I don't know about gaming... I don't game so I can't speak to that, though I can say I've read that some of the higher end Macs can't even game perfectly. But surely someone with experience in gaming can say :) I guess it depends what kind of games you're talking about.

To be honest, I'm not much of a gamer myself and any gaming I would be doing would be very light (football manager) with low minimum spec requirements so I'd be fairly confident it would work fine.

Thank you for your help sir, reputation gained!
 
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Oh ok! Should be fine for things like that I would think :) As long as it meets the minimum requirements it shouldn't have any trouble.

Not a problem! And thanks :) Anytime you have questions about anything, come back! There are so many helpful people here :)
 
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if u dont mind me askin Clockwork, what do u do for a living? you got some pretty high-end equipment right there haha
 
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I don't mind at all. I work in admitting at a local hospital, and on the side I help with my wife's photography/video editing work which she does full time. Our last computers were not quite as current! We saved for a long time to get these. Our little baby girl comes first :)
 
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MBP 15" 16/500/2.3GHz, iPad 4 32GB, iPhone 5 32GB
So would I be able to run all tasks listed in my original post and some light gaming seamlessly on the base macbook? (Won't be editing in HD, just some personal projects)

I have friends that do some light-to-moderate gaming on everything from old[er] MBPs (pre i-Core/3xxM GPU), to iMacs - the latter handling more 3D intensive games.

To be honest, and I always say this, if you want to play major action/driving/3D type games, just buy a PS3 for $300 vs. spending way more on your computer :)
 

pigoo3

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if u dont mind me askin Clockwork, what do u do for a living? you got some pretty high-end equipment right there haha

As "clockworkworld" basically mentioned...to own higher end computer equipment...you just have to be willing to save $$$...and maybe do without some goodies for a while.:)

- Nick
 

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