Ready to buy a New Apple

Hi everyone, New to the forum, but I have been a Mac owner for over a year. Currently running the 21.5 iMac. Great Machine.

It is time to get a new laptop, and this time I am going to buy a MacBook. I have a few questions and I am looking for some good advice in helping me choose the one I should get.

I will most likely go with the 13" or 15" for portability since I already have the 21.5" at home. I want to use the following programs on the laptop, and I want to make sure that I won't have any issues. I am looking for input as to what everyone thinks would be the bare minimums or even the best setups for me to run the following programs. Input with real experience would be greatly appreciated regarding how the system will run with these programs. Don't want the system to chug on huge HD video files and 12-15 MP pictures.

I want to use the following software:
- iMovie
- FCE4
- iPhoto
- Photoshop
- Lightroom 2

I also intend on using the Mac to run windows since my schooling is based on business with Information Technology minor. Since I will be using the windows programs with either bootcamp/parallels or I might even virtualize, is one setup better thatn another.

Thank you everyone!

15" with a dedicated GPU. Upgrade the RAM and Hard drive yourself. Done.

Parallels is a virtual machine. If you are going to be doing video/photo editing while in windows then boot camp all the way if you wont be doing anything too intensive in windows then go for a virtual machine like parallels or vmware.

No mac will have trouble with 12-15mp pictures but if you really are going to be doing a lot of video editing I would do for the 15inch .

Thank you for the input on the MBP. I was leaning towards the 15", primarily due to the screen size with photo and video editing.

Another question would be regarding the Video Memory. Will the 256MB video card be enough for what I am hoping to use the MBP for? Meaning, Video and Photo editing. I intend on buying aftermarket RAM and pushing the system up to the 8GB. Will the 256 be enough, or do I need to drop the extra coin and get the 1GB Video Memory upgrade through Apple?

Either way, my main reasoning for the MBP is stability and the awesome video/photo programs I can get with it. If I can get a refurb from apple that is a couple of years old with 256MB Video Memory, that might be a good option as well. No?

Thanks and Cheers!

Getting a MBP that is a couple of years old will act like a computer that is a couple of years old (technology wise). So, if you want to use it for video editing and want it to be fast, don't buy a 2 year old computer and expect it to keep up with new technology

No off the shelf laptop I have seen won't move slowly with HD video processing. Pics aren't a challenge, but HD definitely is.

To do that, you'll want the new Lacie 2x250gig SSD thunderbolt drive, which laptop you choose doesn't matter nearly as much as the drive speed. Also, be sure to get a 6T or bigger RAID array to handle bulk storage.

But, if you're just fooling around with HD, then plan to replace your drive with a 750gig or bigger, and maybe replace the superdive with another one as well. Something else you'll want is a nice big external display.

Which laptop - doesn't matter as much as with peripherals for what you are describing.

Phat Twin said:

Thank you for the input on the MBP. I was leaning towards the 15", primarily due to the screen size with photo and video editing.

Another question would be regarding the Video Memory. Will the 256MB video card be enough for what I am hoping to use the MBP for? Meaning, Video and Photo editing. I intend on buying aftermarket RAM and pushing the system up to the 8GB. Will the 256 be enough, or do I need to drop the extra coin and get the 1GB Video Memory upgrade through Apple?

Either way, my main reasoning for the MBP is stability and the awesome video/photo programs I can get with it. If I can get a refurb from apple that is a couple of years old with 256MB Video Memory, that might be a good option as well. No?

Thanks and Cheers!

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Not sure how demanding the programs you intend to run but keep in mind you cannot upgrade the CPU or GPU so get the most your budget will allow.

Mini_mi said:

Getting a MBP that is a couple of years old will act like a computer that is a couple of years old (technology wise). So, if you want to use it for video editing and want it to be fast, don't buy a 2 year old computer and expect it to keep up with new technology

Click to expand...

That completely depends on the user and where they are coming from. I upgraded and got an 08 blackbook with upgraded RAM and HDD and it feels very new, faster than my friends' 09/10 MacBooks. "Old" technology isn't always obsolete. The bleeding edge is nice, but it isn't always needed.

Thanks for all the input, everyone.

My remaining question is this. I am a hobby enthusiast in regards to video production, and I honestly don't believe that I will be making any money performing video services. Not in the next three years until my computer degree is finished.

Will the 256MG allow me to continue using FCE4 without other issues? This is really the last remaining stumbling block for my purchase. Do you think I need the 1GB, my iMac has the 256MB video card and that seems to work very well without issue.

Thanks!

I edited some stuff for Speed Channel on a 13" MacBook. 9400m graphics card and 2.0ghz core 2 duo. and by some stuff I mean 1.5 TB of footage. yes, the render times are insanely long when you have that much footage, but for small projects, a low end MacBook pro would do just fine. if you want screen real estate get an external monitor.