Need a new Mac...

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Last night my 5 1/2 year old 17in. MacBook Pro died. I got a lot of mileage out of it and now need a new mac.

The main thing I'll need in my new mac is the ability to run Photoshop CS5 (or better). I'd like to also be mobile.

I've thought about getting an iMac AND an iPad (to still retain a mobile computer)- what do you guys think? I'd like to keep my cost under $2,000.
 
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15" MB Pro, 2.66 i7 ; 11” MBA 1.8GZ i7; 13"MBA 2GZ i7 8 GB mem 512GB SSD, 2 iPad3s, 1 iPad Mini
Watch your budget. I just bought a New iPad, 64 GB, WIFI and 4G with Applecare for my wife. Just a touch over $1000. You won't get Photoshop CS anything on an iPad, only the really really light weight Photoshop Express. I have it and hate it. Not at all like Lightroom or CS5 on my MB Pro.

You will not be processing photos on the iPad so think about what you need in a laptop and price them out. Maxed out 15" MB Pro Retina runs about $4K but you don't need Retina or, possibly, maxed out either. So you may be able to throttle down to a 15" MBP with no upgrades at about $1800 or, with a faster processor, starting at $2200. Not a lot of room left for an iPad purchase as those start at $400 with no upgrades at all.

My humble experience as a photographer is that my machine needs the fastest processor, fastest SSD flash drive, and most memory in order to reasonably process RAW or even JPG images.
 

pigoo3

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The main thing I'll need in my new mac is the ability to run Photoshop CS5 (or better). I'd like to also be mobile.

I've thought about getting an iMac AND an iPad (to still retain a mobile computer)- what do you guys think? I'd like to keep my cost under $2,000.

You're certainly not going to be able to run CS5 on an iPad...so the iMac + iPad idea probably won't work.

I would say you would be best off sticking with just a MacBook Pro. You have three choices:

1. Buy a used MacBook Pro...especially if you still want a 17" model...since they have been discontinued.
2. Buy one of the brand new 2012 MacBook Pro's. Either one of the two 13" models...or the one 15" model that is under $2000.
3. Shop Apples refurbished section...which will have some previous generation models...including some 17" models.

- Nick
 
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I vote MBP. With your budget, I'd get the 15" 2.3GHZ with 7200rpm drive and a 16GB memory upgrade for it (3rd party). That will put you right at $2000.

Skip the iPad - they're lame anyway.
 

dtravis7


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MacMini M-1 MacOS Monterey, iMac 2010 27"Quad I7 , MBPLate2011, iPad Pro10.5", iPhoneSE
An iPad is not Lame, but it's for sure not what the OP wants. It has its place, but not for what the OP needs to do.

MBP is the way to go since you need portability.
 
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iPad is decidedly not lame at all. We use ours more than the Macs for many daily common tasks. BUT it is definitely not the tool of choice for photo processing.
 

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