iMac vs Macbook Pro

I've read a lot of articles online about iMac vs the Macbook pro, I have the money for top of the line on either, plus enough to upgrade ram and others afterwards. The dilemma is if I get a laptop I have to give away my desktop I use to play games on, but if I get a desktop everything should stay the same. While everything should stay the same I wouldn't get to use it when I'm at work or traveling. I spend hours on the computer at work but just browsing, my time spent at home is gaming and watching movies on my desktop. Torn between the two!? Help!

Thanks!

My now 4 yr old MBP has been a great machine - My first Mac and my first notebook. It's been great at releasing me from sitting at a desk hour after hour. I haven't sat at the office desk for general computer usage in 3 years now. I sit in my recliner in front of the big screen and get to sit in the same room as the wife instead of us being at opposite ends of the house half the time in front of my dual and triple monitors. One to browse, one to watch TV and one to be playing the latest game.

Of course, at that time as a hardcore gamer, I had spent years walking by the Mac aisle in the stores as useless pieces of junk to me as a gamer and overclocker. So, I wasn't ready to just kick my Win machine out of my life.

Knowing what I know now and the advance in what's available, my choice would be different today. Today I would go with the iMac and an iPad instead of the MBP.

The MBP is a great machine, but it is a heater sitting on your lap. Yep, it gets warm to say the least. So now you get a laptop stand. That works ok. But, where do you set it when you need to get up for a minute - the floor, the arm of the chair, need room on the side table to set it down - run electrical cords to your favorite spot to keep it charged - another to connect your external backup drive - another to connect your iPhone, iPod, etc...

You'll definitely need a laptop stand when you carry it to bed with you just to keep the rear vents clear so it can breath. You'll find yourself wanting to carry it all over the house and use it in places you've never been able to before.

With an iMac you'll have all the same functionality you've always had, along with a bigger hard drive, better video card, 27" screen... With an iPad, I don't know where to start. It can go everywhere - the LR, BR, bathroom ;D... No heat - what a joy. Want to lie down in bed instead of sitting up cradling a notebook in your lap and browse the web a little, read a book, your favorite magazine, listen to an audiobook, catch a TV show or watch a movie before you go to sleep. For all of those things the iPad just flat blows a notebook out of the water related to it's convenience.

You just sold me to the iMac and iPad, I've heard of the combo before but I just now really realized how awesome it would be.

Thanks so much for your words.

I would say, if you are able, hang onto your Win box for awhile. Unplug it and set it aside (after you get all your data moved over) while you get use to OS X, but you may yet find uses for it. I'm still a multi-OS user and probably always will be, although, my last home built Win7 box is relegated primarily to being my HTPC.

Well, I'm also picking up a spare copy of windows, so I can run windows 7 to play games, but the Desktop will still be in the same house haha. No worries, and my laptop atm is a Windows. So I won't completely be switching over just the main gaming machine.