Owning two laptops (Mac/PC) silly?

My old dell laptop died not long ago, so I replaced it with a sager np8120.
For those of you that don't know, the laptop is kitted out and is extremely powerful.

I recently started taking editing classes at college which require me to use Final Cut Pro.
Obviously, I can't run that on my Laptop, so I was considering purchasing the new MacBook pro.

My old 2006 macbook is going to be traded towards store credit at powermax.com for $275

I wouldn't JUST be purchasing it for this reason. The sager is very heavy (12lbs?) and not the sort of laptop I want to be using in a class where I take lectures, or on the plane or going on vacation or out and about, but it is portable enough, allowing me to take it places I really need it. I've never really been a desktop person anyway.

Is it justifiable to purchase the new macbook pro?
If not, do you recommend an older pro model?

Keep in mind, I'll be using it for heavy editing such as after effects, Final Cut pro, photoshop etc.
I don't necessarily need to run Maya 2011, but it would be nice for it to render quickly.

Only you can decide really, but given what your intentions are, then it's worth it, or maybe look at buying a slightly older, but refurbished model from Apple. It'll save you some $$ and be just as functional.

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The only thing that is silly is letting others persuade your decision. Get the facts and make an informed one. In this case, no, I wouldn't see anything wrong with it. The bigger machine is obviously a workhorse but the Macbook will be more portable and be easier to use.

I keep more than one tool in my garage too!

I have the PC at home and my iMac as well. Both serve me well. Get what works for you and don't let anyone convince you your informed decision is wrong. Keyword there.

At 12 pounds (!!!), that thing is NOT a laptop. It's a "lugtop" at best.

Yeah, a MacBook Pro would be wise. I'd personally recommend the top o'the line 15" (the 17" is just too bulky for me, but hey you're coming from carrying a brick, maybe that won't be an issue!)

At 12 pounds (!!!), that thing is NOT a laptop. It's a "lugtop" at best.

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I had to laugh at that. I carried a ruggedized laptop around for several years while doing field work for the US Government in Florida. I would have gladly traded the monster they gave us for a Sager that only weighed 12 LBs.

By the fact that you are posting on a forum for Macintosh enthusiasts, you gather you are going to get a lot of replies saying that you should go for the Macbook Pro. Please bear this in mind.

- do you want a Macbook Pro, or are you simply buying it because you have to, to run FCP?

- what is your budget?

Obviously, I am going to advise you get the new Mac, for the following reasons:

- Powerful components, with a great battery life

- Sandy Bridge CPU's (I cant stop going on about this, but the chips are brilliant)

- good memory management, 64 bit right out of the box

- 8GB RAM possible (alot of OEM Windows configurations have hard drive/RAM restrictions)

- I could go on....

if you are going to be using FCP, and alot of Photoshop, i would bump up the RAM, and get at least an i5 processor (i7 is brilliant, hyperthreading).

However, are you sure you need to buy an new laptop? do you have to use Final Cut? I currently study Music Technology, and while most use Mac's, the few PC owners use Mac's on the Uni campus to use OSX - only applications, such as Logic/FCP. If your current laptop is "extremely powerful", why not use a PC video editing application such as Premiere Pro?

Because I mean:

new MBP : £999 (base model)

FCP : £700

any fancy extras just bump it up further. are you sure you want to invest in this?

To look at this another way:

The MacBook Pro can run (literally) ANY current operating system. Mac, Windows, Linux, and many others, either in emulation or natively. Not to mention Final Cut Pro.

Ergo, the Mac is the better VALUE given your requirements.

Thank you for all the replies.

Yes, I understand 12lbs of pure power isn't portable, but like I said, it's extremely powerful, and gets the job done. It would blow the top end 17'' out of the water.

I'm on a tight budget, but I just sold several things in order to purchase the macbook pro.

I DO want a macbook pro to replace my old 2006 macbook, and like I said, portability wouldn't be an issue with this, as it is with my workhorse.

To the person that mentioned running any OS on the mac, well, I could run OSX on my laptop, but the thing is...it's messy, inconvenient, and not fully functional if I'm not mistaken.

I would love to use AVID over FCP, but the teacher is reluctant to let me, which in my eyes, is a joke. I pay in excess of $60,000 to attend a college, and I can't chose what software I use to do something?

All in all, I think I will go ahead with the purchase. I'm going to settle for the 15'' model. Thanks to everyone who took the time to reply!