Not a switcher, more of a confused upgrader. Mini x MBP x HackPro?

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Hi forum,
Long time reader, first time poster...

I've been a mac user for many years - from the Performa days - but now stand at a crossroads as to what to upgrade to. My 2006 C2D Macbook (not pro) is getting very long in the tooth and is not applicable for the Mountain Lion upgrade whenever it comes round.

I have £1500 available to spend on a new rig. Ideally, I don't spend anywhere near that. I get the HE education discount so that helps a little.

I'll be using the machine for all of the CS suite - have CS5 and don't see the need to upgrade to 6 just yet - as well as perhaps some video editing in the future.

I already own an external HD monitor that I plug my MacBook into, so don't see the iMac as a real upgrade, but possible if it's right.

What I am really stuck on is should I save a lot of money and buy a Mini (I'll probably wait until the next refresh as it can only be round the corner) or get a base model MBP 15" with the optional high res display and upgrade the RAM myself to the full 8GB. I'll be keeping the machine for at least 3-5 years as I have my MacBook.

The other option is to go down the hackintosh route. I'm not adverse to this, but there's always the uncertainties with a self-build square-peg-in-round-hole way of Macintosh. This will be my main production machine, so it needs to be solid, but you have to admit you get a lot more bang for buck for the money.

Really I'm looking for any advice and thoughts!

Cheers
Phjils.
 

pigoo3

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The other option is to go down the hackintosh route. I'm not adverse to this...

Welcome to Mac-Forums!:)

FYI...you may not be adverse to this...but we are. We don't discuss that here! But we are happy to discuss any other options you care to mention.;)

As far as a Mac-Mini or a MBP...the obviously thing to decide on first is portability/mobility. If you don't need the portability/mobility of a MBP...then get the Mac-mini.

Thanks,

- Nick
 

Raz0rEdge

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Hi forum,
Long time reader, first time poster...

Cheers
Phjils.

Welcome to Mac Forums..

If you ARE a long time reader, then you should know that hackintosh talk is not allowed on the forums, so we'll let that be.

The base model of any of the MBP's right now is way more powerful than your circa-2006 machine you have today. Based on your computing needs, this could easily (with the RAM upgrade as you suggested) serve you the requisite 3-5 years without any problems.

The Mini's are a very attractive option since they compare very well to the MBP's.

However, the main difference is here one of mobility..so if that isn't a paramount issue of you, do seriously look into the Mac Mini..
 
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Apologies for the slur of 'those other macs', but it is something that I am considering... all that power for little cash is an attractive prospect, but it's all about what I actually NEED as opposed to what I could have - massive overkill for my needs.

I've been thinking about my portability needs. I used to think that I needed a laptop, but as it spends most of it's life on a desk, then the Mini seems more like the stuff.
I wonder about the dual-core over the quad-core in the MBP, is there much in it? I'm not sure if CS5 can even use all 4 cores.. CS6 might do?

All I need do now is wait, and wait some more for the refresh! No point going out and buying old hardware.

Thanks chaps.

Won't talk about those other things again... not here anyway.
 

pigoo3

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I wonder about the dual-core over the quad-core in the MBP, is there much in it? I'm not sure if CS5 can even use all 4 cores.. CS6 might do?

This is always a great thing to take into consideration. Not many programs are written to take advantage of all core's...so while some cores are working hard...other cores are just sitting there doing nothing.

Here's a link that lists multi-core capable apps...and how well they are written to take advantage of multiple cores:

MPG - Mac Performance 101: Cores, Processes, Memory - Application support for multiple CPU cores

This link is getting a bit old (2010)...but you can use it as a guide.

If you do get a quad-core Macintosh...two terms to be familiar with are:

- hyper-threading: Allows each core to recognize a 2nd thread or "virtual core". So a quad-core computer will recognize 8 threads or 8 virtual cores.

- Turbo Boost: Automatically increases the speed of the "active cores" to improve performance when needed (shuts down inactive cores). For example...a 2.7ghz quad-core speed can be increased up to as much as 3.7ghz by shutting down unused cores using "Turbo-Boost".

In my opinion...the "Turbo Boost" (for most daily tasks by the average user) is more important.

- Nick
 
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That's the thing. Just because they don't now, means that they probably will do in the future. I'm coming down on the side of Mini for now as I will keep my MacBook for portability. A fresh install of Lion on a smallish SSD will keep it going for a few more years at least - I have a G4 iBook that's still knocking about, slow, bu fine for living room browsing and spotty.

I just hope that Apple do the right thing and out quad core chips in the new minis when they arrive.

Thanks for the link. I'll read up later.
Phil
 
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--Public Service Announcement--
Hackintosh is not something I would consider for any kind of serious production use. If you're really interested in OS X internals it's a fun thing to play with temporarily. Hackintosh has the potential to take way too much babysitting, when every update can potentially render it unusable. Besides you don't get the true Mac experience, so it's like a fancy dress shirt with pajama pants.
--End--

I can back the 15" high-res non-Retina option for you. That, 8GB, and maybe a Momentus XT 750 (happy owner here) would definitely be a CS5-capable laptop that will last a long time.
 
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/ I can back the 15" high-res non-Retina option for you. That said:
Regardless of desktop or laptop, I'd junk the internal HDD for a SSD - bought separately - and store everything on NAS. The gains with an SSD are just too good to miss out on, but I'd never get one from apple. Far to expensive!

The non-retina MBP is tempting, but it's a lot of extra cash for a feature I'd rarely use - going mobile.
 

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Like was pointed out already the Hackintosh is a non subject here, but I am going to say this just in case you consider going that way. For any serious use, there could be issues. to install on a Non Apple machine you have to break Apples protection by a dongle or a Software patch, both of which are illegal. BUT even more serious, as Apple updates OSX, you might get left behind if they farther lock things out.

I would not trust a machine like that for any serious usage. Get a True Mac and you will be much better off in the long run.

For all the Adobe CS stuff you are going to do, a Quad Core might be nice. Do you need portability or can it be a desktop? If so I would get a Quad Core iMac.
 

pigoo3

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That's the thing. Just because they don't now, means that they probably will do in the future.

Let me give you some historical perspective. Apple began selling multi-processor computers in the mid-late 1990's. Apple, software developers, and knowledgeable reviewers from many periodicals...have been talking about more programs being written to take advantage of mutli-processor or multi-core computers for the past (let's call it 15 years).

Here we are in 2012...and there still are relatively few applications that will use all 4, 8, or 12 cores in a Mac Pro (or other multi-core computers). And those applications that are written to take advantage of multiple cores...don't necessarily do a great job of it (see the link above).

- Nick
 
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That's true... We have a suite of editing machines where I work, all eight core Mac pros with 8GB RAM, and they are not exactly speedy... what worries me is that if I ever find myself wanting to edit video, I may find myself wanting in the power dept. They are however four years old, so perhaps they too are long in the tooth.

Portability isn't a concern right now... yet it could be in a year, two years etc.

I guess the thing to do is wait and see what the Mac mini refresh brings in the summer.

iMac? Not sold on those. I have a very small work room and I think an iMac will take up too much space.

Thanks for the input guys. Sorry about the unmentionables. I consider myself told!
 
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chas_m

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Yeah, the "experimental" machines might make a great hobby, but then come the servicing issues ... lots of other problems too ... penny-wise, pound-foolish comes to mind.

Of the two Macs you mentioned, you really need to decide if you need a portable or not, and then once you've figured that out your decision is basically made for you. A current or very recent Mac mini is a VERY solid purchase for non-gamers, but of course so is the MBP.
 

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