Macbook Air or Pro or Custom PC Build for Multi-Media and Very Light Gaming?

[AliceSML79]

i am trying to figure out if id be better off buying a Macbook pro or air. do like how the retna looks and be good for my photo editing, but i can get by with a air. i mainly watch iTunes and i would store it off the computer on some sort of external drive array. but i do play wow and like to turn up the settings as much as i can. my brother used to work for nVIDIA and taught me how to build a PC. i haven't built in a long time and my custom pc been dead like couple year now. psu shorted and my EVGA P55 FTW 200, dual gtx 280, i7-860, and (2x2gb) ram burnt up. think i can save board, cpu and gtx 280s, but need new power supply, ram wich can only max at (4x4gb) as well as new storage drive, ssd preferably. i am disabled and output my curent hp pavilion g7 a8 apu 17" laptop to my 55" 1080p tv. siting at a desk is extream pain for my blown apart back. so if i do the custom pc my 800d case is next to my bed so i can reach keyboard n trackball. but it would be connected via 25' hdmi cable to my sony 5.1 surround pass threw to the sanyo 55" 1080p tv.

so my question is with my disability would i be beter geting a macbook air, macbook pro retna, or custom build a pc?

Thanks in Advance, Alice

 

[Algus]

Well a Mac is going to be able to run WoW no problem but you might not get the visual quality you want. Really building your own PC is the best way to get a quality gaming machine at a good price.

There are tons and tons of different keyboards and mice out there so surely you could find something that is just as comfortable for you as having a laptop parked nearby.

 

[joema]

...my photo editing, but i can get by with a air. i mainly watch iTunes....but i do play wow and like to turn up the settings as much as i can....my EVGA P55 FTW 200, dual gtx 280, i7-860, and (2x2gb) ram...i am disabled and output my curent hp pavilion g7 a8 apu 17" laptop to my 55" 1080p tv. siting at a desk is extream pain for my blown apart back....
so my question is with my disability would i be beter geting a macbook air, macbook pro retna, or custom build a pc?...

By coincidence I am writing this on an EVGA P55 FTW, except with a GTX-660 and i7-875k overclocked to 4Ghz. It was a good computer in the day but my stock 2013 iMac 27 is faster.

In general I'd suggest getting the MacBook Air or Pro. It can be a frustrating hassle even for a healthy person to build and debug a custom PC. The dilemma is the Air vs Pro -- I have two 2013 13" MBAs -- they are great portable computers. The light/thin design, ergonomics and trackpad responsiveness is amazing. I also have an Asus UX303LN which is sort of a Windows clone of the MBA. It is decent but clunky and rough-hewn next to the MacBook.

My co-worker as a 15" MBP and there's no question the retina screen is far better than the MBA. The MBP is expensive but you get what you pay for.

That said if most of your use is connected to a large monitor, I'm not sure how much difference the laptop screen would make. However the MBP is available with a much faster CPU and discrete GPU.

If you can afford it I'd tend to say the MBP. I have no idea how even a top-spec MBA would play WoW, but I'd be concerned about that. The top-spec MBP is nearly as fast as a top-spec iMac.

 

[AliceSML79]

thanks everyone. i agree custom build is a better bang for the buck but debugging is frustrating.

 

[chas_m]

Surely banging your head against the wall is cheaper and accomplishes much the same thing.

 

[AliceSML79]

Surely banging your head against the wall is cheaper and accomplishes much the same thing.

LOL, Very true. living on $754 a month of disability and $725 makes it hard to do anything other then one piece at a time over years.