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p.1 #13 · p.1 #13 · New 15 inch Macbook Pro Released vs 13 inch version | |
justruss wrote:
Just a thought:
Depending on your budget and inclination, you could also consider getting two machines and the best of both power and portability: laptop and desktop.
It might cost a couple $$$ more initially, but it might end up cheaper in the long run.
You can build a terrifically powerful DIY desktop in an afternoon for <$1K. If you choose your parts wisely, you can install and run OS X on it. In the past I'd say going the hackintosh route required a lot of fiddling... but it's so easy/solid these days that as long as you plan for it going in the installation/maintenance process is barely an added effort. The ability to change RAM/SSD/GPU over the lifetime of the machine (say 3-5 years min, perhaps double that) can save you a lot of money as well as provide significantly more processing power and a better work environment for your really heavy lifting. I, for one, could never do my photo work purely on a laptop (for me photography and video work is... work).
Take the rest of your budget and grab a cheaper, smaller Mac laptop for basic, but not heavy lifting, work on the go. A base rMBP or even the rMB with little added configuration.
This has advantages:
- Your primary work space can be a larger, better quality, desktop monitor. A 27" IPS 1440p display can be had for $299 these days, and once calibrated will be great for serious photo work. If this is for serious work, professional or otherwise, using a 15 inch screen as the main screen is a big compromise (not only from work and calibration perspectives, but from health/posture/eyes perspectives as well).
- As GPUs become ever more important (see LR6 as the opening salvo), you can upgrade at minimal cost and keep your primary machine longer. Same goes for CPU upgrades, or overclocking, but CPU improvements on a pure power basis (as opposed to performance/watt) has slowed significantly in the last couple generations. Same goes for RAM, internal storage, etc.
- Your portable can be smaller, lighter.
- Lower end models-- talking about the portable/laptop-- tend to have better resale value vs. original purchase price. The premium you pay as you go up the laptop chain won't come through on the other end if you sell the machine-- buyers of older, used models tend to go for the basic models with stock configurations rather than pay a premium themselves for the specced out machine.
This has been the route I've gone down myself, and it was the best decision I ever made. My primary work machine is a 4.2ghz, 6-core Xeon desktop machine that I originally built in 2010 for <$1K (originally w/ a 4-core CPU @ 3.06 ghz, but I upgraded on the cheap), with 2x SSD, RAID video array, and three additional HDDs for photos/media internal. It's been going strong for 5 years now, and is still faster than all but the fastest Mac Pros (geekbench ~19-20K)... meaning it has years left before needing a total upgrade.
I also have one of the new retina Macbooks... all in/zero compromise on portability, all out/all compromise on power because I know that power is covered at home. When this overprices, underpowered, under-ported laptop gets a refresh in the next cycle-- I'll be able to sell it as a base model and replace it with the next model for a very, very minimal cost.
I am so, so far ahead power and portability and resale value wise today than if I had purchased a $3,000K top-of-the-line Macbook Pro in early 2010. And I have two machines (back up). And I do my work on a big, calibrated, ergonomically set up display. And over that period of time I've probably saved a lot of money when you take into consideration that I'd likely have had to buy a totally new Macbook Pro by now!
The short version: Definitely consider what your needs are and definitely consider the lifetime costs of those needs... there might be a better/cheaper way to get what you want by spending a little more now and saving a lot later. ...Show more →
Thank you so much for your response. While I would like to have two machines, I only have enough for one at the moment. And I need the portability of the laptop. I don't think that I will be getting the ridiculously specked out version of the MacBook Pro, as the 2.5 processor should be more than enough for my needs. My goal is to have it last about four years, and I think it will. That is very interesting to learn about building your own Mac desktop, and I will definitely research that for the future. Do you think that the new 15 inch MacBook Pro Will work well enough for me doing medium range light room editing, as well as retouching in Photoshop and the occasional composite image?
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