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kurt.physics · Jul 26, 2008, 06:03 AM

I am a high school student who is looking to get a macbook.

I currently have a iMac (silver) with 2 Ghz Intel, 1 Gig Mem, 250 GB HD

I am looking for a macbook because i am doing a LOT of computer stuff for the school, like filming, editing, visual presentations etc etc and am finding it more and more difficult to work on the projects because i pritty much have to do them at home because our school used to be mac (and still is) and are slowly turning into an integrated school of mac and pc and thats stuffing up all the computers etc etc.

The problem is that i have no source of income (ie no job) and my parents aren't wealthy enough to go out and buy a macbook any day of the week.

I intend to sell my iMac and get a macbook but the problem is when do i sell and get the macbook. Do i wait for a new, more improved macbook to come out in 3-5 months, but the problem with this is that my iMac will have significantly depreciated in value, so i might not be able to get that good a macbook.

Or, do i sell my iMac now and buy say near the top of the range macbook? This way i will get more money from the iMac and also get a good macbook?

Some help please would be great.

Cheers,
Kurt

roller · Jul 26, 2008, 11:26 AM

That is a difficult position. My gut reaction is that your iMac will not depreciate very much in that time frame. If you were to sell now and wait, frankly -- unless you are more disciplined than most -- your money will dissipate over that time and you will be left with nothing. I would wait to sell so that I could buy almost immediately.

My .02...

mduell · Jul 26, 2008, 01:42 PM

Intel's new chipset for the MacBooks, Cantiga-G, will be released in about 2 months; Apple will probably take another month or two to implement it. I'd wait for that update, sell your iMac (which won't depreciate much between now and then), and buy the base model with the education discount ($999 or less). The top of the range MacBook is a poor value compared to the cheaper MacBooks; all you pick up are a few Mhz and a marginally bigger disk for a substantial increase in price. The new, Cantiga-G based MacBook should have a considerably longer viable lifespan than the current model (higher memory ceiling, better graphics), which may be important in your post-HS (college or otherwise) years.

kurt.physics · Jul 26, 2008, 05:22 PM

I that going to be the same with everything, when this new chip comes out wont there be some rumor that 'a newer better macbook is coming out'. And quite alot of the time these rumors are wrong, there was no extreme macbook update in January as predicted or at WWDC 08. What if its wrong, what if the only difference is perhaps a bit faster and a bit more GHz?

I mean, the iMac i have now is 2.0 GHz with 1 gig memory. The macbook im looking at has 2.4Ghz with 4 Gig mem! So i would be getting essentially a twice as fast machine? I think that might be the go.

I did have one of those old iMacs before (the white ones with same basic design) and that got upgraded (replaced due to problems) half a year ago to this new silver one, so....

What do yous think?

mduell · Jul 26, 2008, 07:25 PM

Originally Posted by kurt.physics

I that going to be the same with everything, when this new chip comes out wont there be some rumor that 'a newer better macbook is coming out'. And quite alot of the time these rumors are wrong, there was no extreme macbook update in January as predicted or at WWDC 08. What if its wrong, what if the only difference is perhaps a bit faster and a bit more GHz?

I'm not sure who made those predictions, but that had little basis in reality. We're far removed from the old PowerPC days, when upgrade predictions were based on time intervals and out of stock reports; Intel shares detailed roadmaps with their partners (which leak) and the public (less detail). After Cantiga-G, the next revision will be a Nehalem derivative (processor codename Gilo, chipset unnamed), and it's expected in 3Q09. The upcoming upgrade will significantly extend the viable life of the machine by improving on two limiting components in the current model.

drnkn_stylz · Jul 27, 2008, 03:11 PM

You mentioned doing film editing and video/graphic related work?

What kind of programs do you use for this kind of work?

Depending on the programs, having a dedicated graphics processor (such as in the iMac) could be more beneficial performance wise over the integrated graphics of the MacBook.

kurt.physics · Jul 27, 2008, 05:35 PM

Originally Posted by drnkn_stylz

You mentioned doing film editing and video/graphic related work?

What kind of programs do you use for this kind of work?

Depending on the programs, having a dedicated graphics processor (such as in the iMac) could be more beneficial performance wise over the integrated graphics of the MacBook.

For most of the School things i use iMovie and toast, but for more advanced projects i use Final Cut Pro, Shake, Photoshop, the Macromedias etc etc and beginning to use Maya and ZBrush 3 (when it comes out).

CrimsonRequiem · Jul 27, 2008, 06:41 PM

Originally Posted by kurt.physics

For most of the School things i use iMovie and toast, but for more advanced projects i use Final Cut Pro, Shake, Photoshop, the Macromedias etc etc and beginning to use Maya and ZBrush 3 (when it comes out).

Humm those programs would run a lot smoother on the Mac Book Pro especially if you are going to be using Maya. However I do see your problem with funding.

I say just buy it now...if you keep waiting you never are going to buy it because you kind of need it now?

drnkn_stylz · Jul 27, 2008, 08:57 PM

For running programs like FCP and Maya, you're better off with the iMac being that it has a dedicated graphics card. A MacBook will run those programs like crap, if at all.

Andy8 · Jul 27, 2008, 09:28 PM

Originally Posted by drnkn_stylz

For running programs like FCP and Maya, you're better off with the iMac being that it has a dedicated graphics card. A MacBook will run those programs like crap, if at all.

Exactly.

CrimsonRequiem · Jul 28, 2008, 12:05 AM

Originally Posted by drnkn_stylz

For running programs like FCP and Maya, you're better off with the iMac being that it has a dedicated graphics card. A MacBook will run those programs like crap, if at all.

Not to sound mean or anything but how portable is an iMac? Can you put it on your lap and work on it for 2hrs plus?

The thread author wants something that is portable so he doesn't have to commute home to do work.