Help me choose a Mac.

**MorganNiemand** · September 10th, 2006, 03:01 PM

Alright, I'm now looking for a new computer to do some various tasks. I have in mind the Mac Pro with two 2.66 Ghz Xeon, the new 24" iMac with upgraded 2.66 Ghz Core 2 Duo and the upgraded 7600 graphics card, or the 15.4" MacBook Pro 2.16 Ghz Core Duo. I'm really torn between the three and my spending limit is $2500.

Some various tasks I do daily are Photoshop, advanced 3D gaming (Thanks to Bootcamp), general web browsing, and downloading tons of iTunes music. So, which should I choose?

**eric2006** · September 10th, 2006, 03:21 PM

The Mac Pro is obviously the fastest computer that you'll get for that money, but you'd also need a good screen for your work, which adds a lot. The Mac Pro may even be a better investment, because you could upgrade it much more than you could with say, an iMac. Then again, it's probably your most costly option, especially if you don't have a good display.
The MacBook Pro is portable, but the screen is a lot smaller than what you'll get with an iMac or Mac Pro. You'll get a lot less power overall. Plus, laptops are not the best for gaming.
I'd say go with the iMac. It takes up less space, and costs less than the Mac Pro, and it has a bigger screen and more power than the MacBook Pro.
I'd get it with the upgraded processor and gfx card, then use whatever is left over to buy RAM from a 3rd party, which will cost much less than Apple RAM.
Note, however, that Photoshop will be really slow, no matter which intel mac you get, because it's under Rosetta.
If you can, go to the local Apple Store and test-drive the Macs there, just to see what you like.

**nixgeek** · September 10th, 2006, 03:21 PM

You can do either with the new iMacs and the MacBook Pros. You could probably also do this with the Mac Pro but it might go beyond your budget. If I were you, I would probably wait until after Tuesday just in case.

**MorganNiemand** · September 10th, 2006, 04:56 PM

Oh indeed I am waiting until after the 12th, but I was just wondering which to choose. I'm leaning towards the 24inch iMac with upgraded processor and graphics card, Only so I can also put it in my room and watch some movies and use the EyeTV tuner.

**Satcomer** · September 10th, 2006, 05:08 PM

The EyeTV devices (USB and 200 model)works with my old G4 TiBook as well as my G5. So any modern mac will run EyeTV with no problem, including the Mini.

**MorganNiemand** · September 10th, 2006, 06:00 PM

Originally Posted by Satcomer

The EyeTV devices (USB and 200 model)works with my old G4 TiBook as well as my G5. So any modern mac will run EyeTV with no problem, including the Mini.

Indeed, but those don't have a 24" display

Edit: It appears I say indeed quite a bit.... Indeed.

**wraith** · September 10th, 2006, 06:47 PM

If you're a hardcore gamer, I'd recommend the Mac Pro or the MacBook Pro. It really comes down to whether you want your gaming to be mobile or not. The video cards in the iMac are a lot better than they used to be, and it's the same for the MacBooks, but they're still not up to hardcore gamer requirements. Now if you're a casual gamer and don't want to play every latest and greatest game out there, you'll do perfectly fine with an iMac.

**eric2006** · September 10th, 2006, 06:56 PM

The card for the MacBook Pro looks like about the same thing as the upgraded iMac card. Same for the Mac Pro base card. Then again, I don't know too much about graphics cards..