Hi,
I'm a graphic designer who travels and works from home quite often... more often than I like. Currently, I'm using at the office an iMac Intel Core i5 2.X GHz with 12GB RAM and then travel with a MBA 2.13 GHz Core 2 Duo with 4GB RAM. I use a portable drive to transfer files, fonts, etc. that way I can plug it from one system to another and have all of my files. But I have to manually maintain with the server at the office, which can be a pain. (Note, I also have an iMac Intel Core 2 Duo 3.06 GHz with 4GB RAM at home that I use for the display. But generally run from the MBA because I don't want to have to run another license of Adobe Creative Suite, it's just too pricey.)
A little about my work needs - I don't do a lot of video editing, but do a LOT of Photoshop CC/CS6 work with big files for catalogs, tradeshows, etc. Some files are up to the 2GB Photoshop Max... but often in the 200-300mb range for a PSD. And often need many programs open including Photoshop, Illustrator and InDesign (all at once). So far, I've been getting along fine with this arrangement. The MBA is great for the travel. But sometimes I find myself going to the office on the weekends because the iMac is much faster, I'm thinking due to RAM most significantly, and then processor.
I'm considering the fully loaded MBA vs. a rMBP - But here's my main thought... If I put the money into the rMBP, I could feasibly work from the rMBP all the time and use the iMac as a display at the office and at home in Target Disc Mode or just slaving the display.
So here's my real question ... based on that I'm using at least 2-4 year old technology and I do generally upgrade every 2 years or so, do I really need to consider much more than the fully-loaded MBA or mid-range rMBP? Cost is no option as it's a business write-off. But one thing I do love is the weight and size of the MBA 13. But I read all the reviews and of course they steer you to the high-end rMBP 15... but I'm not sure if that will just be overkill.
I've been looking at them in person and playing with the Apple Store system builder and reading all kinds of reviews that I have decision paralysis.
So... here's where I'm at...
MBA - 13-inch MacBook Air with 1.7GHz Dual-core Intel Core i7, 8GB of memory and 512GB Flash Storage - $1,849
rMBP - 13-inch MacBook Pro with 2.8GHz Dual-core Intel Core i7, 16GB of memory and 1TB Flash Storage - $2,699 (or 2.6 GHz for $2,499)
rMBP - 15-inch MacBook Pro with 2.6GHz Quad-core Intel Core i7, 16GB of memory and 1TB Flash Storage - $3,299 (or 2.3 GHz for $3,099)
What do you guys think?
Thanks,
Mike
I'm a graphic designer who travels and works from home quite often... more often than I like. Currently, I'm using at the office an iMac Intel Core i5 2.X GHz with 12GB RAM and then travel with a MBA 2.13 GHz Core 2 Duo with 4GB RAM. I use a portable drive to transfer files, fonts, etc. that way I can plug it from one system to another and have all of my files. But I have to manually maintain with the server at the office, which can be a pain. (Note, I also have an iMac Intel Core 2 Duo 3.06 GHz with 4GB RAM at home that I use for the display. But generally run from the MBA because I don't want to have to run another license of Adobe Creative Suite, it's just too pricey.)
A little about my work needs - I don't do a lot of video editing, but do a LOT of Photoshop CC/CS6 work with big files for catalogs, tradeshows, etc. Some files are up to the 2GB Photoshop Max... but often in the 200-300mb range for a PSD. And often need many programs open including Photoshop, Illustrator and InDesign (all at once). So far, I've been getting along fine with this arrangement. The MBA is great for the travel. But sometimes I find myself going to the office on the weekends because the iMac is much faster, I'm thinking due to RAM most significantly, and then processor.
I'm considering the fully loaded MBA vs. a rMBP - But here's my main thought... If I put the money into the rMBP, I could feasibly work from the rMBP all the time and use the iMac as a display at the office and at home in Target Disc Mode or just slaving the display.
So here's my real question ... based on that I'm using at least 2-4 year old technology and I do generally upgrade every 2 years or so, do I really need to consider much more than the fully-loaded MBA or mid-range rMBP? Cost is no option as it's a business write-off. But one thing I do love is the weight and size of the MBA 13. But I read all the reviews and of course they steer you to the high-end rMBP 15... but I'm not sure if that will just be overkill.
I've been looking at them in person and playing with the Apple Store system builder and reading all kinds of reviews that I have decision paralysis.
So... here's where I'm at...
MBA - 13-inch MacBook Air with 1.7GHz Dual-core Intel Core i7, 8GB of memory and 512GB Flash Storage - $1,849
rMBP - 13-inch MacBook Pro with 2.8GHz Dual-core Intel Core i7, 16GB of memory and 1TB Flash Storage - $2,699 (or 2.6 GHz for $2,499)
rMBP - 15-inch MacBook Pro with 2.6GHz Quad-core Intel Core i7, 16GB of memory and 1TB Flash Storage - $3,299 (or 2.3 GHz for $3,099)
What do you guys think?
Thanks,
Mike
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