Member of the Month

hi_vis360
November, 2024

Online

Welcome to the Newschoolers forums! You may read the forums as a guest, however you must be a registered member to post. Register to become a member today!

Macbook question

profile picture
MTshred
Posts: 117 - Karma: 22
I posted on here a couple weeks ago debating between the macbook pro or an imac. i decided on the macbook pro for several reasons. I have the funds in line and am going to purchase soon, just debating between the 15 inch with the i7 processor or the 17 inch with the i5. Do you all think it would be more beneficial  for video editing to have the smaller screen with faster processor, or the larger screen with the i5? I know you can upgrade the 17 inch to the i7 but where i work they dont carry it and i get a slight discount there. and at the apple store its an additional 200. so its basically between the 15 inch i7 or the 17 inch i5. Haha sorry if i make any of you dizzy with all the i5, 15, 17, and i7's!
Nov 8 2010 9:43PM
0 0
profile picture
E.C.
Posts: 3211 - Karma: 319
id sujest the i7 just a better processor
Nov 8 2010 10:05PM
0 0
profile picture
Heath.
Posts: 838 - Karma: 149
honestly, i love my 15" and i dont think you're going to notice the difference between i5 and i7. I dont really notice a difference between my 2.4ghz i5 MBP and my 2.93ghz core duo iMac.
Nov 8 2010 10:07PM
0 0
profile picture
MTshred
Posts: 117 - Karma: 22
Thanks for the input. Heath so would you recommend that i save a couple hundred and go with the 15 inch i5? The guy at the apple store was insisting that the i7 would blow it out of the water in speed for the hd video, but obviously he was trying to make that Skrilla
Nov 8 2010 10:16PM
0 0
profile picture
IanAvery-Leaf
Posts: 9932 - Karma: 9,411
the size of the computer and the processor make this the winner of the two IMO
Nov 8 2010 10:29PM
0 0
profile picture
nutsnbolts
Posts: 1110 - Karma: 16
15 inch, i7 processor

then down the line you can buy like a 20 inch screen, then you can have two screens or one big one!
Nov 8 2010 10:47PM
0 0
profile picture
Heath.
Posts: 838 - Karma: 149
Yeah i mean, i honestly don't think you'll notice a difference between i5 and i7. You probably could run like 20 really intense programs (not accurate, just making a point) with an i7 but an i5 would run like 15. They're both "4" (2) cores just ones a little faster, unnoticeable IMO.
Nov 8 2010 11:00PM
0 0
profile picture
MTshred
Posts: 117 - Karma: 22
thanks all +k
Nov 9 2010 12:41AM
0 0
profile picture
[~_~]
Posts: 20239 - Karma: 1,273
The advantage of a 17" is that it has an eSata express slot, which WILL make editing faster because it allows you to edit off of external drives with the same speed as internal drives. Also exclusive to the 17" is a 1080p monitor, which is insanely handy for video editing since you don't have to resize every...single...clip...

I have an i7 17" and it's amazingly fast working with the eSata express slot. No need for firewire whatsoever (unless I'm using time machine).
Nov 9 2010 4:05PM
0 0
profile picture
LjayCinema
Posts: 368 - Karma: 1,645
I have a macbook pro 15" i7 and I love it. Personally a 17" almost seems to big for me.

However I agree with heath, you really wont notice the difference in an i7 and an i5, unless like he said. Your running the same programs and the same massive quantity of programs, and comparing the two back to back.

enjoy your new purchase!
Nov 9 2010 4:48PM
0 0
profile picture
MTshred
Posts: 117 - Karma: 22
the 1080p monitor is tempting... and i will have to look into the eSata thing a bit because im honestly not too familiar with that.
Nov 10 2010 12:36AM
0 0
profile picture
[~_~]
Posts: 20239 - Karma: 1,273
What I did was get an external hard drive dock that holds two internal drives at once. Since internal drives are way cheaper, I can get more storage this way, and it has eSata connectivity. I bought two 1TB hard drives, one for primary and one for backup. I keep them in a small Pelican case if I ever need to store them.

I got 2TB of storage with eSata connectivity for around $180 total. It's a steal and it runs great. The only drawback is that it isn't portable, but then again a 17" Macbook Pro isn't portable either, so it doesn't matter (this thing never leaves my desk.)
Nov 10 2010 12:51PM
0 0
profile picture
MTshred
Posts: 117 - Karma: 22
why do you say the 17 inch is not portable? i mean i looked at them and they are definatley big for a laptop but it seems like it would still be manageable to take around some.
Nov 11 2010 2:41AM
0 0
profile picture
PeterWojnar
Posts: 3937 - Karma: 678
It won't fit in most backpacks/bags' laptop sleeve- those pockets are usually designed around a 15" computer, which will fit perfectly.

I got the 15" and it is by no means too small for anything at all. I do recommend getting the High-res antiglare screen, though— shit's worth what it costs.
Nov 11 2010 4:29AM
0 0
profile picture
tBatt
Posts: 9632 - Karma: 580
YESSIR!


Or save a few grand and run a hackintosh.
Nov 11 2010 7:36PM
0 0
All times are Eastern (-5)