Mac Book Pro 17" or Mac Pro?

Question

Not sure which one is right for me. I am a photographer and graphic designer (print & web). I want to upgrade from my old iMac Power PC G5. Was thinking that I could get the Mac Book Pro with a separate display and use that for my retouching and InDesign files. That way I can also be mobile on photo shoots and use Capture One for tethered shooting. How can files be backed up by time machine on the MBP without an external hard drive? Is the MBP equal to the tower in capacity for hooking up external hardware such as drives or camera equipment? Is the MBP processor (2.66GHz Intel Core i7) as fast as the tower (Two 2.4GHz Quad-Core Intel Xeon “Westmere” (8 cores)? Is 8MB of memory enough on the MBP? Please point out any other pros or cons for either computer to help me make a decision.
Thanks!

Answer 1

Hi cindy,
cindy k wrote:
Was thinking that I could get the Mac Book Pro with a separate display and use that for my retouching and InDesign files.
That would work, but there are distinct differences. Quite honestly, the MP is much more capable than the MBP for heavy duty work such as yours, but as you know, at the cost of portability.
How can files be backed up by time machine on the MBP without an external hard drive?
You could partition the internal HD, but that would not protect against several things: if the HD died, both the main partition and the TM backup are gone; if the unit is lost/stolen/damaged, same thing. It's almost putting all your eggs in one basket.
Is the MBP equal to the tower in capacity for hooking up external hardware such as drives or camera equipment?
No, the MP has more connections and bays and potential for expandability.
Is the MBP processor (2.66GHz Intel Core i7) as fast as the tower (Two 2.4GHz Quad-Core Intel Xeon “Westmere” (8 cores)?
In MacTracker benchmarks, the i7 MBP benchmark is 5423, while the MP with two 2.4 Quads is 12942, so the MP is more than twice as fast.
Is 8MB of memory enough on the MBP?
Given the limitations stated above, 8GB of RAM should be sufficient.
Please point out any other pros or cons for either computer to help me make a decision.
You covered many of the salient points, but potential for expansion is a big one for some people, maybe someday adding a BR burner, adding multiple HDs, etc. I am not familiar with current MPs, but I suspect that given the huge speed advantage, it's going to handle the same tasks much, much faster without breaking a sweat, while the MBP is likely to run rather hot even while lagging far behind.
I think the big decision is speed and expansion vs portability. Good luck to you.
(Was just browsing the MP specs some more; wow, that is one serious machine!)
Message was edited by: tjk