Traveling with Mac Pro problems!!!!!!

I am going to college soon for photography/graphic design/video editing. As a side note I am still advancing with editing as I only have FCE right now. I need to get a new computer and I am torn between the Macbook Pro 17" and the Mac Pro. I will be going to Savannah from the midwest, meaing I will be flying mostly but i could drive sometimes. Does it pay to get a mac pro for the expandibility and then travel with it? Wouldn't that run the risk of damaging it if it was shipped? What about the display? Then again, if I get the macbook pro, I will be limited on running certain programs eventually right? Does any one know if Final Cut Studio 2 will run on a macbook pro 17 inch? I need something that will last about 4-5 years with college and that I can have a decent chance at traveling with to and from college. Thanks for any help!

If you are going to college with a MacBook Pro, max the RAM, get hard drive bigger than stock; for your specific needs, I'd say no smaller than 500G. In addition, make sure you get an external drive for backups. You really don't want to be in the middle of a school project, or 2 hours from due date with your backup at home, or worse yet, no backup.
I know some people like incremental backups or a clone that overwrites the last clone, but I recommend a full backup added to the last full backup. I've heard over and over people relied on a backup that turned out to be corrupt. I have full backups from several years ago of my documents folder (IMHO, system files and preferences are much easier to replace, so I don't backup those as often.) on different external drives and optical media.
For your current needs, it looks like portability is more important and practical. (I found that having my own portable made class notes, study groups, and computer lab time less frustrating.) Anyone I've met who uses high-end cpu/graphic intensive applications regularly, won't find that a portable computer meets their needs for as long as a desktop system - even a high-end portable. So, you might find yourself needing, not just wanting to upgrade sooner than you initially project.
Good luck on your decision.
Oh yeah. I don't want to forget to remind you that laptop theft on college campuses are high. Look into security options. If you have an iPod, they are more desired and easier to conceal than laptops and will disappear.
Message was edited by: cheshirekat

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