24" iMac Vs. 13" MacBook w/ 20" External Scre

News & General Discussion
1

Hi guys. Ok, the time has come for me to buy my Unity machine. I am torn right now between buying an older white 24" iMac OR a newer 13" MacBook and use it with my 20" external.

My desk is not big enough to accommodate both a 20" external AND the 20" iMac, so I have to decide if 1 huge screen is better than 2 somewhat smaller ones.

Anybody developed a workflow on a single 24" screen after being used to dual displays? Vice-versa?

I don’t think Unity would NEED the entire 24" space obviously, so I was thinking of just tiling the text editor for scripts on the right with unity on the left. I am worried that managing windows might be a little more fiddly with this set up, since I am used to just keeping my text editor on my iBook screen now.

Is the 24" screen really only beneficial for big ‘timeline’ style apps? (Final Cut / Logic / etc)?

Thanks!

2

Just a note:
The rumor mill is saying that new iMacs are going to hit in the next few weeks. You might want to wait. Then again, you might not. :smile:

3

Argh, since I’m going to Unite 2008 today without a portable computer, since my only Mac is a big fat totally non-portable Mac Pro and the new MacBooks are simply not available over here, yet (unless you wait for delivery at the store and are the first to get one :wink: ), I’d recommend going with the new MacBook.

I think it’s a decent machine, and using a 20" monitor with it, you should be just fine. And you’ve got a portable machine, which definitely is a very nice thing :wink:

4

It’s all about input devices. If they don’t add some sort of multitouch trackpad peripheral to the iMac, and I highly doubt that will happen, don’t get it. That is, unless you need FireWire. Even the old two-finger scrolling on my first iBook was enough to speed up my workflow considerably.

Also, if you use the MacBook with a 1680x1050 (20") screen, that’s still a gain of 484,000 pixels over a 1920*1200 screen (24"). That’s like adding another 927x522 screen. Not to mention that’s it’s easier to organize things with two screens instead of one.

(Considering I do need FireWire, the MacBook Pro is my only computer option in the world. And I use a 20" monitor with that when I’m home.)

5

would rather run two screens than onebig one it makes life so much easier :smile:

6

I have a 24" imac and I find myself lusting after the new 13" macbook all the time… so that might tell you something! Having a portable machine is very beneficial, and working with two screens works pretty nicely in Unity. I tend to put Unity on one screen, and put my text editor and anything else on another screen.

I definitely think you should go for the new macbook over the imac.

7

plus haveing 2 screens looks cool and you can pretend your a mad proffessor or something :smile:

8

I do as well, but I reserve just one Space for Unity and Unitron - don’t forget about Spaces!

I keep a 3x3 matrix of Spaces running (though I usually don’t go over 6; 9 just uses screen real estate better in Spaces itself and gives me some headroom). So I have 9 discrete screens when I’m not using an external monitor, but when I am, that equals EIGHTEEN screens!! BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! :twisted:

Seriously though, Spaces + MacBook + external monitor is a dream to work with.

9

I’m no professor, but this used to be my workstation:

:stuck_out_tongue:

10

Yeah, this is my current setup :slight_smile:
Multiple monitors are pretty cool.

11

I don’t know what the problem is in Munich, but here in Cologne and over in Bonn are some Gravis stores having them in stock. At least I’ve seen them there in the window. And there’s a independent Mac store (not an Apple Store!) in Bonn that has them on stock as well.

Aaaaaand, from tomorrow on I’ll wait for my door bell to ring any minute, since I got an eMail yesterday that my Mac Book Pro left the warehouse yesterday and is enroute to me. Ordered it on the Apple online store the day they were announced.

So, by a short visit at your friendly fruit dealer, you CULD have taken your brand new Mac Book or Mac Book Pro with you to Copenhagen. :wink: Enough salt to your wounds? :twisted:

12

lovely jubbly love the setups

anybody scene IronMan? now thats a cool multi monitor setup plus he has a virtual 3d holographic display not to mention a Flying suit! instead of the unitron editor on one of the screens in that film :smile:

13

Thank you guys so much - you guys are 50% of the reason I’m buying Unity in the first place. I have definitely decided to go to with the macbook - My firewire needs are limited to catching a bunch of video game footage of games that I have worked on for my ‘demo reel’ - If I can do that before I get my MB, I will not have a need for FW any longer.

Thanks again!