Should I replace my thinkpad w500 with a new macbook?!

New macbook, or continued burned off noble parts

  • Keep that old hot thinkpad thing, it's good enough for the work you do!

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Get a new Macbook pro ASAP !

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • There is another Macbook that would be better for you, I will tell you on a post which one, and why!

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Total voters
    0

Dennis Madsen

Estimable
Jun 7, 2014
6
0
4,510
Hey I work professional with graphic design, webdesign(most relevant for the question), as well as communication and marketing...

That is heavy illustrator work, Photoshop, Lightroom, Indesign, and anything Adobe really (limiting me from using linux, though I love linux) - I would like to work with some simple video editing also(but right now I don't really)...

Right now I spot an old thinkpad w500(2008?) with 8gigs of ram, a 128 gb ssd + 500 gb 7200 hd + 1920 x 1200 mat display, it's 15,4". - Bascially it covers my needs awesomely, that is I is married to the trackpad(have been using thinkpads only for 10+ years), I love the keyboard even the screen ... BUT it fells rather bulky and worse it's seriously hot all the time ... the build simply seam rather outdated compared to etc. a never macbook ... it bascially feels like sitting with a world war two tank on my laps ... I'm not repulsed by windows 8.1 but it does seam kind of boring and not all that pro for my taste ...

I work 3 diffrent places and don't have any car, one of them takes two hours daily in train(im there once or twice a week), another about half an hour + busses ...

Also at home I mostly use my computer on the lap for hours at a time (not good for my noble parts), or in bed and such ...

I love IBM(not lenovo) but I also really love Apple (have both an old iphone 4s and the ipad mini) ...

I'm searching heavily on the topic, because I have this idea of buying the macbook - some in me still fear that I will get heavily disapointen: price is a big thing for me at the moment; and the thing where it can't be upgraded (I have upgraded this machine constantly) ...

Also I'm thinking about if older macbooks would be worth it, but have a hard time not getting the retina I can't see my self getting less screen space than I have now ...

I'm just looking for an overall discussion here; that will help me deside: go for a new mackbook now, wait for how long?, or go for something else(not that likely lol) ... As well as which macbook to go for ... I live in denmark so macbooks is rediculas expensive her considering the hardware ....

thnx
- Helio






 

Dennis Madsen

Estimable
Jun 7, 2014
6
0
4,510
Sure, but the dedicated firegl that is in this very old w500, is not faster than Iris Pro (actually it's 10 times slower or something like that) - I have seen ppl edit pro video on it in final cut pro and so on ond the hd4000 and that's okay, on the Iris Pro the things I have seen snaps everything in photoshop without the smallest delay, - so I'm rather sure the graphic card is not the bottle neck, no matter what I chooses there ...

The screen resolution(if etc. going for an older mac), and hardisk space might be though ...

1920 x 1080 ips, is what's in this thinkpad also ... it's a great display ... so is the retina though!

In addition to that, many discrete cards makes way more heat, and uses way more power ....

As for the processor, I don't that to be a problem either (as long as it's i5 it should be more than fast enough) ...

Just to make it clear, it's the 13" macbook pro I'm looking at, the one with i5, 8 gigs of ram, and 256 gigs of flash ... which is rediculas expensive yes, compared to the price ....

Not sure I'm willing to consider an asus though! - How is the actually build of it?! Heat? Size? Feel?





 

Dennis Madsen

Estimable
Jun 7, 2014
6
0
4,510
Let me ask you diffrently, how is the ASUS notebooks (are there other than that n550jk worth buying, it cost 1800 $here or almost as much the macbook pro) compared to the mentioned macbook pro, when it comes to build quality? when it comes to size, heat on the lap and hands, and the display?!

Remember that I perhaps sit with the machine 12 hours a day 6 days a week...

Also remember I only use it for work, no gaming required.

That is, I will mostly use it for things like photoshop, illustrator, indesign, - video vise I guess I could switch to final cut (right now I'm using premire and after effects, but it's to slow on this machine for me to do loads of video editing)...

That is the exact macbook I have looked at BUT; I need danish(or at least scandinavian) keyboard for it though, so can't buy it off amazon, or ebay ;)

- It cost 2000$ here! About the same as the n550jk

I'm not sure if I am directly deadset on a macbook, though I do get irritated over the fact that I don't have one all the time: I do like apple allot (huge Jonathan Ivy fan) ... I'm a design freak, and apple know design!

- Mostly I like the design & the operating system! But the critical thing is the idea of a small cold laptop with atleast the power this one I has now and an even bigger resolution (I'm not a huge windows fan, though I have learned to live with windows 8.1 I guess - but os x would be a wellcomed change)...

As I said I have had allot of love for this thinkpad for many years, it has served me well (and have had so for thinkpads in general) ... but how I use it has changed, and the heating & the bigger build compared to a more modern laptop is really, REALLY starting to get to me... also there is futures I can't get to work with windows 8.1 like the switcable graphic cards (most of the time I'm just using the non-discrete, because I have to reboot each time I switch), the bluetooth is not working, and the Hotkey Features is not working either - it's not big problems but they are all adding up ...

- the good things about staying with this machine is the two disks (one of them ssd), the high resolution screen, & I love the trackpad(haven't even used touchpads for years, I disable them) ...

- The worst is that 1) my wrists, hands, lap & crouch take ALLOT of serious heat damage(well the skin is basically cooked daily lol) 2)it feels really bulky and not longer all that modern 3) it could be allot snappier when using the heavier programs like photoshop & illustor, secounds adds up over the days, weeks and months ...

- Helio




 

Dennis Madsen

Estimable
Jun 7, 2014
6
0
4,510
Hmm I don't totally understand with the dedicated graphics:

If we compare the old firegl v5700 in this old thinkpad (that could be faster, but runs photoshop fine, even renders 3d in maja fine and so on) and then the Intel Iris 5100 that is the non discrete card in the macbook, the iris is about 10 times as powerfull:

http://www.game-debate.com/gpu/index.php?gid=1781&gid2=869&compare=iris-graphics-5100-desktop-vs-mobility-firegl-v5700

It's also still more powerfull than the dedicated: GeForce GT 630 & Radeon 6570. Even in the cinebench scores the iris pro minimum framerates exceed the 650 by 10 fps.


Besides that osx should be much more efficient with adobe programs than windows + they have final cut pro for video ...

But sure:
If we compare the Iris with the Nvidia GeForce GT 750M (that is the dedicated graphic cards that only is in a few macbooks):
http://www.game-debate.com/gpu/index.php?gid=1781&gid2=1246&compare=iris-graphics-5100-desktop-vs-geforce-gt-750m

Then that card is allot faster...

But if we look at the Iris pro overall, it does not seam to perform that bad? not even in 3d creation!

Another thing is that it seams to run at lower temperatures (and as I said heat is a huge factor for me)...

http://www.notebookcheck.net/Intel-I...0.90965.0.html


So I don't really get, why the discrete card would be needed?! what am I missing here?! - As I said I'm not going to use it for gaming ...


I use allot of my time in a open office with pro movie makers, game developers, and graphic developers, they almost all use the macbook pro retina 13", none of them seams to complain about lack of power ... but I could be wrong, and they simply haven't mentioned it ... they are mac fanboys after all ... many of them complain about the lack of harddisk space though ... hmm

Still confused here :p






 

Dennis Madsen

Estimable
Jun 7, 2014
6
0
4,510
I hink one of the REALLY big questions is:
How much will I notice the upgrade from this old thinkpad, to a new macbook retina :/