Thinkpads Forum

Hi

I'm looking now for some portable computer which I will connect with my NEC 23" screen and work on Photoshop.
What I'm considering now is x201 i5-540 with 4 GB RAM and 128 GB SSD and Apple MacBook Pro 13", 4 GB RAM, 2,66 Ghz (so the most powerful among 13" Apple computers). The prices are comparable.
Can someone advise what to choose ? Now I have terrible mess in my head - x201 will be nice (I will change the screen into AFFS), however the graphic power of it is rather poor (integrated) but he CPU is quite fast....
Maybe someone has quite similar problem or has direct comparison working at the same time on both computers in photo post process ?

Thanks in advance.

The X201 with the AFFS mod is a great little ultraportable. If I were going to look at a Mac, I'd look at the MacBook Air for the extra resolution and the screen is quite nice, though not as nice as the AFFS. Though the MBA doesn't have quite the CPU power of the X201.

My family happens to own both! My college daughter uses a MacBook Pro 13--well, the Unibody that immediately preceded it--while my wife has been using the X201, loaded (i7 CPU, 8GB RAM, 160GB SSD, dock, 23-inch IPS display), for a month. But I'm afraid my thoughts are merely conjectural, since I've never used the MacBook and I've used the X201 just to set it up and maintain it.

By April or May, both platforms will be upgraded to use Intel's Sandy Bridge architecture. While this won't make a big difference for the MacBook Pro--it currently uses a dedicated Nvidia GPU--it will make the ThinkPad noticeably more suitable for PhotoShop. Of course, in adopting Sandy Bridge the Macbook Pro will also move to quad core, catching up with the Thinkpad in raw CPU power.

The MacBook Pro has a much more beautiful TN display. Like the Thinkpad's TN and an AFSS, it can display only 6 bits per channel. But according to Notebookcheck's measurements, it fully covers the sRGB spectrum. Then again, the AFSS that you would install should match the MacBook in contrast and viewing angle.

The X201 is dockable, while the MacBook Pro is not, though you can buy a third-party Henge Dock (http://www.hengedocks.com/).

This is a tough call. It you didn't plan to use PhotoShop, I'd say go with the X201, with or without a do-it-yourself AFSS display; it's about 1/3 lighter and ThinkPad-tough. Since you do plan to use PhotoShop, I think you're better off buying the MacBook Pro 13 (if you must buy now) or waiting till both companies have introduced their Sandy Bridge successors.

Stupid question here, but which platform are you more comfortable or familiar with using? I've never used the OSX version of Photoshop, but I'd imagine the workflow would be as similar as Adobe can make it.

I'm not sure how having a better graphics card would lend any performance improvement with PS, but I haven't really looked at versions past CS.

Here are my thoughts on each:
X201: Smaller and lighter. Has a trackpoint (I've used it with PS before!). The processor is better than the MBP.

MBP: Probably has better battery life (when Apple advertises N hours of battery, that's under more or less normal operating conditions and not 'everything turned off and dim'). Better out-of-the-box screen.

Personally, I'd get the X201 for the size. I have a X61s with an IPS SXGA+ screen and a X301 and I vastly prefer using and carrying around the X61s. I would still do the AFFS screen mod since it's fairly simple, but since you're using an external monitor for PS it won't matter too much. You will, however, start noticing how bad the original Thinkpad displays are.