Is it worth it? (computer question)

**6ideon** · February 21st, 2009

I do all of my painting on a 20" iMac, but I think I want to change over to a smaller but more portable 15-17" Macbook. I guess my question is, will I really miss the couple inches I lose on the screen, and is it better to have a solid home base like that. Or do a lot of you guys use portable computers as well, I want to know what would be the more professional choice. I just figured it works better with my lifestyle since I can't always be at home. To me I can't really see a major difference, but decided to ask since it is an expensive decision.

**tmbritton** · February 21st, 2009

You could always get a monitor to hook the Macbook up to when you're not on the go. So you'd have the macbook screen and the monitor,

**6ideon** · February 21st, 2009

thats a really good idea actually

**Original Abstract Ar** · February 21st, 2009

It really depends on what you are most comfortable with. Everyone has their own tastes. Personally I use a 32" flat screen, may just be because I'm going blind

**jvgig** · February 22nd, 2009

15-17 is a lot smaller than 20, remember a screen that has 2x the diagonal has 4x the screen area.

An imac is basically a laptop that is stuck on your desk, so you will not loose much in terms of performance (both computational and display) by going to the laptop. If you were debating going from a desktop to a laptop, then you may notice some discrepancies performance wise, but in your case you will only notice a smaller screen. Also, the imac screen is pretty bad, definitely not "professional". With either machine, I would get a more accurate display. I know several people who have a macbook and a display and are quite happy with the solution.