Which Mac laptop

Am running Logos 4 on my (2 yr old?) 13" aluminum body MacBook with no problems now that the software is up to 4.0b.  I wouldn't want to lug around something larger or heavier - and am compensating for the screen size with the use of floating panels/reading panels, etc.   

I am happy with the combination of the software and hardware.

  Model Name:    MacBook
  Model Identifier:    MacBook5,1
  Processor Name:    Intel Core 2 Duo
  Processor Speed:    2 GHz
  Number Of Processors:    1
  Total Number Of Cores:    2
  L2 Cache:    3 MB
  Memory:    4 GB
  Bus Speed:    1.07 GHz

Personally I have a 13" 2.4 GHZ MBP 4GB Ram & a 7200 RPM HD. 

I absolutely love my setup. I don't find it too small for serious study and I never use an external monitor (sometimes I use my ipad as a 2nd monitor) 

You might want to wait a couple months though. I assume Apple is going to update the MBP line early next year and I would also assume that the updates are going to be pretty huge. (my guess would be SSD...which would make the MBP epic!)

JMurf said:

Personally I have a 13" 2.4 GHZ MBP 4GB Ram & a 7200 RPM HD. 

I
have the same MBP, with the exception of 8 gigs of ram that should be
showing up via Fed Ex literally any moment now. My previous MBP was a 17
Hires. I sold it when some money didn't show up I was expecting about 6
months ago. There is a HUGE difference in the way you will organize the
desktop when using the smaller screen. Probably just two side by side
windows and an info window placed somewhere on the side or bottom. A
larger high-res screen would be probably four windows in the center with
a tool windows on each side. But it is still worth it when considering
portability and cost. But I think you still have to at least consider the fact that the larger MBPs use newer i5 processors and dedicated memory. But that comes with a cost.

I have recently added a book stand, BT keyboard and BT trackpad,
as well as a 23" Samsung HD monitor. My wife bought me an iPad that I
carry for work now, as opposed to the MBP. So my MBP now serves
primarily as a desktop computer. With the iPad, I log into the MBP with
logmein ignition and run Logos Mac directly. It works great, especially
while sitting in bed. But it even works in low color mode when on the
road or in church. I do use the iPad extensively at work as well,
carrying job drawings, accessing my work machine remotely, making notes
and drawings in the field, etc... So I am not advocating my complete
setup, as I have many more demands that just Logos for my machine.

As
far as speed? Logos is really not that bad. I do expect it to get
better as time goes forward. Lately it has felt like they got it out the
door and now there is no rush. I don't think that is really the case
though. I think in reality it is just that they lost some interns and we
have holidays in the mix and current projects take more time to
complete.

Bottom line... A lower end MBP should be more than sufficient for your studies.

Jack Caviness said:

JMurf said:

I assume Apple is going to update the MBP line early next year

Early next year? After the Christmas gift season?

rumor mill has it pegged for an update in april

I have the 13" late 2010 MBP with the nVidia 320M graphics, etc.  I have no problems running Logos, Word, PowerPoint, iTunes and Firefox with about 6 tabs open.  I have not felt that Logos was particularly slow on Mac.  It is somewhat slower than my Windows 7 desktop but I think that is to be expected.  It is pretty typical for Apple to refresh notebook lines mid year (April or June).

I would have to agree with some other folks here though, that the 13" screen does cramp your layouts a bit.  But my main desktop uses 3 monitors so I feel that way on any laptop   I think if money was not the main consideration and this is to be your primary Bible research computer, having the extra screen real estate a 15" would provide probably would be very nice!

Blessings,

Orville

Drew,

Hi. With the 999.00 13" macbook you only get 2gb of ram. I am on a mac with 2gb right now. I can tell you i am having to work around it, and it is a pain. Right now I have safari, logos, word and outlook open and i only have 40mb of ram left. If you get this, kick the extra 100 for the 4gb of ram. At that point you are at 1100, which is about what the 13" macbook pro would cost you.

The 13 is tiny for the workflow of Logos, at least for me. I use screens extensively, but it doesn't really help with logos. I have an external monitor, I don't know if i could work without it. 

The video card isn't really important for what you listed - research, logos, writing. Many newer apps make use of the faster ram on the vid card, in my line of work it makes a big diff. If you think you are going to be doing anything else in the future such as photos,  graphics or vid, or gaming through bootcamp, it might pay to plan ahead. It also matters if you are going to try and hook up an external monitor  - something to think about if you get the 13 and then want to push a larger monitor. You might want to research the res that those video cards can push fluidly.

The 15 pro is a great machine in any config, the i5 or i7. But you are going to pay at least 600 more for it. But it is an investment - as technology grows, that will become a normal, somewhat decent machine whereas the macbook regular will be an outdated one. I always purchase my machines near the top of the line so that they will be relevant for longer periods. In the end, this saves me money - something to think about anyways. Good luck.

I have appreciated this thread as I am in similar circumstances, and I've found it quite helpful. I need to study it a bit more. I am in a bit of a quandry as to how to proceed. Here's my situation.

I have had Logos for a long time, but confess that to this time, I'm a minimal user of what is a very advanced program. I WANT to really learn how to use this... just need to take the time to do it. For the most part to this point, I primarily use "My Library" like I would have used my hard copy library... I pull a book off the shelf and read it. I do some simple searches from time to time. But as I have about 2,000 resources in Logos, I haven't figured out how to search effectively and receive pertinent information without being swamped with returns... most of which are meaningless. But that will change as I learn the software. But I really need Logos as I can't cart my physical library around the world anymore.

But now to the dilemma. I will be returning to the field in the Spring. I am a PC user (Dell XPS). This is problematic, because I have had to replace the motherboard on my laptop on an annual basis for the past 4 years; my wife has also had trouble with her Dell system after only a year. Service where I'm going does not exist, so it would be very expensive and time consuming to fix any problems... even if I could be sure of receiving it back. I need something I KNOW will be reliable. Second, I am going back to a place where Internet viruses are INCREDIBLY common and crippling. I need a machine that will be safe and secure, and not prone to virus attack and their associated crashes. Thirdly, I have wrestled with Microsoft products continuously, trying to make what should be fairly simple tasks work smoothly and integrate well with one another. I am not a novice PC user. But frankly, I'm just tired of the wrestling. I just want everything to work. I've seen how easy it is to get things done on a Mac on my friends' Mac computers... things that took forever on mine, along with a huge learning curve and lots of tweaking. So Mac seems like the way to go. I was very happy to see L4 for Mac come out, as that was one of the biggest reasons I have held off from making the switch.

Now, my Dell is beginning to do its annual crash, and I am now out of my extended warranty. I need to make the jump. But what machine should I get? Each has advantages/disadvantages as I see it for my situation.

I anticipate using my Mac for Word, Logos, Dragon Speaking Naturally, downloading podcast sermons from iTunes, running a translation program (need to find a good one for Mac like Lingvo was for PC), Skype, putting together simple presentations for supporters back home (photos, maybe a short 5 minute video, voice over... nothing fancy), and very light photo editing... red eye, cropping, etc). That's about it. I need to transport the machine to where I am going (a slight concern), but once there, I think it will probably be staying on my desk. Although I'm not a "power user" (no games, heavy video, etc), I have always tended to invest in the higher end of computers, as I will be away for a long time, and I don't want to be hampered by a machine that is soon obsolete (that happened to me a couple of times early on in my computing experience), and I also want to be able to have a machine that I can grow into and not become frustrated with as I learn to do more things.

Btw... I really like the iPad (also on my purchase list prior to departure) as it seems ideal for the kinds of things I do (like reading books), so I think alot of my Logos work would be through that... unless I end up finally learning how to take full advantage of the program.

But now I'm reading in other threads that (horrors!) L4 for Mac is disastrously slow and problem ridden, causing crashes, freeze ups, or needing lots and lots of tweaking/adjustments that I don't have a clue how to do, nor the time to learn. I just don't know what to make of all of this... The last thing I want is to spend the big bucks to transfer to a Mac system and find I've actually not improved my problems from Dell/Windows, or even, God forbid, made things worse. I wish I knew the percentage of those who have been happy/frustrated with L4 for Mac...

So... questions.... Is L4 for Mac really that bad, or are the problems isolated cases? Are they in actuality only picky problems with speed, or the result of too high expectations? Or am I really in for problems? How difficult is it going to be for me to get this thing up and working well (the one thread leaves one with the impression that L4 for Mac is practically unusable)? And what machine will run this program the best (including the other things I've indicated that I do?).

Any perspectives would be much appreciated!

Emile

Mike and Patrick, thank you for your insights. I have found them quite helpful.

I suppose that those who post to a forum thread on problems/slow machines would naturally reflect only those who may be having problems, so it would understandably leave a skewed impression. It's  a pity that there isn't a thread... "WOW! This thing works great! for me!"

I have actually returned a couple of times in my thinking to the iMac 21.5" with the i5 3.6 GHz processor, 8 GB of Ram and 2 TB 7200 rpm harddrive. I also think iWorks will handle all of my needs, plus Word (I need that for some freelance editing that I do to help fund our real work). (BTW - thanks for the link to the benchmark scores... I found that very helpful as I had considered the mini... but performance seems too low in comparison). The iMac I've described, software included, with One-to-One and Apple Extended Care, comes in at a bit over $2500. The next fastest option down on the benchmark list would be the Mackbook Pro 15" with i7 2.8 GHz processor, 500 GB 5400 hard drive and 8 GB ram. But for that (with software and extended service), we're looking at more than $3500... a $1000 more than the iMac, with a lower benchmark score, less storage capacity, etc. I confess that I really don't know how much of a practical difference a benchmark score of 6704 (the iMac) would be from a score of 5958 (the Macbook Pro)... I assume its noticable? That's why I opted against a mini, as it looks like it has a benchmark score of 3650... which seems substantially different from that of the iMac.

You're right that I really don't need a laptop if I will be using the iPad when traveling. The "main" computer would be essentially staying put.

So, from your posts and what I've read on this thread elsewhere, it seems like L4Mac would run well on the iMac 21.5" that I have described, correct? Perhaps the iMac is overkill in terms of running L4 Mac? (Macbook Air looks great from a portability perspective... and from Kevin Purcell's helpful video, it looks like it would work okay, so I'm considering it... but it's benchmark score is only 3003... half of the iMac). I just don't know how much power/speed is really necessary to run L4M smoothly.

My concerns are simply in how to get the machine to where we are going. Shipping really isn't an option. I'm fairly confident it would never arrive. So I need to bring it with me I'll be traveling by boat, plane and train. The boat and plane will not pose any difficulties. The plane is a close shave. I wouldn't be thrilled about the idea of checking my iMac into the cargo hold (I also don't want to use one of my two suitcases to carry the computer... I have to bring everything I'll need on the field... this is a permanent move). However, the iMac 21.5" falls within the size parameters for a carry-on (barely)... so i could keep it with me. I'd be a bit nervous for that 2.5-hour flight, but I would think I could keep it safe.

Thanks again for everyone's feedback. If there are further thoughts/suggestions, I'm all ears!

Best wishes,

Emile

EmileB said:

So, from your posts and what I've read on this thread elsewhere, it seems like L4Mac would run well on the iMac 21.5" that I have described, correct? Perhaps the iMac is overkill in terms of running L4 Mac?

"You can never have too much RAM" & you can never have a too fast machine. Get as much horsepower as your budget and carrying (of box) can handle.

EmileB said:

(Macbook Air looks great from a portability perspective... and from Kevin Purcell's helpful video, it looks like it would work okay, so I'm considering it... but it's benchmark score is only 3003... half of the iMac). I just don't know how much power/speed is really necessary to run L4M smoothly.

I wouldn't get an Air, if you want portability then get a MacBook Pro. But you just confirmed that you don't need to travel around with your machine.

EmileB said:

My concerns are simply in how to get the machine to where we are going. 

Only you can answer that — wherever it is you are going! Get the exact dimensions of the iMac 21.5" box and go to the airline. Get something in writing from them that confirms you can carry it in the cabin. To stop any overzealous/officious people at the airline gate.