Cdouthitt Loc: Traverse City, MI

MBP...15" with 16GB RAM and SSD Drive.

BobHartung Loc: Bettendorf, IA

Careful, the newer MacBook computers are generally not user upgradeable.

Big SSD drive is important. Go for a 1 TB. Max out the RAM.

If you are buying new, then you will be dealing with a Thunderbolt external connector (USB is also available), which is really fast so external storage is not a big problem. As far as that goes neither is USB for general use.

I have both and older MacBook Pro and a fairly new MacBook Aire. I prefer the latter, but the former is a lot better since I updated to a SSD drive.

DesertRat71 Loc: Arizona

I was really happy back in 2009 when I left Windows and bought my 27" iMac. So happy, in fact, that I followed that purchase up with a MacBook Pro, 15", with Retina Display and 512 MB SSD. I sang Apple's praises to everyone who would listen. I was running Snow Leopard on both machines and it was rock solid and fast.

Then Apple released the Mavericks "upgrade".

My iMac cold boot time went from less than a minute to a full 20 minutes. Every application runs noticeably slower. Some crash while unattended. The effect isn't as bad on the MacBook but when you consider that it's proprietary Apple software running on their proprietary hardware there's no excuse for it. Mavericks has been out for almost a year and aside from releasing the odd patch here and there Apple hasn't addressed the massive issues the release has created that are documented all over the Web.

No doubt they've been too busy working on "Yosemite", the proposed Fall release of their new OS. I've gotten a peek at it and gone is the richness that set the Mac GUI apart. Icons on the Dock are now flat and look like the result of a high school coding project. After Mavericks I'm extremely gun-shy.

I've been using Windows 7 at work (I'm a computer professional by day) and I like its speed, look and feel when compared to XP. But then Microsoft is due to halt its mainstream support for Windows 7 around January.

I switched from Windows for many reasons but I'm no longer enamored of Apple.

BobHartung Loc: Bettendorf, IA

Questions:
1. Have you reset the PRAM?
2. Are all updates applied? (I am presuming yes since this is your field.)

countryman60951 Loc: Bourbonnais, Il

i have a MAC Book Pro for almost a year now. Love it. I also have a Windows 7 desktop and only is used now for my CAD software. I had a Windows 8 for about 6 weeks and although there were features I liked but it was just too problematic. Not sure why the one person thought the MAC Book Pro had a poor battery life mine goes for about 5 hours or more. I have absolutely no complaints on this MAC Book Pro. Well just 1 initial cost. But the aggravation I had with the Windows 8 laptop I can justify the cost of this Mac.

DavidPine Loc: Fredericksburg, TX

I use to use my PC for AutoCad work. Now I have the latest Mac version and it works well.

DesertRat71 Loc: Arizona

Yes to 2. I didn't know about 1. (Or about resetting the SMC, something I came across while researching the PRAM). It actually seemed to make a speed difference so thank you very much for that. It's ironic that I got this information from a photography list.

Again, thank you.

NoSocks Loc: quonochontaug, rhode island

I'm quite sure the Mac Book Pro maximum RAM is 16 and not 32. At least that's what I was told when I bought mine.

cjc2 Loc: Hellertown PA

IMHO, 16 is plenty!

trc Loc: Logan, OH

You are correct. A 27" iMac maxes out at 32 GB RAM, and probably the 21" does as well. The 27" can be upgraded by the buyer, but the 21" can't unless things have changed.