Am I better off with the HP M7 as opposed to an Apple iMac?

Hello everyone. I need help deciding between my next new computer. I'll be starting my first year of college next month and I really need to know which will be better for me. I will be majoring in Graphic Design so I'm going to need a fast, reliable computer. I'll be using Adobe Web and Design Premium, which includes a variety of software such as Photoshop CS6 Extended, DreamWeaver CS6, Flash, etc. I'll also be using a Wacom Intuos4 in conjunction for drawing, painting, and editing images. In general, I'll be using it to surf the web, watch videos on youtube, and for coding and designing websites from time to time. I've narrowed down my options to the 17" HP Pavillion m7 or a 21.5" Apple iMac.

The iMac I want has a 2.5GHz Intel Core i5 processor and 8GB Memory and a 500 GB Hard Drive. I also wanted a protection plan just in case the iMac runs into any problems. In total, it came to $1,358.

As for the HP m7, it has an i7 processor, 8GB of memory and a 1TB hard drive and in total, it is $850. It is currently on sale at Best Buy and is $930 regular price. I could just get the iMac with an i7 processor and and 1TB hard drive but in total, it came to about $1800 which is ridiculous to me and on top of that, I am on a budget because the rest of my money is going towards fees, books, and other things I'm going to need. I am not an expert and I am not bashing the iMac but I am just wondering am I better off with the Hp Pavillion m7? Could anyone help me out? I have to have my new computer before school starts and I want to make sure I'm making the right choice.

Thank You

 

Hi, are you referring to the HP Pavilion m6 on sale at Best Buy: HP - 15.6" Pavilion Laptop - 8GB Memory - 750GB Hard Drive - Natural Silver - m6-1045dx or the configurable version on HP.com:

HP Pavilion m6t-1000 Entertainment Notebook PC | HP® Official Store

I'm not aware of any 17" m7 version, just the 15" m6 version, so curious as to where you are seeing this. If you can provide a link that'd be great!

 

there are m7's out.... e.g.

HP Pavilion m7-1078ca Entertainment Notebook PC - HP Customer Care (United States - English)


however, I don't think the M series is worth the price premium.

the configurable m6 doesn't even have 1080p option

 

Interesting, not available in the U.S. yet though, must be a Canadian model only for now (as noted by the CA ending). Well, if you're on a budget then a $1,800 MacBook is hardly the best choice. Yes, it's nice, but you pay a major premium for a premium product. As link626 says, you may want to look at the HP Pavilion dv7t or dv6t and see if you can find it with better specs and price as right now it appears HP is putting a price premium on the m6 and m7 series that doesn't seem warranted.