MBA or Speced out MBP?

Klae · Jul 8, 2012

Well guys heres my thought I would go with this
OCZ Vertex 4 SSD $219.99
OWC Data Doubler $59.99
MacBook Pro 15inch Baseline $1700.00
or
MacBook Pro 13inch Baseline $1489.00
or
just go ahead and get the top of the line i7/256/8gb MBA

any ideas or suggestions?

islanders · Jul 8, 2012

Klae said:
Well guys heres my thought I would go with this
OCZ Vertex 4 SSD $219.99
OWC Data Doubler $59.99
MacBook Pro 15inch Baseline $1700.00
or
MacBook Pro 13inch Baseline $1489.00
or
just go ahead and get the top of the line i7/256/8gb MBA

any ideas or suggestions?

The 13 Mac Books are still dual core, so I don't see the point of dumping more cash into them with limited returns. Although for someone else the upgrade could be justified. I'm glad I got the one for what I need it for. I also don't see the point of having a bunch of crap on my main drive.

Klae · Jul 8, 2012

islanders said:
The 13 Mac Books are still dual core, so I don't see the point of dumping more cash into them with limited returns. Although for someone else the upgrade could be justified. I'm glad I got the one for what I need it for. I also don't see the point of having a bunch of crap on my main drive.

so which one are you saying i should get?

imswimmin · Jul 8, 2012

If you have the money, the question to be asked is why not go with the more powerful and larger 15" Macbook Pro. If portability is something to be considered, then perhaps you should consider the Air. If portability and storage space need to be considered, then the 13" Pro is probably your best choice.

The key to choosing the right computer is to ask the right questions. Best of luck!

Klae · Jul 8, 2012

imswimmin said:
If you have the money, the question to be asked is why not go with the more powerful and larger 15" Macbook Pro. If portability is something to be considered, then perhaps you should consider the Air. If portability and storage space need to be considered, then the 13" Pro is probably your best choice.

The key to choosing the right computer is to ask the right questions. Best of luck!

Alright thanks I just cant decide what I want I love the thinness of the MBA and the portability but I also love the specs of the MBP. So im stuck I guess.

imswimmin · Jul 8, 2012

It really depends on what you'll be using the computer for. I have the last generation 13" MBA and its perfect for my needs (Web browsing including HD Youtube, lots of word documents, and presentations). I also have a much more powerful Windows laptop that I use for video editing. So it basically comes down to asking if you really need all the power the 15" brings.

theSeb · Jul 8, 2012

Klae said:
Alright thanks I just cant decide what I want I love the thinness of the MBA and the portability but I also love the specs of the MBP. So im stuck I guess.

No one can decide who one you will like the look of more but you.

Klae · Jul 8, 2012

imswimmin said:
It really depends on what you'll be using the computer for. I have the last generation 13" MBA and its perfect for my needs (Web browsing including HD Youtube, lots of word documents, and presentations). I also have a much more powerful Windows laptop that I use for video editing. So it basically comes down to asking if you really need all the power the 15" brings.

See I had a hp dv7 quad core i7 and I just didnt like it, it was too bulky and heavy to carry around campus. Thats why the air was so intriguing but I want power too.

Barna Biro · Jul 9, 2012

Go with the MBA since portability seems to be quite important to you. Specs wise, the MBA is not extremely slower than the 13" MBP... it has a lower clocked CPU, that's true and it goes up to only 8 GB or memory, but it has a larger resolution and of course it's lighter ( easier to carry around )... I doubt that the tiny bit lower MBA specs will have a real / serious ( if any ) impact on what you are planning on using it for.

I'd personally get 8 GB of memory for the MBA. CPU upgrade is fine only if you plan on doing some really CPU intensive stuff and you want to have as much juice as money can buy.

islanders · Jul 9, 2012

Klae said:
so which one are you saying i should get?

Which applications are you saying you will use?

I'm also not familiar with the other gear you mentioned or why you need that.

For university you should consider an external HD, like a Lacie portable, for transferring or storing projects that you use with the university lab computers, and increase your capacity. The USB 3 is quite fast.

There are so many options. As someone said you have to ask the right questions.

Another approach is selling your MBA in a year and you will get more of money back if it is base.

For you the 13 base with 8GB would be a good option. Although they are all useful so it depends on what you want to use it for.

If you don't' plan to use the computer labs you will probably just be using your laptop for Facebook and internet anyway.

PeterJP · Jul 9, 2012

Klae,

Klae said:
Thats why the air was so intriguing but I want power too.

Do you want power or do you want speed ? Do you want power or do you need processing power ? There are several considerations here.

If you want speed: get any machine as long as it has a fast SSD. Speed for most usage cases should be no problem then.

If you need (processing) power, look at a machine with a dedicated GPU, as this will seriously decrease processing times, e.g. for Photoshop and video conversion, as soon as those applications start working with OpenCL.

If you want power, well, one can want anything. I want a Bugatti Veyron. Doesn't mean that it's something that I need.

Peter.

islanders · Jul 9, 2012

PeterJP said:
Klae,

Do you want power or do you want speed ? Do you want power or do you need processing power ? There are several considerations here.

If you want speed: get any machine as long as it has a fast SSD. Speed for most usage cases should be no problem then.

If you need (processing) power, look at a machine with a dedicated GPU, as this will seriously decrease processing times, e.g. for Photoshop and video conversion, as soon as those applications start working with OpenCL.

If you want power, well, one can want anything. I want a Bugatti Veyron. Doesn't mean that it's something that I need.

Peter.

That's a good point with the graphics card. The 15 MBP will have quad core and 550m graphics card. This will boost performance in applications like video editing, however, at this time Adobe doesn't support the 550m card, although they probably will.

If it were my only computer I would choose between the 15mbp and 13 mba. That landscape changes very quickly with each application and there is never a perfect solution.

Personally I like the 13MBA for general use and have a PC workstation.

So the question is will you need OpenGL or quad core in the next year or so.

Klae · Jul 9, 2012

Well I'm a cs student so I'd use it for that and writing papers. I also play Minecraft that's about all I would do on it. I dabble in some video editing but not much what do you guys think? Seems to me everyones leaning to get the speced out MBA. Let me know thanks guys.

islanders · Jul 9, 2012

I would be happy with either the 15mbp or 13mba. I have a powerful desktop so only need the base MBA for the price and general use. If it were my only computer and I also needed power, as you said, than wouldn't be too quick to pass over the 15mbp. It's nothing like a huge PC 15''. In fact if I were planning to spend that much I would have to check out the 15 for the larger screen and more power. Good luck. They are both good choices.

Klae · Jul 10, 2012

islanders said:
I would be happy with either the 15mbp or 13mba. I have a powerful desktop so only need the base MBA for the price and general use. If it were my only computer and I also needed power, as you said, than wouldn't be too quick to pass over the 15mbp. It's nothing like a huge PC 15''. In fact if I were planning to spend that much I would have to check out the 15 for the larger screen and more power. Good luck. They are both good choices.

See they both look so appealing I like to upgrade stuff but I already have a mid2011 mac mini as my desktop so I just want something portable that I can do my day to day tasks but not regret getting a mbp I guess that's it I don't want to regret not getting a mbp instead of MBA.

PeterJP · Jul 10, 2012

Klae,

Klae said:
Well I'm a cs student so I'd use it for that and writing papers. I also play Minecraft that's about all I would do on it. I dabble in some video editing but not much what do you guys think?

I think...

Klae said:
See they both look so appealing I like to upgrade stuff but I already have a mid2011 mac mini as my desktop so I just want something portable that I can do my day to day tasks but not regret getting a mbp

you already have a desktop. In that case, use your Mac mini for the CS stuff etc. Get yourself the cheapest laptop you can if you really really need mobile computing. An 11" would do and is cheaper and more mobile. For serious work (papers, programming, etc), your Mac mini should be sufficient. It will, for example, have a much bigger screen than any of the laptops you're considering.

I did my CS thesis on a 486 with 8MB of RAM and nearly half a gigabyte of storage connected to a 15" screen, so any Mac mini config should be plenty sufficient, even if the requirements are probably a bit more upmarket right now

Peter.

islanders · Jul 10, 2012

Klae said:
See they both look so appealing I like to upgrade stuff but I already have a mid2011 mac mini as my desktop so I just want something portable that I can do my day to day tasks but not regret getting a mbp I guess that's it I don't want to regret not getting a mbp instead of MBA.

If you already have the mac mini and want portable the MBA becomes a very good choice. In 1-2 years the next mini will be faster than the MBP so no need to over spec your laptop. Part of the advantage of 15mbp was larger screen, so you already have that covered and the 15mbp 650m graphics card isn't currently supported by Adobe, so that's two strikes. With my 13 MBA I'm now studying over 2-4 hours a day more because it such a joy to use at coffee shops and places away from home/office. The 13'' is also very usable and really more of a 15'' replacement. I love my 13'', the extra real-estate is significant and more productive, but others prefer the more portable 11''.

One thing is for sure, you will be spending a lot of time with the MBA and will be very pleased with what it can do. And for what it can't you have a Mini and access to computer labs.

leman · Jul 10, 2012

Klae said:
Well I'm a cs student so I'd use it for that and writing papers. I also play Minecraft that's about all I would do on it. I dabble in some video editing but not much what do you guys think? Seems to me everyones leaning to get the speced out MBA. Let me know thanks guys.

MBA would be enough for you.

Klae · Jul 10, 2012

PeterJP said:
Klae,

I think...

you already have a desktop. In that case, use your Mac mini for the CS stuff etc. Get yourself the cheapest laptop you can if you really really need mobile computing. An 11" would do and is cheaper and more mobile. For serious work (papers, programming, etc), your Mac mini should be sufficient. It will, for example, have a much bigger screen than any of the laptops you're considering.

I did my CS thesis on a 486 with 8MB of RAM and nearly half a gigabyte of storage connected to a 15" screen, so any Mac mini config should be plenty sufficient, even if the requirements are probably a bit more upmarket right now

Peter.

Alright thank you Peter. I think ill go with a 13inch MBA. Thank you for your help it means a lot.

----------

islanders said:
If you already have the mac mini and want portable the MBA becomes a very good choice. In 1-2 years the next mini will be faster than the MBP so no need to over spec your laptop. Part of the advantage of 15mbp was larger screen, so you already have that covered and the 15mbp 650m graphics card isn't currently supported by Adobe, so that's two strikes. With my 13 MBA I'm now studying over 2-4 hours a day more because it such a joy to use at coffee shops and places away from home/office. The 13'' is also very usable and really more of a 15'' replacement. I love my 13'', the extra real-estate is significant and more productive, but others prefer the more portable 11''.

One thing is for sure, you will be spending a lot of time with the MBA and will be very pleased with what it can do. And for what it can't you have a Mini and access to computer labs.

Thats a great point thank you for pointing that out to me I appreciate all of your help!

MBA or Speced out MBP?

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