Hey everyone, I currently have an early 2011 stock MBP (2.3ghz i5, 4gb 1333mhz, 320gb HDD) and am thinking of replacing it with a mid 2013 MBA (1.3ghz i3, 8gb 1600mhz, 256gb SSD). Do you guys think the MBA (with a way lower clock) will outperform the MBP? Will My most heavy use is Photoshop and games like Sims 3 (which runs HORRIBLY on the MBP). Thanks!
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Is the 2013 MBA better than my 2011 MBP?
- Thread starter MooseWeird
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
The 2013 will be much faster. That 1.3ghz is just the baseline speed, if called upon it ramps up (turbo) to up to 2.6ghz. Give this a read.
That coupled with the SSD will make a much faster computer.
The CPU is maybe about even, the Air has faster RAM(not by a lot, and not enough for you to notice in games), MUCH faster SSD (but that only will load the game faster, not make it run faster or smoother). The GPU will be a little better, depending on the task.
Last edited:
You can upgrade the RAM and the HDD to an SSD easily and cheaply on your Pro, which will put it in roughly the same class as the Air for a relative pittance. However, assuming that your 2011 MBP is a 13", it has Intel HD3000 graphics, which lag in performance to the Nvidia 320 that preceded it unless the program or app was coded to take advantage of the newer processor.
The HD5000 graphics on the Haswell chip are two generations ahead of the Sandy Bridge HD3000, and have an appreciable performance boost.
Finally, if you up the ram on your 2011 Pro to either 8 or 16 gb, video ram is increased from 384 mb to 512. That could possibly make a slight difference.
The HD5000 graphics on the Haswell chip are two generations ahead of the Sandy Bridge HD3000, and have an appreciable performance boost.
Finally, if you up the ram on your 2011 Pro to either 8 or 16 gb, video ram is increased from 384 mb to 512. That could possibly make a slight difference.
Yes, it's faster. The 1.3GHz clock is the base clock. In almost all cirumstances it will run at a faster 2.3GHz... clocking to 2.6GHz for single core applications.
It has a much faster SSD, RAM, and many times over better battery life than your older computer.
It's an upgrade in every sense of the word. Apple opted for a chip with a "slower" base clock to get the faster Intel 5000 GPU.
My 11" MacBook Air runs Photoshop just fine, though I did opt for the faster i7 processor.
It has a much faster SSD, RAM, and many times over better battery life than your older computer.
It's an upgrade in every sense of the word. Apple opted for a chip with a "slower" base clock to get the faster Intel 5000 GPU.
My 11" MacBook Air runs Photoshop just fine, though I did opt for the faster i7 processor.
I was curious about this too but i have a 2011 MBA.
Even though the SSD is faster it probably wouldnt night and day difference in launching apps. I think the boosted single core clock speed would certainly give it an advantage with my apps. By how much i dont know.
All my MBA apps are single core with the exception of some photography apps.
I doubt it will be a lot faster as my MBA is just a general machine, most of more intensive work is now done on the iMac.
Even though the SSD is faster it probably wouldnt night and day difference in launching apps. I think the boosted single core clock speed would certainly give it an advantage with my apps. By how much i dont know.
All my MBA apps are single core with the exception of some photography apps.
I doubt it will be a lot faster as my MBA is just a general machine, most of more intensive work is now done on the iMac.
I've just upgraded to a 2013 MBA from a 2010 MBA and the difference is incredible.
The new MBA i7/8/512 benchmarks faster than my 2011 iMac i5 2.7Ghz with 32GB RAM and a 512GB SSD
The new MBA i7/8/512 benchmarks faster than my 2011 iMac i5 2.7Ghz with 32GB RAM and a 512GB SSD