Like the title says, is the 11" ultimate worth it? is there really a significant difference between the 1.4 and the 1.6? assuming both have 4gb ram? If there is a significant difference, could you tell me what the 1.6 would do noticeably better than the 1.4?
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11" Ultimate worth it?
- Thread starter baxingo
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Nobody buying an Air needs anything more than the lowest model configuration available. If you needed processing power for something, you'd be buying a Pro.
disregard Miles's opinion.
You won't find a noticeable difference between the two clock speeds between the two. RAM will make a difference when working with more demanding applications such as Aperture, or when running many applications at once.
What will you be using this machine for?
You won't find a noticeable difference between the two clock speeds between the two. RAM will make a difference when working with more demanding applications such as Aperture, or when running many applications at once.
What will you be using this machine for?
Don't worry i already disregarded it. Im not going to be using it for major processing. If I was I wouldn't buy an air. But I am going to be just using it for school, notes and things. I will be using it for watching movies and stuff. I already know that people have trouble with 1080p videos, and I don't really see the point of running 1080p on a screen that is only a 720p resolution. I'll be using it for Itunes and I have adobe cs5 production premium, I'm going to install photoshop and possibly flash from it, nothing serious, just really simple things. Cause I don't want to spend the extra $100 for the processor if its not going to be noticable.
...didn't you answer your own question? You can disregard my opinion, but it seems a little stupid to repeat exactly what I just said.
Why didn't you list all this in your first post?
Are you taking, or have you taken, any math courses?
What percentage faster is the 1.6 over the 1.4?
Once you determine this, ask yourself if you will be running any CPU intensive software?
Are 'things', 'stuff', 'nothing serious' and 'really simple things' CPU intensive?
If the answer is yes, could you notice an xx% faster processor?
Sorry if I sounded rude, I wasn't trying to, but I just am not a fan of the 2gb base, I know that it will probably run what I need, but I just want to know if the speed difference from the 1.4 and 1.6 is noticable in doing somewhat basic things. if it is, I will probably go for the 1.6 because thats just me. If its not going to be noticable then I won't upgrade.
If you can't calculate simple percentages, you're are worse than horrible at math.
Yes, you will notice the difference. Buy the 1.6.
Considering the clock speed is dynamic and the CPU is rarely the bottleneck, one would likely not notice a difference unless you were doing something like encoding videos which you wouldn't use an Air for.
And you can't use simply math to calculate what sort of performance gain you will get from a higher clock speed. It's not as simply as 1.6/1.4 = 1.14.
Thank you, and yes I am horrible at math, I stay away from math related things. Kind of the reason I ask on the forums. I don't ask to be told to learn better math.
I agree with Miles, for even as a first time Mac user I read a lot of misinformation spoken on here as regards configuration.
This purely depends on the use you are putting it to, and I think the majority will be the same as me, internet, watching live TV or streaming from iPlayer etc, listening to music, watching films, and running a selection of programs, but not intensive Photoshop, Autocad and the like.
For this the basic spec is fine, and could barely run anything quicker or more stable, so the likelihood is that you will never see a limitation on your memory or CPU. The proviso is the SSD capacity, 64gb is fine for me but some may need the 128gb if they are going to store a lot more data. I doubt if this would be the case on the move, and I bought a low priced pocket 500mb external drive if I wanted to put a lot of stuff on it.
I think the inclination is to go for the highest spec in the first place as the MBA can not be upgraded, plus advice given by a lot of the posts on here, whereas the standard spec will be fine for the majority. If you can and do not mind spending the extra that is fine, but not necessarily good advice to those asking what THEY should go for.
For me it would have been an extra £360, nearly 50% extra over the cost of
the basic spec, so was just not on. Plus it would have made no difference to my usage.
Everybody has their own opinion of course, just thought that I would keep it balanced.
tut
This purely depends on the use you are putting it to, and I think the majority will be the same as me, internet, watching live TV or streaming from iPlayer etc, listening to music, watching films, and running a selection of programs, but not intensive Photoshop, Autocad and the like.
For this the basic spec is fine, and could barely run anything quicker or more stable, so the likelihood is that you will never see a limitation on your memory or CPU. The proviso is the SSD capacity, 64gb is fine for me but some may need the 128gb if they are going to store a lot more data. I doubt if this would be the case on the move, and I bought a low priced pocket 500mb external drive if I wanted to put a lot of stuff on it.
I think the inclination is to go for the highest spec in the first place as the MBA can not be upgraded, plus advice given by a lot of the posts on here, whereas the standard spec will be fine for the majority. If you can and do not mind spending the extra that is fine, but not necessarily good advice to those asking what THEY should go for.
For me it would have been an extra £360, nearly 50% extra over the cost of
the basic spec, so was just not on. Plus it would have made no difference to my usage.
Everybody has their own opinion of course, just thought that I would keep it balanced.
tut
Getting other people to do your work, or your math, is always easier than doing it yourself.
There's an article on anandtech that talks about this very same subject. He suggested that you can notice the difference in processor speeds and since there's throttling built in, you really don't consume more battery when you need it.
No matter what you buy, you'll have to realize that this generation of MBAs will be seriously outclassed as soon as a sandy bridge version comes out.
No matter what you buy, you'll have to realize that this generation of MBAs will be seriously outclassed as soon as a sandy bridge version comes out.
If you got the cash and walking around telling everyone that you have the " ultimate" makes you feel good, then go for it. I'm willing to bet that the base will serve your needs.
Personally, I think referring to a C2D processor in 2011 as an "ultimate" is an oxymoron.
Wait for the new MBP's to come out soon.
Personally, I think referring to a C2D processor in 2011 as an "ultimate" is an oxymoron.
Wait for the new MBP's to come out soon.
Yes it is worth "it".
Just my opinion but here it is.
Is 4GB of memory more then 2GB...yes
Is 1.6Ghz faster then 1.4Ghz...yes
Are Flash storage hard drives faster then optical hard drives...sometimes yes (someone will argue this point)
Does a 11 inch macbook air weigh less then the rest of the portable notebook computers made by apple thus far...yes
Will you notice a performance difference between the $999 base model and the 1399 "ultimate" edition (maybe we should call it the most expensive edition)...sometimes yes.
Should you go buy a macbook Pro because someone tells you it will out perform the macbook air...no
If you are asking..."will the macbook air do..(whatever) The macbook air will most likely do "it". How efficiently it will do it compared to another computer is an entirely different question. The macbook air 11inch ultimate editions is currently the fastest available "ultra portable" (I use this term lightly) machine available from apple. If you want to know if it will run photoshop, Final Cut, aperture etc. etc you need to goto the retail box/app store and look at the minimum system requirements for the software you need to use. If the macbook air meets the minimum requirements it will run the software. Then look at the recommended system and you will have an idea of how well the macbook air will perform.
Other then that it is a question of how much extra money do you have. If you are a professional who relies on your computer to make you money and time is of the essence then you are not currently reading this forum. You are working on the most expensive system you can afford that meets your needs.
One last thing..it is possible that the "resale value" of the ultimate edition may be higher or lower (% of original purchase) then the base model once the next revision is made available depending on supply and demand. Who knows?
"It" is all of your personal computing needs...you are the only one who knows if it's worth it.
Just my opinion but here it is.
Is 4GB of memory more then 2GB...yes
Is 1.6Ghz faster then 1.4Ghz...yes
Are Flash storage hard drives faster then optical hard drives...sometimes yes (someone will argue this point)
Does a 11 inch macbook air weigh less then the rest of the portable notebook computers made by apple thus far...yes
Will you notice a performance difference between the $999 base model and the 1399 "ultimate" edition (maybe we should call it the most expensive edition)...sometimes yes.
Should you go buy a macbook Pro because someone tells you it will out perform the macbook air...no
If you are asking..."will the macbook air do..(whatever) The macbook air will most likely do "it". How efficiently it will do it compared to another computer is an entirely different question. The macbook air 11inch ultimate editions is currently the fastest available "ultra portable" (I use this term lightly) machine available from apple. If you want to know if it will run photoshop, Final Cut, aperture etc. etc you need to goto the retail box/app store and look at the minimum system requirements for the software you need to use. If the macbook air meets the minimum requirements it will run the software. Then look at the recommended system and you will have an idea of how well the macbook air will perform.
Other then that it is a question of how much extra money do you have. If you are a professional who relies on your computer to make you money and time is of the essence then you are not currently reading this forum. You are working on the most expensive system you can afford that meets your needs.
One last thing..it is possible that the "resale value" of the ultimate edition may be higher or lower (% of original purchase) then the base model once the next revision is made available depending on supply and demand. Who knows?
"It" is all of your personal computing needs...you are the only one who knows if it's worth it.
I've just picked up a 1.4 4GB with 128 after the same dilemma, this is going to replace my Rev A 1.8 witha Runcore, and its loads faster, I'm going to compare a handbrake conversion in a bit (the most processor intensive thing I do) but as far as I can tell so far I'm more than happy with the 1.4
I'll chime in.
I had the ultimate 13", ultimate 11" and now base 11" with 4gb.
I also own a core i5 mbp.
No, ultimate is not worth it unless you need disk space. No noticeable differences between processes between the different models doing things that you have described. No hindrance or slowed speeds in the 1.4. Ultimate I believe goes for around 1200 (new and used). You can get a base with 4gb around 800-900 from the right source. I sold off my ultimates because I found the base worked just as well.
I had the ultimate 13", ultimate 11" and now base 11" with 4gb.
I also own a core i5 mbp.
No, ultimate is not worth it unless you need disk space. No noticeable differences between processes between the different models doing things that you have described. No hindrance or slowed speeds in the 1.4. Ultimate I believe goes for around 1200 (new and used). You can get a base with 4gb around 800-900 from the right source. I sold off my ultimates because I found the base worked just as well.
So a 64GB HDD is enough for everyone buying an Air? I'm already using more than that on my Air and it fits my needs much better than a MBP would.