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downtownblue

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Jan 15, 2008
4
0
Hi all. Sorry to add to the milieu of "which model should I get posts".

Are there any power crunching users using the MBA? I'm either going to get a maxed out 13" Air or a moderate 13" Pro Retina whenever it comes out, and I wanted to get someone's perspective on the Air.

I often use Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator in tandem, with Word and Powerpoint in the background. I do some video editing, but not too much to base my decision solely on that seldom use. I also do some 3D work in Rhino, but I have Desktop machines I can use to render; again, a seldom case.

For users who push their machines a bit more than the standard Office suite, do you find any frustrations with the Air? Do you ever wish for more power, at least enough for me to definitely get the Pro?

Any insight is certainly appreciated. Thanks all.
 

Barna Biro

macrumors 6502a
Sep 25, 2011
653
33
Zug, Switzerland
The Air is definitely a great machine and I'm quite sure it would handle almost ( if not ) everything you can throw at it more than decently. That being said, I have returned my 13" MBA and I am waiting for the possible 13" rMBP ( I'm a Software Engineer ). The reason why I have sent it back has nothing to do with performance but with the fact that I really dislike the silver bezel :) I could have eventually gotten used to it... but if a 13" rMBP is going to hit, it will most likely have a black bezel and I'll be more happy with that.

If you need a machine now, go for the 13" MBA, else wait for the 13" rMBP.
 

Lunchb0x8

macrumors 6502a
May 2, 2010
604
35
Quirindi, NSW, AU
I thought Power User meant other things... well it does to me... being a sysadmin.

Anyway, the 11" MBA is doing wonders for me, is fast, light and oh so powerful.

I would hold out for a 13" rMBP if you want to do serious graphics stuff, otherwise, the MBA will probably handle the load.
 

daveishere

macrumors 6502a
Dec 2, 2008
551
1
UK
Yeah i agree with the other posts. I have a pretty maxed out MBA 13", and having two major Adobe CS programs plus two MS Office programs open at the same time will probably make your Air kick up a bit of a sweat - which at the end of the day is what you pay your buck for the top end stuff for.

Having said that, if you could wait for a rMBP it will make Photoshop and Illustrator look a lot better (when the retina update comes out), plus it should be able to cope with your demands a little better.

I believe you can also hook the new MBP's to three thunderbolt displays too, whereas the Air can 'only' hook up to two. Whether thats a part of the consideration for you i don't know :D
 

jmoore5196

macrumors 6502a
May 19, 2009
837
318
Russellville AR
I'm often using PhotoShop and InDesign (CS6) on my 11" MBA simultaneously. If not using Word or PowerPoint is enough to qualify me out as a "power user," I'm happy to take a seat on the totally non-Microsoft side of the arena.

I've never had so much as a hiccup from the MBA ... in stark comparison to my QC i7 iMac and MBP. I love the 27" display on the iMac (and I have a TBD attached to my MBP) so working on the 11" screen is less-than-optimal, but you can't beat the 11" as a travel and go-to machine.
 

Mrbobb

macrumors 603
Aug 27, 2012
5,009
209
So nobody is gonna say, if you want POWER, move to an 8-CORE desktop? ;)
 

downtownblue

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Jan 15, 2008
4
0
So nobody is gonna say, if you want POWER, move to an 8-CORE desktop? ;)

Oh, I certainly can find uses for that... I just don't know if I want to dedicate my time to that ;)

Thanks all. I expected good feedback, but this has been extraordinarily helpful. I'll wait it out.

Should I mention I'm still milking my pre-unibody 2008 MBP? I think 4.5 years has held up to the notion of future-proofing, no? And no, it can't handle what I mentioned above with Adobe CS5...
 
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