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Buy MBA or MBP-R

T

Tech198

Cancelled
Original poster
Mar 21, 2011
15,915
2,152
Hi all ...

In the market for either MBA or Macbook Pro with Retina display..


Heading for 13' with 256Gig SSD either or 128 wold be fine for me.

Mainly would use it for light stuff.... Web/Email, a bit of Virtual Machines here and there, but mostly remaining usage..

Since i already have an iPhone 5s and iPad 4th gen, i'm kinda feeling left out since Mac is the only non-retina..... So display would be good.

However. I'm not really going to be using/targeted for photos at all, so also pushing for battery life, so BTO MBA (upgrade to 8 gig, i7) would be ok.. MBA: $250 difference in Australia, MBP-R $350 different with i5 2.4

Otherwise its an extra $370 for the i7

Although with the 13' MBP-R, id be downsizing the performance to an i5, and both machines being dual-core, not quad (unless i opt for the more expensive 15' Retina. although in all cases i'd save about $100-200 by getting the configured MBA.

Since i do allot of multitasking, i fear i would loose performance with a dual-core though..... Aside from that, SSD would be great improvement over spinning HD, i currently use.

Which way to go?
 
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Tech198 said:
Hi all ...

In the market for either MBA or Macbook Pro with Retina display..


Heading for 13' with 256Gig SSD either or 128 wold be fine for me.

Mainly would use it for light stuff.... Web/Email, a bit of Virtual Machines here and there, but mostly remaining usage..

Since i already have an iPhone 5s and iPad 4th gen, i'm kinda feeling left out since Mac is the only non-retina..... So display would be good.

However. I'm not really going to be using/targeted for photos at all, so also pushing for battery life, so BTO MBA (upgrade to 8 gig, i7) would be ok.. MBA: $250 difference in Australia, MBP-R $350 different with i5 2.4

Otherwise its an extra $370 for the i7

Although with the 13' MBP-R, id be downsizing the performance to an i5, and both machines being dual-core, not quad (unless i opt for the more expensive 15' Retina. although in all cases i'd save about $100-200 by getting the configured MBA.

Since i do allot of multitasking, i fear i would loose performance with a dual-core though..... Aside from that, SSD would be great improvement over spinning HD, i currently use.

Which way to go?
Click to expand...

Hi, great choices. I have a 11" inch air and 13" rMBP. If you want the retina screen then go for the better screen, but if you're happy with non retina, then I would definitely recommend the 13" Air. I had the 2012 model before I sold it and I upgraded it to 8gb ram and it flew. I used an occasional VM from here and there and it was fine.
 
The retina 13" has a good screen for future proofing the computer. They probably won't be getting any more hi-res or better for awhile. The $100 processor upgrade to the 2.6 i5 is pretty solid, as well as the 8GB RAM upgrade. Keep in mind that these processors have hyperthreading which gives you 4 processing threads per processor. If you're weighing the processor upgrades, I'll break them down for you in single-core and multi-core 64-bit performance.

Single Core 64-bit (Source: Geekbench 3)
Baseline: 2.4GHz i5 ------- 100%
Upgrade 1: 2.6GHz i5 ----- 106.73%
Upgrade 2: 2.8GHz i7 ----- 112.43%

Multi Core 64-bit (Same source)
Baseline: 2.4GHz i5 ------- 100%
Upgrade 1: 2.6GHz i5 ----- 107.1%
Upgrade 2: 2.8GHz i7 ----- 109.76%

Conclusion: The $100 i5 upgrade is a pretty decent price. I'm not sure what it costs in international markets, but that gives more "bang for your buck" to be sure. 8GB of RAM is plenty for what you are doing, but remember that it is a one time upgrade, so if you can afford 16GB it will prolong the usability of the machine for future operating systems and more intensive usage. The 15" Macbook Pro is significantly more powerful in the Multi Core category because it has 8 processing threads. When it comes to things like opening applications, you're talking mostly single core and the SSD plays the biggest role in speed. Multi Core really only matters in rendering and similar applications where all CPU threads are being utilized. Rendering in Final Cut, for example. Since you're not doing this, you will not notice a big difference. If you are considering the 15", I would get the highest processor upgrade as it is very, very powerful for a laptop and also has a high end mobile GPU. These don't sound like things you need but just so you know your options. Hope you find this helpful. Peace!
 
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The resolution is not the problem of the MBA, the TN panel is. It is the last Mac/iThing remaining NOT having an IPS panel with good colours and viewing angles. That is the Major Crap Thing about a MBA, not its 1440x900 resolution, which is fine for its size (the 13 inch MBPR defaults at 1280x800 workspace, at 1440x900 the display looks even softer than the MBA!).
 
I'd opt for the rMBP over the MBA. You get a great battery with the MBA, to be sure, but I think the screen, the CPU and GPU all are better on the rMBP.
 
Bought a MBA 13" maxed out about a month ago. The MBA runs perfect, very snappy, the screen just is not good enough. My eyes have become so used to the MBP I currently use, that the MBA screen looks tiny and blurry. So, I purchased a MBPr maxed out yesterday, should be here next week.
 
Try out both in an Apple Store or other retailer, feel how heavy they both are and see if you can live with the MBA's comparatively poor screen. If you need ultimate portability, nothing can beat the MBA, however the rMBP is unquestionably going to be more powerful as it has a superior CPU and GPU etc etc.
 
maflynn said:
I'd opt for the rMBP over the MBA. You get a great battery with the MBA, to be sure, but I think the screen, the CPU and GPU all are better on the rMBP.
Click to expand...


Sold ...

Just ordered myself a BTO Retina Macbook Pro 2.6Ghz, 256SSD.
 
If you really want, need, desire - or, as some posts on this thread have already made clear - have become very used to - the retina screen, choose the MBP.

If, on the other hand, you value portability, and an impressive battery life, nothing beats the MBA. I have the MBA (a 2013 CTO - with 8 GB RAM, 512 SSD, and i7 Core) and find it simply fantastic. However, I travel a lot, and portability is an absolute must for me.

Re SSD size, I would recommend getting 256 GB SSD over 128 GB if finance is not an issue; the SSD is wonderful, but the larger one is faster and more stable. It will also give you more peace of mind, as 128 GB fills up rapidly these days. Good luck with whatever you decide to buy.
 
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