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Yet another "what should I buy?"

velvetlounger

velvetlounger

macrumors member
Original poster
Jun 12, 2012
37
0
Looking between a 13" rMBP with i5 2.6GHZ, 8gig ram and 512 SSD. Or the 13" MBA i7 1.7GHz, 8gig ram and 512 SSD.

They are both in the right price range. I am mostly interested in running Lightroom, PS, with some light video editing. Of course email, web etc... One other consideration is that I will be using this computer while traveling around the world using only one carry-on bag, so the 1/2 pound weight savings of the MBA is a consideration. Basically is the extra 1/2 pound of rMBP worth it? will the i5 rMBP with its higher clock speed grind through photos faster than the i7 MBA?

The 11" MBA is not a consideration as I will need the extra screen room of the 13" for assorted other software.

Thanks all!
 
velvetlounger said:
Looking between a 13" rMBP with i5 2.6GHZ, 8gig ram and 512 SSD. Or the 13" MBA i7 1.7GHz, 8gig ram and 512 SSD.

They are both in the right price range. I am mostly interested in running Lightroom, PS, with some light video editing. Of course email, web etc... One other consideration is that I will be using this computer while traveling around the world using only one carry-on bag, so the 1/2 pound weight savings of the MBA is a consideration. Basically is the extra 1/2 pound of rMBP worth it? will the i5 rMBP with its higher clock speed grind through photos faster than the i7 MBA?

The 11" MBA is not a consideration as I will need the extra screen room of the 13" for assorted other software.

Thanks all!
Click to expand...

I would recommend the rMBP. It is a more powerful computer in both graphics and computing. The i7 processor in the MBA is a wash with the i5 in the rMBP. The screen is significantly better, and it can be scaled to provide more real estate. The 13" rMBP is arguable the best computer in Apple's current lineup. The 1/2 pound difference is there, but you would have to be pretty sensitive to notice any difference. The main benefit of the MBA is battery life. That should be your main concern.

Matt

Edit: I have the MBA, but if I hadn't been able to get it for $700 I would have chosen the rMBP. At the same price, the power and the significantly better screen outweigh the battery life and 0.5 pound weight difference for me.
 
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Both fantastic computers. Personally I prefer the form factor of the Air. I have the i7 with 8/512 and just love it. So light and thin and lightening fast with all-day battery life, it is the best Air ever made.
 
velvetlounger said:
Looking between a 13" rMBP with i5 2.6GHZ, 8gig ram and 512 SSD. Or the 13" MBA i7 1.7GHz, 8gig ram and 512 SSD.

They are both in the right price range. I am mostly interested in running Lightroom, PS, with some light video editing. Of course email, web etc... One other consideration is that I will be using this computer while traveling around the world using only one carry-on bag, so the 1/2 pound weight savings of the MBA is a consideration. Basically is the extra 1/2 pound of rMBP worth it? will the i5 rMBP with its higher clock speed grind through photos faster than the i7 MBA?

The 11" MBA is not a consideration as I will need the extra screen room of the 13" for assorted other software.

Thanks all!
Click to expand...

Go with the rMBP. The display is significantly better than the Air and it makes a difference when spending several hours on it. While slightly heavier, the footprint of the rMBP is smaller which means it is easily as portable as the Air.
 
It's mostly about GPU and retina screen. The i7 MBA is slightly faster than the i5 rMBP for daily usage, but only slightly so that shouldn't affect your decision. The i5 rMBP has better GPU, and the retina screen is gorgeous IMO.

I chose a 11" i7 MBA because I use external display most time, so the screen doesn't matter as much as it could be, and the 11" is ultra-portable. A 12" rMBA will be perfect.

velvetlounger said:
Looking between a 13" rMBP with i5 2.6GHZ, 8gig ram and 512 SSD. Or the 13" MBA i7 1.7GHz, 8gig ram and 512 SSD.

They are both in the right price range. I am mostly interested in running Lightroom, PS, with some light video editing. Of course email, web etc... One other consideration is that I will be using this computer while traveling around the world using only one carry-on bag, so the 1/2 pound weight savings of the MBA is a consideration. Basically is the extra 1/2 pound of rMBP worth it? will the i5 rMBP with its higher clock speed grind through photos faster than the i7 MBA?

The 11" MBA is not a consideration as I will need the extra screen room of the 13" for assorted other software.

Thanks all!
Click to expand...
 
Thanks for your responses. I am slightly leaning towards the rMBP, but the extra batty of the MBA is tempting. But then I think to myself that compared to my 2011 15" MBP the rMBP battery is freaking fantastic so whats my issue... First world problems...

Thanks again!
 
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