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2012 vs 2013 MBA

barefeats

barefeats

macrumors 65816
Jul 6, 2000
1,058
19
2013 SSD is MUCH faster

sparkie7 said:
So is the 2013 worth the premium? We're looking at longer battery life. Maybe slightly faster SSD, but is the $400 extra cost worth it?
Click to expand...

Not "slightly faster SSD." 2013 is much faster. We have both 'best' Core i7 MBAs in our lab. Here is the results from QuickBench 1GB Sequential Test:
2012 = 484 MB/s READ, 388 MB/s WRITE
2013 = 794 MB/s READ, 746 MB/s WRITE

That factoid plus the longer battery life makes it worth the premium, IMHO.

P.S. I'll post some GPU and CPU comparison results later tonight.
 
sparkie7

sparkie7

macrumors 68020
Original poster
Oct 17, 2008
2,430
202
barefeats said:
Not "slightly faster SSD." 2013 is much faster. We have both 'best' Core i7 MBAs in our lab. Here is the results from QuickBench 1GB Sequential Test:
2012 = 484 MB/s READ, 388 MB/s WRITE
2013 = 794 MB/s READ, 746 MB/s WRITE

That factoid plus the longer battery life makes it worth the premium, IMHO.

P.S. I'll post some GPU and CPU comparison results later tonight.
Click to expand...

Are those tests done on the 256GB or 512GB SSD? Are there performance differences between the 2013 SSDs?

The upgrade to 512 is expensive. Are the SSDs swappable?

Look forward to the GPU & CPU results

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philipma1957 said:
if the gear is only mobile yes. but the 2013 can be mobile and serve as a desktop.


think home - travel time - office


2 displays one at home one in the office . ride a train back and forth to work and use it for mobile. the new machine will be the best one made so far for this purpose. if the op want to use it this way he would be better off with the newer one.

A lot of people use the mac air like this.
Click to expand...

Exactly

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AdrianK said:
Officially, it can support a single display via thunderbolt using mDP or any mDP adapter or 2 (at least, I haven't checked if it can do more) thunderbolt displays.

If you want to run 2 30 ACDs, you'll need to look in to USB display drivers. The USB2 ones offer low refresh rates, but USB3 ones (on windows at least) appear to run at pretty much full speed. However I imagine there would be a minor amount of latency. It's definitely worth checking if the run decently under OS X, the only problem is that you lose a USB port.
Click to expand...

Thanks.

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shenan1982 said:
For me I went from 2012 to 2013, solely for the battery. 9 realistic hours vs 3 is a no brainer to me. That was my only real complaint about my 2012 air.
Click to expand...

Your 2012 MBA only gave 3 hours usage?
 
barefeats

barefeats

macrumors 65816
Jul 6, 2000
1,058
19
GPU tests

Cinebench 11.5 OpenGL 1024x768
2012 MBA = 21.2 FPS
2013 MBA = 24.9 FPS

Heaven 4.0 OpenGL Benchmark (Basic Preset)
2012 MBA = 7.8 FPS
2013 MBA = 14.4 FPS

GPUtest FurMark 640x480
2012 MBA = 12 FPS
2013 MBA = 27 FPS

GPUtest TessMark (X64/X64) 640x480
2012 MBA = 15 FPS
2013 MBA = 32 FPS

GPUtest Piano 640x480
2012 MBA = 6 FPS
2013 MBA = 11 FPS

CONCLUSION: 2013 MBA's GPU is twice as fast as 2012
 
Last edited:
noodle654

noodle654

macrumors 68020
Jun 2, 2005
2,070
22
Never Ender
I am in the same boat. Looking to upgrade my old 2nd gen Air. I am searching for a 2012 13" with 256GB SSD...only problem is that nobody has em in stock (only the 128GB is available most places). Anyone know a place to get one...preferably with no tax (I am in NY)? I have been checking the refurb page the past few days and missed my chance, but paying NY 8.625% makes me cringe.

While the 2013 would be nice, I would rather save ~+$200
 
B

Bear

macrumors G3
Jul 23, 2002
8,088
5
Sol III - Terra
noodle654 said:
I am in the same boat. Looking to upgrade my old 2nd gen Air. I am searching for a 2012 13" with 256GB SSD...only problem is that nobody has em in stock (only the 128GB is available most places). Anyone know a place to get one...preferably with no tax (I am in NY)? I have been checking the refurb page the past few days and missed my chance, but paying NY 8.625% makes me cringe.

While the 2013 would be nice, I would rather save ~+$200
Click to expand...
Based on the known differences between the 2012 and 2013 models, I'd rather pay the extra $200 for the 2013 - The machine would probably last at least a year longer (in terms of useability), so cost per year would be lower.
 
noodle654

noodle654

macrumors 68020
Jun 2, 2005
2,070
22
Never Ender
Bear said:
Based on the known differences between the 2012 and 2013 models, I'd rather pay the extra $200 for the 2013 - The machine would probably last at least a year longer (in terms of useability), so cost per year would be lower.
Click to expand...

While the differences are somewhat large, this Air is going to end up with a family member, no while it may have double graphics/ssd speed it will not matter for usual computer usage (word, internet, itunes, etc.). Battery life isn't that big of a deal either. I will have to see what I can find.
 
F

flynz4

macrumors 68040
Aug 9, 2009
3,244
127
Portland, OR
Bear said:
Based on the known differences between the 2012 and 2013 models, I'd rather pay the extra $200 for the 2013 - The machine would probably last at least a year longer (in terms of useability), so cost per year would be lower.
Click to expand...

I agree with Bear. There will reach a time when you cannot upgrade to the newest OS or newest features. Having the extra year is worth it (at least in my case).

I also hand my machines down to other family members. I buy a new MBA yearly (for me)... but with 5 family members... each computer lasts 5 years (or longer)

/Jim
 
whoknows87

whoknows87

macrumors 6502a
Aug 8, 2012
676
31
S.Florida
jezzy said:
I've spent the last week pondering over buying a 2012 refurb air 11 or 13" and reading the reviews on the 2013 made me pick up a 2013 instead.

longer battery life, supposely a much stronger video card (if ever I want to do a little light gaming on a 11" screen.. ?) and a faster HD.

refurb 11" 749$ for 4GB/64GB 2012
new 11" 999 for 4GB/128GB 2013

I think the difference in price is worth it so far.
Click to expand...

in that case ^ definitely worth it, your'e getting double the storage (SSD)+better battery life, I own a 2012 with 8GB/128SSD so far it has been great, I have it up on eBay lol if I can get 90% Back of my Purchase price I will go ahead and Purchase 2013 8GB/256, I thought about purchasing a retina 13 the prices have dropped significantly, but then again battery life and before you know a refresh is out ....:confused:
 
dmk1974

dmk1974

macrumors 68020
Sep 16, 2008
2,390
464
I have a 2012 MBA 13" base model which is a great machine, but I did go ahead and pick up a 2013 MBA 11" yesterday base model from the local Best Buy. Since the 2013 base 11" and 13" have the same specs this year (processor, RAM, and SSD), I thought I'd try the 11" because of the form factor.

I am just starting a battery test evaluation so I can report that back later in the battery thread. Realistically, during usage so far, it seems about the same speed as my 2012 MBA. I know benchmarks for the processors are the same and on this 128 GB model, the read speed for the SSD in the benchmarks are much faster for 2013 (though, in use, I don't notice it).

I have up to 60 days to decide to keep this or not, but I'm sure I'll know within a week or two. The main differences from 2012 to 2013 are:

Better battery life
Better graphics
Faster SSD (per benchmarks)

Are those 3 differences worth the upgrade cost (after selling the 2012)? Eh, we'll see.
 
K

KPOM

macrumors P6
Oct 23, 2010
18,101
7,970
sparkie7 said:
You reckon there will be 2013 refurbs in just 1 or 2 months? Seems unlikely.

My understanding is that Apple refurbs are just new old stock being sold as refurbs to clear out older models. Not "refurbs" in the true sense
Click to expand...

If history is any guide we'll see refurbs in about 3 months. They include units returned. Apple doesn't re-sell them as new but instead sells them refurbished. Apple does sell old models occasionally, but as "clearance" items, not refurbished.

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sparkie7 said:
Looks like quite a few refurbs 2012 Airs on sale on 's site. I'm looking at a 8NB RAM with i7, 256GB SSD. The 2012 refurbs are $400 cheaper than the 2013 equivalent.

So is the 2013 worth the premium? We're looking at longer battery life. Maybe slightly faster SSD, but is the $400 extra cost worth it?
Click to expand...

It depends on what you need it for. If you are a gamer or need to be away from a power cord a lot, then it could be worthwhile. If it will be plugged in a lot (or 3.5 hours of usable life on the 11" is doable) then the extra $400 might be better spent or saved elsewhere.

The processor performance is the same. The SSD is slower, but if you are coming from a hard drive or even a 2010/2011 model then the 2012 is still better. The HD5000 is about 25-50% faster than the HD4000 from what I've read.
 
sparkie7

sparkie7

macrumors 68020
Original poster
Oct 17, 2008
2,430
202
KPOM said:
If history is any guide we'll see refurbs in about 3 months. They include units returned. Apple doesn't re-sell them as new but instead sells them refurbished. Apple does sell old models occasionally, but as "clearance" items, not refurbished.

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It depends on what you need it for. If you are a gamer or need to be away from a power cord a lot, then it could be worthwhile. If it will be plugged in a lot (or 3.5 hours of usable life on the 11" is doable) then the extra $400 might be better spent or saved elsewhere.

The processor performance is the same. The SSD is slower, but if you are coming from a hard drive or even a 2010/2011 model then the 2012 is still better. The HD5000 is about 25-50% faster than the HD4000 from what I've read.
Click to expand...

hmmm, yeah, I might wait 3 months then, and see if any refurb 2013's show up
 
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