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13inch i5 128ssd or 13inch i7 256ssd for a designer

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fireworksdesign

macrumors member
Original poster
Apr 8, 2011
93
0
Hi guys, its me again. Waited a long time to buy a mac laptop and the time has finally come. Was reserving my hard earned $$$ for the mbp but i like the new air.

I mainly use it for Adobe Fireworks, Photoshop , some coding , watching movies, videos, trading. No 3d or video editing, if I can play some games, like the ones they show in youtube ( i think its mw2 or something ) the better although not necessary.

My existing windows pc is a pentium 4 xp , with 1.5ghz of memory ram and 40gigs of ram. Yes I was able to squeeze a lot of my files with the limited space and still have plenty more. Dont have big photoshop files so size is manageable.

I'm planning to hook up the macbook air with this samsung monitor that i own.

http://www.samsung.com/ph/consumer/...dex.idx?pagetype=prd_detail&tab=specification


1.) So what kind of cable do I need to connect with an external monitor ? Im also planning to buy an external mouse and the wireless keyboard. Does editing on the external monitor cause some problems ?

2.) Im pretty much satisfied with only 128 gb ssd , i can save my files only or use my usb drive but my concern is of the i5 or i7 processor. What is the advantage of having a 4mb L3 Cache ( i7 ) from the 3mbl3 cache ( i5 ) ?


Based on this video, if the user used an i7 and not an i5, will there be increased frame rate ? Will the i7 make the laptop hotter?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A03AvooYnio


Hope you guys can help me out =) Im so excited
 
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Obscurelight

macrumors 6502
Jul 22, 2011
493
0
NYC
I think if you are interested in gaming you will be much better off getting the 15 inch mbp with a dedicated video card. The MacBook air was designed for ultra portability and has to sacrifice some performance. My listening to your needs I am assuming you don't really need ultra portability I might be wrong of course. Too many videos and games will totally shred through the MBA's battery life.

Also I think you mean 40gb hard drive

As for the keyboard and mouse it shouldn't be a problem hooking it up to MacBooks and editing.

For that display you'd use a minidisplay to dvi cable. Even though the new MacBook line has thunderbolt ports the minidisplay cables will still work since thunderbolt is based on the minidisplay

I'm not good at explaining L3 cache since I'm not even sure if I myself fully understand it. What I think it is, is it's a CPU imbedded super RAM. It will perform much faster than conventional RAM. It's function is similar but since it caters directly to the microprocessors it can deal with data requests much faster. I hope I got that right
 
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Adamo

macrumors 6502
Apr 23, 2006
295
3
Sounds like the 13" Air would be good for you, no idea about processor - that's up to you - you have one chance to get it right, so may as well get the faster one..

Obscure - he's hooking it up to a Samsung monitor so I imagine he'll have a power socket nearby..
 
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fireworksdesign

macrumors member
Original poster
Apr 8, 2011
93
0
I need to be portable since I want to live the true "freelancer" lifestyle, and would use the laptop for trading and business too. I wanted the mbpro but its too heavy for my bag + other documents + few clothes. If gaming won't be as good as the mbpro or previous air, then its okay for me , i have the xbox for that.






Obscurelight said:
I think if you are interested in gaming you will be much better off getting the 15 inch mbp with a dedicated video card. The MacBook air was designed for ultra portability and has to sacrifice some performance. My listening to your needs I am assuming you don't really need ultra portability I might be wrong of course. Too many videos and games will totally shred through the MBA's battery life.

Also I think you mean 40gb hard drive

As for the keyboard and mouse it shouldn't be a problem hooking it up to MacBooks and editing.

For that display you'd use a minidisplay to dvi cable. Even though the new MacBook line has thunderbolt ports the minidisplay cables will still work since thunderbolt is based on the minidisplay

I'm not good at explaining L3 cache since I'm not even sure if I myself fully understand it. What I think it is, is it's a CPU imbedded super RAM. It will perform much faster than conventional RAM. It's function is similar but since it caters directly to the microprocessors it can deal with data requests much faster. I hope I got that right
Click to expand...
 
simsaladimbamba

simsaladimbamba

Guest
Nov 28, 2010
22,670
31
located
fireworksdesign said:
My existing windows pc is a pentium 4 xp , with 1.5ghz of memory ram and 40gigs of ram.
Click to expand...

Since you seem to confuse CPU, RAM and HDD:

What is a Hard Disk Drive? - measured in Bytes (B), MegaBytes (MB), GigaBytes (GB) and TeraBytes (TB)
The hard disk drive is the main, and usually largest, data storage device in a computer. The operating system, software titles and most other files are stored in the hard disk drive.
Click to expand...

What is a CPU? - measured in MegaHertz (MHz) and GigaHertz (GHz)
The Central Processing Unit (CPU) is responsible for interpreting and executing most of the commands from the computer's hardware and software. It is often called the "brains" of the computer.
Click to expand...

What is RAM? - measured again in MB and GB
Random Access Memory (RAM) is the "working memory" in a computer. Additional RAM allows a computer to work with more information at the same time which can have a dramatic effect on total system performance.
Click to expand...
 
philhyde

philhyde

macrumors member
Oct 9, 2007
83
0
If you have the money, I would go for the best spec'd machine you can afford.
 
MRU

MRU

macrumors Penryn
Aug 23, 2005
25,368
8,948
a better place
Keep the base config, and spend the extra cash on items that are far more essential to a designer such as a decent wacom.


We know gaming is possible on the MBA, but it's not the most ideal laptop to game on - stick to your xbox.
 
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fireworksdesign

macrumors member
Original poster
Apr 8, 2011
93
0
philhyde said:
If you have the money, I would go for the best spec'd machine you can afford.
Click to expand...

I really like the 256 gb ssd i7 13inch version , but people here say there is only a small improvement of the i7 over the i5 on basic to advance tasks ( no gaming ).

I wished there was a 128gb ssd i713inch version.

I think i'll go for the i5 126gb ssd 13 inch version .
 
ZBoater

ZBoater

macrumors G3
Jul 2, 2007
8,497
1,322
Sunny Florida
There's a lot of noise about heat, fans, etc. Bottom line is no one ever complained about their computer being too fast or having too much storage. I know not everyone is made out of money, but I always suggest getting the most computer you can afford. These "bang for the buck" discussions are amusing, and if $200 is going to break someone's bank, them maybe a MacBook Air is not the best choice.

These computers are not upgradable (by mere mortals). They are sealed, so what you get is what you have to live with. So think long and hard, consider your finances, and once you pull the trigger don't look back. Good luck!
 
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Apple Expert

macrumors 65816
Jan 31, 2010
1,337
0
fireworksdesign said:
I really like the 256 gb ssd i7 13inch version , but people here say there is only a small improvement of the i7 over the i5 on basic to advance tasks ( no gaming ).

I wished there was a 128gb ssd i713inch version.

I think i'll go for the i5 126gb ssd 13 inch version .
Click to expand...

Well I have the i7 and my wife has the i5. I've yet to see any benefit the i7 is suppose to have. Bootups and shuts downs are the same. Safari, Mail, iTunes, iPhoto all run the same. Photoshop the same. I'm leaning towards exchanging for i5 since I haven't noticed a difference at all. Hope this helps you guys. I know there is a lot of debate on which model to get. If one does a lot of video edits, then maybe the i7 would help out. As for my daily programs I've just mentioned - not one diffrence.
 
nebulos

nebulos

macrumors 6502a
Aug 27, 2010
555
0
it's unfortunate that you can only upgrade the CPU on the 256GB model.

in any case, the difference between i5 and i7 on the 13" is not dramatic and for your purposes, it may not even be noticeable.

you also said you're fine with 128GB, good!

i think you're very safe going with the i5 + 128GB, but look at the reviews and benchmarks to help convince yourself. look them up. look up 'geekbench' scores too, (and note that these are somewhat controversial).

anyways, my vote: i5 + 128 and put the extra cash towards something else!
 
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vijayvasa

macrumors member
May 28, 2010
64
14
am in the same confusion. I bought the 256gb 13inch air, and i would like to install windows as well.Am so confused since yesterday whether if i should exchange it for 128gb ssd. I also got a pc, so thats why in dilemma.

VJ
 
A

Apple Expert

macrumors 65816
Jan 31, 2010
1,337
0
fireworksdesign said:
Ive watch a video yesterday bout some guy in youtube saying that the i7 runs photoshop better than the i5 because of its larger cache.

Makes me want to buy the ultimate version more ???
Click to expand...

This is true. I have the i7 and my wife has the i5. Photoshop does import faster and render faster than i5. Not by much. I would say about 2-4 seconds faster.
 
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