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Compared to a 07 MBP, will a MBP 15" launch programs faster than MBA 11"

  • Yes

    Votes: 2 28.6%
  • No

    Votes: 5 71.4%

  • Total voters
    7

lowercaseperson

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Oct 5, 2006
294
87
Hey all. Let me start by saying this: I want my new computer to be faster....not necessarily more powerful.

I'm about to start grad school, and am going to get a new computer. I was trying to decide between a MBA 11'' (i7 with 8GB ram) or a rMBP/MBP 15''. I figure I'd rather have the most power in a portable, or the most portability. Honestly I don't know which I'd rather have.

The big question I have is what kind of real life differences would I see from my late 2007 MBP to the new MBA or new MBP? I currently have a 2.4Ghz Core 2 Duo with 4GB ram. I don't do anything extremely intensive, but for grad school I'll be doing a lot of multitasking...writing papers, listening to music, watching lectures ect. For everyday tasks will I see an improvement in the new MBA over my old MBP...and would a new MBP even show much of an increase in speed simply for multitasking? I mean I know that if I was rendering video I would see a difference, but is a new MBP going to open my 20GB of music THAT much faster than my old MBP? I don't imagine it will...so that's why I'm thinking about getting the MBA.

I don't need a machine that can render video or run CS6...but I do think I would sacrifice some portability (and pay the extra cash) for significantly reduced program launch times.

Thoughts?
 

Mrbobb

macrumors 603
Aug 27, 2012
5,009
209
U are then asking for quick response. That immediately says a machine with a solid state hard drive.

Or just max out your 2007 ram, how much can it have? Then u just keep everything loaded at all times, and u'd be able to switch back&forth without having to load anything.
 

jmgregory1

macrumors 68030
Hey all. Let me start by saying this: I want my new computer to be faster....not necessarily more powerful.

I'm about to start grad school, and am going to get a new computer. I was trying to decide between a MBA 11'' (i7 with 8GB ram) or a rMBP/MBP 15''. I figure I'd rather have the most power in a portable, or the most portability. Honestly I don't know which I'd rather have.

The big question I have is what kind of real life differences would I see from my late 2007 MBP to the new MBA or new MBP? I currently have a 2.4Ghz Core 2 Duo with 4GB ram. I don't do anything extremely intensive, but for grad school I'll be doing a lot of multitasking...writing papers, listening to music, watching lectures ect. For everyday tasks will I see an improvement in the new MBA over my old MBP...and would a new MBP even show much of an increase in speed simply for multitasking? I mean I know that if I was rendering video I would see a difference, but is a new MBP going to open my 20GB of music THAT much faster than my old MBP? I don't imagine it will...so that's why I'm thinking about getting the MBA.

I don't need a machine that can render video or run CS6...but I do think I would sacrifice some portability (and pay the extra cash) for significantly reduced program launch times.

Thoughts?

Last year I finally retired my '07 mbp 15" with 2.4 ghz chip and 4 gb's of ram (actually my kids now use it, so it's still working). The replacement was a 2011 13" mba base model. Talk about speed - I can't stand to do things on the pro anymore, even getting things set/fixed for the kids is painful because of how slow it is. I'd recommend you consider the 13" air instead of the 11" due to screen size and resolution, wrist pad area and battery life. Sure, the 11" gives you a totally portable full feature laptop, but the sacrifices you will be forced to make don't seem to make sense to me.
 

flippo81

macrumors newbie
Mar 29, 2012
4
0
Germany
You won't see any difference between the rMBP and the Air for your usage.
There will be a huge leap with both macbooks in program launch times compared to your 2007 mbp. This is because the rMBP and the Air use SSD Drives.
If you are ok with the weight/form factor or your current MBP you could just switch the harddrive for a SSD and you'll pretty much have the same performance in program launch times as the new macbooks.
 

lowercaseperson

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Oct 5, 2006
294
87
So what I'm hearing, is that that the main differences in launch speed will come from the upgraded RAM and switching to a SSD? That makes sense, and is very helpful to know!

jmgregory1, the main reason I'm really considering the 11" is because I have a late 2009 Mac Mini I would have set up in an office to do more long - term studying, and basically carry the MBA to class, the hospital, etc. I really do appreciate your input though because I've not used the 11" and I'm afraid it might be too small. I'm going to an Apple store soon try get a feel for sizes.

I do have another question for everyone that's somewhat related. Like I said I have this Mini I've been using as a multimedia computer, and am now planning on using as a normal stationary desktop...does anyone know a good way to sync whatever laptop I buy with the mini? For instance, all of my lectures are recorded and put on the net for download...I don't want to have to download them once on a MBA and then once on the Mini, and if there is way anyway to even keep track of where I was within the lecture would be excellent! Also as a side note....in undergrad I used MS office because I basically had to....now tho....MS Office, iWork, or Google Docs what's ya'lls opinion?
 

TheRichboy247

macrumors member
Oct 7, 2012
61
0
You won't see any difference between the rMBP and the Air for your usage.
There will be a huge leap with both macbooks in program launch times compared to your 2007 mbp. This is because the rMBP and the Air use SSD Drives.
If you are ok with the weight/form factor or your current MBP you could just switch the harddrive for a SSD and you'll pretty much have the same performance in program launch times as the new macbooks.

My friend actually lent me his rMBP 15" for a little while. He got the upgraded version and it is great! It is an absolute beast. The price was the issue, so I went for the 13" MBA and it performs exactly like the rMBP with everyday tasks. My friend does a lot of gaming but my MBA would choke if he used it.
 
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