Macbook Air 4GB vs 8 GB

Xiferof · Nov 10, 2012, 10:06 PM

Hi,

I am a college student and I wish to purchase a Macbook Air. I decided on the 11” with 8GB but unfortunately that is not available in India, as we don’t have Apple online store.

However, I have the option of getting it through my relatives in Thailand but then the date of getting it gets pushed to much.
I wanted to inquire that should i wait for the 8GB or settle for 4GB. I will not be using the air for heavy purpose like Aperture, iMovie just light things like browsing, making presentation, writing assignments etc. Although I will be requiring to run VMs a lot for doing college work, I do not know how much the 4 gigs of RAM will affect my performance considering this will be the first time I will be using a machine with SSD. I have MacPro(3TB,8GB,i7) at home that will be used for all my other tasks like Aperture, iMovie and gaming.

Also has anyone bought the 4GB Macbook Air mid 2012 and regrets not having bought the 8GB?

Thanks
Xiferof

nickjamesknight · Nov 10, 2012, 10:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Xiferof

Hi,

I am a college student and I wish to purchase a Macbook Air. I decided on the 11” with 8GB but unfortunately that is not available in India, as we don’t have Apple online store.

However, I have the option of getting it through my relatives in Thailand but then the date of getting it gets pushed to much.
I wanted to inquire that should i wait for the 8GB or settle for 4GB. I will not be using the air for heavy purpose like Aperture, iMovie just light things like browsing, making presentation, writing assignments etc. Although I will be requiring to run VMs a lot for doing college work, I do not know how much the 4 gigs of RAM will affect my performance considering this will be the first time I will be using a machine with SSD. I have MacPro(3TB,8GB,i7) at home that will be used for all my other tasks like Aperture, iMovie and gaming.

Also has anyone bought the 4GB Macbook Air mid 2012 and regrets not having bought the 8GB?

Thanks
Xiferof

I have an older MBA and have 4GB of RAM. I generally perform the same tasks that you do and I find that the 4GB is more than enough for my needs. Don't forget however that you won't be able to upgrade the RAM once you have your unit.

Nick

yanksrock100 · Nov 10, 2012, 10:23 PM

I think 4 gigs is enough for normal tasks, or even some heavy tasks. The real deciding factor for me is...a base MBA at Amazon costs $1099, no tax. An 8 GB MBA costs $1299+tax (so maybe $1400). It isn't worth $300 more for 4 more GBs of ram.

MacPat333 · Nov 10, 2012, 10:29 PM

It's unfortunate that you don't have an online store.

I decided to go for the 8GB but I'll be using PS and iMovie and I'll do a lot of video editing.

I am waiting already 1 week just for a confirmation if I can order it or not. Very annoying.

53x12 · Nov 10, 2012, 10:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Xiferof

Hi,

I am a college student and I wish to purchase a Macbook Air. I decided on the 11” with 8GB but unfortunately that is not available in India, as we don’t have Apple online store.

However, I have the option of getting it through my relatives in Thailand but then the date of getting it gets pushed to much.
I wanted to inquire that should i wait for the 8GB or settle for 4GB. I will not be using the air for heavy purpose like Aperture, iMovie just light things like browsing, making presentation, writing assignments etc. Although I will be requiring to run VMs a lot for doing college work, I do not know how much the 4 gigs of RAM will affect my performance considering this will be the first time I will be using a machine with SSD. I have MacPro(3TB,8GB,i7) at home that will be used for all my other tasks like Aperture, iMovie and gaming.

Also has anyone bought the 4GB Macbook Air mid 2012 and regrets not having bought the 8GB?

Thanks
Xiferof

I think the saying is always, buy the most CPU, memory and HDD space that you can afford. Specifically on the MBA, I think getting the most memory that you can is very important as you can't later upgrade it like you can on other computers. You will be stuck with what you get for the life of the computer. Would stink to find out you want more later on.

MacPat333 · Nov 11, 2012, 12:23 AM

You cannot upgrade the CPU or the RAM afterwards, only the SSD you can swap to a bigger one!

So, get the RAM upgrade for sure, the i7 I think is not needed for the MBA and the 128GB SSD can be changed later on!

J&JPolangin · Nov 11, 2012, 06:03 AM

I was faced with a similar situation as

won't ship to US military bases directly so I was faced with either getting a NIB 2011 13" MBP or an open box 2012 13" MBA.

For $85 more than the 2012 13" MBA open box, I have a new 2011 13" MBP now with 8Gb of RAM and a 512Gb Crucial M4 SSD ($1,154 total) so I have 4x's the internal storage, a faster CPU, just about equal GPU (m3000 vs ULV4000).

I lost the USB3 and its 1.5 lbs heavier = trade off's I can live with until Broadwell hits the 11" MBA's and gives them battery life similar to the current 13" model machines and substantially better graphics and CPU power

orangezorki · Nov 11, 2012, 06:31 AM

It's galling not being able to get something that is freely available somewhere else in the world, but I would get the best configuration you can get locally, so you have it sooner and a warranty if anything goes wrong. As you already have a bigger computer, the 4GB should be fine for your needs for a good time.

David

617aircav · Nov 11, 2012, 06:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by yanksrock100

I think 4 gigs is enough for normal tasks, or even some heavy tasks. The real deciding factor for me is...a base MBA at Amazon costs $1099, no tax. An 8 GB MBA costs $1299+tax (so maybe $1400). It isn't worth $300 more for 4 more GBs of ram.

It should cost $100 more

coldjeanzzz · Nov 11, 2012, 06:55 PM

I plan to make my MBA my main machine so I went with 8 GB since I think 4 GB will be outdated in a couple of years

But if you have another machine that you will use for more heavy duty stuff then I don't see why 4 GB wouldn't work

yanksrock100 · Nov 11, 2012, 07:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 617aircav

It should cost $100 more

It is on Apple's website, so $1199 base ---> $1299 8 GBs of RAM. However Amazon doesn't offer 8 GB versions.

coldjeanzzz · Nov 11, 2012, 08:02 PM

The base model is 1099 on Apple's website as well, just use the student discount.

617aircav · Nov 11, 2012, 08:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by coldjeanzzz

The base model is 1099 on Apple's website as well, just use the student discount.

How much is the discount

53x12 · Nov 11, 2012, 08:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 617aircav

How much is the discount

Here:

Quote:

Originally Posted by coldjeanzzz

The base model is 1099 on Apple's website as well, just use the student discount.

Regular price is 1199.

MacPat333 · Nov 11, 2012, 09:25 PM

Just placed an order for my MBA 13"/i5/128GB SSD/8GB RAM, now it's waiting time up to 4 weeks in the worst case.

Nov 10, 2012, 10:06 PM	#1
Xiferof macrumors newbie Join Date: Nov 2012	Macbook Air 4GB vs 8 GB Hi, I am a college student and I wish to purchase a Macbook Air. I decided on the 11” with 8GB but unfortunately that is not available in India, as we don’t have Apple online store. However, I have the option of getting it through my relatives in Thailand but then the date of getting it gets pushed to much. I wanted to inquire that should i wait for the 8GB or settle for 4GB. I will not be using the air for heavy purpose like Aperture, iMovie just light things like browsing, making presentation, writing assignments etc. Although I will be requiring to run VMs a lot for doing college work, I do not know how much the 4 gigs of RAM will affect my performance considering this will be the first time I will be using a machine with SSD. I have MacPro(3TB,8GB,i7) at home that will be used for all my other tasks like Aperture, iMovie and gaming. Also has anyone bought the 4GB Macbook Air mid 2012 and regrets not having bought the 8GB? Thanks Xiferof
	0

Nov 10, 2012, 10:23 PM	#3
yanksrock100 macrumors 6502 Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: San Diego	I think 4 gigs is enough for normal tasks, or even some heavy tasks. The real deciding factor for me is...a base MBA at Amazon costs $1099, no tax. An 8 GB MBA costs $1299+tax (so maybe $1400). It isn't worth $300 more for 4 more GBs of ram. __________________ Current 13" Macbook Air (Mid 2012); iPod Touch 4th Gen; iBook g4 14" Check Out My YouTube Videos! (Mac, iPod, and Android) youtube.com/yanksrock1000
	0

Nov 11, 2012, 06:03 AM	#7
J&JPolangin macrumors 68020 Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Japan...at the waters edge...	I was faced with a similar situation as won't ship to US military bases directly so I was faced with either getting a NIB 2011 13" MBP or an open box 2012 13" MBA. For $85 more than the 2012 13" MBA open box, I have a new 2011 13" MBP now with 8Gb of RAM and a 512Gb Crucial M4 SSD ($1,154 total) so I have 4x's the internal storage, a faster CPU, just about equal GPU (m3000 vs ULV4000). I lost the USB3 and its 1.5 lbs heavier = trade off's I can live with until Broadwell hits the 11" MBA's and gives them battery life similar to the current 13" model machines and substantially better graphics and CPU power __________________ 2011 21" iMac, AEBS, iPT G1 & G4, 2009 2.0Ghz nVidia 9400M WB 4GB RAM & 128Gb SSD, 2011 13" MBP w/ 512Gb SSD/8Gb RAM & iPad3 64gb 4G PC's: AMD X6, H60, 12Gb RAM, 3Tb HDD's, 64Gb SSD
	0

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Nov 10, 2012, 10:29 PM	#4
MacPat333 macrumors regular Join Date: Sep 2012 Location: Dubai	It's unfortunate that you don't have an online store. I decided to go for the 8GB but I'll be using PS and iMovie and I'll do a lot of video editing. I am waiting already 1 week just for a confirmation if I can order it or not. Very annoying.
	0

Nov 11, 2012, 12:23 AM	#6
MacPat333 macrumors regular Join Date: Sep 2012 Location: Dubai	You cannot upgrade the CPU or the RAM afterwards, only the SSD you can swap to a bigger one! So, get the RAM upgrade for sure, the i7 I think is not needed for the MBA and the 128GB SSD can be changed later on!
	0

Nov 11, 2012, 06:31 AM	#8
orangezorki macrumors 6502 Join Date: Aug 2006	It's galling not being able to get something that is freely available somewhere else in the world, but I would get the best configuration you can get locally, so you have it sooner and a warranty if anything goes wrong. As you already have a bigger computer, the 4GB should be fine for your needs for a good time. David
	0

Nov 11, 2012, 06:55 PM	#10
coldjeanzzz macrumors regular Join Date: Nov 2012	I plan to make my MBA my main machine so I went with 8 GB since I think 4 GB will be outdated in a couple of years But if you have another machine that you will use for more heavy duty stuff then I don't see why 4 GB wouldn't work
	0

Nov 11, 2012, 08:02 PM	#12
coldjeanzzz macrumors regular Join Date: Nov 2012	The base model is 1099 on Apple's website as well, just use the student discount.
	0

Nov 11, 2012, 09:25 PM	#15
MacPat333 macrumors regular Join Date: Sep 2012 Location: Dubai	Just placed an order for my MBA 13"/i5/128GB SSD/8GB RAM, now it's waiting time up to 4 weeks in the worst case.
	0