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[Q]Which setup would be better?

combataran

combataran

macrumors member
Original poster
May 9, 2011
86
0
I'm in college, and my laptop just died on me. I'm thinking of either:

  • Great config custom PC from logicalincrements.com + Nexus 7/iPad Mini
  • 11" MBA i5/8/256GB + cheap external monitor

Well I'm in Mechanical Engineering, and coding work starts after the 3rd year. I do still feel like the MBA would be more suitable(able to do full computing on the go is really convenient), however I can't ignore my desire to game(which I do regularly). Using an Apple Wireless keyboard with a tablet would look really silly, plus I had such a keyboard with my prior iPad(gave it to my mum, so there's that).

Also, my room is hot as hell all year round, sweat runs down my back all day long.

I recall doing most of the paper writing and circuit simulations either in my room or somewhere in the house(before my HDD died). My university's tech lab only house super old workstations(i3, 2GB RAM). I only check WolframAlpha and review past year questions on my laptop in the library while doing psets with paper and pen.

And then there's the price factor. The MBA would obviously be the more expensive choice, and the price difference could be put to use. Just sayin.

Which would be a better choice?
 
Last edited:
V

VI™

macrumors 6502a
Aug 27, 2010
636
1
Shepherdsturd, WV
combataran said:
I'm in college, and my laptop just died on me. I'm thinking of either:


Well I'm in Mechanical Engineering, and coding work starts after the 3rd year. I do still feel like the MBA would be more suitable(able to do full computing on the go is really convenient), however I can't ignore my desire to game(which I do regularly). Using an Apple Wireless keyboard with a tablet would look really silly, plus I had such a keyboard with my prior iPad(gave it to my mum, so there's that).

Also, my room is hot as hell all year round, sweat runs down my back all day long.

I recall doing most of the paper writing and circuit simulations either in my room or somewhere in the house(before my HDD died). My university's tech lab only house super old workstations(i3, 2GB RAM). I only check WolframAlpha and review past year questions on my laptop in the library while doing psets with paper and pen.

And then there's the price factor. The MBA would obviously be the more expensive choice, and the price difference could be put to use. Just sayin.

Which would be a better choice?
Click to expand...

Personally I'd go with the first choice as trying to make it through school with an 11" screen would remind me of playing NES when I was 5 or 6. It sucked.
 
combataran

combataran

macrumors member
Original poster
May 9, 2011
86
0
VI™ said:
Personally I'd go with the first choice as trying to make it through school with an 11" screen would remind me of playing NES when I was 5 or 6. It sucked.
Click to expand...

That's some good advice right there. Anyone else?
 
V

VI™

macrumors 6502a
Aug 27, 2010
636
1
Shepherdsturd, WV
combataran said:
That's some good advice right there. Anyone else?
Click to expand...

What's the price difference between a 13" MBP and a MBA? MBAs are great computers, don't get me wrong, but unless you're going to just be using it for basic computing you're not going to be able to play any serious games on it.

The biggest question would be what's your budget? You can build a barebones gaming PC for cheap. If you can afford to do that with the MBA, then that may be a viable option for you.
 
combataran

combataran

macrumors member
Original poster
May 9, 2011
86
0
VI™ said:
What's the price difference between a 13" MBP and a MBA? MBAs are great computers, don't get me wrong, but unless you're going to just be using it for basic computing you're not going to be able to play any serious games on it.

The biggest question would be what's your budget? You can build a barebones gaming PC for cheap. If you can afford to do that with the MBA, then that may be a viable option for you.
Click to expand...

Well I did mention that I'm an avid gamer, but I do appreciate the build quality of Macbooks and the smooth workflow that Mac OS provides. Simulations and paper writing could be done quite easily on any MBA or MBP, but in this case, the MBA setup would cost as much as a base rMBP where I'm from.

I'd love to run PC games from a Mac through bootcamp as much as the next guy, but I know that I just wouldn't enjoy it as much, since the Mac would promptly burn my palms(had bad laptop experiences in the past) if I tried to game with it. Sure, Dota 2 would run fine, but how about the other games? It would just feel like I'm using a sedan to compete in the LeMans. It just won't feel right.

My budget is around $1200, and that would include the $700 rig, whatever the tablet costs, plus screens, kb and mouse(would most likely be the steelseries Dota 2 bundle).
 
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