Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

shstiger2009

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Jan 30, 2011
259
0
Which should I buy. Both base processors, should I get 256GB upgrade or 4GB RAM?
 

torbjoern

macrumors 65816
Jun 9, 2009
1,204
6
The Black Lodge
Prioritize RAM.

If you need extra space in the future, you can use an extra disk. But if you need extra RAM, you will have to buy a new Air.
 

torbjoern

macrumors 65816
Jun 9, 2009
1,204
6
The Black Lodge
What if I said they're both the same price? Also resale value.

They cannot be both the same price. The upgrade of the SSD from 128 to 256 costs $300, while the extra RAM from 2 to 4 GB is $100. Resale value will also be affected stronger by the RAM than the SSD.

Your question is therefore meaningless and will not be answered by me. You're the only one who knows the answer to that question, as it totally depends on your needs in the moment.
 

shstiger2009

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Jan 30, 2011
259
0
They cannot be both the same price. The upgrade of the SSD from 128 to 256 costs $300, while the extra RAM from 2 to 4 GB is $100. Resale value will also be affected stronger by the RAM than the SSD.

Your question is therefore meaningless and will not be answered by me. You're the only one who knows the answer to that question, as it totally depends on your needs in the moment.

That's if you're paying retail or something. For me, they'd be the same price.
 

hfg

macrumors 68040
Dec 1, 2006
3,621
312
Cedar Rapids, IA. USA
Which should I buy. Both base processors, should I get 256GB upgrade or 4GB RAM?

Why not get both now?

Having to upgrade either one will be expensive to do later if you find you need it. SSD drives aren't decreasing in cost all that fast, and the RAM upgrade will require replacing the computer (and the RAM upgrade is pretty reasonable at $100).
 

Veinticinco

macrumors 65816
Feb 25, 2009
1,469
1,428
Europe
Your question is therefore meaningless and will not be answered by me. You're the only one who knows the answer to that question, as it totally depends on your needs in the moment.
This is the truth right here. Depends on your USE. For most light users, the extra storage will be more useful than the extra RAM, but then again, who's to say what you're running on your MBA.

Personally I'd get both and sleep at night.
 

namtaB

macrumors regular
Feb 22, 2011
102
0
Normally, I'd prioritize space over RAM but since the difference is $300 versus $100 I'd go with the RAM.
 

FoxyKaye

macrumors 68000
I always upgrade that which cannot be hacked or modded later on (e.g. soldered to the motherboard), so in this case, the RAM has my vote.

Efficiently managing your files will work just fine on the stock 128GB SSD (folks did it for years when laptop hard drives were in the 20-80GB range). Once you're out of warranty you can always pick up what will surely be one of the many aftermarket upgrades to this part in a year or two, which will almost certainly be bigger and faster than the original parts provided by Apple.

Because Apple's "five-petal screws of death" will almost certainly have a tool available on eBay or elsewhere that opens your MBA just fine, if it doesn't already exist.
 
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.