MBA for software development

[Barche]

Hello,

For the first time ever, I'm considering buying a Mac, more specifically the Macbook Air 13" with 8GB RAM and i5 CPU.

My main workload is software development in C++, which I currently do using GCC on linux but on the MBA I'm willing to give Clang on OS X a try, possibly also switching it to linux in case it disappoints.

The MBA fits my needs perfectly in terms of specs and portability (and price!), but there is one concern: some reviews mention that the CPU will throttle under heavy load. Since a C++ compile can take up to 15 minutes, I'm wondering if throttling is likely to happen? Is anyone here using the MBA for similar work, and do you observe throttling?

 

[jbzcar]

I build Android on my 11" Air with i7, 4GB, 256GB, and it never throttles, even under full load my temps don't go above ~180F.

Edit: Just to be more informative, they use GCC to compile, and without CCACHE, the builds run just short of an hour. Cut that in half with CCACHE.

 

[tiwizard]

Hello,

For the first time ever, I'm considering buying a Mac, more specifically the Macbook Air 13" with 8GB RAM and i5 CPU.

My main workload is software development in C++, which I currently do using GCC on linux but on the MBA I'm willing to give Clang on OS X a try, possibly also switching it to linux in case it disappoints.

The MBA fits my needs perfectly in terms of specs and portability (and price!), but there is one concern: some reviews mention that the CPU will throttle under heavy load. Since a C++ compile can take up to 15 minutes, I'm wondering if throttling is likely to happen? Is anyone here using the MBA for similar work, and do you observe throttling?

I don't usually compile things that require 15min+, but it works great for iPhone and web development (not that web development requires compiling...).

 

[firewood]

My longest compile is about 2 minutes, and I've never heard the fan turn up on my MBA 11. The SSD in the Air will often more than offset the advantage of compiling on a server with a faster CPU but running off of HDs.

CLang/LLVM seems to give more informative warnings and error messages than gcc in many cases. But one can always run ones favorite Linux distro in a VM, and use both.

 

[Barche]

OK, thanks for the replies. If a faster CPU in a smaller package can handle a longer compile, then I'm reassured that the throttling won't be a problem. It agrees with what I see on my desktop: compiling runs about 15°C cooler than a stress test.

 

[NutsNGum]

Get the new MacBook Pro Retina disaply. You won't be sorry!

A snip at double the price.

 

[jsw]

I do intensive Java development with long compile times on a 2011 Air with an i5 without issue. I bought it as an interim purchase to tide me over until the then-rumored retina displays, but I'm sticking with it for now.

However, if you have the option, I'd recommend the i7 for $100 more. I don't mind the i5, but for major development, the additional speeds of the i7 would pay off, I think.

Retina displays are nice, but I don't think they're worth it in many cases - save the money and put it towards a nice monitor and use that when at home.