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Luigi3

macrumors regular
Original poster
Aug 11, 2012
107
13
Hello! I'm going to buy Air 13 inch 2012. Conf: i5, 8 GB RAM, 128 SSD. This will be my main machine for work. Priorities: VM with programming, Internet, music, some games in that order. And:

-This laptop is very thin. Are there problems with fans/heating? Maybe programming with VM is not problematic processes for CPU, but...
-Will I be able to play some older games, like AC2 or MW3? Not in highest settings, but in good options. But this is only addition, not main task for this laptop.
-In what can I cover laptop? Some case, cover?
-Will this laptop be good for at least 4 years for these tasks?
-Owners of this Air, are you happy? :)
 

chocolaty

macrumors newbie
Jun 19, 2012
5
0
I was really worried about heat issues, but this is the coolest laptop I've ever owned. It's completely silence, no fan kicks in with my normal usage. I mostly use for my trading in futures market the platform only uses around 7-8%cpu via Crossover for me.

I did not try VM yet so no detail about that. I think MBA should live up to 4 years easily, 3 years to feel it dated. No idea about gaming, I don't plan to use this for gaming at all.

I'm very happy of my MBA, weight is really important to me and heat. Seem like MBA is best for low weight and low heat. Perfect choice for outdoor and on bed, sofa uses.
 

plucky duck

macrumors 6502a
Jan 5, 2012
579
107
The 13" is better for heat dissipation than the 11", but even then unless you're playing games or doing CPU intensive tasks I don't really hear the fan spinning up to audible levels.

As long as you're not playing the latest and greatest games and am willing to play at lower resolution with low graphics settings you'll be fine with the HD4000 imo. It's only meant for light casual gaming on the go, not a powerhouse. Go in with those expectations and you'll be pleasantly surprised at what it's capable of doing.
 

MacDawg

Moderator emeritus
Mar 20, 2004
19,823
4,503
"Between the Hedges"
I love my 2011 MBA, so the 2012 would be even better
I use VMware to run Office and some proprietary programs for work with no issues

I don't do any gaming at all, so can't help you there

But I do use it for Final Cut Pro X some and it still holds up well
 

Luigi3

macrumors regular
Original poster
Aug 11, 2012
107
13
Thanks for the replies guys.

I was thinking... maybe Pro 13? Upgradability, black bezel, and I read that screen has better color gamut. Is that true? But 1280x720 is quite good, but vs Pro 1440x900 is worse. But I can upgrade to 16 GB RAM, but 8 GB in Air will be good for at least 4 years...
On the other hand... I will not use advantages of Pro(I don't need big disk or Ill buy 64 GB SD Card for stuff, no need for ethernet and Superdrive)...
 

austinguy23

macrumors 6502a
Oct 8, 2008
619
13
Thanks for the replies guys.

I was thinking... maybe Pro 13? Upgradability, black bezel, and I read that screen has better color gamut. Is that true? But 1280x720 is quite good, but vs Pro 1440x900 is worse. But I can upgrade to 16 GB RAM, but 8 GB in Air will be good for at least 4 years...
On the other hand... I will not use advantages of Pro(I don't need big disk or Ill buy 64 GB SD Card for stuff, no need for ethernet and Superdrive)...

If you're considering the 13" Pro you'd be insane to not wait for the 13" Retina.
 

chocolaty

macrumors newbie
Jun 19, 2012
5
0
Thanks for the replies guys.

I was thinking... maybe Pro 13? Upgradability, black bezel, and I read that screen has better color gamut. Is that true? But 1280x720 is quite good, but vs Pro 1440x900 is worse. But I can upgrade to 16 GB RAM, but 8 GB in Air will be good for at least 4 years...
On the other hand... I will not use advantages of Pro(I don't need big disk or Ill buy 64 GB SD Card for stuff, no need for ethernet and Superdrive)...

Try both side by side at the store. If color gamet is very important to you go for MBP. 1440x900 is more important for me I need bigger screen bigger working space. Each has different advantage. MBP to me has longer lifespan, more likely to meet your need. MBA's thinness, no superdrive is a plus for me.

All my laptop die in 4 years every single one of them. 4 years is also times to upgrade.
 

Luigi3

macrumors regular
Original poster
Aug 11, 2012
107
13
If you're considering the 13" Pro you'd be insane to not wait for the 13" Retina.

Yeah, but 13 Retina will be much more expensive than this Air and Pro. And I need laptop from the end of september.


Try both side by side at the store. If color gamet is very important to you go for MBP. 1440x900 is more important for me I need bigger screen bigger working space. Each has different advantage. MBP to me has longer lifespan, more likely to meet your need. MBA's thinness, no superdrive is a plus for me.

All my laptop die in 4 years every single one of them. 4 years is also times to upgrade.

Unfortunately, only one store has mac, and only Pro, so I can't compare. Well, for programming maybe resolution is more important...
And one bad thing about Pro: yeah, it's upgradeable, but in store they don't have Pro with 8 GB RAM. And buying laptop to soon upgrade because hardware is obsolete is... weird and kinda expensive for new RAM and new disk. In Air I will have SSD and RAM from the beginning.
 

DFTU101

macrumors member
May 16, 2008
94
0
If you want to buy a MBA that will last you 4 years (should last 4 years from a reliability standpoint as long as you don't abuse it), I'd strongly consider getting an Air with the 256 GB SSD. 128 GB just seems low for 4 years worth of data, new software, upgrades to OSX, music, games, etc.
 

Luigi3

macrumors regular
Original poster
Aug 11, 2012
107
13
I read that disk in Air is upgradable. Yeah, bigger disk would be nice, but I prefer more RAM.
Now I'm on my PC which has 4 years with 160 GB Disk and I have some free space. So maybe speed over capacity, but in Pro also I can add SSD.
 

chocolaty

macrumors newbie
Jun 19, 2012
5
0
Even with comparing both at the store, I'm still having hard time deciding one. Sadly, you can't try both of them.

MBP well you can remove superdrive and replace it with ssd maybe slight decrease in battery life. That depends you plan to upgrade drive or ram for your computer or not. For some reason I never upgrade my laptop (planned to but never done so on my last two windows laptop), so I don't look into upgradable at all, at least for me.

MBP
Pro
- Colour gamet
- Slightly faster more future proof
- HDD size
Con
- bulky
- no ssd base
- low resolution

MBA
Pros
- low weight and very thin
- no superdrive, never use it at all for me
- bigger workspace
Cons
- Low HDD size
- poor colour gamet but better than most others consumer laptop on market.
- not upgradable
- maybe low resale value, as ULV cpu chip improve very fast.

That is all I can list out from what I have learn when I was deciding between two. I was spending almost three weeks deciding one and end up with MBA. Either one of them can suit you no doubt. MBP is better in every term in performance with bigger size and weight. MBA is better for all around laptop weight is outstanding, performance is also very good. Decide which tradeoff is okay for you.
 

Luigi3

macrumors regular
Original poster
Aug 11, 2012
107
13
Thanks, great advice. So I see, you had such a dilemma like me :confused:
Well both laptops are great, but the key is about buying most suitable mac. Gosh, MBP looks mad good and it's not that bulky for person who has Samsung laptop with 36 mm thick ;) MBP is about 26 mm. But... Buying expensive laptop with Superdrive, useless ports and enormous but slow disk... When you can choose lightweight mac with SSD and better display... It feels bad and obsolete and what would I say when retina 13 will come :eek: Of course you can upgrade, but I will not disassemble my brand new computer in next year, maybe 1,5 years. To this time, having old HDD and 4 GB RAM... Man! This is tough choice for people who haven't budget for retina...

I read about display in Air, that you can adjust colors and will be better. Don't know about this, maybe owners of Air know.
 

austinguy23

macrumors 6502a
Oct 8, 2008
619
13
Yeah, but 13 Retina will be much more expensive than this Air and Pro. And I need laptop from the end of september.

Perfect. Apple has a large conference in September and is expected to announce a slew of new hardware at that time. That announcement could include the 13" Retina. If it isn't released at that time, no problem - you can, at that time, buy something else since you said you don't need a new laptop until the END of Sept.

By the way, the 15" classic MBP costs about the same as the 15" rMBP once you upgrade the classic's HDD to an SSD. Also keep in mind that the 13" rMBP will cost less than the 15" rMBP when it's announced so factor that in to your decision-making.
 

jbanning

macrumors newbie
Jun 23, 2010
26
12
Atlanta
I recently returned a 15" retina MacBook Pro. I moved from an 2011 11" Air, which was my main work laptop. The Retina pro suffered from lag in the core OS which was driving me crazy, even under Mountain Lion AND I remembered by I prefer the MacBook Air; the Pros run HOT HOT HOT. So between the 15" large size, the OS lag and the HEAT, I moved back to the Air line. I went with a 13" this time and I'm loving it!!! It runs cool, extremely powerful. Get the I7, 8 GB RAM with 512 SSD and you'll be set. Most local Apple stores carry this model, so you can get it locally if you have a store near you. I would NEVER go with a 13" Pro due to the crappy resolution. The display is a tad better, but unless you're comparing it side by side with an Air, you'll never see the difference on it's own. Loving the 13" Air for sure.
 

Luigi3

macrumors regular
Original poster
Aug 11, 2012
107
13
Perfect. Apple has a large conference in September and is expected to announce a slew of new hardware at that time. That announcement could include the 13" Retina. If it isn't released at that time, no problem - you can, at that time, buy something else since you said you don't need a new laptop until the END of Sept.

By the way, the 15" classic MBP costs about the same as the 15" rMBP once you upgrade the classic's HDD to an SSD. Also keep in mind that the 13" rMBP will cost less than the 15" rMBP when it's announced so factor that in to your decision-making.

You're right, but:
I have to get laptop in the first days of september. There is no guarantee that Apple will show retina 13'. Even if they did, new laptops would come to Europe in october/november.
Pro13/Air13 are the most expensive laptops I can handle. Retina 13 will cost much more than Air/Pro, will have similar price to Pro15.

I recently returned a 15" retina MacBook Pro. I moved from an 2011 11" Air, which was my main work laptop. The Retina pro suffered from lag in the core OS which was driving me crazy, even under Mountain Lion AND I remembered by I prefer the MacBook Air; the Pros run HOT HOT HOT. So between the 15" large size, the OS lag and the HEAT, I moved back to the Air line. I went with a 13" this time and I'm loving it!!! It runs cool, extremely powerful. Get the I7, 8 GB RAM with 512 SSD and you'll be set. Most local Apple stores carry this model, so you can get it locally if you have a store near you. I would NEVER go with a 13" Pro due to the crappy resolution. The display is a tad better, but unless you're comparing it side by side with an Air, you'll never see the difference on it's own. Loving the 13" Air for sure.

Yay, so there are people who enjoy Air over retina :) Unfortunately, Air i5/8GB/128SSD is best option I can handle. Prices in Europe, feels bad man!
I think extended RAM would be the best, because i7 is in more expensive option and SSD is upgradable. And Air has SD reader and fast USB 3.0. But still I'm not sure about choice Air/Pro... maybe a little bit more convinced about Air, because is fresh(SSD and lightweight) and good resolution.
 
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