13" MBA Refurbs...Are they good or get a new 11"

[Wicked1]

Are the last Gen Refurb MBA's a good deal, I was thinking of getting one for the wife since all she does is Farmville and some email, web browsing etc.

I want to turn her Mini into a media center

I used one of the 13" units with the 1.86 and 128SSD and it seems pretty good, I am just not sure if I should get her the 11" instead.

I just ordered a 13" Ultimate for myself but I do far more then she does with a computer.

 

[foiden]

Which one is cheaper? Also take note that size is a factor. For some, the 11" is the perfect size, others want a bigger size built in. Battery life is good on the 11" (about the life of the Macbooks from a couple of years ago, before they started to bump up the battery life even more with a few hardware changes). I'm a little unsure of the battery life rating on the older Macbook airs.

Then again, a lot of farmville players generally play plugged in, so I don't know if battery life is a big factor.

The 11" is definitely overkill for the simpler games. Farmville, Peggle, etc. You could crank those out with a cheap laptop running on Intel Graphics. These 11" specs are more along the lines of a good many Western/Asian MMO games (if bootcamped or running software to run PC MMOs like Crossover), and can work with lower settings of Starcraft 2 easily.

So, for her, it's easy to go with the cheapest option.

 

[jevel]

I have both the 2.13 GHz SSD rev C original MBA and the 1.6 GHz 11", and there´s not a doubt in my mind; get the 11" It is snappier in general use and it is dead quiet / cool to the touch.

The rev C 2.13 GHz is constantly running the fans and not even able to play a 720p .mkv without stuttering.

Unless you get the rev C a lot cheaper than the 11", this is really an easy choice.

-KJ

 

[KPOM]

I'd go with the 11". The inside improvements are pretty substantial, and the SSD on the new devices is much faster than on the refurbished old models.

 

[The Final Cut]

yeah I would steer clear of the last gen unless you find something for less than apples refurbished prices. The new MBA has a really good graphics chip and for serious HD content you will be glad to have it.

 

[Wicked1]

I think it seems pretty clear to go for the low end 11 MBA only because now she is using an iPad for those games, so this will be a bump up. The prices on the Refurbs is not much less then a new unit, however once you get into the MBP and iMac then the Refurb becomes a no brainer.


Thanks All