15" 2.53Ghz MBP vs. 2.13Ghz MBA... Need help on specs.

[thiagos]

I am considering getting a MBA instead of a MacBook Pro. I know the difference in processor speed is about .40. Will I notice a big difference in speed? Are the frontside bus and L2 cache any different? Is it the exact same processor with less .40 or it is an inferior processor?

Everything else seems to be the same, I don't know what to do...

 

[Hellhammer]

What do you do with it? They are both Core 2 Duos and based on same architecture so you won't notice much, only in games or when converting something etc.

You can always go to the Apple Store and play with them and see do you notice any difference. MBA has SSD so it will feel A LOT faster

 

[thiagos]

What do you do with it? They are both Core 2 Duos and based on same architecture so you won't notice much, only in games or when converting something etc.

You can always go to the Apple Store and play with them and see do you notice any difference. MBA has SSD so it will feel A LOT faster

I just sold my MacBook Pro with 2.53ghz processor. It was a bit slow in my opinion, maybe because I might be spoiled by my 27" iMac.

That's why I ask, will the difference be much considering it is pretty much the same computer and graphics except for clock speed? Is the ssd a trade off?
I do a lot of multi tasking, Photoshop etc.

 

[iSax1234]

well the 2.53 ghz model is a waste of money IMO. Its basically a 200 bucks more from the top of line 13in for 2 inches of screen space. If I were you I would go for the 2.63ghz MBP so you can have an actual graphics card or buy the base line 13 inch and install 4 gigs RAM and an SSD.

You mentioned you have a iMac so what will there be a lot of heavy processing? Of course if I were you I would wait and see what the future holds for the MBP and MBA line with a update expected any tuesday now or a few months from now HAHA! The MPA is cool and I like the idea of having one, but I just think its one of those things that the idea is better than the thing itself. LIKE THE IPAD!

 

[Hellhammer]

I just sold my MacBook Pro with 2.53ghz processor. It was a bit slow in my opinion, maybe because I might be spoiled by my 27" iMac.

That's why I ask, will the difference be much considering it is pretty much the same computer and graphics except for clock speed? Is the ssd a trade off?
I do a lot of multi tasking, Photoshop etc.

Well, MBA is limited to 2GB of RAM so in multitasking it can be a bottleneck, especially when dealing with multiple Adobe apps. SSD will make boot and application launch time very fast but it won't help much in multitasking.

Remember that you have 14 days to return it so I would get one and then test it and return if it feels to slow (remember 10% restocking fee in US).

I think you do most of your heavy tasks in iMac so if MBA is more like a web browsing, email, MSN machine it's fine

 

[gwsat]

Compared to the 13 inch MBP, I think the MBA's big plusses are its very light weight, sleek form factor, and solid state drive. The MBA's big minus for many of us is its built in 2Gb of RAM, which cannot be upgraded. For those who run a lot of memory hungry applications, such as Windows running in a VMware Fusion or Parallels virtual machine, 2Gb of RAM is woefully inadequate.

 

[elpmas]

I would buy the mbp and upgrade to ssd and upgrade the ram. mba's limited upgrade features will feel plenty slow compared to a ssd/6-8gb ram mbp