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2010 Macbook air still good buy?

H

heliocentric

Guest
Original poster
Nov 26, 2008
385
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The version with 2.13ghz, 4gb, 256gb and 320m.

They seem to be going for reasonable prices on ebay, so just wondering if they are still worth a shot? Especially with Mountain lion coming up...would they run that ok?

Would use it for musical production and web browsing.

Thanks
 
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SRLMJ23 said:
Absolutely it will be a good computer. I would def. get it. The MBA's are amazing machines.
Click to expand...

Yeah? Was just a bit worried about the core 2 duo in it and I'd that might run future os's slowly.

Thanks
 
heliocentric said:
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Yeah? Was just a bit worried about the core 2 duo in it and I'd that might run future os's slowly.

Thanks
Click to expand...

I don't think there is something particular that could slow down future OS's on Core 2 Duo CPUs. Yes, Sandy Bridge CPU's are much faster in CPU intensive tasks, like photo processing, video encoding, encryption, etc. but the difference will be exactly same now and let's say three years of time.

For light workloads, like text editing, browsing web, audio/video playback, etc. 2010 Macbook Air is (and always will be ) just as responsive as 2011 thanks to same size of RAM and speed of SSD.

Paradoxically, at least in one aspect 2010 models can be more future-proof as they have discreet nVidia GPU with OpenCL support while Core i5 models have integrated solution that does not support OpenCL (at least at this point of time).
 
heliocentric said:
The version with 2.13ghz, 4gb, 256gb and 320m.

They seem to be going for reasonable prices on ebay, so just wondering if they are still worth a shot? Especially with Mountain lion coming up...would they run that ok?

Would use it for musical production and web browsing.

Thanks
Click to expand...
"Musical Production" could be a light load or a heavy load on a computer depending on what you mean by it.

How much would you be saving? Is it enough to really make a difference. Mountain Lion should be okay, but what about what is after that? I presume a current Air would be useable for at least a after a 2010 model.
 
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Well I used to do music production using adobe audition on my old laptop and that only have 1gb and a celeron. Was going to use GarageBand and logic pro with it . Although i wouldnt say it will be too heavy. I assumed it would be fine with that . Just wondering how it would run current and future os's.

It's about £300 cheaper to get a 2010 over a 2011 one I think.

Thanks
 
If money is an issue, than you should look the the Macbook Pro. If it's not, than you're not getting the most for your money with the 2010 (in most cases depending on price).

I just don't see the value in buying technology that is so far behind. Especially at anything approaching full price.
 
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Ok thanks for the advice. Money is a bit of an issue yeah!

Didn't really want a MacBook pro because of the glass screen...
 
heliocentric said:
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Ok thanks for the advice. Money is a bit of an issue yeah!
Click to expand...

Then I would definitely look at a refurb 15inch macbook pro, or something. Seems like you could get a better deal with more power for what you need. The air is nice, but IMO it's a bit of a luxury item, whereas the macbook pro is a bit more practical for most people and what they use their computer for.

I can garuntee that the 2010 MBA is going to get outdated within one, maybe two OS updates. It's just not a good idea.

What do you mean by glass screen?
 
heliocentric said:
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Ok thanks for the advice. Money is a bit of an issue yeah!

Didn't really want a MacBook pro because of the glass screen...
Click to expand...

Not all Macbook Pros come with a glass screen. Mine didn't. :D

As for the Air, my wife's 2010 works fine. Don't get caught up on the technology unless you really need it.
 
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Don't like glass screenson computers, too reflective. That's why I was looking at airs...

2010's are around £600 on eBay , I think 2011 ones go for around £800-£900 with less hard drive space.
 
eric/ said:
I just don't think the price - performance ratio for a 2010 MBA (depending on the price) is worth it if you're trying to be cost effective.
Click to expand...

I 2nd that, I highly recommend a 2011 model, for $200 more you get Thunderbolt (who knows what 3rd parties are going to create) , a 2nd Gen. Core i5 processor which will be much faster and better for Music IMO, and you get Airplay in ML which is only available for the 2nd. gen. iX and up processors, and a back-lit keyboard which is a nice little feature to seal the deal
 
The 2010 MBA is still a great machine for an average user. I got the 2011 MBA when they were released and was running it in parallel with the 2010 MBA. While the former machine is no doubt faster in some tasks, I didn't perceive any difference in my normal use (email, browsing, reading PDFs, running Word or Excel, or watching iTunes shows). I really liked the lit keyboard, but in the end I returned the 2011 MBA and kept the old one. I will most likely be upgrading once the Ivy Bridge machines are out, as I expect that from the battery life and graphics perspective the 2012 MBA should be at least on par with the 2010 one (though I hope much better than that, at least for the graphics). In any case both 2010 and 2011 MBAs are great machines. Can't really make a wrong decision here.
 
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I thought the late 2010 airs had a back lit keyboard?
 
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I guess the consensus is that that a 2010 isn't worth it . I will try and hold off for a bit.

Or Maybe a 2010 13inch 2.66ghz MacBook pro would be better? Just not sure about the reflective glass screen...
 
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Yeah the 2010 MacBook air I was watching on eBay went for far to much to be worth it.

Wonder when the new ones will be out? I know a student so can get student discount too...
 
I think the 2010 refurb macbook air for $699 from apple store is a good buy, especially since it'll run Snow Leopard.

SnowLeopard runs fine with 2GB of RAM. The base MBA has 64GB SSD, but this can be easily replaced later on with kits from OWC.
 
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