2011Macbook Pro i7 vs 2014Macbook Air

[tavorh45]

Which is faster and more capable. I got the macbook air as a present but i have the macbook pro and thinking of selling the macbook pro but stats seem to show that pro is superior. Please help.

Early 2011 MacBook Pro 13" 2.7Ghz Intel "Core i7" processor (2620M), 500 GB Serial ATA (5400 RPM) hard drive, 10GB of RAM Memory, 8X DL "SuperDrive", an Intel HD Graphics 3000 graphics processor.

2014 Macbook Air 13"
1.4GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 processor; Turbo Boost up to 2.7GHz. 4GB 1,600MHz DDR3 SDRAM; 1536MB (shared) Intel HD Graphics 5000; 128GB SSD
Intel HD Graphics 5000, 4GB RAM memory

 

[2984839]

The CPU is slightly faster on the MBP (but likely not noticeable).

The graphics are better on the Air.

The storage speed is obviously faster on the Air, though you can stick an SSD in the MBP easily.

Battery life will be better on the Air.

The MBP has an ethernet port, Firewire, and an optical drive, so that may be an advantage in its favor depending on your usage.

The RAM and battery are upgradeable/replaceable in the MBP whereas they are not in the Air.

The Air is lighter.

Since you now own both, I'd just use one for a week, then the other until you determine a favorite.

 

[foobarbaz]

The SSD alone will make the Air a much more responsive machine, IF you can live with the 4GB RAM and the smallish disk space.

 

[capathy21]

Air is a more capable machine. Even by installing an ssd in the older pro, you won't be able to duplicate the PCIe SSD speed of the Air. Air has better graphics, much better battery life, and is much lighter.

 

[mripadmini]

i would get rid of the pro because the air has better graphics and a ssd.

 

[jmoore5196]

I think the MBA is a superior machine on almost every level. I moved from an early-2011 15" MBP to an 11" '13 MBA. I couldn't do without the 8GB of RAM, but every user is different.

 

[Traverse]

Honestly, the entire experience will feel much better (dare I say...snappier) because of the SSD. For most cases the CPU and GPU performance of 2011 computers is sufficient and I doubt you'll notice a dramatic impact there.