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Sdreed91

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Oct 10, 2011
263
0
I am a casual user. I surf the web and write essays for school. Watch movies and play mine craft. Would coming from a 2010 MBP be a step up to an Air or a step down?
 

jmoore5196

macrumors 6502a
May 19, 2009
840
339
Russellville AR
Can you tell us more about your 2010 MBP?

13" or 15"? C2D, i5 or i7? Much depends on the 2010 machine you have. From your usage perspective, however, I imagine you'll find the new MBA very snappy.
 

mattbaar26

macrumors regular
Jan 15, 2013
211
3
Just being a casual user I would suggest saving a bunch of money and just upgrading your Pro to having an SSD instead of a hard drive. You will notice a huge performance improvement and save a lot of money. A 2010 machine is not very old and since you are just a casual user, there isn't much of a need to upgrade.
 

Sdreed91

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Oct 10, 2011
263
0
My MBP is an i5 2.3. I have installed 8gb of ram. I have also installed an ssd/hdd. I had previously installed an intel ssd and was disappointed by its performance. That is my reasoning for looking at an air.
 

jmoore5196

macrumors 6502a
May 19, 2009
840
339
Russellville AR
I have a 2011 15" QCi7 MBP with a Toshiba 500GB SSD ... so I have a good idea where you're coming from. I also have a 2012 i7 11" MBA.

The SSD response from the Toshiba in my MBP to the MBA is night and day ... read/write speeds are about quadruple. For your usage, I imagine the MBA will be a good upgrade.

At present, I think the MBA is the equal of any Apple laptop with the exception of the high-end Retina 15" MBP. Even that comparison weighs in the Air's favor, in my view, since the machine doesn't have to supply all those display pixels.
 

Lifter7

macrumors newbie
Dec 28, 2012
14
0
If MBP 2010 fits your needs, I'm definitely sure MBA 2013 will handle them with no problems.
 

clyde2801

macrumors 601
There is a performance difference between the two machines, BUT.... Your needs are all fairly lightweight, consumer level stuff, which your 2010 should handle with ease.

It's like asking whether a brand new Lamborghini will get you to your school three miles away any faster than the 2008 Porsche 911 that you already own: Yes, theoretically it can; but it's doubtful whether you can tell that much of a difference in doing what you want.

Unless you or your parents have scads of disposable income, you might be better off postponing an upgrade for the next year or two.

The real reason to get an Air is if you need a laptop that is lightweight and runs for an obscenely long time on a battery charge. If you don't, I promise Apple will offer even better laptops in 2014 and 2015.
 

Sdreed91

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Oct 10, 2011
263
0
There is a performance difference between the two machines, BUT.... Your needs are all fairly lightweight, consumer level stuff, which your 2010 should handle with ease.

It's like asking whether a brand new Lamborghini will get you to your school three miles away any faster than the 2008 Porsche 911 that you already own: Yes, theoretically it can; but it's doubtful whether you can tell that much of a difference in doing what you want.

Unless you or your parents have scads of disposable income, you might be better off postponing an upgrade for the next year or two.

The real reason to get an Air is if you need a laptop that is lightweight and runs for an obscenely long time on a battery charge. If you don't, I promise Apple will offer even better laptops in 2014 and 2015.

Well I save my money for the laptop. No parental aid. I also found your metaphor clever and funny. I'm just going to be commuting a lot for school next year when I start next semester but yeah holding is not a problem. Thanks for the help
 

clyde2801

macrumors 601
Well I save my money for the laptop. No parental aid. I also found your metaphor clever and funny. I'm just going to be commuting a lot for school next year when I start next semester but yeah holding is not a problem. Thanks for the help

Thank you. It's nice to hear that someone your age (or hell, even MY age) is being prudent and responsible with their money.

Knowing that you're about to start college helps somewhat. Again, the Air will have a big benefit in terms of battery life, and size and weight if you'll be carrying it around all day.

That said, I'd still wait at least a year to upgrade:

a) You'll qualify for education discounts in college if you don't already;
b) You'll get a better sense of your true needs once you start at the new location (i.e., if they've got accessible ac outlets all over the place, the battery life doesn't become much of an issue, and/or you realize your current rig is or is not too big to tote all day);
c) Broadwell promises even battery life and integrated graphics (and maybe even another Apple marquee feature) if you can wait until Juneish of 2014;
d) You can't easily or cheaply upgrade an Air or a Retina's storage like you did your 'old school' pro, and a RAM upgrade is impossible. Buying a laptop now may mean that you may have to buy another one by the time you finish college (assuming you're just starting four years of it);
e) And who knows, Apple may even go retina on all it's laptops and drop the price accordingly in a year or two. Remember, the 2008 Air was a premium priced CEO laptop due to it's then cutting edge design, but became Apple's entry level portable a mere two years later.

Good luck with your decision.
 

ab26

macrumors newbie
Sep 27, 2012
5
0
2013 Macbook Air will def. be an "up" for you. The processor architecture improvements will make it feel snappier than your 2010 MBP and SSD plus longer battery life is a bonus!
 

Tinknock71

macrumors 6502
Jan 18, 2008
269
2
Westland Michigan
There is a performance difference between the two machines, BUT.... Your needs are all fairly lightweight, consumer level stuff, which your 2010 should handle with ease.

It's like asking whether a brand new Lamborghini will get you to your school three miles away any faster than the 2008 Porsche 911 that you already own: Yes, theoretically it can; but it's doubtful whether you can tell that much of a difference in doing what you want.

Unless you or your parents have scads of disposable income, you might be better off postponing an upgrade for the next year or two.

The real reason to get an Air is if you need a laptop that is lightweight and runs for an obscenely long time on a battery charge. If you don't, I promise Apple will offer even better laptops in 2014 and 2015.

I just wanted to know if the 2008 Porsche 911 was a turbo or not? that might make a big difference! LOL:D
 
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