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Zaphyrus

macrumors member
Original poster
Jun 20, 2013
46
0
I've already post about this topic but wanted to get more info from this section of the forum where I should have originally posted.

I just graduated out of college and I'm looking to buy a new Macbook to suite my needs. I live a very on-the-go lifestyle. I own a 2010 MBP 13" and now that my life has gotten even crazier than before, I'm traveling more than ever and find that my 13" is just a tad too big and heavy for my liking.

With all this said, I've been eyeing the new MBA 11" since it suites a good amount of my criteria (portability and battery life)

I know screen size is part of the debate but that isn't a problem because I have a 27" Cinema Display at home and when I'm on the road, I usually have access to external monitors.

My main dilemma is whether the new Haswell chip architecture with an i7 boost will be a noticeable upgrade from my CPU which is now pretty dated.

I use photoshop regularly for some pretty heavy image compositing and retouching. Typically I work with smart-objects so working in photoshop can be a drag. I also model very lightly in Blender. My initial response is that a MBA 1.7ghz i7 will outperform my 2.4ghz when turbo boosted (I'm aware RAM plays a role in this but I plan to buy 8gb which is a step up from my 4gb now. Can I also assume the intel HD5000 will out perform my nvidia 320m in terms of 3d rendering? But I'm sure you guys know much more on this topic.

Please excuse my lack of knowledge on the subject of processor chips!

Thanks in advance for the advice!
 
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