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james*b

macrumors regular
Original poster
Jan 2, 2011
143
0
Hi,
Is an old Macbok Air with 2GB of ram capable of running the latest OS?
I am not interested in using it for anything more demanding than video play back on a second screen.
Thanks!
 
Perhaps, depending on the video files and resolutions you are driving. Unless there are functional reasons you need to be running Sierra, I would suggest running an older version of the OS. I have 2010 Air with 4GB of RAM and Sierra slowed it to a crawl. It's back on Yosemite and usable once again.
 
Why wouldn't it playback video?
My original iPad with 256mb plays video ...
 
Why wouldn't it playback video?
My original iPad with 256mb plays video ...

Well, the memory wouldn't really impact the ability play video, although would impact the ability to run the latest OS well. The OP didn't specify which "old Macbook Air" they have or what type of video files they are playing. I expect the CPU on a truly old Air (and your original iPad) would choke on an x265 or VP9 file. Even higher profile x264 might cause problems—especially if the GPU didn't decode.
 
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