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Jayjewels93

macrumors newbie
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Dec 23, 2011
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I currently have a Dell Inspiron 15r from 2011. I am debating on whether or not to buy a 2008 Macbook Air. No, I'm not getting the Pro, so please do not suggest it. Would the 2008 Macbook Air (with Lion) be as fast/ if not faster than my Dell Inspiron 15r? Is it worth getting or should I stick with my Dell?
 
I think what Tom is trying to say - you're on a Mac forum so 90% of the responses will be telling you to get the MBA.

However, you need to tell us why you're thinking of ditching the PC for the Mac and what sort of work will you be doing on the MBA?

With that sort of information, we will be in a better position to advise you on which is better for you.


R.
 
I'll be using the computer mostly for school, nothing special. I was just thinking of getting a Mac because I like Lion more than Windows 7, also I think a Mac would last quite a bit longer than a Dell.
 
I'll be using the computer mostly for school, nothing special. I was just thinking of getting a Mac because I like Lion more than Windows 7, also I think a Mac would last quite a bit longer than a Dell.

If that is the case, the 2008 Air will be just fine, and in fact, this Mac should even run Mountain Lion just fine. It will be fine for your needs, and is still a relevant computer in the world. Just remember to pick up a couple essentials, such as a USB hub, and an external optical drive (if needed)
 
I think I will be getting the 13.3 screen size. Would the MBA run better/faster than my Dell?
 
I'll just come out and say it, the 2008 MBA is a dog with only 2gb of RAM and running Lion. It compared negatively to a Late 2006 MacBook in terms of performance. It also ran kinda warm and now 4 years later the battery life has diminished quite and bit and would probably need a new battery. I'd pass on it for being your primary machine. If you can't afford better right now then you should just save up.
 
I currently have a Dell Inspiron 15r from 2011. I am debating on whether or not to buy a 2008 Macbook Air. No, I'm not getting the Pro, so please do not suggest it. Would the 2008 Macbook Air (with Lion) be as fast/ if not faster than my Dell Inspiron 15r?
No, the original MacBook Air from over 4 years ago isn't likely going to be faster than your Dell Inspiron from last year, especially if it's the more common Air model that came with the 4200RPM 80GB HDD. That's the same HDD they used in iPod classics.

That model is also known for getting very hot when doing some tasks (like video chatting, watching Flash videos in the web browser, etc) to the point the CPU will throttle itself to run slower to help reduce heat. It also is known for having problems with the display hinges.

It was amazing in its day, but unless you can get it for dirt cheap, or are fine with the potential issues you may have with it, I'd stay away.
 
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