The Pro is heavy, holding them both in the store to day, gave me no other option than to buy the 11.6" Macbook Air. I have 6-7 programs open (including Photoshop CS5), hordes of tabs in Safari, not really a problem.
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Air vs pro for a high school student?
- Thread starter Jdstew1234
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
MBP 13s are a real value if you are will to go refurb and do aftermarket upgrades like I always go.
Today you can get a MBP 13 2.4 GHz. refurb for $1019 at the Apple Store
Add on 8 GB of RAM from OWC for $120 and an OCZ Vertex 2 120 GB SSD for $200 after rebate.
For $40 more than the $1299 MBA 13" you get a faster CPU(2.4 GHz vs 1.86 GHz), 4x the RAM (8 vs 2), the same size SSD (120 GB), a SuperDrive, Firewire and Ethernet, backlite keyboard, and better battery.
Of course, you give up a lighter, slicker machine and a higher resolution screen.
Today you can get a MBP 13 2.4 GHz. refurb for $1019 at the Apple Store
Add on 8 GB of RAM from OWC for $120 and an OCZ Vertex 2 120 GB SSD for $200 after rebate.
For $40 more than the $1299 MBA 13" you get a faster CPU(2.4 GHz vs 1.86 GHz), 4x the RAM (8 vs 2), the same size SSD (120 GB), a SuperDrive, Firewire and Ethernet, backlite keyboard, and better battery.
Of course, you give up a lighter, slicker machine and a higher resolution screen.
Last edited:
if light weight isnt the absolutely positively must have priority, then why pay a premium for it
sure you can fly in and out of applications in an instant thanks to the SSD, but if you're going to be sitting in one or two processor intensive application for hours on end then Id give strong consideration to the machine with the most oomph for the bucks.
sure you can fly in and out of applications in an instant thanks to the SSD, but if you're going to be sitting in one or two processor intensive application for hours on end then Id give strong consideration to the machine with the most oomph for the bucks.
I run CS5 and Office 2011 everyday on my 13" MBA Ultimate and it screams. If weight is a factor for you, go for the Air.
You could buy a MBP 13" + 120 gb OCZ Vortex 2 SSD. It's cheaper and faster at everything. ( if you upgrade the 1.86 MBA to 4 gb RAM ).
But if you're really considering a MBA, then you really need the weight difference . And so the MBA seems the logical choice.
But if you're really considering a MBA, then you really need the weight difference . And so the MBA seems the logical choice.
the only thing that is unnecessary is the optical drive.
A good question would be is MBA vs 13" pro (this no optical drive)?
The MBA has a 128GB drive, not 120. The SSD in the MBA is also quite fast. I've seen it transfer data at over 200MB/s. Not sure how fast the drive you listed is, your link points to the RAM not the SSD.
Why?
The MBA has a higher resolution giving more screen real estate. The cost of the MBA is slightly more then the MBP but you get an SSD for that. The MBA is faster then the MBP as per the many benchmarks.
Its not as simple and cut and dry as one is better then the other. The MBA suits may suit some people's needs better, then the MBP, and vise versa.
Or..you could do what I did for my wife....
Purchased a late unibody aluminum Macbook used for 600 bucks
-replaced HD with a 250gb model from fleabay
-upgraded ram to 4gb from newegg....think it was 85 bucks
The damn thing benchmarks 500 points higher than my late 2009 MBP with the same specs. Albeit she has the 2.4ghz model compared to my 2.26, but still it frigin flies!
All total I have less than a grand into it and will prolly keep it forever. I agree with what someone else earlier said...go used or refurb and save some money.
Purchased a late unibody aluminum Macbook used for 600 bucks
-replaced HD with a 250gb model from fleabay
-upgraded ram to 4gb from newegg....think it was 85 bucks
The damn thing benchmarks 500 points higher than my late 2009 MBP with the same specs. Albeit she has the 2.4ghz model compared to my 2.26, but still it frigin flies!
All total I have less than a grand into it and will prolly keep it forever. I agree with what someone else earlier said...go used or refurb and save some money.
The MPB has much more performance potential than the MBA. You can add fast and reliable aftermarket (OWC, OCZ) SSD and more RAM to a MBP and still pay less than a MBA.
The MBA definitely wins in terms of weight and resolution and those are very important to many people -- but the MPB simply has much more performance potential.
**obviously you haven't played with and Air? If so you would quickly realize it BLOWS the PRO out of the WATER in every way
Agreed, I was comparing both side by side at my local apple store and the MBA is definitely is better.
MBP - $1,200 bucks. Add an SSD, will cost you in the neighborhood of 200 - 250. That brings the price to 1,400. Add more ram, will drive the price up to 1,500 to 1,600
The MBA will cost you $1,300 or $1,600. I'd say that while the MBP provides the consumer with more upgrade options. You'll still spend about the same amount of money and potentially more depending on the ram and SSD cost. Personally with 4gb of ram (for the MBP) I'd not upgrade it. By going that route the MBP would be cheaper.
Still the MBA will be faster, as it has more cache and doesn't seemed throttled by apple. pound for pound the MBA will still be faster
That's ridiculous! Do some encoding with Handbrake and let's see if the Air beats the Pro. Raw processing power is where it counts when it comes to encoding, not the SSD. Your argument MAY be negligible with the 13" Pro but the 15" and 17" with the Core i Series will blow Air out of the WATER in every way. If quick launching of apps is what you're after then sure, get the Air or get a Pro with an SSD but raw processing power will to go the Pro hands down. Some of you guys are giving the Air way more credit than it deserves. If it takes an SSD to make things run faster you can do that with the Pro and get much better performance.
While I love my MBA, you're statement is quite extreme and not really true. If you take a 13" MBP and upgrade it to SSD and more RAM, you would flat out have a more powerful machine.
Now would I do that? No. The ultimate MBA 13" is perfect for me. But to say it blows the MBP out of the water in every way is not accurate IMO.
1.86 ghz 4 gb MBA is about $1400
2.4 ghz 4 gb MBP + 120 gb SSD OCZ Vortex 2 is also about $1400.
There is no way the MBA is going to be faster. The OCZ Vortex 2 is much faster, it's even so fast, your SATA connection won't be able to handle it. Also the CPU is much faster.
edit: Btw, you can get 8 Gb for only $100. So the MBP with 8 gb will be $1500.
Last edited:
The MBP is a little more robust and is the better choice in every stat. That is, unless you absolutely need something very, very light.