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Amazed at the power of the macbook air 11inch i5
- Thread starter Paulioo
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I've never used a MacBook air for longer than a few minutes, does it get as hot as the MacBook Pro? Do the fans make as much noise, especially when it's on your lap/bed?
No fan noise at all, doubt there is a fan in here as I've never heard it but I could be wrong and obviously no hardrive noise as its solidstate (no hardrive moving parts) totally silent computing
I am using it for photo editing, basic web design, itunes, and email. It gets warm but not hot at all. I use a imac at work and have used macbook pro's in the past and I expected this air to be a compromise but it really does perform amazingly
I am using it for photo editing, basic web design, itunes, and email. It gets warm but not hot at all. I use a imac at work and have used macbook pro's in the past and I expected this air to be a compromise but it really does perform amazingly
there is definitely a fan but on idle, you'd have to put your ears to the side of the computer in a silent room in order to hear the fan
Must be as its using more graphical power when connected to a TBD, as Ive used my macbook air for quite demanding stuff and Ive never heard the fan
Actually, another thing that drives the fan crazy is if you use virtualization software like VM Fusion to run Windows.
Yeah, the only time I have heard the fan is when I am watching flash videos for a bit. Beyond that, it never pops on.
As you said, it is an extremely well built machine.
As you said, it is an extremely well built machine.
The fans will kick up when working hard and not well ventilated, but no, it gets nowhere near as hot as my macbook pro...
I use a TBD on my 11" air, and it doesn't really add to the CPU fan speed under normal useage.
It certainly ramps up if there is a flash video running as an advertisement in the background. Thats where iStatPro comes to the rescue so I can keep an eye on things.
It certainly ramps up if there is a flash video running as an advertisement in the background. Thats where iStatPro comes to the rescue so I can keep an eye on things.
The Air is an amazing portable.
There's some magic going on here because i've gotten on MBP 13" with SSD in them and the Air still feels as fast.
I think that it offers some advantages in the form of OS or Firmware tweaks that are optimized for SSD.
The Air being SSD only means the OS never has to make assumptions. It knows it's going to get SSD speed access to storage.
This is why i'm bullish on all future Macs having SSD at some level standard.
There's some magic going on here because i've gotten on MBP 13" with SSD in them and the Air still feels as fast.
I think that it offers some advantages in the form of OS or Firmware tweaks that are optimized for SSD.
The Air being SSD only means the OS never has to make assumptions. It knows it's going to get SSD speed access to storage.
This is why i'm bullish on all future Macs having SSD at some level standard.
Im on the mission to get a 11" air for cheap. Cant wait for the speedy performance and amazing portability
I just picked up a new 11" MBA with 1.8 I7 & 256GB, and am amazed with the performance of it. I picked this over a new ipad 3 for travel (have a 1st gen ipad) and am really glad I did. I use all the "air" features a lot & love them
Extremely powerful! I played thru 50+ hours of Skyrim and 40+ hours of Mass Effect 3 on it!
Fans will kick on like jets if you game on it or do anything flash based! But mostly very quiet!
Fans will kick on like jets if you game on it or do anything flash based! But mostly very quiet!
Not so fast...
"Fast" may be a relative term.
Compared to my 2003 12.1 PB? Blazing.
But it (a 2011 13" 1.7 i5) hardly feels fast when applying filters in Aperture. I had a birthday while waiting for a couple of spot-and-patch routines to render.
"Fast" may be a relative term.
Compared to my 2003 12.1 PB? Blazing.
But it (a 2011 13" 1.7 i5) hardly feels fast when applying filters in Aperture. I had a birthday while waiting for a couple of spot-and-patch routines to render.
its fast.
but yes, fast is relative
if you compare it though to your average desktop computer that you'd buy from a major retail store, it'll be on par or snappier due to things like SSDs.
For your average computer user, it's going to feel like a very snappy powerfull machine. And there's no complaints. it's the fastest and most powerfull lappy i've ever owned.
But if you're a desktop user with a more customized experience, higher end parts and a machine built to be a powerhorse, You'll notice that it's not quite up to speed.
Things that really leverage multiple cores and really use up a lot of CPU cycles and memory will just not compete. Gaming is an example of something the MBA, while it can do, will never keep up. I'm sure we can all think of other examples where the power just isn't there.
but yes, fast is relative
if you compare it though to your average desktop computer that you'd buy from a major retail store, it'll be on par or snappier due to things like SSDs.
For your average computer user, it's going to feel like a very snappy powerfull machine. And there's no complaints. it's the fastest and most powerfull lappy i've ever owned.
But if you're a desktop user with a more customized experience, higher end parts and a machine built to be a powerhorse, You'll notice that it's not quite up to speed.
Things that really leverage multiple cores and really use up a lot of CPU cycles and memory will just not compete. Gaming is an example of something the MBA, while it can do, will never keep up. I'm sure we can all think of other examples where the power just isn't there.