Base 15" or top spec 13 MBA vs Base 13MBP? for videos/photos/games

[Highlander-]

Hi,

Just wondering how much better in 'reality', not just bench scores, the performance of the 15 inch MBP (not retina) will be over the 13 inch.

I have the base 2012 13 inch MBP right now but rendering HD video seems slow - 3 hours to export a 8 minute 1080p HD .MOV clip.

How much faster will a 15 inch MBP with the quad core i7 be for editing tasks like this?

Would a MBA also be a faster option for video/photo application use? I know it has a slower processor than the 13MBP but apparently the MBA with its SSD makes it quicker for certain things...

Any advice would be a great help. I have to decide today to either exchange/return this 13 MBP or perhaps keep it and just upgrade the RAM. But I feel this processor may be the downfall.

 

[Rmafive]

The quad core processor would be much faster for video editing and gaming. If you are doing a lot of powerful work, you should go with the more powerful computer!

 

[mattopotamus]

The quad core processor would be much faster for video editing and gaming. If you are doing a lot of powerful work, you should go with the more powerful computer!

This, but it is so hard for me to justify a 15" b.c by time you upgrade the ram and ssd you could have bought the retina

 

[FastEddiebags]

This, but it is so hard for me to justify a 15" b.c by time you upgrade the ram and ssd you could have bought the retina

You could have bought a base retina... The added ram and ssd would make it a little better than that except for the screen and weight.
Base 15 is the way to go

 

[mattopotamus]

You could have bought a base retina... The added ram and ssd would make it a little better than that except for the screen and weight.
Base 15 is the way to go

the base retina would be about the exact same cost as upgraded ram and a 256 SSD in the 15" base. you get $200 off with a student discount and only $100 off the base 15"

 

[Rmafive]

Just buy what you can afford. If you can pay for a base retina, I would definitely go for that, as the SSD and screen would be great for video editing.

 

[Highlander-]

I wasn't considering the Base retina. I think my options are these:

MacBook Pro
15-inch: 2.3GHz Retina display
$2,029.00

MacBook Air with 256GB flash, 8GB Ram
13-inch: 2.0 GHz
$1,679.00

MacBook Pro with anti-glare
15-inch: 2.3GHz
$1,819.00


I don't do video editing very often. Mostly I need it for Photoshop, writing and web browsing. The Air looks the best one for me in terms of price. Canadian $ with education discount listed above.

$2,029.00 for the base retina is a big leap for me considering I paid $1299 for the 13 MBP.

Just wonder if the Air can handle photoshop and maybe some gaming in the future?