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Definitely getting a MBA but not sure if 2GB RAM is enough?

emir

emir

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Apr 5, 2008
610
4
Istanbul
Hi everyone

I'm going to get a macbook air for the obvious advantage of it being portable. I can't decide if it should be 11" or 13". I mean 13" is great and just enough for screen size (i'll be watching tv shows and stuff too) but i can't be sure if it's portable enough. I want it extra portable cause i will be going to meetings with it a lot. I will be using it for my work too and i work for Google's Adwords advertising part. So i will be using safari a lot. I can't be sure if 11" screen will be a nice surfing experience because of the resolution and lack of screen real estate. Can you give me a hand here? Which should it be?

Also i am really confident with all the MBA models' processers but i can't be sure of the RAM. People everywhere are saying Lion uses more Ram and i don't want no lag on my computer.(this will be my first mac too) Also i will be using it for 3-4 years. So i want it durable, powerful enough so i can do things i do. And i don't want too much power because i don't do no photo, video editing or stuff. I watch tv shows, use it for the job, power point and excel use a lot obviously. I don't crave too much power but i can't be sure if 2 gigs will be enough.

I need your advices, all advices appreciated, thanks.
 
It's not. Get the 4GB one. It'll last you longer, keep up with your needs longer and give you a better overall experience.
 
Even if it's enough room now, it won't be in 3-4 years. Go with the 4GB model. Note that there are 9 configurations sold, and only one has 2GB of RAM (the $999 model). All the others have 4GB.

The 11" model is fine for surfing, particularly with the new full screen mode.
 
I had the same deliberation when choosing mine !

64 or 128 gb ssd ?
2 or 4gb of ram ?
i5 or i7 core ?
13" or 11" screen ?

Yours is easy = go for the 4gb ram as you can't upgrade later as it's soldered to the board. I used a 2gb ram in my Samsung n150 notebook and it could be frustrating ! Look to the future.
 
Go with 4GB, and go 13". Because they are so thin, both are super portable, but you will spend a lot more time USING it rather than carrying it, so you will appreciate the extra space. :D
 

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ZBoater said:
Go with 4GB, and go 13". Because they are so thin, both are super portable, but you will spend a lot more time USING it rather than carrying it, so you will appreciate the extra space. :D
Click to expand...

+1

Don't even think about going for 2GB
 
I got the 2010 11" base model and my 2Gb is enough, but I wish I went with 4GB of ram for the future! I thought I would be fine with 2Gb since my first gen MBA had 2Gb and been using it since launch day without any pb.
 
It makes sense to get the 4gb on all fronts -

1. performance now (whether you need it or not)
2. future proof'ing if you keep it a long time - which you say you will, and then
3. Saleability - wider resale market, and
4. resale value if / when you eventually sell it to upgrade.

You should spend the extra.
 
This question reminds me of the old joke about a Rolls Royce (or expensive boat). If you have to ask how much it costs, you can't afford it. If you have to ask if 2gb is enough, it isn't.
 
if you have the money, get the 4Gb. above bigger disk space, above speedier processor.
 
The 13" is still highly portable. My family is all very jealous as they use their huge Toshiba's and I maintain similar or better power with a 3lb unit that is ultra-thin and low heat.

I have an Otterbox Defender on my iPad 1, and my wife actually said last week "wow, your iPad is heavier than the MBA!". If that tells you anything. The Otterbox case was enough to make the iPad feel heavier than the MBA.

Hope this helps!

(also, my vote is hands down for 4gb, base model 13)
 
I had a Rev B MBA 13 inch with 2 GB of RAM, and that configuration worked well for me. I even ran Windows 7 on Parallels on it. Like you, I don't edit videos or play CPU intensive games.

Having said that, 3 weeks ago I did purchase a 2011 11.6 MBA 4GB/128 i5 (after an office mate kept bugging me about selling my Rev B MBA 13 to him), and I am extremely pleased with this purchase.

I went with the 11 inch because of the smaller size. I recognize that there is not much difference between the 13 and 11 in terms of weight and dimensions, but I find the 11 inch to be more adaptable to varying travel conditions (for example, in planes, especially when the passenger in front reclines his/her seat).

Like you, I was torn between 2 GB versus 4 GB of RAM, but I eventually heeded the advice of our IT support who argued that the 4GB will give me more flexibility, not to mention snappier response.
 
I have read that some people out there are ok and satisfied with 2 GB of ram, and that might work for them.

In my personal experiences, I would not use a computer with anything less than 4 GB of ram in order to meet my standards of quality in terms of usage. Some people say that under "normal" use, you don't page out with 2 GB of ram, in my personal experiences, I find that to be completely false, and I frequently paged out with 2 GB of ram before I upgraded, and even sometimes do with 4. I don't do anything particularly crazy with my mac either, and I'm not even on Lion, which I understand is even more resource hungry than Snow Leopard.

Unless the (marginal) cost difference is an absolute issue for you, I find it very hard to argue FOR 2 GB of ram, but then again, if you're spending this much on a computer to begin with, I personally feel that the little extra for the 4 GB (along with the increased HD space) is worth it. That's just how I personally view it.
 
2GB vs 4GB would be a more important question with a hard disk based Macbook Pro. With the Macbook Air and its use of SSD, when the computer does page out, it has much less of an impact than it would otherwise.
 
I'm not so sure I agree with getting extra for the sake of getting extra. That's like ordering a large 32+oz soda just because you might get thirsty later; but in reality all those extra calories go right to your waistline.

Are there any real uses for 4gb of memory if all you are doing is web surfing, emailing, and word processing using the Microsoft office suite?
 
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