Do i need i7?

[iHorny]

Okay i know many of you guys are getting sick of the i5 vs i7 threads but this is not i'm not making this one of those, just my own questions that are related to the processors, so..

I am deciding on whether to get the air 13"/8gb/256gb/i5 or i7... i plan on using this as my primary computer. Apart from those basic things like browsing web, listening to music, watching videos/movies (quite a great amount of it), i don't do much processor intensive things like video editing or intensive gaming. So base on my needs, i think i should be fine with the air for around 4 years with proper care and use, right?

Here's the problem, i might want to rip movies from disc occasionally and do some unzipping (i know about the need for superdrive, i can always use an external one since i don't do this frequently, also ignore the space i might need, i think i can handle that). So this 2 things are the only more processor intensive things i might need to do but rarely.
1) Can the air still handle that? Also should i get the i7 for faster and better performance for these activities?
2)Will i7 affect the heat output and how much does it affect the battery performance? (if anyone knows..)
3)I might be wanting to download quite a number of movies with fairly large file size. The air should be able to do that fine, right? I mean it's the internet connection that determines the speed, so if i were to use say a pro 15" with the same internet connection, it will still download the same file at the same speed?

Thanks

 

[Wokis]

The difference between the i5 and i7 should not in any way be night and day. They're both dual core ivy bridge chips with some multiplier bins of a difference. (There's a 1MB L3 cache difference too, but it's not a game-changing factor with this architecture)

That's not to say the i7 wouldn't complete tasks faster, but it will be hard to find a scenario where the difference would be crucial to if you can do the task with ease or not.

 

[Xian Zhu Xuande]

Any difference that exists between the two for what you're doing will not be especially meaningful. I'd pick the machine you want for the other specifications that do matter for your task.

To be clear, there would be a difference in some areas (slightly faster ripping) but it would be slight to essentially imperceivable (web browsing).

 

[GREEN4U]

It wont make a difference...in fact it would probay just make things hotter.

 

[iHorny]

Thanks guys, i do understand that with the i7, there would be nearly no difference as compared to the i5 when doing daily tasks. So it will be faster in ripping, unzipping and possibly converting formats?

My point is, is the difference in this speed quite large? or will it be very minimal, and is it worth since the i7 might produce more heat and result in lower battery life?

 

[Knightimer]

If you are opting for the 256SSD, then the 100.00 cost difference is a no brainer. Its like making a decision for the 8gig ram vs 4 gig ram, for a 100.00 more you the cost is not that much different. NOW, the upgrade from a 256 ssd and 512 ssd is another story.

 

[KPOM]

The difference is maybe 10-15% in the 13" model on CPU-intensive tasks. It's about 20% in the 11". Chances are it won't be noticeable.

 

[ZBoater]

1) Can the air still handle that? Also should i get the i7 for faster and better performance for these activities?
2)Will i7 affect the heat output and how much does it affect the battery performance? (if anyone knows..)
3)I might be wanting to download quite a number of movies with fairly large file size. The air should be able to do that fine, right? I mean it's the internet connection that determines the speed, so if i were to use say a pro 15" with the same internet connection, it will still download the same file at the same speed?

Thanks

1. Yes and yes.
2. No one knows. You can assume it will run a little hotter and a little less battery. But just a little, maybe.
3. Yes and yes.

 

[pandaguy]

I was in the same situation as you when I ordered mine. I decided to go with the i5 though. The gains for the 13 inch between the two models was not that substantial, and I wanted more battery life over everything, honestly.

 

[rye1205]

If you're looking to keep this for four years, I'd go for i7 as that will suit the computing needs of the future much better.

 

[iHorny]

Any i7 users out there to comment on the amount of battery life they are getting when doing a specific task? And how hot is it??

 

[Alameda]

I might be wanting to download quite a number of movies with fairly large file size. The air should be able to do that fine, right? I mean it's the internet connection that determines the speed, so if i were to use say a pro 15" with the same internet connection, it will still download the same file at the same speed?

The advantage with the Pro is storage. If you're a big movie downloader, you'll use up the 128 or 256 GB of the Air, so you'll have to copy the movies to external storage. You'll have to decide if that's worth the trouble for you.

 

[anandy]

Any i7 users out there to comment on the amount of battery life they are getting when doing a specific task? And how hot is it??

I have the the i7 13" MBA and love it. It doesn't get really hot, maybe warm when it's really cranking but not lap-burning like my old Dell. Battery life depends on what I'm doing. If I'm taking notes and shut off wireless, I think I could get 10 hours but if I'm doing a moderate workload, maybe 5-6 hours?