First Mac Questions

[missingplugin]

So, I've never been anti Mac, but I used to play games a lot so I never really was able to justify a MacBook over a gaming laptop. I'm currently using a 15.7 inch system76 laptop, but my needs have changed a lot. I also really don't play games on my pc anymore.

Basically, I'll be using my future Mac for smaller indie games, lots of word processing, minor design work for marketing in photoshop or photoshop like software (acorn 4 looks pretty cool), lots of web browsing, and some pro tools recording in the future for some minor on the go projects and loops for live performances.

I know that for pro tools would work better on a quad core, but I don't honestly think that avid will update it for a retina display soon.

I know a MacBook Air will fit my needs for the most part, but my question is this: Is the performance snappy on the new MacBook Air with an i7? I tested a retina 13 at the apple store and was really disappointed with general scrolling on websites and iTunes. So does this laptop feel fast and would it be able to suit my daily and heavy computer use? Thanks guys for the help I know there are a lot of threads on this one, but I figured I'd make it a little more personalized.

 

[scaredpoet]

Scrolling and UI have been very snappy on my i7 13 inch MacBook Air. You won't be disappointed. Laggy scrolling on the retina MBPs have been an issue for some, mainly because there's just a huge number of pixels that the GPU needs to push around; a problem that doesn't exist with the Air.

Of course, the Haswell upgrades and Intel HD 5000 graphics on the rMBP when they come out will probably help things quite a bit.

Just curious: why System76? On top of them catering primarily to the Linux crowd (not exactly ideal for gamers, which is largely the domain of Windows), their hardware seem awfully pricey for what's offered.

 

[missingplugin]

Scrolling and UI have been very snappy on my i7 13 inch MacBook Air. You won't be disappointed. Laggy scrolling on the retina MBPs have been an issue for some, mainly because there's just a huge number of pixels that the GPU needs to push around; a problem that doesn't exist with the Air.

Of course, the Haswell upgrades and Intel HD 5000 graphics on the rMBP when they come out will probably help things quite a bit.

Just curious: why System76? On top of them catering primarily to the Linux crowd (not exactly ideal for gamers, which is largely the domain of Windows), their hardware seem awfully pricey for what's offered.

Well, I really liked Linux for a while and I tried to mainly use it, but I installed windows to play games, and I already had a certified windows disc, so buying a computer without windows saved me money, also, 2 years ago, the prices weren't bad. They are now, but it was cheaper than the competitors who were making clevo laptops and the laptop looked simple so it wasn't a flashy gaming laptop like an Alienware or an asus.

Thanks for the help thought! I'm definitely going to get it then, I'm stoked to have a laptop that's battery is literally 10 times better than mine.

 

[Agent-P]

Sounds to me that the MBA should be able to handle all this for you. One thing I'll add though is if you want, opt for a higher capacity SSD and then install Windows via Bootcamp. Then you'll get the best of both worlds.