First time Mac buyer

[peznut]

Hi there,
Looking at purchasing a MacBook Air as a first time Mac buyer. It sounds as though the new release will be available in store tomorrow - is that applicable in Canada as well?

My use is mainly web browsing, movie watching, some basic business programs, and online poker - I'm sure I'll be downloading some apps from the app store as well. Should I be looking at getting the i7 1.7 or should I be fine with the i5 1.3 GHz - I know if I was buying another windows machine I'd be going after the speed. Should I be looking at 8gb instead of 4gb RAM?

Basically, which upgrades are worth getting - and which aren't required? I'd like to be able to use the machine without issue for ~2 years before looking at updating again.

Thanks for your help!

 

[mj1108]

Go with 1.7ghz and 8 gigs of ram. It should last you awhile.

 

[fa8362]

You don't need the i7 for "web browsing, movie watching, some basic business programs, and online poker."

 

[omgitscro]

Hi there,
Looking at purchasing a MacBook Air as a first time Mac buyer. It sounds as though the new release will be available in store tomorrow - is that applicable in Canada as well?

My use is mainly web browsing, movie watching, some basic business programs, and online poker - I'm sure I'll be downloading some apps from the app store as well. Should I be looking at getting the i7 1.7 or should I be fine with the i5 1.3 GHz - I know if I was buying another windows machine I'd be going after the speed. Should I be looking at 8gb instead of 4gb RAM?

Basically, which upgrades are worth getting - and which aren't required? I'd like to be able to use the machine without issue for ~2 years before looking at updating again.

Thanks for your help!

The new models will be in-store beginning June 12th, at least in the U.S.

I can't find any reference on the Canadian store to when the Canadian Retail stores will be getting them. You should call the store before you go.

I think that 8GB of RAM is almost a necessity these days. But I've been getting by on 2GB for several years and Mac OS X is efficient enough that I don't notice, even when I run very intensive programs. So 4GB may be enough for you. I have a suspicion that it'll be the minimum requirement for OS X Mavericks though.

You'll be fine with the 1.3GHz i5. It automatically overclocks to 2.6GHz when it needs to.

 

[summitRun]

You don't need the i7 for "web browsing, movie watching, some basic business programs, and online poker."

Well put, and all you need to know OP, imo

You could prolly find yourself a used mid-July i5 rig for half the price

 

[barrk]

Go with the i5 and 8 gigs ram

 

[mattferg]

Go with the i5 and 8 gigs ram

This is what I went for. Whereas the CPU performance increase is minimal for the price the 8GB of RAM is a much better deal.