From 15" rMBP to 2013 Macbook Air i7

[Larrabee213]

Can you guys help me out with a decision. I am hoping some of you have experience running CS6 on an i7 Macbook Air

I have a top of the line 2013 rMPB 15" (2.3ghz i7, 16GB, 512GB HD, 2GB 750m). I do a decent amount of video editing in Adobe Premiere Pro, but mostly general audio recording/editing. No games, just Adobe Premiere Pro and a few other Adobe apps like Audition.

A few days back I picked up a refurbished Late 2013 13" Macbook Air with 1.7ghz Core i7, 8GB ram, 512GB HD. It does a surprisingly good job with Premier Pro. Some effects like Warp Stabilizing obviously take a bit more time, but nothing crazy. Had no issue adding effects to clips and playing back in real time. One thing that did worry me is that during a google hangout the fans were on full blast hurting the audio I was recording from my mic.

The reason for all of this is I am taking an extended trip to and around Japan, with a possible move out there and want to travel as light as I can. Also the 15" rMBP tends to heat up even when doing general things like browsing/working in office apps making lap use a bit uncomfortable.

I am trying to decide if the lower heat and portability of the Air is worth sacrificing the extra power of the rMBP 15.

Thanks in advance

 

[jmoore5196]

In my case, yes. I've effectively relegated my 2013 13" i7 MBP to a standby machine while I use my ultimate 11" MBA for my CC work, which is largely Audition and InDesign. I have the MBA docked to an ATD.

I sold my early-2011 15" MBP earlier this year; I was just unwilling to bend my shoulder for the minimal performance gains involved.

 

[Larrabee213]

Thanks for the input, anyone else have a take on this?

 

[joshlalonde]

The fans go on during Google Hangout calls? Are you running anything else at the same time? I Skype call and FaceTime semi-frequently and the fans don't turn on. Do you use Chrome browser?

 

[trant]

Long time reader who registered just to reply to this post, as I was in the exact same situation last month.

I recently changed from a Late-2013 15" 2.6/16/1TB for the exact same reasons. In addition to the lack of portability, I found myself always worrying about battery life and the Retina display caused me a good deal of eye strain.

My new computer is an Early-2014 i7 MacBook Air with 8GB RAM and a 512GB SSD. I couldn't be happier and find the battery life amazing, no longer burn my lap when working for long periods of time and the performance is adequate for my needs (general web browsing, iPhoto, Parallels).

I sold my 15" and with the money left over after paying for my Air, I have enough money to buy an unlocked iPhone 6. For me it was a win-win situation, as I no longer needed the additional power the 15" offered me as I don't work from home any more.

Good luck!

 

[capathy21]

Long time reader who registered just to reply to this post, as I was in the exact same situation last month.

I recently changed from a Late-2013 15" 2.6/16/1TB for the exact same reasons. In addition to the lack of portability, I found myself always worrying about battery life and the Retina display caused me a good deal of eye strain.

My new computer is an Early-2014 i7 MacBook Air with 8GB RAM and a 512GB SSD. I couldn't be happier and find the battery life amazing, no longer burn my lap when working for long periods of time and the performance is adequate for my needs (general web browsing, iPhoto, Parallels).

I sold my 15" and with the money left over after paying for my Air, I have enough money to buy an unlocked iPhone 6. For me it was a win-win situation, as I no longer needed the additional power the 15" offered me as I don't work from home any more.

Good luck!

So going from the sharpness of a retina to the average screen of the Air didn't bother you? I ask because the only reason I went retina was for the display. I prefer the Air's battery life and design, but I couldn't get past the screen on the Air. Do you miss the sharpness of the text on the retina?

 

[joshlalonde]

So going from the sharpness of a retina to the average screen of the Air didn't bother you? I ask because the only reason I went retina was for the display. I prefer the Air's battery life and design, but I couldn't get past the screen on the Air. Do you miss the sharpness of the text on the retina?

Now, now. The Air has an excellent display. It's better than 720p, first of all. Compared to the retina display, no, it's not better of course. But the Air's screen is actually quite excellent and it's a welcome change from using a 1366x768. Well, if you're talking about the 13".

Retina isn't worth it if you don't need a Pro for any other reason, IMO. If you have speciality needs (graphics designer, etc) and need a better screen, then ya. But for average person, the retina display isn't important. Not only does it make you lose potential performance and battery life being a big energy hog, you have to pay a hefty price for it too.

 

[ckeck]

Now, now. The Air has an excellent display. It's better than 720p, first of all. Compared to the retina display, no, it's not better of course. But the Air's screen is actually quite excellent and it's a welcome change from using a 1366x768. Well, if you're talking about the 13".

This...while I love the sharpness of the retina display...I still can't believe the default resolution (where it benefits the most) is so low...same as 13" Air on the 15" rMBP.

The 1440x900 res on the 13" Air is surprisingly good and while I wish it was slightly higher it gets the job done. PPI isn't crazy high and you can see some pixels, but there is just something about this screen...it "feels" and looks great! Three times I've attempted to move back to a retina Pro because I do like to game some while traveling. Never stuck with a Pro and just opted to give up on gaming while traveling.

Once you use the Air for a bit you'll likely fall in love with the screen. And as far as horsepower is concerned, if you don't mind a few seconds or minutes here and there for rendering, there isn't much other real world performance loss that you'll see. But you will get better portability and battery. Great little machine!

 

[trant]

So going from the sharpness of a retina to the average screen of the Air didn't bother you? I ask because the only reason I went retina was for the display. I prefer the Air's battery life and design, but I couldn't get past the screen on the Air. Do you miss the sharpness of the text on the retina?

I don't miss the sharpness of the Retina display for two reasons:

1) Unless you fiddled with the (blurry) scaled resolutions, you didn't actually get any more screen real estate with Retina

2) For whatever reason, the Retina display on my MacBook Pro caused me to feel motion sickness after an hour or so of use. This was the primary reason for switching.

Although the Retina display is noticeably better in every way (sharpness, contrast, colour reproduction) I find the Air perfectly acceptable for everyday use, and after a few days you don't really notice the difference.

I do hope that Apple release a MacBook Air with a higher resolution than what they have now, maybe 1080p. This, to me, would be the perfect compromise as Retina is very power hungry and would defeat the purpose of buying an Air for portability and battery life.

 

[yinz]

I'm surprised you'd have trouble browsing the web with the rMBP. I don't think it's supposed to heat up like that. Do you use Chrome? Maybe you should have it checked out.

If you plan to go out there for that long, I'd say bring the rMBP. The MBP is built for this type of scenery. It's a mobile workstation. The MBA is just mobile. You can carry it (MBA) around daily, but if you want to work for an extended period of time, isn't that the whole purpose of the MBP line?

 

[J&JPolangin]

The reason for all of this is I am taking an extended trip to and around Japan, with a possible move out there and want to travel as light as I can. Also the 15" rMBP tends to heat up even when doing general things like browsing/working in office apps making lap use a bit uncomfortable.

I am trying to decide if the lower heat and portability of the Air is worth sacrificing the extra power of the rMBP 15.

Thanks in advance

...you may be able to sell the MBP for a better price when you get here if you can change it over to a Japanese OS with a clean install...

Just a thought, check out Yahoo Japan Auctions to see what your model is selling for to see...(as I type this on my base 2013 11.6" MBA).

 

[capathy21]

I don't miss the sharpness of the Retina display for two reasons:

1) Unless you fiddled with the (blurry) scaled resolutions, you didn't actually get any more screen real estate with Retina

2) For whatever reason, the Retina display on my MacBook Pro caused me to feel motion sickness after an hour or so of use. This was the primary reason for switching.

Although the Retina display is noticeably better in every way (sharpness, contrast, colour reproduction) I find the Air perfectly acceptable for everyday use, and after a few days you don't really notice the difference.

I do hope that Apple release a MacBook Air with a higher resolution than what they have now, maybe 1080p. This, to me, would be the perfect compromise as Retina is very power hungry and would defeat the purpose of buying an Air for portability and battery life.

I am seriously considering making the switch. I've recently changed the way I work and am needing something that can last 10 plus hours on a charge. I am very hesitant to give up retina though. Thinking of picking up a 13 inch MBA tomorrow and trying it out. Base model would do me fine. I have a base model rMBP now. Think it's worth trying out?

 

[trant]

I am seriously considering making the switch. I've recently changed the way I work and am needing something that can last 10 plus hours on a charge. I am very hesitant to give up retina though. Thinking of picking up a 13 inch MBA tomorrow and trying it out. Base model would do me fine. I have a base model rMBP now. Think it's worth trying out?

I would definitely give it a go, you have nothing to lose. My suggestion would be to buy an Air that has enough storage space for your needs (i.e. the same as your current rMBP), should you decide to keep it.

 

[capathy21]

I would definitely give it a go, you have nothing to lose. My suggestion would be to buy an Air that has enough storage space for your needs (i.e. the same as your current rMBP), should you decide to keep it.

Yea I am really kicking myself because my wife had a base model 2013 13 inch Air but she went back to windows for work and we sold her Air for 700. I am looking now for the best deal. Best Buy doesn't have a sale right now and nothing decent in open box at my local store. I have a student discount and movers coupon. If I get Best Buy to price match B and H, then apply my student discount and movers coupon, I can get the 2014 13 inch base model Air for about 830 tax included. Think that is a good deal?