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Going from 2.66GC2D MBP to 13inch MBA a step up?

E

enochpeng

macrumors regular
Original poster
Jan 22, 2008
136
0
I'm thinking to ditch my June 09 MBP with 2.66G Core 2 Duo and 4GB RAM and also a self installed 60GB SSD to a MBA 13inch lower end model?
How would the new machine feel compare to my two year old one?

My major needs are
-internet
-HD movie watching
-multiple office programs at a time
-light video editing (iMovie most of the time)
-Torrent downloads
-StarCraft II !my major concern!

Any input would be much appreciated

Thanks
Enoch
 
I think it would feel a couple pounds lighter. For your uses, and because you are already using an SSD, I would expect perceived performance to be almost identical. I don't know about StarCraft - it's possible that the Intel Graphics might be a small downgrade. I'm sure you can find a thread in the Gaming forum that discusses that..
 
I feel the only thing that comes close to what you have currently would be the MBA 13". Get an i7 if budget is available. :cool:
 
You would be going a step up, thats for sure. The geekbench scores on your machine are 3580 as opposed to 5860 on the 2011 mba. That difference alone will be significant plus the added benefit of the i5/i7 processor that you choose. The screen size shouldnt make any difference for you either since the mba carries the same screen resolution as your mbp model (1440*900)
 
thanks for the thoughts guys！

now i guess it's down the 8600GT VS HD3000 ?

which one is better 3 yrs old discret graphic card or modern intergraded card
 
I think you are mistaken about your current machine specs. The 09 MBP did NOT use the 8600GT. There was no 13" MBP released in mid 09. The standard 15" model had an integrated 9400m and a discreet 9600GT with 256 MB dedicated RAM.

From what I have read, the current intel HD 3000 and 9600GT have similar performance.

Mike
 
AdrianK said:
The computer I'm typing this on says there was ;)

Sorry, I meant to specify the speed (2.66) from the original post.



The OP never stated whether their MBP was 13, 15 or 17", just that they were looking at 13" MBAs.


Or 512mb VRAM for BTO.
Click to expand...

You are correct, but the OP claimed a C2D running at 2.66 GHz with a nVidia 86oo GT (incorrectly identified as the 9600 was used starting with the late 2008 unibody) released mid 09. Based on this, the only size MBP I could find was a 15" MBP.

Sorry for causing the confusion.

Mike
 
sorry guys! just to straight things up this is the spec of my laptop in the picture.

so i guess i won't have a pleasant time running SC2 on the new Macbook air?

And is it worth to opt for the i7 since i don't need that much storage ? or is it much faster than the standard i5

thanks again
 

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enochpeng said:
so i guess i won't have a pleasant time running SC2 on the new Macbook air?
Click to expand...
I really don't think so :(

enochpeng said:
And is it worth to opt for the i7 since i don't need that much storage ? or is it much faster than the standard i5
Click to expand...
There's a few threads on this in the Air forum, from what people have said (who purchased both) there doesn't seem to be any noticeable difference.
 
enochpeng said:
sorry guys! just to straight things up this is the spec of my laptop in the picture.

so i guess i won't have a pleasant time running SC2 on the new Macbook air?

And is it worth to opt for the i7 since i don't need that much storage ? or is it much faster than the standard i5

thanks again
Click to expand...

For the uses you listed (other than gaming), either the i5 or i7 is so far beyond what you need that the difference is trivial.

Here's a thread that specifically talks about StarCraft on the new i7 MBA..
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/1198470/
 
from my experience with the MBP im using now, i find 4GB of RAM to be barely sufficient for me.

especially when running VMware or Parallels....or even with many programs running at the same time.

so is there possibilities to upgrade the Air to 8GB of RAM
 
enochpeng said:
from my experience with the MBP im using now, i find 4GB of RAM to be barely sufficient for me.

especially when running VMware or Parallels....or even with many programs running at the same time.

so is there possibilities to upgrade the Air to 8GB of RAM
Click to expand...

You can't upgrade the RAM of a MacBook Air.

I have the same model 2009 MBP as you. I upgraded my RAM to 8gb for around $45 after rebate from Amazon. The deal is still going on until the end of July. Crucial memory.
 
jedivulcan said:
You can't upgrade the RAM of a MacBook Air.

I have the same model 2009 MBP as you. I upgraded my RAM to 8gb for around $45 after rebate from Amazon. The deal is still going on until the end of July. Crucial memory.
Click to expand...

how was the upgrade> big step forward? noticeable diff.?
maybe i should keep my MBP too?
 
Daily usage i feel 8GB Ram has little difference. Not that noticeable for me. However, when i run VMware Fusion with 4 images at once....that becomes noticeable. It is actually pretty smooth as compared to 4GB Rams. So i guess it depends on what tasks you do.
 
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