Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

Help me decide between two Macbook Airs...

M

Miss Daredevil

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Jun 7, 2016
25
2
Hey, guys! I have been looking for the perfect Macbook Air and I have two final options... They are not brand new because of my budget, but look as if they are. I'll link you to their specifications and I hope you will have the time and the will to check them out and answer a few of my questions. I would really appreciate it since I don't know much about these things. :)

Sidenote: I would be using the Mac for browsing (all social networks, music, youtube, skype, movies, etc) and Photoshop occasionally. That's pretty much it.

Macbook Air 2015:
http://www.everymac.com/systems/app...book-air-core-i5-1.6-13-early-2015-specs.html

Macbook Air 2013:
http://www.everymac.com/systems/app...acbook-air-core-i5-1.3-13-mid-2013-specs.html

**both have 8GB of RAM**

1) The 2015 one is 100 dollars more expensive than the 2013 one. Do you think it's worth it paying more or not?
2) If I decide to get the 2013 one, how long could it potentially last before it becomes "outdated"?
3) I'm sure I had more questions, but I can't think of any at the moment. Thanks for helping me out!
 
Last edited:
It's a little difficult to see the actual RAM installed, as well as SSD storage. But if you get a quote with specific config, then you're OK. I think the 2015 is worth $100 more. A little bit faster in RAM/SSD/TB, and more power efficient. More likely it will be supported longer by Apple.
 
I have a early 2014, 13", and an early 2015 13", both with i5, and 4mb of ram. Hard to tell them apart by looks or performance.

Nobody is really giving you a real reason to pick one over the other. My 2014 specs do not look much different than the 2013 you are looking at. Compared to the 2015 which I do have, not much noticeable difference in performance or battery life, in my real world experiences. It comes down to price I suppose.
 
bopajuice said:
Nobody is really giving you a real reason to pick one over the other. My 2014 specs do not look much different than the 2013 you are looking at. Compared to the 2015 which I do have, not much noticeable difference in performance or battery life, in my real world experiences. It comes down to price I suppose.
Click to expand...

That and the 2013 one has been used more. :)
 
Miss Daredevil said:
That and the 2013 one has been used more. :)
Click to expand...

The 2015 has a PCIe x4 SSD. It's insanely fast. Much faster then the 2013, and it was much faster then anything on the market at the time of release. I'd pay $100 for that alone. The processor has a slightly clock speed, but it is a whole generation newer as well. The battery is newer, probably has less cycles (you might want to check this under system profiler---> power).

So buy the 2015.
 
  • Like
Reactions: madrich
I have MBA 13" early 2015, 8 gb ram, and 250 storage. I bought it used for $750. It only had 8 battery cycles on it, so it was hardly used. Although the Apple Care warranty expired a few months after my purchase, warranty coverage was extended another (one) year through my credit card. I bought it to replace my MB Pro 15", early 2008.


I also recommend the MBA 2015.
 
Last edited:
I don't see where you've told us the size of the SSD on both machines, that could be a big factor in deciding. It's true the SSD got a speed bump, but the 2013 SSD is already really fast - about 700MB/sec. IIRC the new model bumped that to 900MB/sec or so. But the 128gb SSD has always been slower than the larger models, so there might not be much difference if the 2013 has a 256 and the 2015 has a 128. And anyway, I seriously doubt that most people would ever notice this in real world use, it's more about geeky bragging rights. ;)

Aside from that, there really is very little difference between the 2013 and the 2015 model, have seen some claims of slightly longer battery life but nothing definitive. If the RAM and SSD sizes are the same though - and they are both in good condition - then $100 for a newer machine seems like a reasonable deal just because it's newer and theoretically the battery will last longer before needing replacement.

OTOH, I wouldn't pay anything extra for a 2015 model that has seen rough use vs a really clean 2013. :)
[doublepost=1504826073][/doublepost]
Miss Daredevil said:
If I decide to get the 2013 one, how long could it potentially last before it becomes "outdated"?
Click to expand...

I think the 2013 and 2015 will be exactly the same in this regard. There really weren't any hardware upgrades in 2015 that would make a difference. You might need to replace the battery sooner on the 2013, but that depends on a variety of factors. If so, that costs about $150 at an Apple Store.

Still very happy with my 2013 MBA, still on the original battery although run time is a bit less than when new.
 
Last edited:
These are factors that would influence my decision:

  1. Does the 2015 still have AppleCare/AC+ or is it eligible for AppleCare? (the non-+)
  2. Is the 2013 model a 4 GB RAM model?
  3. Which of the two have a battery with better health statistics?
  4. Would the Seller of either agree to meet you at an Apple Authorized Service Provider and allow the SP to perform MRI on the system to check for any health issues?
  5. Are both models 128 GB SSDs?
 
Boyd01 said:
I don't see where you've told us the size of the SSD on both machines, that could be a big factor in deciding. It's true the SSD got a speed bump, but the 2013 SSD is already really fast - about 700MB/sec. IIRC the new model bumped that to 900MB/sec or so. But the 128gb SSD has always been slower than the larger models, so there might not be much difference if the 2013 has a 256 and the 2015 has a 128. And anyway, I seriously doubt that most people would ever notice this in real world use, it's more about geeky bragging rights. ;)

Aside from that, there really is very little difference between the 2013 and the 2015 model, have seen some claims of slightly longer battery life but nothing definitive. If the RAM and SSD sizes are the same though - and they are both in good condition - then $100 for a newer machine seems like a reasonable deal just because it's newer and theoretically the battery will last longer before needing replacement.

OTOH, I wouldn't pay anything extra for a 2015 model that has seen rough use vs a really clean 2013. :)
[doublepost=1504826073][/doublepost]

I think the 2013 and 2015 will be exactly the same in this regard. There really weren't any hardware upgrades in 2015 that would make a difference. You might need to replace the battery sooner on the 2013, but that depends on a variety of factors. If so, that costs about $150 at an Apple Store.

Still very happy with my 2013 MBA, still on the original battery although run time is a bit less than when new.
Click to expand...


I'm sorry. It looks like you post a lot here but it seems like this post is very much "Well I have one, so that must be the best one!"

The 2015 is the better buy without knowing the condition of either. It is true that size of SSD can impact performance, but having two more PCIe lanes has much more impact on performance. It was benchmarked not at 900MB, not even close. try 1500MB/s:

http://www.macworld.co.uk/review/mac-laptops/13-inch-macbook-air-early-2015-review-video-3601654/

And do you have ANY benchmarks proving that it is merely about geeky bragging rights, or is this perhaps something you tell yourself since you can't take advantage of this with your 2013 model? Don't get me wrong, I own neither but I work on both frequently at my job and I can tell you there is a huge difference. And there are plenty of article and benchmarks to back me up. I'd love to see evidence of the contrary.
 
ZapNZs said:
These are factors that would influence my decision:

  1. Does the 2015 still have AppleCare/AC+ or is it eligible for AppleCare? (the non-+)
  2. Is the 2013 model a 4 GB RAM model?
  3. Which of the two have a battery with better health statistics?
  4. Would the Seller of either agree to meet you at an Apple Authorized Service Provider and allow the SP to perform MRI on the system to check for any health issues?
  5. Are both models 128 GB SSDs?
Click to expand...

1. I have to check, not sure.
2. Both models are 8 GB.
3. They both have about a hundred cycles.
4. I'm from Serbia, we don't have that provider here since my country is not "officially" on the Apple list. We have distributers that officially sell Apple products but not those kind of services.
5. Yup!
 
green86 said:
it seems like this post is very much "Well I have one, so that must be the best one!"
Click to expand...

Sorry, I did not realize the difference was that great. Would I rather have a faster SSD? Sure, and I would also prefer a newer computer. I just doubt that the OP would notice much difference for their stated use which is "browsing and photoshop occasionally". Clearly you disagree with that, which is fine. I have never used a 2015 13" MBA so I can't claim personal knowledge.

Sorry that my comment about "geeky bragging rights" offended you.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back