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Is it worth buying a 4gb ram air in 2018?
- Thread starter Jacoblee23
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LOL, now we know what "grade B" means.
These weren't rated anything. The 2014 model on new egg was grade b. These didn't say and probably for this reason lol.
If you keep it light, you'll be alright, if you need to do more, it will become a chore.
I ended up passing on it due to some negative reviews of their condition from people who received them. I opted for a 2014 model instead I found off of ebay for $325. Much difference between the 2014 and the 2015 or should I be good
Here are the specs. Looks like the 2015 CPU is about 10% faster.
https://everymac.com/systems/apple/...book-air-core-i5-1.4-11-early-2014-specs.html
https://everymac.com/systems/apple/...book-air-core-i5-1.6-11-early-2015-specs.html
https://everymac.com/systems/apple/...book-air-core-i5-1.4-11-early-2014-specs.html
https://everymac.com/systems/apple/...book-air-core-i5-1.6-11-early-2015-specs.html
I received my early 2014 model today. There are a couple of dents. One noticeable one not bad but the rest of the MacBook is in fantastic condition including the keyboard and screen.
I confirmed it does indeed have 8gb of ram. One thing I thought was strange was when i checked the serial number it said mid 2013 when this is an early 2014 model. Upon further research it seems other people have had this issue with early 2014 airs showing up as mid 2013’s. The processor the 1.4 wasn’t even made in the 2013 airs and my specs are 2014. According to what I read the machines are so much alike they didn’t bother to update the info since they’re so similar. So I have a 2014 machine even though it says mid 2013.
My battery cycle says 387. How long before I will need a new battery due to decline? It says normal under battery right now. Will I be able to receive software updates the next few years in this machine? Overall very pleased with my eBay purchase. Glad I sent that route versus itech deals. I would have had a 2015 air but only 4gb of ram and a lot of people said theirs arrived in terrible condition and had to send them back.
I confirmed it does indeed have 8gb of ram. One thing I thought was strange was when i checked the serial number it said mid 2013 when this is an early 2014 model. Upon further research it seems other people have had this issue with early 2014 airs showing up as mid 2013’s. The processor the 1.4 wasn’t even made in the 2013 airs and my specs are 2014. According to what I read the machines are so much alike they didn’t bother to update the info since they’re so similar. So I have a 2014 machine even though it says mid 2013.
My battery cycle says 387. How long before I will need a new battery due to decline? It says normal under battery right now. Will I be able to receive software updates the next few years in this machine? Overall very pleased with my eBay purchase. Glad I sent that route versus itech deals. I would have had a 2015 air but only 4gb of ram and a lot of people said theirs arrived in terrible condition and had to send them back.
Hard to say how soon you will need a new battery. Use it for few weeks and if it doesn’t hold charge, you can buy a new one from ifixit under $100.
You should receive software updates for 3 more years.
Take the back cover off and clean it. Apply fresh paste on cpu and gpu.
You should receive software updates for 3 more years.
Take the back cover off and clean it. Apply fresh paste on cpu and gpu.
I also have an Early 2014 MBA that is CTO with 8GB of Ram. Haven't had any issues, just the occasional system freezes with the beachball and having to force it to shut down.
All my other devices are iOS so it's good to be able to airplay between them and respond to iMessages wherever I am.
All my other devices are iOS so it's good to be able to airplay between them and respond to iMessages wherever I am.
Yes, 8GB is preferred over 4GB, but if the price difference of the 8GB compared to the 4GB model is high enough, it doesn't make it worth it in the long run. I find Apple's up-charges to be unreasonable...especially with their macOS products.
4 years ago (Summer of 2014) I bought a brand new 4GB/128GB 11" MBA from Best buy for $450. If I wanted 8GB RAM that was another $200. If I wanted 256GB storage that was another $200. That screaming deal of $450 doesn't sound so screaming when it is $850. Yes, I would've liked the extra capacity, but not at nearly double the price. And 4 years later this little guy keeps on chugging.
If you're not doing numerous things at once, and it's a decent deal, then go for it. I have an 11" 2015/i5/4GB/256GB Air that I got cheap a few years back, and it's been a wonderful little laptop. I use it for much of my on-the-go computing, although I'm likely going to be repurposing it soon as my main school laptop (I'm a middle school teacher). I recently got a base model 2016 12" MacBook for a good price, and I've been using that machine a bit more over time. It's an interesting tradeoff between the extra CPU power but less RAM of the Air and the lower CPU power but more RAM of the 12". Not sure which I prefer at the moment. If I did start using the 2015 Air in my classroom, it would be replacing a 2011 11" base model Air with 2GB of RAM that's getting a tad long in the tooth, but still does what I need.
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Got a MBA a few weeks ago with 4GB RAM (2015 model, Core i5) and I use Google Chrome and iTunes on it perfectly without any lag at all. I wouldnt use this for VMs or for video editing but for basic use, 4GB is still plenty. Had this machine on for 2 hours as I type this with Chrome and iTunes open constantly, and it's using 2.5GB RAM.
Passed a couple of 4 GB mid-2013 air to my relatives and it's fine for surfing, office apps, email, and iTunes.
"light work" maybe ok. but it won't be quick machine and with a limited lifetime ahead of it.
for me, the only way to have always had a great machine with the air was to max it out in every way (processor, ram, ssd) then that is a config that rewards with many many years.
in spite of being a fan of macbook air, my advice is since you didn't mention the processor speed therefore i bet its not a maxxed out processor.
there is a reason why this machine is so very inexpensive. take your clue from that.
but equally the adage "if you need a machine immediately buy one immediately - dont wait until new machines are due to come out" is also very true.
if you have immediate work to do buy it, otherwise, wait, and save your money in september for a great machine.
I found an 8gb ram 2014 11” Air on eBay for $325. Despite some scuffs and a small dent in the body I am very happy with it. Glad I got 8gb of ram.
More RAM is "better" of course, especially if it's within your budget.
However, you can actually do quite a lot with 4GB of RAM, more than you think. I had an 11" Macbook Air with 4GB RAM, thinking that it would be just a casual machine. Due to its size and weight, it ended up being my choice for work laptop, and I was quite amazed what I can do with it (multiple excel files open, multiple tabs in Chrome, and while driving an Apple cinema display running in dual monitor setup). I was impressed.
However, you can actually do quite a lot with 4GB of RAM, more than you think. I had an 11" Macbook Air with 4GB RAM, thinking that it would be just a casual machine. Due to its size and weight, it ended up being my choice for work laptop, and I was quite amazed what I can do with it (multiple excel files open, multiple tabs in Chrome, and while driving an Apple cinema display running in dual monitor setup). I was impressed.
Ha! Same here! I even run VM's, render videos, and work with audio files on my 2014 11" MBA w/4GB.
I went with a reputable seller on eBay instead. Many who did i techs deal regret it after receiving theirs.
Would this be worth it in 2019? I have a decent desktop PC but I would like something as a companion for college
For just doing online stuff like browsing and typing? Sure. For editing big budget Hollywood movies? Probably not
I feel like there may be a few use cases between those two extremes
For a college notebook, you'll love it. The screen isn't great, but it's not useless by any means. It's a fantastically small, light, rugged little thing. It's perfect for throwing in your backpack along with your other stuff and forgetting that it's even there! I've been bringing one back and forth to school as a teacher for four years now, and it's fantastic to forget that there's even a laptop in my bag. If you're on a budget and need a small and light Mac, you can't really go wrong with an 11" Air.