Is the base model Air enough for me?

[Dominio]

I'm about to buy a new MacBook Air but not sure what specs to go for to suit my needs.

I'm not very tech minded so figures don't really mean much to me, hopefully you guys can advise me on that.

I'm coming from a 2012 Sony Vaio VPCEH with i5 processor @2.5GHz with 4GB RAM and 500GB memory.

I'm looking at the base model 13" Air, but the specs appear worse than my current laptop, ie. 1.3GHz v 2.5GHz and 128GB storage v 500GB.

My typical usage would be:

-Writing documents and emails
-Storing photos (I take a lot of photos) and just minor editing
-Web browsing with up to 15 tabs open.
-Streaming videos on YouTube, BBC iPlayer and ITV player
-Listening to music on iTunes (I have about 1000 songs in my library)
-Renting movies off iTunes or Netflix

I'm not a gaming person so don't use my laptop for games but I do play poker on sites like Pokerstars and Full-Tilt and multitable up to 6 and like to play whilst streaming videos or listening to music.

How does the Air compare to my Vaio based on my activities?
Will the base model be adequate for my usage or do you guys recommend upgrading either the RAM or the processor?

 

[mentaluproar]

The memory should be okay, although more is always better, so you have room to grow. I would worry more about the storage capacity.

 

[Avarize]

You hardly do anything that would put a strain on a base model air. Keep in mind you'd be moving to an SSD which can make an amazing difference from a standard HDD.

 

[sparkie7]

Get a 2012 refurb and save some ca$h. what you do is not going to strain a 2013 MBA in the slightest. Neither a 2012 model for that matter, so save yourself some dollar$

 

[twingo]

If you intend to run Windows via Parallels, you better take 8 GB Ram.

 

[Abazigal]

You are likely coming from a conventional hard disk drive, so the ssd in the air will represent faster startup times for your apps.

The first thing you need to do is determine how much space your music and photos take up. I suspect the 128 gb version might barely suffice, but you may be better off with the 256 gb version.

Nothing you do really requires a fast processor, so you shouldn't experience any drawbacks in that aspect.

My personal recommendation is the 4gb ram / 256 ssd option.

 

[Bear]

The MAcBook Air will be fine for what you want to do. 8GB would of course be better. The real question is you say you take a lot of photos. Will 128GB be enough for the photos you will be keeping on it?

 

[mattopotamus]

If you intend to run Windows via Parallels, you better take 8 GB Ram.

really a myth. Parallels will run fine with 4gb of ram

The MAcBook Air will be fine for what you want to do. 8GB would of course be better. The real question is you say you take a lot of photos. Will 128GB be enough for the photos you will be keeping on it?

I would only upgrade the ram if you plan on keeping the machine more than 4 years. If you upgrade every year, or every few years 4gb will be sufficient.

 

[HiDEF]

Best buy has WD 1TB for sale ($80) which you can check out.