Late 2013 rMBP vs. 2014 MBA

[Alias]

Hi there,

Considering purchasing a new laptop...this time a MacBook.

My usage consists of surfing the web, lots of shows, movies, the occasional office document (i.e., word, excel, powerpoint).

I am deciding between the Late 2013 rMBP or the 2014 MBA. Price difference for me is about U$180.

Any suggestions?

Thanks!

 

[mad3inch1na]

Hi there,

Considering purchasing a new laptop...this time a MacBook.

My usage consists of surfing the web, lots of shows, movies, the occasional office document (i.e., word, excel, powerpoint).

I am deciding between the Late 2013 rMBP or the 2014 MBA. Price difference for me is about U$180.

Any suggestions?

Thanks!

Depends on which model you get. If you are going for baseline, you can get a MBA for as little as 750$. If you are going for an 8GB/256GB model, the rMBP is most likely your best choice. The only significant benefits of the MBA are battery life and cost. I personally prefer the rMBP, but I have a 2014 MBA because it was so much cheaper. The MBA has a surprisingly outdated screen, and although it isn't bad, the viewing angles are dissapointing for any sort of media consumption. I would recommend either a 4GB MBA or an 8GB rMBP.

 

[Alias]

Depends on which model you get. If you are going for baseline, you can get a MBA for as little as 750$. If you are going for an 8GB/256GB model, the rMBP is most likely your best choice. The only significant benefits of the MBA are battery life and cost. I personally prefer the rMBP, but I have a 2014 MBA because it was so much cheaper. The MBA has a surprisingly outdated screen, and although it isn't bad, the viewing angles are dissapointing for any sort of media consumption. I would recommend either a 4GB MBA or an 8GB rMBP.

Thank you very much for the response. I was deciding between the 4GB/128GB rMBP and the same for the MBA. Both are baseline - I figured for my use I shouldn't need much more.

Would either be able to run Yosemite flawlessly?

 

[Samuelsan2001]

rMBP is a better computer.

Thank you very much for the response. I was deciding between the 4GB/128GB rMBP and the same for the MBA. Both are baseline - I figured for my use I shouldn't need much more.

Would either be able to run Yosemite flawlessly?

rMBP is worth it for the screen and the extra connections (screen especially greta for text)

The hardware is fine for Yosemite it'll run on a 2009 Macbook, wether it runs flawlesssly is all down to the software...

 

[Alias]

Thanks for the response. I bought the rMBP and am loving it so far!

The 2014 rMBP just went on sale and for a $180 more I can upgrade from the Late 2013 to the 2014. Is the $180 worth the extra clock speed and ram?

Again, all I will be doing is web surfing, shows, movies and the occasional office doc.

Thanks!

 

[Samuelsan2001]

Ram worth it

The ram is worth it as it is soldered in and can't be upgraded. The clock speed means nothing really. However for your use case it won't matter unless you see it changing in the next couple of years. Glad you like it I love mine...

 

[Alias]

The ram is worth it as it is soldered in and can't be upgraded. The clock speed means nothing really. However for your use case it won't matter unless you see it changing in the next couple of years. Glad you like it I love mine...

Don't see my use changing in the future. Just to clarify, are you saying the clock speed won't make a diff. unless my use changes or the ram or both?

If both, then I may as well save the $180

Thanks for taking the time!

 

[Alias]

The ram is worth it as it is soldered in and can't be upgraded. The clock speed means nothing really. However for your use case it won't matter unless you see it changing in the next couple of years. Glad you like it I love mine...

Don't see my use changing in the future. Just to clarify, are you saying the clock speed won't make a diff. unless my use changes or the ram or both?

If both, then I may as well save the $180

Thanks for taking the time!

----------

The ram is worth it as it is soldered in and can't be upgraded. The clock speed means nothing really. However for your use case it won't matter unless you see it changing in the next couple of years. Glad you like it I love mine...

Don't see my use changing in the future. Just to clarify, are you saying the clock speed won't make a diff. unless my use changes or the ram or both?

If both, then I may as well save the $180

Thanks for taking the time!

 

[magbarn]

Thanks for the response. I bought the rMBP and am loving it so far!

The 2014 rMBP just went on sale and for a $180 more I can upgrade from the Late 2013 to the 2014. Is the $180 worth the extra clock speed and ram?

Again, all I will be doing is web surfing, shows, movies and the occasional office doc.

Thanks!

Good choice on the rMBP, I wanted a more portable macbook than my rMBP 15 and went through several MBA's from 2012 to Haswell 2013 11/13 and despite their better battery life, I returned them all as I couldn't stand their horrible screens...

 

[Alias]

Good choice on the rMBP, I wanted a more portable macbook than my rMBP 15 and went through several MBA's from 2012 to Haswell 2013 11/13 and despite their better battery life, I returned them all as I couldn't stand their horrible screens...

Thanks! I love the retina on my 4th gen iPad and compared the MBA to the 2014 MBP as I believe the screens on the late 2013 rMBP and the 2014 rMBP are the same. I liked the rMBP better.

Even better was that the day after I bought the rMBP, the price dropped $100 so went back to price match!