MacBook Air (2011)

[aceuk007]

Hi I have just been given a MacBook Air (2011) that has not been used for over 6 years.
My plan for it's use is a media centre.
Just running Kodi with the connections as follows:-
Thunderbolt - HDMI
USB - Ethernet
USB - External housing holding 2 HDD (Movies, TV , Music)
My questions are -
1. Is it powerful enough to do what I want.
2. I know it is not supported anymore, does that mean that I can't do a fresh install on it as I understand it has to download the new OS.
3. If I can still do a fresh install is this how to do it - Restore MacBook Air 2011 and what OS would I put on it.
4. Would it be better If I installed Windows 7 64bit bootcamp ( I have disc and superdrive). Would I need certain bootcamp files for Win 7 and are they different for what machine you are using them on .
Thank you

 

[aceuk007]

253 views and not one reply.
I did not think the questions was that hard for the knowledgeable people on here.

 

[AlexanderUK]

I have a Mid 2011 Air which I'm in the process of upgrading...

The last version of MacOS that it supports is High Sierra. I wouldn't bother with running Windows 7 on it, it'll run but it'll be stressful on the device (I used to run duel OS's as a developer). As for your main point Kodi, technically it could run a media center system however I probably wouldn't bother, streaming anything over 720p and it's going to lag and need frequent reboots because the Intel GPU in the machine is notorious for being a dumpster-fire.

 

[aceuk007]

AlexanderUk - Thank you for replying.
So the fact it is not supported won't stop me from doing a fresh install and downloading the the OS.
Would installing High Sierra demand more space / memory then Lion . Would it offer any benefits to me for what I want to do. Not to bothered by Streaming as I have all my Movies/ TV/ Music on HDD. I don't understand what you mean by "dumpster fire". So are you saying that by installing Win7 it will make it run slower.

 

[Lara F]

I used a mid-2011 MBA until two years ago and do recall having glitches requiring restarts when playing HD videos off an external hard drive (ie. not streaming). Not saying it’s not worth trying, just chances are it won’t perform too great. I may play around with installing Linux on mine sometime.