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Macbook Air - 64 GB ?

S

sam2428

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Mar 8, 2011
404
141
Houston, TX
Hello everyone,


I commented on someones thread in the Macbook Air section, but i figured I would post in here as well for some advice. I currently have the high end mid-2010 27" iMac and i have an iPad 2 as my mobile device. This combination has worked perfect for my needs thus far but...

I am starting to apply for MBA programs (looking to start in Fall 2013) and know I will need a laptop to do hw, write essays, and work in excel. Although I am primarily looking at online / distance learning programs, I will still need a laptop to study, etc when at the library or the neighborhood starbucks.


MacMall has their 2011 Macbook Air - 2GB ram - 64 GB SSD for $750 which is a great deal and I wouldn't have to pay tax. I know 64 GB is pretty low, but this will not be my primary machine and will be pretty much only used for productivity apps, web browsing, etc.

What do you guys think? Reasons I should / shouldnt buy it to help me decide would be much appreciated. Thanks in advance! :D
 
While the 64 GB will probably suffice, the 2 GB will definitely not, especially when running Mac OS X 10.7 Lion or OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion, for which 4 GB would be better.
 
Yeah, you'll be able to get away with 64GB of disk space, especially as you can get one of those micro-USB sticks to bump it up if you're running low. However I'd get 4GB of RAM for sure, as 4GB is pretty much the standard these days if you want to run more than one app at a time - Hell, I'm going to be upgrading my MacBook pro to 8GB soon since 4GB is getting stretched sometimes with 10 tab in chrome, iTunes, mail and messages open... Id think that 2GB would therefore struggle under only the most basic multitasking.
 
sam2428 said:
Hello everyone,


I commented on someones thread in the Macbook Air section, but i figured I would post in here as well for some advice. I currently have the high end mid-2010 27" iMac and i have an iPad 2 as my mobile device. This combination has worked perfect for my needs thus far but...

I am starting to apply for MBA programs (looking to start in Fall 2013) and know I will need a laptop to do hw, write essays, and work in excel. Although I am primarily looking at online / distance learning programs, I will still need a laptop to study, etc when at the library or the neighborhood starbucks.


MacMall has their 2011 Macbook Air - 2GB ram - 64 GB SSD for $750 which is a great deal and I wouldn't have to pay tax. I know 64 GB is pretty low, but this will not be my primary machine and will be pretty much only used for productivity apps, web browsing, etc.

What do you guys think? Reasons I should / shouldnt buy it to help me decide would be much appreciated. Thanks in advance! :D
Click to expand...

That's not that good of a deal... I got my 2011 i7/4gb/256gb for $999 brand new from Microcenter.
 
2GB ram.... I guess I didn't even think of that so much since I was so focused on the hard drive. I know it comes preloaded with Lion, I wonder how people's machines are running who did buy this particular model...
 
sam2428 said:
2GB ram.... I guess I didn't even think of that so much since I was so focused on the hard drive. I know it comes preloaded with Lion, I wonder how people's machines are running who did buy this particular model...
Click to expand...
Slow, even if 2 GB is the minimum requirement for Mac OS X 10.7 Lion, 4 GB is the recommended minimum, as Mac OS X 10.7 Lion is a bit RAM hungry.
 
jbzcar said:
That's not that good of a deal... I got my 2011 i7/4gb/256gb for $999 brand new from Microcenter.
Click to expand...

Wow, that is a awesome deal. When did you pick this up if you don't mind me asking? Before or after the 2012 update? Also, was this online or in store?



I know my primary needs will not be for heavy use, but I guess if I'm going to spend the money, might as well get something that will last me a while too. I'm still not sure though...

Part of me wants to buy it since it will be saving me $300+. The part that is also thinking about grad school tuition and expenses. Although this is minor compared to the rest.

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simsaladimbamba said:
Slow, even if 2 GB is the minimum requirement for Mac OS X 10.7 Lion, 4 GB is the recommended minimum, as Mac OS X 10.7 Lion is a bit RAM hungry.
Click to expand...

That makes sense. I have not updated to mountain lion on my iMac yet. I usually wait a while before upgrading new OS's, but you make a solid point.
 
I am on the market for the same computer as you as well. I currently have a MBP with a 60GB SSD and it's sufficient as storage for me. But 2GB is a bit low with the new OSes. I often use 2.5-3GB on my desktop.

But if you just want to use it for word processing it will be enough.
 
I have a 2Gb/64GB Air - it's fine but if I only had one computer, I'd get something with more capability. I paid $575 for my 2011 - but they are as low as $749 on Apple's refurb store.

I have seen a lot of lightly used 2011 13" Airs with 4GB/128GB for $700, I'd go with one of those.
 
64GB SSD is real low.
I run of 128GB SSD which I think is still pretty low.
though if you would want to consider getting yours with low HDD, get more RAM.
 
Buy as close as you can to when you start classes, not while you are applying to graduate schools. Time will work in your favor to help you get more for your money. As far as a near term purchase, I would not bite on any MBA deal for a machine that has 2GB RAM.

You might do fine with a 64GB hard drive, but look for deals on MBA's that have at least 4GB RAM.

If you aren't already shopping Apple's online listing of refurbished MBA's, that can be a good resource for deals. (You will need to add local sales tax to compare real world prices with deals from sellers like MacMall and B&H Photo.)

Good luck with your shopping!
 
DoctorCrap said:
64GB SSD is real low.
I run of 128GB SSD which I think is still pretty low.
though if you would want to consider getting yours with low HDD, get more RAM.
Click to expand...

Yeah - Solutions can be found if you run out of hard drive space (cloud storage, USB sticks, external hard drives etc etc) but there's no solution to not enough RAM. If the RAM is not enough for what you're doing you will be stuck.
 
sam2428 said:
Wow, that is a awesome deal. When did you pick this up if you don't mind me asking? Before or after the 2012 update? Also, was this online or in store?
Click to expand...

Just over a month ago, after the update. Got it in store, lucky enough to have a Microcenter not too far from here. :)
 
MacSignal said:
Buy as close as you can to when you start classes, not while you are applying to graduate schools. Time will work in your favor to help you get more for your money. As far as a near term purchase, I would not bite on any MBA deal for a machine that has 2GB RAM.

You might do fine with a 64GB hard drive, but look for deals on MBA's that have at least 4GB RAM.

If you aren't already shopping Apple's online listing of refurbished MBA's, that can be a good resource for deals. (You will need to add local sales tax to compare real world prices with deals from sellers like MacMall and B&H Photo.)

Good luck with your shopping!
Click to expand...


Yea, I totally agree. I was not in a huge rush to buy something...although I am always eager when I am looking into getting a new toy. I will see if there are any great deals around Black Friday, but i assume it will be similar to last year. If not, then I'll wait until the refresh last year and see if i can get a pretty good deal then.

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jbzcar said:
Just over a month ago, after the update. Got it in store, lucky enough to have a Microcenter not too far from here. :)
Click to expand...

That is pretty sweet. I actually have a Microcenter only 10 mintues away from where I live now. I'll keep a look out for deals in store after next years update/refresh.

Looks like the new intel chip will be out ~March...so it would probably be soon after that.
 
Is 2GB ram sufficient for Mountain Lion? By sufficient I mean "usable" or will performance be way bogged down compared to 4GB. Main use web browsing, email, light word processing, occassional video and music player.
 
Last edited:
theprocess said:
Is 2GB ram sufficient for Mountain Lion? By sufficient I mean "usable" or will performance be way bogged down compared to 4GB. Main use web browsing, email, light word processing, occassional video and music player.
Click to expand...

I had a 2010 11" with 2GB and now have a 2011 11" with 2GB - It works - but the 2012's all come with 4GB standard.
 
simsaladimbamba said:
While the 64 GB will probably suffice, the 2 GB will definitely not, especially when running Mac OS X 10.7 Lion or OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion, for which 4 GB would be better.
Click to expand...

I'm running the same hardware as noted by the commenter. Running ML with zero issues. Was also able to run ML on my dad's 2010 white MacBook with no issues as well.

I think it depends what you want to do with it. Word Processing, web browsing, emails, youtube, streaming music, etc. won't hurt with 2 GB. This is why it is the entry level consumer product.

If you want more intensive processes at the same time? Go for 4.
 
I have a 2011 11" MBA with 2GB of RAM (Mountain Lion). It's not that slow. Don't forget the OS X scales very well. Running Safari, Mail, Pages, and Calendar I usually have 200MB of free RAM. So it won't fly, but it will certainly last you a few years.

On another note, Page Outs won't be nearly as noticeable because it's writing data to the SSD.
 
wolfpuppies3 said:
64 GB absolutely. For an iPhone 5, not for a computer. 8 GB memory would be a safe bet, it takes 4 GB just to make Mountain Lion sing.
Click to expand...

For a casual user, 2G is enough. It sings on 2G's.

If it's faster on 4 or 8, wow.

2 is fine for casual, consumer use.

Again, if you need more that just casual computer use, by all means go for 4 or 8G's.

The real issue is when Apple will decide the update cutoff starts at 4.
 
I would like everyone else here recommend 4GB of ram. 2GB is not enough for Lion or Mountain Lion. Especially when you're going to be using Excel on top of Lion or ML.
 
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