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Macbook Pro 2013 to Macbook Air 2016?

S

stark4

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Oct 14, 2008
391
1
Florida
I am currently using a Late 2013 Macbook Pro and I just got a Brand New Macbook Air 2016 for cheap ($600+tax). I m just wondering whether it's worth it for me to upgrade from Macbook pro to Macbook air? I don't really care about retina display because i always hook up to the external monitor at my desk. The only reason I'm thinking to to upgrade to macbook air is ..it has a 8GB of Ram. My current macbook pro has only 4GB of ram.

Here are their specs..

MacBook Pro "Core i5" 2.4 13" Late 2013 (My Current Macbook Pro)

    • 2.4GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 processor (Turbo Boost up to 2.9GHz) with 3MB shared L3 cache
    • 4GB 1600MHz DDR3L onboard memory; 128GB PCIe-based flash storage;
    • 13.3-inch (diagonal) Retina display, 2560x1600 pixel Resolution; LED-backlit with IPS technology
    • Intel Iris Graphics; 802.11ac Wi-Fi wireless networking

MacBook Air 13.3-Inch Laptop 2016 (Thinking to replace with this)

    • 1.6 GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 (Turbo Boost up to 2.7 GHz) with 3 MB shared L3 cache
    • 8 GB of 1600 MHz LPDDR3 RAM; 128 GB PCIe-based flash storage
    • 13.3-Inch (diagonal) LED-backlit Glossy Widescreen Display, 1440 x 900 resolution
    • Intel HD Graphics 6000
    • Up to 12 Hours of Battery Life
    • Macbook Air does not have a Retina display on any model.

Do you guys think it is worth it to sell my current Macbook Pro and replace it with Macbook Air? I don't have to add more money since i got the Air for $600 and the resale value for pro is around that price on eBay. If I will not see the huge performance increase by switching from pro to air then i'll not switch it and Will prob sell the air to family member. please let me know what you guys think.

Thanks in advance.
 
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I "upgraded" from a 2015 13" Air to a late 2013 2.4 13" Pro (same as yours except 8GB RAM). All things considered, your Macbook Pro is a much better machine than the Air. The only weak spot is the 4GB RAM.

However...you mentioned that you are hooking your computer to an external monitor and you don't care about the display. The graphics on the Air are slightly faster (I'm not quoting benchmarks, just my own perception). The processor on the Air is just 3% slower so it's basically the same speed.

The SSD on the Air is twice as fast so booting and launching programs is faster. The Air can do 4K external video but your Pro is limited to 2560x1600. The Air does not have a HDMI port and is limited to 1 external monitor. The Pro can drive 3 displays.

If I were in your shoes and couldn't afford a new Mac, i would try to get a later model (2015?) Macbook Pro 13" with 8GB RAM. It would have all the advantages that the 2015 Air has, but will be faster and have more ports and a much nicer screen and keyboard.
 
windows4ever said:
I "upgraded" from a 2015 13" Air to a late 2013 2.4 13" Pro (same as yours except 8GB RAM). All things considered, your Macbook Pro is a much better machine than the Air. The only weak spot is the 4GB RAM.

However...you mentioned that you are hooking your computer to an external monitor and you don't care about the display. The graphics on the Air are slightly faster (I'm not quoting benchmarks, just my own perception). The processor on the Air is just 3% slower so it's basically the same speed.

The SSD on the Air is twice as fast so booting and launching programs is faster. The Air can do 4K external video but your Pro is limited to 2560x1600. The Air does not have a HDMI port and is limited to 1 external monitor. The Pro can drive 3 displays.

If I were in your shoes and couldn't afford a new Mac, i would try to get a later model (2015?) Macbook Pro 13" with 8GB RAM. It would have all the advantages that the 2015 Air has, but will be faster and have more ports and a much nicer screen and keyboard.
Click to expand...

Thanks for your reply. so only CON for upgrading from my current late 2013 macbook pro to 2015 macbook air is the 3% slower processor? i always connect to 1 external 32" monitor so not able to connect to multiple monitors is not an issue.

The PRO for upgrading to macbook air is - SSD is faster, graphic is faster and 8GB of ram

so 3% slower processor is the only CON then i should still consider upgrading to air correct? Macbook air is still in the box and not sure whether i should sell it or upgrade from my macbook pro.


Thanks in advance
 
Don't do it! The 4GB RAM is a bit low these days, but that largely depends on your usage... macOS is very good at managing memory. The Air will be a big downgrade in performance, but a huge downgrade in display quality. Going from a Retina display to that awful TN panel on the Air would be an easy deal-breaker.
[doublepost=1501239770][/doublepost]
LarryJoe33 said:
Are the 2013 MBP's not upgradable? Why not just put in 16GB RAM and an SSD into the MBP?
Click to expand...
He has a Retina model... everything is soldered to the logic board; no upgrading RAM in that one. You may be able to "upgrade" the storage using some aftermarket solutions, but it already has a very fast SSD onboard.
 
Patcell said:
Don't do it! The 4GB RAM is a bit low these days, but that largely depends on your usage... macOS is very good at managing memory. The Air will be a big downgrade in performance, but a huge downgrade in display quality. Going from a Retina display to that awful TN panel on the Air would be an easy deal-breaker.
[doublepost=1501239770][/doublepost]
He has a Retina model... everything is soldered to the logic board; no upgrading RAM in that one. You may be able to "upgrade" the storage using some aftermarket solutions, but it already has a very fast SSD onboard.
Click to expand...

I did not know that. So all retina MBP's to current model are not upgradeable? Good to know, I am casually looking to get another MBP (with Retina)
 
LarryJoe33 said:
I did not know that. So all retina MBP's to current model are not upgradeable? Good to know, I am casually looking to get another MBP (with Retina)
Click to expand...
Unfortunately, yes... non of the retina models are upgradable. The RAM is soldered to the board. The storage can be upgraded in some of the earlier retina models, but from what I have read, it is a pain and the upgraded drives aren't that great. I do not have first-hand experience though. Also, in the 2016/2017 touch bar models, even the SSD is soldered to the logic board, so literally nothing is upgradable. Price we pay for thinner/ lighter machines... make sure to get when you will need when purchasing a retina model.

Aside from that, they are fantastic machines (all of the retina models, IMHO). Good luck!
 
Patcell said:
Unfortunately, yes... non of the retina models are upgradable. The RAM is soldered to the board. The storage can be upgraded in some of the earlier retina models, but from what I have read, it is a pain and the upgraded drives aren't that great. I do not have first-hand experience though. Also, in the 2016/2017 touch bar models, even the SSD is soldered to the logic board, so literally nothing is upgradable. Price we pay for thinner/ lighter machines... make sure to get when you will need when purchasing a retina model.

Aside from that, they are fantastic machines (all of the retina models, IMHO). Good luck!
Click to expand...

Thank you for taking me to school. I have been browsing used 2013 15" Retina models on Facebook Marketplace. It seems the most Ram is 8GB. I really would like 16GB but I am guessing in 2013 this was the max Ram config. I certainly don't need the 525GB SDD drive I have now and could easily get by with 250.
 
LarryJoe33 said:
Thank you for taking me to school. I have been browsing used 2013 15" Retina models on Facebook Marketplace. It seems the most Ram is 8GB. I really would like 16GB but I am guessing in 2013 this was the max Ram config. I certainly don't need the 525GB SDD drive I have now and could easily get by with 250.
Click to expand...
The early-2013 models came with a base configuration of 8GB RAM, true... I believe for the late 2013 models, the standard configuration was upped to 16GB. Even today, the max configuration (and base for that matter) is 16GB. Have you checked Apple's refurbished store? I'm not sure they have models as far back as 2013, but the refurbished models would be backed by a full year of AppleCare warrantee.

Good hunting!
 
Patcell said:
The early-2013 models came with a base configuration of 8GB RAM, true... I believe for the late 2013 models, the standard configuration was upped to 16GB. Even today, the max configuration (and base for that matter) is 16GB. Have you checked Apple's refurbished store? I'm not sure they have models as far back as 2013, but the refurbished models would be backed by a full year of AppleCare warrantee.

Good hunting!
Click to expand...
I will do that! Thank you!
 
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LarryJoe33 said:
Don't do it! The 4GB RAM is a bit low these days, but that largely depends on your usage... macOS is very good at managing memory. The Air will be a big downgrade in performance, but a huge downgrade in display quality. Going from a Retina display to that awful TN panel on the Air would be an easy deal-breaker.
Click to expand...

Thanks for your response... but like i said i don't use the laptop screen. My macbook pro is always hooked up to the 32" external monitor. Can you please tell me why did you say Air will be a big downgrade in performance? as far as i know the processor is only 3% slower and i'll get 8GB of RAM if i upgrade to air.

Thanks in advance
 
It’s only a 3% difference in raw clock speed.
In actual performance it’s an 8-10% difference.
Here’s the Geekbench scores. The first number is always the MBP.

Geekbench 2 32
7094
6802

Geekbench 2 64
8117
7464

Geekbench 3 SC 32
2662
2565

Geekbench 3 MC 32
5482
5069

Geekbench 3 SC 64
2926
2835

Geekbench 3 MC 64
6253
5721

The Air does however gain you about 3-hours of battery life.
And the Air can drive a 4K monitor. Don’t think that particular MBP can.
 
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I personally feel the difference in a laptop with 8 GBs of RAM. My Early 2015 MacBook Pro has 8 GBs and just don't feel a slow down, this is with a couple Windows 10 VM's, iTunes, Firefox, Word. With the fast SSD, its really a power house and its also a Core i5 2.7 GHz. I really love it, no trade offs with performance.
 
Strange, I always thought every Retina MPB had 8GB of RAM in the lowest configuration since they had been launched and just looked it up on everymac.com.

The Mid-2012 15", Late 2012 13", Early 2013 13" were never available with less than 8GB in the lowest configuration.

Why did they downgrade the RAM in the Late 2013 low end model,even though the maximum RAM is 16GB instead of 8GB compared to the older 13" Retinas? Also the iGPU uses much more shared memory.

The PCIe SSD in the Late 2013 surely had been more expensive for Apple, but even with the 256GB/8GB option ($1499) it was much cheaper than the Early 2013 ($1699) and Mid-2012 ($1999) with the same configuration but only SATA-3 SSD.

Doesn't make much sense to me.
 
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