MacBookPro 15" vs. MacBook Air 13"

[squeakr]

One thing to consider is if you go with the new Air max it out the best you can from the start as everything is soldered in place (as the hardware reports state) and memory or SSD storage may not be upgradeable in the future (or at least not as easy and chaeap as it has been in the past).

 

[kappaknight]

MBP is easier to future proof since you can upgrade a few components yourself now or a bit down the road. MBA is great for travel, but upgrade options are a bit more limited.

If you still like your 17" MBP and don't mind the size, I would suggest upgrading to a 256 GB SSD and see if that'll suit you. It sounds like you aren't that technical so all the new specs/mumbo jumbo won't really do much for you. With the simple SSD upgrade, I promise your computer will feel like new again. Plus you won't have to bring the desktop to college either.

 

[SaMaster14]

Interesting discussion. I'm going through the same types of thoughts as I am trying to decide between the 13" MBA vs a 2010 17" MBP (with SSD)

The trade off really between the smaller lighter air and the higher res MBP. Really undecided

one thing I do wonder is which will loose more in 1 or two years

I feel as though the MPB is definitely more future-safe. Faster Processor and more memory... plus if you add the SSD it has that as well.

Also, the Air is just more fragile and more susceptible to physical damage.

 

[SaMaster14]

MBP is easier to future proof since you can upgrade a few components yourself now or a bit down the road. MBA is great for travel, but upgrade options are a bit more limited.

If you still like your 17" MBP and don't mind the size, I would suggest upgrading to a 256 GB SSD and see if that'll suit you. It sounds like you aren't that technical so all the new specs/mumbo jumbo won't really do much for you. With the simple SSD upgrade, I promise your computer will feel like new again. Plus you won't have to bring the desktop to college either.

I was thinking of that, I do love my computer, but its also taken a lot of abuse over the years and is falling apart physically. The battery lasts, no joke, about 17 minutes when out of the charger (and I've even replaced the battery with a brand new one and after a few days of good battery life, it was back to that 17-30 minutes battery life when not plugged in... so I started to thing there was something wrong with the computer itself, not the battery...) The screen is cracked and so is the outer shell of the computer itself.


Right now, these are my options:
• 2.0GHz Quad-core Intel Core i7
• 8GB 1333MHz DDR3 SDRAM - 2x4GB
• 256GB Solid State Drive
• SuperDrive 8x (DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW)
• MacBook Pro 15-inch Hi-Res Glossy Widescreen Display
• None
• Backlit Keyboard (English) & User's Guide

TOTAL: $2699

OR

• 2.2GHz Quad-core Intel Core i7
• 8GB 1333MHz DDR3 SDRAM - 2x4GB
• 256GB Solid State Drive
• SuperDrive 8x (DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW)
• MacBook Pro 15-inch Hi-Res Glossy Widescreen Display
• None
• Backlit Keyboard (English) & User's Guide

TOTAL: $2999


My one question... is the upgrade from 2.0GHz to 2.2GHz really worth the extra $300? And would it even be worth an extra $250 to upgrade to the 2.3GHz processor??


Thanks again for all the replies! I've learned quite a bit in this discussion!

 

[aluren]

Not sure why you want a future proof machine since you don't do anything that's CPU/GPU intensive anyways. I would go with a MBA since you will most likely be carrying that thing around everywhere. I have a MBP 13" and it's definitely alot more bulkier than the Air. I don't go to school anymore, but if I do, I would absolutely sell my MBP for the Air.

 

[squeakr]

The upgrade from 2.2 to 2.3 is not worth it unless you are doing heavy number crunching and then the extra cache helps, but that is debatable. The difference between the 2.0 to 2.2 also gains you a gpu upgrade. The usefulness comes in your needs. If you aren't doing anything that would benefit from the extra gpu then probably not. Bear in mind that these parts can't be upgraded later like in a traditional desktop PC, so what you get is what you will have for the duration (only the hard drive and memory are upgradeable later on). Whether one is worth it can only be determined by you, your budget, and your needs.

Also as an extra to one of my other posts, it seems that the new Airs' SSD's are in fact user replaceable according to I-Fix-it. They are not soldered in as was previously reported, although the RAM is NOT user replaceable.