MBA 1.7GHz i7 vs. MBPr 2.4GHz i5 - best performance?

[idanielandrew]

Looking to replace my wife's mid 2009 MBP 13" with either a MBA 1.7GHz i7 or MBPr 2.4GHz i5, both 13" models with 8GB ram and 256 SSD. The main reason is that it's just too heavy for her to be carrying around in her purse. The most important features to her are weight and performance. Whether or not it's a retina display is not the primary concern.

As far as performance is concerned, is there any noticeable difference between the MBA and MBPr when running Parallels?

 

[raniel]

I think so, especially if you run intensive tasks on Parallels. The only advantage of the MBA for me is the battery, I don't mind the weight difference

 

[jz-]

Looking purely at the CPU, have you seen this link?

MacBook Air (13-inch Mid 2013)
Intel Core i7-4650U 1700 MHz (2 cores)
5488

MacBook Pro (13-inch Retina Late 2013)
Intel Core i5-4258U 2400 MHz (2 cores)
5485

http://browser.primatelabs.com/mac-benchmarks

Judging by that, CPU performance is almost identical, so if weight is her next concern then the Macbook Air might be a better choice.