MBA 11 inch vs. HP NX9420 (17 inch) Should I replace?

[rotobadger]

I work in a fairly intense environment that requires me to have a backup computer at the ready in case my primary computer fails. I upgraded recently to a 17 inch MBP running Bootcamp. My old primary is now my backup (HP NX9420) but it weighs a ton. Lugging both computers is tough. So...I've thought about replacing my aged HP with the new 11 inch MBA. My question:

Is the 11 MBA at least as capable, if not more capable, than my old HP? Here are the specs:

HP NX9420 XP:

Core2 Duo (Centrino) T7200 @ 2.0GHz
667 MHz FSB 4MB L2 Cache
2GB RAM
ATI Mobility Radeon X1600 256MB


Apple MBA 11:

Core2 Duo @ 1.6GHz
800MHz FSB 3MB L2 Cache
4GB RAM 1066MHz
320M Graphic Card 256MB

I would love to dump my 7.8 pound HP for the much smaller and lighter MBA if it is up to the task!

Thanks!

 

[Hellhammer]

CPU wise it's a bit slower but due to more RAM and SSD, it should feel faster. What kind of apps are you going to run?

 

[rotobadger]

CPU wise it's a bit slower but due to more RAM and SSD, it should feel faster. What kind of apps are you going to run?

In a live situation I'll be using software designed for document and video presentation. The documents are JPEGS and TIFFS. The video (the software uses Windows Media Player on the back end) is MPEG layer 1 stuff. Nothing outrageously intense.

Also will be using Powerpoint.

In the non-live situation there will be some light video editing and some database work. Lots of data editing using UltraEdit, Excel, Multiple rename of files and the like. Occasionally, I will use it to render video although, if I need speed, I will use my MBP (i5).

The HP has performed solidly with these tasks.

Although the processor on the MBA is slightly slower, I was hoping the faster bus speed would be a performance increaser.

 

[Jaro65]

Based on the experience with my wife's 11.6" MBA, it will run Win 7 as good as your HP laptop.

 

[rotobadger]

Based on the experience with my wife's 11.6" MBA, it will run Win 7 as good as your HP laptop.

Good to hear. To me, the new MBA is the first viable ultra-light alternative to a medium spec "full sized" laptop.

 

[mikethebigo]

The processing speed is about equal and the MBA wins on graphics. I bought and have been using a 11.6 MBA "Ultimate" all day and I can honestly tell you this machine is very fast and very capable. Between Safari, Adium, Word, iTunes, basically everything I throw at it, I can't get my CPU usage to exceed 50%. This will become my primary computer, it feels even faster than my old MBP thanks to the flash storage.

And it's wonderfully small and light. Perfect if you're bring it lots of places.

 

[Jaro65]

Good to hear. To me, the new MBA is the first viable ultra-light alternative to a medium spec "full sized" laptop.

Agreed. It is so good that I'm most likely replacing my MBP with an MBA 13 while on the road.