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MBA 13" 1.8GHz i7 DELIVERED

dawnrazor

dawnrazor

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Jan 16, 2008
434
328
Auckland New Zealand
Just took delivery of my 13" MBA 1.8GHz i7. And it rocks, I used to have a 11" MBA, but I realized very quickly it was a bit too small to be my only computer, so it has moved on to become my wifes out and about laptop, to compliment her 21" iMac, and I've got a brand new 13". Which I must say is very good indeed, bigger then I was expecting, a much better screen size and aspect ratio compared to the 11". It's snappy as hell, it just rocks along - I'm happy as a pig in **** with it.

The only part that pissed me off is that it took so long to be delivered, a week! :D But heck China is a big place right...

Oh and the back lit keyboard is a very welcome addition / return.

To anyone thinking of buying an Air and who can't decide between the 11" and 13" - I'd say this, buy the 11" if you only want a glorified iPad, something you can use to compliment your existing desktop or laptop. Buy the 13" if you want a full on laptop that will be your only computer, unless you're a hardcore gamer or doing serious video editing or graphics based work, this is all anyone really needs.
 
dawnrazor said:
Just took delivery of my 13" MBA 1.8GHz i7. And it rocks, I used to have a 11" MBA, but I realized very quickly it was a bit too small to be my only computer, so it has moved on to become my wifes out and about laptop, to compliment her 21" iMac, and I've got a brand new 13". Which I must say is very good indeed, bigger then I was expecting, a much better screen size and aspect ratio compared to the 11". It's snappy as hell, it just rocks along - I'm happy as a pig in **** with it.

The only part that pissed me off is that it took so long to be delivered, a week! :D But heck China is a big place right...

Oh and the back lit keyboard is a very welcome addition / return.

To anyone thinking of buying an Air and who can't decide between the 11" and 13" - I'd say this, buy the 11" if you only want a glorified iPad, something you can use to compliment your existing desktop or laptop. Buy the 13" if you want a full on laptop that will be your only computer, unless you're a hardcore gamer or doing serious video editing or graphics based work, this is all anyone really needs.
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Gah I wish you could upgrade the 13" 128gb to the i7, I just don't want to spend $300 for more space. I'm pretty jealous! Hope you enjoy it.
 
pezasied182 said:
Gah I wish you could upgrade the 13" 128gb to the i7, I just don't want to spend $300 for more space. I'm pretty jealous! Hope you enjoy it.
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i7 is nice. But I'm returning it for i5. The small speed increase (8%) and warmer laptop wasn't worth it to me. But to each is own. Congrats, I'm sure you will enjoy it. :)
 
Apple Expert said:
i7 is nice. But I'm returning it for i5. The small speed increase (8%) and warmer laptop wasn't worth it to me. But to each is own. Congrats, I'm sure you will enjoy it. :)
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Yeah to me, it seems like the 13" doesn't really get the full benefit of the i7 since it isn't that much faster than the i5.

But for the 11"...its hugely more powerful (~30% faster), even if it is hotter.
 
lyrrad721 said:
Hmm, do you own a LG or Samsung LCD/LED? I wonder if pizza tastes better if you eat while watching one vs the other...
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Depends if it was made in a Samsung oven

I like olives. But can't really tell the difference between black or green olives.
 
DeusInvictus7 said:
Yeah to me, it seems like the 13" doesn't really get the full benefit of the i7 since it isn't that much faster than the i5.

But for the 11"...its hugely more powerful (~30% faster), even if it is hotter.
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Yes, if I purchased the 13" I'd probably stick with the i5. Since the i5 in the 11" is a bit slower than the i5 in the 13" (particularly on Turbo Boost) I opted for the i7. Yes, the i7 runs a bit hot sometimes, but so far it hasn't been unacceptably hot. It's mostly in the upper right corner underneath the processor. The rest of the case stays pretty cool even under high loads.
 
Apple Expert said:
Ive already got it boxed up ready to go. The i5 I rocking away. So far so good.
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So what plans do you have for the $440 you saved? Are you setting it aside for the Ivy Bridge model, which ought to run cooler because of the 22nm die?
 
Apple Expert said:
Depends on what you mean by a lot? It varies from 5 - 10C. In terms of faster, 8% faster.
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On the 13" model. It's about 20-25% faster at CPU-intensive tasks than the 1.6GHz Core i5 used in the 11".

Intel's confusing naming scheme doesn't help matters. The distinction between i3, i5, and i7 isn't always clear cut. The 1.7GHz Core i5 is actually closer to the 1.8GHz Core i7 as it is to the 1.6GHz Core i5. The main distinction i7 brings to the mobile Sandy Bridge is the 4MB L3 cache vs. the 3MB L3 cache, along with an extra 200MHz turbo boost (Intel actually makes a 1.7GHz i7 that boosts only 100MHz more than the i5).
 
KPOM said:
On the 13" model. It's about 20-25% faster at CPU-intensive tasks than the 1.6GHz Core i5 used in the 11".

Intel's confusing naming scheme doesn't help matters. The distinction between i3, i5, and i7 isn't always clear cut. The 1.7GHz Core i5 is actually closer to the 1.8GHz Core i7 as it is to the 1.6GHz Core i5. The main distinction i7 brings to the mobile Sandy Bridge is the 4MB L3 cache vs. the 3MB L3 cache, along with an extra 200MHz turbo boost (Intel actually makes a 1.7GHz i7 that boosts only 100MHz more than the i5).
Click to expand...

That's what I was referring too. The 1.7 i5 to the 1.8 i7, the difference is about 8% faster.
 
dawnrazor said:
To anyone thinking of buying an Air and who can't decide between the 11" and 13" - I'd say this, buy the 11" if you only want a glorified iPad,
Click to expand...

Gotta love people who can't just be happy with what they bought. No, they have to insult people who made a different decision. :rolleyes:
 
Apple Expert said:
i7 is nice. But I'm returning it for i5. The small speed increase (8%) and warmer laptop wasn't worth it to me. But to each is own. Congrats, I'm sure you will enjoy it. :)
Click to expand...

I went from i5 to i7.
It is hotter, but only at the top left area. And the bottom gets warm but it not unbearable. I already spent 1700, I figure 100 dollars more why not.

I have a 1,2 17" MBP that gets crazy hot. I mean the whole thing feels like it'll burn you if you hold it long enough. Still going strong. So I'm not too worried about heat shortening the life of the air.

Also I never heard the fans on the i5 or the i7. I don't know how people can hear it.
 
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