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MBA 13" 128GB or 256GB SSD?

oxfordguy said:
That doesn't exactly give you much room if you actually want to install a anything e.g. a couple of games would rapidly eat that up
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I see. I wont be gaming on my MBA.

My intention of installing Windows is purely for academic purpose. I foresee I might need to do some C coding or use of MATLAB. But i'm not a computer science major so those will probably last a semester or two.

Maybe leaving 20GB allowance on top of Windows 7 install might be too little like you said. I'll probably have to check install size of such programs before I do the bootcamp.

Thanks for the advice btw.
 
bockscar said:
I see. I wont be gaming on my MBA.

My intention of installing Windows is purely for academic purpose. I foresee I might need to do some C coding or use of MATLAB. But i'm not a computer science major so those will probably last a semester or two.

Maybe leaving 20GB allowance on top of Windows 7 install might be too little like you said. I'll probably have to check install size of such programs before I do the bootcamp.

Thanks for the advice btw.
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Okay, though if you're planning on installing MS Visual Studio and other development tools, would be worth checking the install size, as you suggest
 
oxfordguy said:
Okay, though if you're planning on installing MS Visual Studio and other development tools, would be worth checking the install size, as you suggest
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Btw, how's the MBA with the i7 processor?

Currently deciding if I should get the i7 or stick to the i5. I know there have been threads discussing this to death but i wouldnt mind another opinion by someone who actually has it.

Did u get a chance to compare it with the i5 first?
 
128 for me as its not my main machine, and also got a 2tb external usb3 drive on the way for storing music, 1080p films, time machine backup, etc.
 
bockscar said:
Btw, how's the MBA with the i7 processor?

Currently deciding if I should get the i7 or stick to the i5. I know there have been threads discussing this to death but i wouldnt mind another opinion by someone who actually has it.

Did u get a chance to compare it with the i5 first?
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If you're paying the extra $$ for 256GB RAM, then the jump to i7 isn't huge. Go for it.

I've brought several MBA's in the last couple weeks.
My personal one is i5, 128GB, 8GB RAM, used with 320GB WD Passport (USB3) for Photos/Media etc.

I brought some for directors at work and they had 256GB SSD as a requirement (these are their primary machines and they don't want to carry around external drives). So I bumped them up to i7 and 8GB RAM. Once you've gotten past the huge cost jump of going 256Gb storage, the rest are relatively small costs.
 
skuid87 said:
If you're paying the extra $$ for 256GB RAM, then the jump to i7 isn't huge. Go for it.

I've brought several MBA's in the last couple weeks.
My personal one is i5, 128GB, 8GB RAM, used with 320GB WD Passport (USB3) for Photos/Media etc.

I brought some for directors at work and they had 256GB SSD as a requirement (these are their primary machines and they don't want to carry around external drives). So I bumped them up to i7 and 8GB RAM. Once you've gotten past the huge cost jump of going 256Gb storage, the rest are relatively small costs.
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True. Given that I'm getting the high end 13" with 256GB and 8GB RAM, the i7 extra cost is not much.

However I'm just trying to justify it. Maybe if I can, I can do a better job convincing my parents that it is a worthwhile upgrade.
 
bockscar said:
However I'm just trying to justify it. Maybe if I can, I can do a better job convincing my parents that it is a worthwhile upgrade.
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Are your parents technically astute? If not, you are wasting your time. That'd be like me trying to justify it to my wife who still uses a flip phone, which she is more than happy with. Lacking the knowledge to evaluate technical information, all they can do is look at the $$$$ to make a decision.
 
kodeman53 said:
Are your parents technically astute? If not, you are wasting your time. That'd be like me trying to justify it to my wife who still uses a flip phone, which she is more than happy with. Lacking the knowledge to evaluate technical information, all they can do is look at the $$$$ to make a decision.
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Good point. They might not appreciate it even if it's an upgrade to a quad-core.

I'll give it a try. If they wont. I can live with the i5.
 
256 is tight for a main machine

I've a iMac with a 256GB SSD and I've only 32GB free.
Being a desk top I run an Iomega 2 TB network drive attached to an Asus N66U router but that doesn't work very well as family members clog the SSD up with pics and hi res clips instead of using folders on the Network Drive:(
 
Buy an external ssd

PeckhamBog said:
I've a iMac with a 256GB SSD and I've only 32GB free.
Being a desk top I run an Iomega 2 TB network drive attached to an Asus N66U router but that doesn't work very well as family members clog the SSD up with pics and hi res clips instead of using folders on the Network Drive:(
Click to expand...

I would get an external ssd. The cost is roughly around 400$ right now for 256gb.
 
asting said:
The i7 isn't a quad core. It's dual.
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Oh I'm aware of that. Pardon me.

Was just giving a random example that no matter the difference in upgrade, parents who arent familiar with technology might not appreciate it.
 
jpiszcz said:
Hi,

At the apple store, I was playing with a 13" and it had 39GB free on the 128GB SSD, I assume this is due to demos/etc on the demo units.

What SSD did you choose?

For a 13" MBA 128GB w/8GB of ram is $1299, but when you go to 256GB SSD it shoots to $1599, $300 more for 128GB, what do you think?
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Boy, that sure seems like a lot of space already taken up, perhaps by demos etc. Who can tell us how much space the out-of-the-box os uses on a 128gb model?
 
mattopotamus said:
i think windows 7 is around 35ish. I use bootcamp with a 128 ssd and never run into issues :)
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In terms of pure install space, Windows 7 ultimate is about 14 GB, but that's not how much space you will actually need.

Windows 7 creates a swap file for virtual memory and it is normally around the size of your RAM plus a couple more hundred MBs. Then, if you're using hibernation Windows, it will also create a hibernate image, which is about 75% of the size of your RAM. Although I am fairly sure that hibernate is disabled by default on bootcamp windows.

My windows 7 ultimate is currently taking up 25 GBs. That's with 8 GB of memory (8200 MB swap file) and a couple of applications installed, such as Excel, Word, Powerpoint and OneNote. You can cut this down and there is quite a lot of info on the web on how to do this.
 
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I got the 128 GB version because I have a desktop computer for all my media files and heavy applications. My MBA is for computing on the go and office work. I also use dropbox, google drive, and skydrive so that saves even more HD space for me.
 
Placed the order for 128gb, and planning on buy an external drive usb3 down the road(when the price goes back to pre-flood).
 
You can always get either a 64Gb or 128 GB:
- PNY Storedge flash drive (uses the SDXC slot) - link or
- Nifty MiniDrive (if you want the SDXC card flush with the MBA) - Link
to bring your MBA up to 256GB without too much issues.
(And the PNY 128GB is regularly on sale for just $65 at B&H or Amazon)
 
I'd save up and wait for Transcend JetDrive to support the current PCIe. Their prices are not so bad. And higher speeds than the drives they are replacing.
 
Well, if you have to choose between 256GB SSD and 8GB RAM what would you prefer for your new 13'' MBA? (considering you don't have enough money to buy both) ... opinions?
 
^^^^More Storage by all means, unless you will be doing heavy Photoshoping or something similar. For my heavy lifting I have a SoupedUp Mac Pro with 24GB of RAM. My MBA is an 11" with 4GB of RAM and is fine for the light work I use it for.

My BIG mistake was to buy it with only 64GB of Storage. I had planned to use a 3.5" external drive for my programs and such when I was on the road. A BIG mistake on my part. I have since replaced the internal SSD with a 480GB Transcend JetDrive. Problem solved and I am now happy:)

Again, 4GB will be plenty for the average MBA user.

Lou
 
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