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MBA 13" - should I get the 128GB 1.83 version or the ULTIMATE ?

CHSeifert

CHSeifert

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Dec 28, 2010
499
0
Copenhagen, Denmark - Scandinavia
Hey :)

I need my MBA for these things:
1. Microsoft Word and Excel
2. Internet

I already own iPad 32GB 3G and iPhone 4 32GB.

Just need a laptop for portability and better typing than on my iPad.

I've heard of heat issues with MBA ULTIMATE and that the fan runs more because of the bigger CPU.
Since I have small use for the larger CPU should I just get the 128GB 1.83 which should run cooler and more quietly because of smaller CPU ?

Thanks for help - tried a search but too much came up !

----
Vh/Regards
Claus [iPhone
 
If you are using it, just for Microsoft office & Internet, you should consider the 11" MBA... It looks damn good and performs better than most windows laptops or network around that size and weight.

CHSeifert said:
Hey :)

I need my MBA for these things:
1. Microsoft Word and Excel
2. Internet

I already own iPad 32GB 3G and iPhone 4 32GB.

Just need a laptop for portability and better typing than on my iPad.

I've heard of heat issues with MBA ULTIMATE and that the fan runs more because of the bigger CPU.
Since I have small use for the larger CPU should I just get the 128GB 1.83 which should run cooler and more quietly because of smaller CPU ?

Thanks for help - tried a search but too much came up !

----
Vh/Regards
Claus [iPhone
Click to expand...
 
Probably you won't be using all the "Ultimate" CPU because you aren't using CPU intensive applications.

I've the 13" Ultimate and for ME it is the best computer possible.

Damn portable and really fast. I play SC2 on it and run 1080p (plugged on my HDTV) and everything goes flawlessly. And sometimes I do some small edition on Photoshop, just that.

For me the 11" is too small. Don't think I need all that portability. The 13" is already really portable, has a great screen size and it really light - a simple 100 pages notebook its heavier.
 
iNotion said:
If you are using it, just for Microsoft office & Internet, you should consider the 11" MBA... It looks damn good and performs better than most windows laptops or network around that size and weight.
Click to expand...

I also have the iPad with me so the MBA 11 is too close to the iPad in specs and I will appreciate the larger 13" screen, I think :)

I will use all my mac portable devices at the university - taking long notes and doing some pretty serious excel work.


----
Vh/Regards
Claus [iPhone
 
For me, i chose the 13" ultimate to the 13" or 11" is because beside iWork & Microsoft office, I'm also using quite a lot of Adobe applications, especially Photoshop. I need the extra power/ speed for converting videos.
Why i chose a 13"ultimate to a MBP is only because it is lighter and looks better! :D
 
I have a 15" MBP and wanted to go more portable. So, I now have that MBP as a "home" mac and got the 13" Air with 1.86, 2GB RAM and 256 SSD.

I setup remote access to my home files and moved some stuff to the cloud as well. Very happy so far. I do use VMWare but not all the time. Windows 7 eats up some RAM there but XP runs great on it.

I'd go for the 13" with the 128GB unless you think you'll need more drive space. I got the extra drive space but really don't think I'll need it.
 
If you don't need the extra space, the 1.86GHz version should be fine. I'd suggest getting the 4GB model for the extra $100, particularly if you like to have a lot of applications open at the same time. Office can use up a lot of RAM.
 
I have the 13" ultimate and while I don't play SC2 on it, it runs as cool as a cucumber for me (even without Coolbook running). I don't think you'll notice much of a performance difference between the two today, but I went with the ultimate to make sure I'd maximize its useful lifespan.
 
Think I'll get the MBA Ultimate (256 GB ram & 2.13Ghz) but 2 things worry me about this version.

1. Rumours say this version runs hotter - same size chassis means hotter and more fan noise

2. Rumours say you have a better chance of getting the faster Samsung SSD in the 128 GB version than in the 256 GB version

Will probably also get Aperture - but have a HUGE home built PC as my home Computer for photo edit (12 GB ram, 3 (three) Intel SSD drives for Win 7, programs and most often used files and a 3 TB HDD for music and movies)

So still not sure what to get - but leaning towards the MBA Ultimate :)


----
Vh/Regards
Claus [iPhone
 
I have the MacBook Air 1.83GHz/128Gb/4Gb and I adore the thing. It's my main work machine at a software company, and I work with pretty large projects (around 750,000 lines of code, I believe) and it's awesome at the task!
 
re: 1) Like I said above, my ultimate runs very cool and I can't say I've ever noticed the fan come on. I had a 15" MBP that could melt denim, even with the fans at full speed.

re: 2) Mine has the "slower" SSD, but I really don't think the SSD performance is a bottleneck in the MBA... especially when I benchmark the drive performance of my 2.93GHz iMac and its HDD is still 5x or more slower than my MBA.
 
I love my ultimate 13

and it runs cool as can be, no fan noise unless I'm doing something processor intensive, which isn't too often

get it, you won't regret it!

:D
 
CHSeifert said:
I also have the iPad with me so the MBA 11 is too close to the iPad in specs and I will appreciate the larger 13" screen, I think :)

I will use all my mac portable devices at the university - taking long notes and doing some pretty serious excel work.


----
Vh/Regards
Claus [iPhone
Click to expand...

for word/excel/internet you will need no more than the basic 13" (if thats the size you want) macbook air. Unless you need more storage or ram, you should go for the lower-end model. But you certainly don't need the better CPU for those tasks!
 
Kenndac said:
I have the MacBook Air 1.83GHz/128Gb/4Gb and I adore the thing. It's my main work machine at a software company, and I work with pretty large projects (around 750,000 lines of code, I believe) and it's awesome at the task!
Click to expand...

I'm looking into the same setup and decision - can you elaborate on your coding environment, is that XCode or something else?
 
I have the 13"/1.86/4/128 - it flies and handles intensive tasks well.

the only reason really for going to the 2.13 model is if you require the additional storage.

whichever way you go though, do ensure you get the additional memory.
this will stand you in good stead for now and into the future
 
Save your $400 and go with the 1.83. For what you're doing it's plenty. Honestly, if 1.83 isn't enough for whatever tasks one may have I'm not convinced 2.13 would be either. The larger capacity drive would be more of a reason to go with the Ultimate, not so much the CPU. So really the question becomes, do you need more than 128GB?
 
I had a HP 17" i7 laptop which I sold and got the 13" mba ultimate just a month ago. Mostly because the 11" screen size was too small for me to use at the library (looking at powerpoints and word documents) and the 13" is light as hell and the smaller bezel makes it look nicer. Also, I got the ultimate because I wanted to run parallels connected to a 27" monitor when I'm at home. It doesn't run crystal smooth like it did on my HP laptop but it runs well enough for me not to complain.

If you have the patience to wait for apple to ship it to your house, I'd get the 1.83Ghz with 256GB SSD with 4GB ram. The extra CPU increase doesn't make much difference. I just got the 2.13 because I didn't want to wait.

Also, the heat is NOT a problem. The fan does turn on occasionally when I'm updating Windows (like I did for Win 7 SP1 just now) but other than when you're using alot of your CPU, it hardly ever turns on.

Finally, don't get the 11" just because there's a better chance for you to get the faster SSD. Is an extra 1-2 seconds really worth that much to you?
 
2IS said:
Save your $400 and go with the 1.83. For what you're doing it's plenty. Honestly, if 1.83 isn't enough for whatever tasks one may have I'm not convinced 2.13 would be either. The larger capacity drive would be more of a reason to go with the Ultimate, not so much the CPU. So really the question becomes, do you need more than 128GB?
Click to expand...

Seconded. Seriously, for the needs you've described, the base 13 is more than adequate.
 
Last edited:
Whatever you get I'm sure you'll be happy. I just finished a day of being out at a job site using my Air off and on and still have 3 hrs. of battery left! Awesome!!

No way I could have gotten that much battery from my 15" MBP. Never plugged into a power source the whole day. :D
 
AndrewMoney said:
I'm looking into the same setup and decision - can you elaborate on your coding environment, is that XCode or something else?
Click to expand...

I also code on my Ultimate. But I use Flex, Flash, photoshop and sometimes an iphone simulator. No issues at all there...even with all of them running simultaneously. Once in a while FLash Builder and safari will eat up alot of my 4gb ram and start paging out. I also have XCode and eclipse installed but haven't used them yet extensively.

As far as the fan/heat issue. Fan seems to come on watching flash videos. Always comes on when using Facetime.

Finally, highly recommended to install clickToFlash. Flash gobbles up mem and batt life.
 
For those commenting that the CPU bump isn't that big of a deal, have you thought about the longevity of the device? Will getting the faster CPU in any way extend how long you could realistically use it? The reason I ask is because I have one of the original 1.6/80 MBA's, which is reaching the end of its life for how I use it and I'm wondering if I had gotten the CPU bump to 1.8 back then, if it would have allowed me to use it a little longer. Thoughts appreciated!
 
not to hijack the thread but i too am between these two models either the 13" 1.86/4gb/128 or the 2.13/4gb/256 i believe i read somewhere you cant swap out the SSD since its soldered to the logic board correct? because honestly i dont need the processor but the storage would be nice. thnx
 
Mhaddy said:
For those commenting that the CPU bump isn't that big of a deal, have you thought about the longevity of the device? Will getting the faster CPU in any way extend how long you could realistically use it? The reason I ask is because I have one of the original 1.6/80 MBA's, which is reaching the end of its life for how I use it and I'm wondering if I had gotten the CPU bump to 1.8 back then, if it would have allowed me to use it a little longer. Thoughts appreciated!
Click to expand...

honestly 1.6 to 1.8 in really intensive applications wont make a huge lifespan difference. your best bet if your truely require intensive apps is to go with a pro and pop in an ssd the size is bigger but the cpu power is there. but all depends on your use.
 
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