MBP 13" or MBA13"

[sheen911]

Hello everybody..hehe..been wondering which 1 should i get for my needs in college life. This will be my first mac. My needs? Not much.. very light computing stuff (usual stuff like office or iwork, facebook, youtube,) and maybe the djay3 app too. Won't be gaming much, as i prefer to game with buddies at Cyber Cafes.

Like the Pro for its better specs lower price and its upgradeable later on.
The heat part, i do hate laptops that just heat up with just medium loads. The screen resolution is smaller, but i think i could deal with that.

Like the Air for its thin form factor, higher resolution screen, ssd, and i know it wont get hot with what i'm using it for anyways.
Don't like the fact it doesn't have a backlit keyboard and none upgradeable.

Wondered if i changed the hdd with ssd in MBP, would it be as instant as the air? Cause i've tested out the 13" air and it was almost instant in terms of "opening n ready for use" in almost all apps. Which i would prefer over brute processing power.

Portability is important, cause i do need to travel fair distances during semester brakes. I've carried a 12" 2kilo laptop before, and i didnt like it.​

 

[pricej636]

SSD will make the MBP faster in all aspects.

Air doesn't have a built in Ethernet port or internal superdrive. More money if you need these. SSD in the MBA is nice and fast, but limited in storage space. Screen resolution difference is minimal, definitely not make or break.

If you can deal with the above, then the MBA is a great machine. I went and tried the MBA when it was released and decided to stick with my MBP. For the money its a much better value. You are paying more for less for the air IMO.

 

[tim100]

You can't upgrade screen res, apple has been pushing higher res screens. Watch iPhone 4/iPad keynotes. MacBook pro is ready for update

 

[sheen911]

i don't use ethernet and the super drive much though.. i think i'm used to being without them. But the prices for a ssd now is l^%&. about storage, i could get an external 500gb hdd,no prob..n thats cheap. I know the pros will get a refresh in a few more months, knowing that frustrates me about the pros, but i'm with pricej636 on with paying more for less. but the less in size+flash drive really compels me.. n from experience, less moving parts = less likely for parts to get damage easily. ill nid it to last me for good 3 years.​

 

[Jdstew1234]

Hello everybody..hehe..been wondering which 1 should i get for my needs in college life. This will be my first mac. My needs? Not much.. very light computing stuff (usual stuff like office or iwork, facebook, youtube,) and maybe the djay3 app too. Won't be gaming much, as i prefer to game with buddies at Cyber Cafes.

Like the Pro for its better specs lower price and its upgradeable later on.
The heat part, i do hate laptops that just heat up with just medium loads. The screen resolution is smaller, but i think i could deal with that.

Like the Air for its thin form factor, higher resolution screen, ssd, and i know it wont get hot with what i'm using it for anyways.
Don't like the fact it doesn't have a backlit keyboard and none upgradeable.

Wondered if i changed the hdd with ssd in MBP, would it be as instant as the air? Cause i've tested out the 13" air and it was almost instant in terms of "opening n ready for use" in almost all apps. Which i would prefer over brute processing power.


Portability is important, cause i do need to travel fair distances during semester brakes. I've carried a 12" 2kilo laptop before, and i didnt like it.​

Okay what major are you. If you are in alclasses that require video editing and PhotoShop the. The 15" MVP or wait for 2011 13" mbp. If you are a business or English major then the high end version of the 13" MBA. I am in highschool student. I am waiting for the 2011 Mbp 13" or 15", but I go to a private college prep with a huge campus with multiple buildings so. I am in a few different computer heavy classes this year, i also am in lots of classes requiring PhotoShop. I will be fine with a mbp. Unless there is an i3 MBA. I know this is a PC but look at the 9 series Samsung laptop that is coming out. It is thinner and lighter than the MBA with USB 3 backlit keyboard and a HDMI with an i5 processor

 

[sheen911]

i ma business major..don't c much heavy comp classes cumin my way, i don't need the power.. just want to get the best bang for the buck within this 2months, even if the pros have a refresh, i would c it about 1 + 1/2 months at whr im at,after its introduced , dont wan to wait.
no pc laptops.. yeah i can see great specs for less money but i hate the way they perform n feel. Cause i wan snappy boot ups n shut downs, apps ready to use rite after the second click. day to day ease of use is what im in to, not specs, they mean not much to me after testing the air. Pc workmanship just dun meet up to standards after i've touched a macbook. And they never ever felt snappy even with i5s,4gb ram.. And i would like to open up my macbook to show it to othr ppl, if u knw wat i mean.
But i really cant find a reason to really pull me to either MBP or MBA other thn price.
​

 

[skiltrip]

I wouldn't touch the MBA until they put a decent cpu in it. Not saying C2D isn't a rock solid processor, just that they happen to put a very low speed one in the MBA. I ran Geekbench on a few computers at the Apple Store the other day, and the MBA 1.86GHz scored a measly 2766. In contrast the base model 13" MBP scored 3468. And even then, the 2.4GHz in the MBP isn't exactly a powerhouse either. Sure the SSD makes it "feel" fast, but it's misleading. When you actually need to do anything that requires some processing, you're going to feel the MBA's shortcomings.

Some other Geekbench scores to put things in perspective.

My ~5 year old AMD dual core 2Ghz PC I have at home: 2085
1.86GHz MBA: 2766
2.4GHz MBP: 3468
i5 2.53Ghz MBP: 5029
i7 2.66GHz MBP: 5461

 

[sheen911]

I wouldn't touch the MBA until they put a decent cpu in it. Not saying C2D isn't a rock solid processor, just that they happen to put a very low speed one in the MBA. I ran Geekbench on a few computers at the Apple Store the other day, and the MBA 1.86GHz scored a measly 2766. In contrast the base model 13" MBP scored 3468. And even then, the 2.4GHz in the MBP isn't exactly a powerhouse either. Sure the SSD makes it "feel" fast, but it's misleading. When you actually need to do anything that requires some processing, you're going to feel the MBA's shortcomings.

Some other Geekbench scores to put things in perspective.

My ~5 year old AMD dual core 2Ghz PC I have at home: 2085
1.86GHz MBA: 2766
2.4GHz MBP: 3468
i5 2.53Ghz MBP: 5029
i7 2.66GHz MBP: 5461

i see where your getting at, but , trust me, most of the time i won't need the power. Maybe you or others do, bt not me, i want to get the most satisfaction while using it for normal none heavy stuff. Plus, the MBP will see a refresh soon, that bothers me alot. If i wanted to do heavy stuff i would buy a pc desktop or an imac period, which both blows even the 15" mbp. just want to point out power dosen't bothers me on a laptop, just want it to be speedy and realiable. One more thing, does the 13" pro get hot while just playing flash?

 

[tiwizard]

One more thing, does the 13" pro get hot while just playing flash?

It doesn't get hot unless you are playing it for an extended amount of time, but that's Adobe's fault for hogging 80% of the processor

 

[stylinexpat]

i see where your getting at, but , trust me, most of the time i won't need the power. Maybe you or others do, bt not me, i want to get the most satisfaction while using it for normal none heavy stuff. Plus, the MBP will see a refresh soon, that bothers me alot. If i wanted to do heavy stuff i would buy a pc desktop or an imac period, which both blows even the 15" mbp. just want to point out power dosen't bothers me on a laptop, just want it to be speedy and realiable. One more thing, does the 13" pro get hot while just playing flash?

If you want to see that CPU starting to cook and your fans headed to redline just open up skype on your MBP and start a video call

 

[jenzjen]

Get the MBA and don't look back; you're a light user plus at college, so you're not "paying for less" you're paying for it being lightweight with an upgraded screen and an SSD that will be perfect for your get up 'n go lifestyle at least over the next 3 years.

 

[JKK photography]

I've never experienced the Pro getting hot, even when playing Flash. It gets a little warmer, but that's OK, as it is usually as cold as stone.

I would get the Pro, base model and buy an aftermarket SSD. That way you get a more powerful computer for less, and then an even faster SSD. That's what I'm doing, anyways, and it works great unless you are really needing the thing and light form factor.

 

[Squadleader]

Hello everybody..hehe..been wondering which 1 should i get for my needs in college life. This will be my first mac. My needs? Not much.. very light computing stuff (usual stuff like office or iwork, facebook, youtube,) and maybe the djay3 app too. Won't be gaming much, as i prefer to game with buddies at Cyber Cafes.

Like the Pro for its better specs lower price and its upgradeable later on.
The heat part, i do hate laptops that just heat up with just medium loads. The screen resolution is smaller, but i think i could deal with that.

Like the Air for its thin form factor, higher resolution screen, ssd, and i know it wont get hot with what i'm using it for anyways.
Don't like the fact it doesn't have a backlit keyboard and none upgradeable.

Wondered if i changed the hdd with ssd in MBP, would it be as instant as the air? Cause i've tested out the 13" air and it was almost instant in terms of "opening n ready for use" in almost all apps. Which i would prefer over brute processing power.

Portability is important, cause i do need to travel fair distances during semester brakes. I've carried a 12" 2kilo laptop before, and i didnt like it.​

I would get the air...( I did, but returned it..Was a great machine but the fonts were a bit too small at native for me)

 

[Yaboze]

The 13" pro is nice, wait for the Sandy Bridge (Intel Chipset) update soon.

Even my aging Macbook, with a 2.2 Core 2, gets 3146 in Geekbench. The CPU's are slow in the MBA's. They do have a decent GPU for their form factor though.