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My first MacBook.Please help.

R

RegularGuy09

macrumors regular
Original poster
Feb 20, 2015
177
94
I am looking to buy my first macbook.I want this laptop as my daily computer for the next four years.I am a student,and I will use this computer for web browsing,watching videos,listening to music and college level Java/C programming.

I looked at the macbook air,and everybody told me this is the laptop to look for if I needed a very portable and light computer.But I dont,I dont NEED portability,I travel like once a week.Will this computer be enough for my needs for the next four years?I can only afford the base-13 inch MacBook Air.Or the base 13-inch 2012 MacBook Pro non retina.Will that be a better buy?

Pardon my ignorance.Any help will be appreciated :)
 
I would recommend the 13" Air.

It has significantly better battery life, significantly fast storage, and the same amount of RAM. It's thinner and lighter and it has a higher resolution screen. (1440 x 900) vs (1280 x 800)

The only thing it really lacks in is storage space (128GB SSD as opposed to 500GB HDD), but you can pick up an external drive later on for really cheap (less than $100 for 1TB) and USB 3.0 will make data transfer fast.

You say that portability and travel isn't important to you, so battery and lightness may not mean much, but the Air also has significantly better graphics (read more fluid performance) than the 2012 MBP.
 
RegularGuy09 said:
I can only afford the base-13 inch MacBook Air.Or the base 13-inch 2012 MacBook Pro non retina.Will that be a better buy?
Click to expand...
Either one will easily handle the needs you described for the next 4-5 years, as will any Mac model made in the past 5 years. Get the one that appeals to your taste and budget.
 
If you do not need the ports and superdrive, definitely get the air!
It's a fantastic machine! :)
 
Wow,such helpful replies in such a short time.Thanks a lot guys,you really helped me clear my apprehensions.Thank you.I've decided I am going to buy the 13inch base MacBook Air.:)
 
RegularGuy09 said:
...
I looked at the macbook air,and everybody told me this is the laptop to look for if I needed a very portable and light computer.But I dont,I dont NEED portability,I travel like once a week.Will this computer be enough for my needs for the next four years?I can only afford the base-13 inch MacBook Air.Or the base 13-inch 2012 MacBook Pro non retina.Will that be a better buy?
...
Click to expand...

You could also get an 11" and an external monitor if you're only going to travel with the computer once in a while. Then you get more screen real estate than the 13" (with the external monitor) and more portability for the few times you do travel with it.
 
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