Need advice: should I upgrade?

Discussion in 'Buying Tips and Advice' started by jeremy6044, Oct 29, 2009.

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  1. jeremy6044, Oct 29, 2009

    jeremy6044 macrumors regular

    Joined:
    Oct 6, 2007
    #1
    Here's my current setup:

    2007 Macbook (black) - 2.2 ghz, 250gb HD, 2gb RAM, 10.5 Leopard

    What I use it for:
    - writing
    - surfing
    - music
    - downloading (or streaming) and watching tv shows
    - some spreadsheet work

    What I don't like about it:
    - heavy! (I don't take it with me much, but I really like to move around the apartment and use it on my lap a lot rather than sit at a desk. I don't do that with this one nearly as much as I did with my old small and light Thinkpad x40.)
    - gets hot (i.e. not good for lap use)
    - screen not as sharp as new models (since I'm staring at it a lot, this is important.)
    - battery life could be better

    Options:
    1. Get a macbook air that's slower, but lighter so i can move around with it more easily. Maybe i'd be more likely to take it places because of the weight and work in other places. On the other hand, the short battery life kind of defeats the purpose, doesn't it. (Another negative is that since i like to listen to music on it, the inferior single speaker would be worse. I would be interested in using air tunes to stream to my speakers, but i tried that with my current macbook and it hogs cpu and makes the laptop heat up...so i stopped doing it.)
    2. Upgrade to a 15" mbp for the bigger screen. It's about the same weight, but i'm getting a better screen and much better battery.

    So that's my dilema. I don't have to upgrade, but should I if I can get a good resale on my current laptop? And what do you think of those two options? Will either of them make that much of a difference to me? :confused:

    Thanks for your help.
    Jeremy
     
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  2. budugu, Oct 29, 2009

    budugu macrumors 6502

    Joined:
    Sep 8, 2004
    Location:
    Boston, MA
    #2
    None . Macbook air too weak and restrictive(lack of normal ports ... no new touch pad + high failure rate). your res to 15" is not worth the weight (given your requirements) & not to mention the cost. The black mac book is truly beautiful (i have one:) .. keep it
     
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  3. zbasarab, Oct 29, 2009

    zbasarab macrumors member

    Joined:
    May 29, 2009
    #3
    The 13" MBP is significantly smaller and lighter than the MB. If you really want to upgrade, get the MBP. The MBA is honestly not good for a primary computer, I wouldn't suggest getting it.

    I just got the Alu MB when it came out last Feb. Its a 2.0 ghz 2 gb ram, 160 HD comp. It seems like my specs are lower than yours yet it does everything i throw at it and i luv it. I even play COD4 on it. I have no clue why you would be unhappy with it or need to upgrade.

    to long didn't read- upgrade if you want but I don't think you need to
     
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  4. EndlessMac, Oct 29, 2009

    EndlessMac macrumors 6502

    Joined:
    Aug 20, 2009
    #4
    Are you sure you don't want to consider the 13" Macbook Pro? Anyway for your needs you really don't need an extremely powerful computer so the Air will work for you. The problem with the Air is even with the faster version it's kind of a lateral upgrade for you because the performance is about the same as your current laptop but it will definitely be lighter. That seems like a major importance for your.

    The 13" MBP will be more of a performance upgrade and is lighter than the 15" but obviously heavier than the Air. It really depends on which is more important to you. If weight is the most important thing to you then the Air will be worth it. It does lack some ports and an optical drive so you have to factor that into it. The 13" MBP is a good compromise between performance and lighter smaller weight.
     
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  5. jeremy6044, Oct 29, 2009

    jeremy6044 thread starter macrumors regular

    Joined:
    Oct 6, 2007
    #5
    I'm not that unhappy, just trying to see if upgrading would give me more utility than I'm getting. I never considered the 13" MBP because it seems like the performance is the same as my current MB. Am I missing something? Is it significantly faster? It's only 1/2 lb lighter.

    I should add that I don't care about the superdrive or ports...but the shorter battery of the MBA would bother me.
     
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  6. johndavidwright, Oct 29, 2009

    johndavidwright macrumors member

    Joined:
    Dec 15, 2008
    #6
    I have a friend that was kinda in the same situation as you are. He had a 13" MBP and wanted something lighter cause he takes his computer everywhere and went with the MacBook Air. He now regrets it and is now selling his Air and looking to buy a MBP.
     
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  7. EndlessMac, Oct 29, 2009

    EndlessMac macrumors 6502

    Joined:
    Aug 20, 2009
    #7
    The 2.53 GHz 13" MBP isn't significantly faster but it is an upgrade rather than the MBA being more equal in performance to your current computer. The MBA would be the choice if the weight factor is the most important issue and it doesn't sound like you are complaining about the performance of your current Mac. Also 1/2 lb is noticeable to me but you really have to make that decision yourself.
     
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  8. jeremy6044, Oct 29, 2009

    jeremy6044 thread starter macrumors regular

    Joined:
    Oct 6, 2007
    #8
    is there any difference between:

    a) 2.2ghz c2d santa rosa and the entry level mbp's? (is that 2.26 ghz and 2.53ghz?)

    b) the screens?
     
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