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Need Some Advice before Buying! :)

B

blanco.juanfeli

macrumors newbie
Original poster
May 13, 2012
25
0
Hey Guys,

I'm planning to get a baseline 13 inch :apple: Macbook Air, but im just not sure if 4 GB are enough for my need, and if it is worth the extra 130 dollars (Macmall)... I´ll basically use it for iWork, MS Office, very Light gamming, lots of web surfing and maybe running windows occasionally using a VM, and I plan to keep it for at least 3 to 4 years, so do you think that the upgrade is necessary?

I´m also considering a MacBook Pro, becuase of its "Upgradability", but i just cant justify spnding $1200 on a 1200x800 screen and a traditional 5400 RPM Hard-drive...

BTW: Sorry for my bad english

Thanks :apple: :apple:
 
4GB should be enough for everything you listed except VMs.

It's doable, but you'll definitely take a performance hit while you have a VM running since your RAM will be split between OS X and your VM. If you plan on using the VM often and require performance, get 8GB RAM. If not, 4GB is enough.
 
blanco.juanfeli said:
if it is worth the extra 130 dollars (Macmall)
Click to expand...

That $130 difference is very minor if you intend to keep your computer for a long time. If you don't intend on keeping it for a long time, it will probably result in you getting ~$100 more on ebay for it (compared to a similar 4GB model) during the first few years.

Go for it.
 
My MBA arrived last week. I got the 13.3/8/128.... and I'm very happy with it so far.
IMHO, you'll want to get the RAM if you can afford it - if you can't... bag lunch for a couple wks to pay for it. While 4G may be OK to start, once you start running more/different programs (and you'll use the MBA often)...you'll wish you have more RAM. Like PC's... when performance slows, RAM is typically first thing people say to upgrade. $130 is a no brainer. For me, I'm OK with less HD space since I can expand via a NAS and cloud for extra storage.

Macmall has a special now you can get parallel for $9... and if you buy through fatwallet, you get ~30bux cash back. G'luck.
 
THANKS GUYS, I'VE DECIDED TO GET THE BASE 13 WITH 8GB OF RAM!! :D :D

After some research, I've come to that conclusion... It might be enough for a while, but in a few months/years I will need it! With newer programs and operating systems, more memory will be needed :p

pgiguere1 said:
4GB should be enough for everything you listed except VMs.

It's doable, but you'll definitely take a performance hit while you have a VM running since your RAM will be split between OS X and your VM. If you plan on using the VM often and require performance, get 8GB RAM. If not, 4GB is enough.
Click to expand...

That's true and as I don't wan't to use Bootcamp(Not as practical as a VM) I will need that extra memory sooner than latter!

Primo.TM said:
I say go for 8GB. 4GB is fine now, but in 3-4 years maybe you'll need more.
Click to expand...

Yep, I'm already spending +$1200 on a computer, so $130 more is not a big deal, specially considering the benefits! Better to have and not need, than to need and not have :cool:

And I don't want it to be obsolete in a year!

oneMadRssn said:
That $130 difference is very minor if you intend to keep your computer for a long time. If you don't intend on keeping it for a long time, it will probably result in you getting ~$100 more on ebay for it (compared to a similar 4GB model) during the first few years.

Go for it.
Click to expand...

Congrats on your new Air! I'll be ordering mine in a few weeks, from Macmall I guess... Its nice to know that they have such an amazing disscount on Parallels, but sadly a new version is comming soon lol!

lithium1330 said:
My MBA arrived last week. I got the 13.3/8/128.... and I'm very happy with it so far.
IMHO, you'll want to get the RAM if you can afford it - if you can't... bag lunch for a couple wks to pay for it. While 4G may be OK to start, once you start running more/different programs (and you'll use the MBA often)...you'll wish you have more RAM. Like PC's... when performance slows, RAM is typically first thing people say to upgrade. $130 is a no brainer. For me, I'm OK with less HD space since I can expand via a NAS and cloud for extra storage.

Macmall has a special now you can get parallel for $9... and if you buy through fatwallet, you get ~30bux cash back. G'luck.
Click to expand...
 
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