Need to Buy Something Now - i5 or i7?

[MBHockey]

I had the same decision to make a few days ago. I went with the i5 for a few reasons. Slightly better battery life, a cooler running machine, and saved cash on a marginal CPU upgrade. I'm not sure anyone is really doing serious enough work on an MBA for the 10% bump on the 13" to warrant the upgrade. But to each his own. Depends on what is most important to you. For me, it was battery life and heat dissipation.

 

[gentlefury]

I had the same decision to make a few days ago. I went with the i5 for a few reasons. Slightly better battery life, a cooler running machine, and saved cash on a marginal CPU upgrade. I'm not sure anyone is really doing serious enough work on an MBA for the 10% bump on the 13" to warrant the upgrade. But to each his own. Depends on what is most important to you. For me, it was battery life and heat dissipation.

I did work on a playstation ad in 2K on my MBA....worked great! I have the i5.

 

[jeffg819]

I bought the i7 because it was there. Future proof? Nah, nothing that pragmatic sounding drove my decision. I just wanted to top of the line.

This is my 3rd MBA and is by far the coolest running and quietest of the bunch.

 

[gentlefury]

I bought the i7 because it was there. Future proof? Nah, nothing that pragmatic sounding drove my decision. I just wanted to top of the line.

It's only like a $150 upgrade...I think its well worth it! They just didn't have an i7 in store on the 11" and thats what I wanted and I wanted it that day....if you already wanted the 13" 256GB I don't see any reason to not get the i7.

 

[gentlefury]

All of the reviews I have read on the pair stated the resolution and density is lower on the 11". I know the resolution is lower. Because of this, one can infer that the density is also lower. This means the screen shows less at one time.

I believe the size difference of the 11" and 13" is not enough to justify lower battery life, smaller screen, and slower processor. Additionally, the op said he had already decided on the 13".

Regarding his question, I think, for his purposes, the i5 will provide ample power. It will also prove easier on the battery (and the wallet )

11" = 135ppi
13" = 125ppi

11" is a denser display.

 

[ericDylan]

11" = 135ppi
13" = 125ppi

11" is a denser display.

Even so, the difference is completely indistinguishable. Also, there are still more pixels on 13", so more can fit on the screen.

 

[johnnyindia]

Deciding between 2 choices - same exact price at checkout

NEW 13" i5 Air (256GB) from B&H + Apple care
or
Refurbished 13" i7 (256GB) from Apple + Apple care

I would rather have a computer that doesn't get as hot, and gets better battery life, which is why I am thinking i5. However, since they are the same price, I am tempted towards the i7, since I've heard refurbs are basically same as new, except box.

i do audio work, but i think both the i5/i7 will be fine for the level of production i do (logic - 24-36 tracks MAX, minimal plugins)

any advice to steer me in a direction?

 

[gentlefury]

Even so, the difference is completely indistinguishable. Also, there are still more pixels on 13", so more can fit on the screen.

Well there are more pixels on a 46" LCD TV than an iPhone, but at 330PPI you can't possible tell me the 46" tv looks better!

 

[ericDylan]

Well there are more pixels on a 46" LCD TV than an iPhone, but at 330PPI you can't possible tell me the 46" tv looks better!

What are you doing on the TV? what are you doing on the phone? A movie would look better on the TV.

Regardless, the comparison is much different than 10 pixels per square inch. There is effectively no difference between the displays other than the size which, in many applications, is better.

 

[gentlefury]

What are you doing on the TV? what are you doing on the phone? A movie would look better on the TV.

Regardless, the comparison is much different than 10 pixels per square inch. There is effectively no difference between the displays other than the size which, in many applications, is better.

Well, I disagree. I like the size of the 11" better for all applications. When I need more screen real estate I either use my Mac Pro or I can plug in my MBA to a display. I recently did work on a commercial on my MBA by plugging in to a 24" display and using a bluetooth mouse and keyboard. It is plenty powerful to do anything I needed.

 

[KPOM]

The 11 inch is just too small to function as my only pc for extended trips, so I am set on the 13 inch. Now it is just a question of the i5 or the i7.

So did you make a decision? Which did you get, and why?

 

[57004]

Check out Anandtech's review, his conclusion was that the jump to i7 is not noticeable on the 13", but is noticeable on the 11" (because that model has a lower base clock speed of 1.6Ghz).

As you're going for the 13" I would say no. Unless you have the money and would like the bragging rights

 

[gentlefury]

Check out Anandtech's review, his conclusion was that the jump to i7 is not noticeable on the 13", but is noticeable on the 11" (because that model has a lower base clock speed of 1.6Ghz).

As you're going for the 13" I would say no. Unless you have the money and would like the bragging rights

Is $100 really that much of a jump in price when you are already dropping $1600?

 

[57004]

Is $100 really that much of a jump in price when you are already dropping $1600?

Not really, but I personally would be stretching my budget pretty far to even get to $1600 And that $100 doesn't become worth less when it's sitting on a larger pile.

If you keep the $100 in your pocket, you can use it towards the depreciation when you resell it for the next model. Which will most likely be much faster than the 10% increase that the i7 offers.

I always think of it in terms of features for money, as in 'What can I do with my laptop for the price'. For that $100 you don't really gain anything. Everything will be 10% faster, that's all. There is no application that will be totally unusable on the base model but workable on the top-end.

But hey, not everyone will agree on this. That's why there are base models, high-end models and options in the first place.

 

[gentlefury]

Not really, but I personally would be stretching my budget pretty far to even get to $1600 And that $100 doesn't become worth less when it's sitting on a larger pile.

If you keep the $100 in your pocket, you can use it towards the depreciation when you resell it for the next model. Which will most likely be much faster than the 10% increase that the i7 offers.

I always think of it in terms of features for money, as in 'What can I do with my laptop for the price'. For that $100 you don't really gain anything. Everything will be 10% faster, that's all. There is no application that will be totally unusable on the base model but workable on the top-end.

But hey, not everyone will agree on this. That's why there are base models, high-end models and options in the first place.

I got the i5 because they didn't offer the i7 as an in-store model....and it works great...so I'm not saying the i7 is in some way better...just that if you are already making a pretty hefty investment, a small upgrade fee shouldn't be that monumental.

 

[Dynax]

As somebody mentioned before, even the C2D-CPU is more than enough for those kind of tasks you intend to do.

Infact, you wont notice ANY difference since there isn't any task you mentioned that is using all that power. It wont boot up faster, it wont boot apps faster or browse faster if you have a i7 instead of a i5 or C2D for that matter.

Damn, even games run better on my C2D-MBA because of its GPU (and the fact that games dont rely THAT much on CPU). If money isn't important than I think battery time is, right?

 

[johnnyindia]

This is annoying. I want the i5 since I care more about keeping the computer cooler than getting the benefit of the i7. however i can get a refurbished i7 cheaper than any version of the i5 13" 256. so it's sort of forcing me to get the i7, to save some money...kind of backwards, but i need to spend as little as possible for a 13" 256 macbook air.

 

[Howard54]

Thanks all for the help and interesting discussions/opinions. I decided to go with the i5. After reading here and talking to an Apple rep on the phone I decided that my needs did not warrant the i7 and the battery/heat issues experienced by some here made the i5 a better choice for me.

I did pick up an interesting tip (and a bit of cash) I thought I would share with the forum. When I called Apple to discuss the i5 vs i7 issue, the rep offered me a discount (about $100) if I purchased it over the phone and then had it shipped to me or if I picked it up at my local Apple store. I did the latter. I think the discount would have been less had I not purchased AppleCare, so maybe I did not save the full $100, but it was easier than buying them separately anyway.