New Air Decision

[pilotError]

I'm looking at picking up a Macbook Air to round out the family.

Does anyone have a good reason to go for the SSD over the regular drive? I doubt the .2 ghz jump did much for performance.

I was wondering if the SSD folks did it all over again, would you just go for the lower end model and save the money?

Thanks,

Mike...

 

[Chaszmyr]

SSD's time hasn't come yet. It's too expensive, and doesn't have very significant improvements for either performance or battery life. Moreover, SSDs currently have a higher failure rate than HDDs, which is true completely undermines the point. If the SSD technology sounds appealing, get the HDD model now for $1000 less, and then sell it and get a new Air with a better/cheaper SSD in a year or so.

 

[CaptainCannabis]

I would buy another mac laptop.

I bought the 1.8/ssd which fits my needs and I never experience slow video or core shutdowns like other people (I think I got a decent version) and use it as my main computer.

But I think the computer is the biggest piece of sh*t that Apple has ever made. I don't recommend it to anyone. The first 2 days it's like Wow, but then you realize it just sucks. The fan sounds like a hoover vacuum every time you watch video.

I really don't understand the people who DO experience performance problems with it but STILL say that they love it. It is just like trying not to accept that you bought a piece of cr*p.

 

[aussieinrome]

SSD all the way!

I'm looking at picking up a Macbook Air to round out the family.

Does anyone have a good reason to go for the SSD over the regular drive? I doubt the .2 ghz jump did much for performance.

I was wondering if the SSD folks did it all over again, would you just go for the lower end model and save the money?

Thanks,

Mike...

I got the SSD version - it's just lightning fast, the amount of problems you can have with a HDD - I wouldn't bother.

I've not had any speed issues or core shut downs and I watch a lot of Seinfeld episodes and films on my MBA.

This is my first Mac and I'm really impressed with the build quality, speed and look of the machine.

 

[Mackan]

I really don't understand the people who DO experience performance problems with it but STILL say that they love it. It is just like trying not to accept that you bought a piece of cr*p.

I agree. Most people try to justify their buy, even if the product has problems. You on the other hand, is different, hehe.

 

[steve31]

Love my SSD!! I have had zero problems with core shut downs and the air has NO noise. It also at times seems faster than my MBP 2.5!! I would buy the MBA SSD model again. But I would also tell someone that wants one to wait and see what comes in the next 2 months. Possible MB update to a LED screen and backlit keyboard ...would see me selling mine!

 

[Mackan]

I've not had any speed issues or core shut downs and I watch a lot of Seinfeld episodes and films on my MBA.

This is my first Mac and I'm really impressed with the build quality, speed and look of the machine.

And what about (fan) noise?

 

[aussieinrome]

And what about (fan) noise?

Totally silent!

 

[aristobrat]

Does anyone have a good reason to go for the SSD over the regular drive? I doubt the .2 ghz jump did much for performance.

After watching the video (and knowing how I use my Mac), my decision flipped from getting the SSD over to getting the 80GB hard drive.
http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/08/02/11/macbook_air_face_off_hdd_vs_ssd_with_video.html

The SSD obviously boots (and shuts down faster), but if you're a person like me that rarely reboots and uses the same applications most of the time (Mail, iTunes, Firefox, Transmission), OS X does such a good job of caching stuff in memory that after initially starting the apps after rebooting, the hd model flies almost as fast as the SSD.

If I were constantly using a lot more applications (to where OS X caching wouldn't be enough to prevent constant disk access when starting and swtiching between programs), I'd maybe reconsider my decision. But right now, having switched from a C2D 15" MBP, I have no regrets about making the $1799 Air my primary machine.

 

[pilotError]

You all make good points.

I'm just using it as a lightweight development machine. I'm a consultant that got thrust into a support role, mainly doing nothing recently. I have been wanting to do OS X development possibly some iPhone development, but don't really have the time at home. Since I'm mostly free here, it would be to carry back and forth each day and pop it open when I get some free time.

Thanks for your replies. I'm leaning toward the hard drive version at this point.

 

[hotdamn]

I would buy another mac laptop.

I bought the 1.8/ssd which fits my needs and I never experience slow video or core shutdowns like other people (I think I got a decent version) and use it as my main computer.

But I think the computer is the biggest piece of sh*t that Apple has ever made. I don't recommend it to anyone. The first 2 days it's like Wow, but then you realize it just sucks. The fan sounds like a hoover vacuum every time you watch video.

I really don't understand the people who DO experience performance problems with it but STILL say that they love it. It is just like trying not to accept that you bought a piece of cr*p.

wow, now I finally know what kind of person you are.
your unit is defective, just so you know.

 

[aussieinrome]

You all make good points.

I'm just using it as a lightweight development machine. I'm a consultant that got thrust into a support role, mainly doing nothing recently. I have been wanting to do OS X development possibly some iPhone development, but don't really have the time at home. Since I'm mostly free here, it would be to carry back and forth each day and pop it open when I get some free time.

Thanks for your replies. I'm leaning toward the hard drive version at this point.

If it's a matter of money, get the HDD version. I've got the SSD and I would not trade it for the HDD version for anything...

 

[CaptainCannabis]

wow, now I finally know what kind of person you are.
your unit is defective, just so you know.

Defective? How? Or maybe you are just jealous I have the ssd.

This thing is just not powerful.

 

[aussieinrome]

Defective? How? Or maybe you are just jealous I have the ssd.

This thing is just not powerful.

Not powerful, you're kidding right? I know powerful, I work on an 8 processor machine with 8GB RAM, I'm not saying the Air is even close to that, but for day to day surfing, email and a bit of photoshop, the Air is incredible snappy.

And yes, I've got the SSD version too.

 

[mtk75]

I'm looking at picking up a Macbook Air to round out the family.

Does anyone have a good reason to go for the SSD over the regular drive? I doubt the .2 ghz jump did much for performance.

I was wondering if the SSD folks did it all over again, would you just go for the lower end model and save the money?

I have the SSD. I would get it again. Programs load up quickly, even if it is the first time I've run it.

More importantly, I do not worry about shock. I have had normal hard drives fail because they tapped against something while spinning... SSDs will have a higher initial failure rate, but once the first few months are past, an SSD will outlast a normal HDD.

My personal thoughts: if you can afford it, buy the SSD. To me, the piece of mind when you accidentally drop it is worth the cost. If you can't afford the SSD, you are still getting a very nice computer for the things you were talking about doing.

I never have core shutdowns, and my fans are always fine. I actually have the problem that sometimes I can't tell that a command is being processed, because file access doesn't cause noise.

-Matt

 

[hotdamn]

Defective? How? Or maybe you are just jealous I have the ssd.

This thing is just not powerful.

Trust me, I am not jealous, but I know for a fact that a 1.66ghz Core 2 Duo should not have any problems playing flash/video.
It's a common problem with airs, maybe if you wouldn't have smoked your brains out, you'd notice that you are not alone.

 

[Durious]

just 1.6.....

 

[ceehjayem]

I don't think the SSD is worth it for the price that its at, approximately $15/GB. I think that's a bit too expensive. I just purchased a 1.8/80GB and love it. I'd like to have the SSD but I don't think its quite ready, especially at the price point that its at.

 

[wolfie]

i got the ssd a few days ago.

i personally wouldnt have bought it at the retail price as i cant justify he price differences.

i would get the 1.8 80 gig and then later change the hard drive when ssd becomes cheaper.

dont get me wrong its brilliant and i love it and is quite fast for my needs, but unless you got money to burn or want to spoil urself i cant see it worth it.

i bought the ssd version at such a cheap price i couldnt resist, bought it off ebay.

 

[pilotError]

Well...

I picked myself up this weekend and drove to my local Apple Store (Roosevelt Field in Long Island) only to discover it's under renovation!

After browsing Ebay for the last few days, I found an SSD version at a pretty good price and the guy was local.

I hopped on the train at lunch and picked it up today.

So far it's pretty amazing. The fans kicked in for the first few minutes and then they settled down. No dead pixels, no warped case, looks like I got lucky.

So after all that, I ended up with the 1.8Ghz SSD version. Haven't done anything other than boot it, but I plugged it in and after about an hour I have a 25% charge, so all looks good!

Thanks everyone for your help!

 

[leyenda1000]

SSD's time hasn't come yet. It's too expensive, and doesn't have very significant improvements for either performance or battery life. Moreover, SSDs currently have a higher failure rate than HDDs, which is true completely undermines the point. If the SSD technology sounds appealing, get the HDD model now for $1000 less, and then sell it and get a new Air with a better/cheaper SSD in a year or so.

Interesting, didn't know the SSDs had a higher failure rate.

 

[peterlobl]

SSD loads and boots/shuts down so quickly... love it very much

Can't compare to HD model, but i found it worth the extra $$$ as it is a bizness machine.
could use a little more hd space, tho..