Ready to buy a MacBook Air, I think...

[JMies419]

After plenty of thought and research I have pretty much narrowed it down to two choices, the base 13.3" MacBook Air and the base 13.3" MacBook Pro. I have completely ruled out the 11.6" Air and the larger Pro models for various reasons. The computer will be used for internet, email, music and occasional photoshop and lightroom editing (nothing really major just casual). I think either system I listed will do the job but I am more concerned with what will be more bang for my buck and more "future proof" if you will. I am heavily leaning to the Air but the only thing that concerns me is not being able to upgrade the RAM if I want to. Is 4GB going to be enough for 3-4 years? I think it will, but I wanted to get others opinions on this. Also, the 500GB hhd on the Pro is nice, but I don't think I need it. The MacBook I have now has a 60GB hdd and I am doing just fine in regards to that.

I know new models may be coming mid/late this year but I am in need of a upgrade. I am currently running a original white Intel Core Duo MacBook. 4GB RAM, 60GB hhd. I can run Photoshop and Lightroom just fine on it but this computer is on its last leg. The keyboard stops working from time to time and I need to reboot, files on the hard drive are renaming themselves and occasionaly the computer just shuts itself off. I do not think it will last much longer so I am ready.

So what do you guys think? 13.3" Base MAcBook Air or 13.3" base MacBook Pro?

 

[Boe11]

You genuinely can't go wrong either way. They're both great machines and would serve you well. I have a pro that I'm in the process of selling to buy an air. There was a time when I needed the extra power and expandability of the pro line, but these days I prioritize mobility and convenience over power.

in the case of 13" vs. 13", they'll give you a pretty comparable experience. As I'm sure your research has unearthed and many will repeat here, they've each got their subtle pros and cons. The memory expandability could be a legitimate issue down the line. It's hard to say what future software requirements will bring, and IMHO 4gb is almost on the edge now.

In the end, it all comes down to personal preference, but as I mentioned, you really can't go wrong with these two excellent options.

Best of luck with the decision.

 

[radicalDESIGNZ]

I cant really justify getting a MBP after selling my old MBP to get a MBA. The weight is so much lighter to carry around for the MBA. The main thing that tells me that I won't go back to a 13' MBP is the screen resolution. It has a worse resolution than the 11' MBA. It just makes the screen of the 13' MBA so much nicer.

The only nice thing abt the 13' is the faster CPU and larger HD space. But I find it irrelevant since the MBA is already blazing fast and with an SSD even faster. If only they stuck a dedicated GPU to the 13" then maybe I'd consider it. It does suck that you can't upgrade the ram by yourself for the air... and that may be a concern to you if you are photoshopping but if you can work with it I would definitely say to go Air

 

[JMies419]

I cant really justify getting a MBP after selling my old MBP to get a MBA. The weight is so much lighter to carry around for the MBA. The main thing that tells me that I won't go back to a 13' MBP is the screen resolution. It has a worse resolution than the 11' MBA. It just makes the screen of the 13' MBA so much nicer.

The only nice thing abt the 13' is the faster CPU and larger HD space. But I find it irrelevant since the MBA is already blazing fast and with an SSD even faster. If only they stuck a dedicated GPU to the 13" then maybe I'd consider it. It does suck that you can't upgrade the ram by yourself for the air... and that may be a concern to you if you are photoshopping but if you can work with it I would definitely say to go Air

You have no concerns with the 4GB of RAM not being expandable? Like I said I think that 4GB should be fine for my needs but I would like this machine to suit me for 3-4 years which I am thinking it should.

Thanks for the replies by the way.

 

[ajohnson253]

It sounds like 4GB of Ram will be fine. I sold an 8GB ram mbp 13" i7 for a 13" 256gb 4GB ram air. I love it. Don't notice a difference in anything really and I still use photoshop etc.

 

[Parkbruce]

mba 100% ..i personally switched from a pro to a air
here are the pros and cons
pros
as good batter life as pro but much lighter and thinner..and it really makes a difference when you are carrying it around
higher quality screen...this really makes a difference after using the mba for a few days the higher
ssd. ssd is much faster than the hard drive on the pro and the difference is signifincant in booting and opening applications.

however. if you need a cd drive or firewire port..then i would go with the pro.
also the performance difference bwteen the 1.7 i5 and 2.4i5 isnt a dramatic difference if you look at benchmarks and the 1.7 i5 is still absolutely perfect for photoshop and lightroom