Really quite lost as to which to pick

[KoenigReinhold]

Hi there everyone, I'm sure you get plenty of these questions each day but I would like some input.


First off, Im debating about purchasing either the new Macbook Air or the new 15" Macbook Pro 2.53ghz 4 gb ram.

With this said I am entering law school and will require a fairly portable notebook. Both of these notebooks are extremely lightweight, however I have yet to test the power of the new air. (Sidenote If I buy the Air I will also be purchasing the cd reader drive).

Now as far as usage I would mainly be completing word processing, skype, and msn. However and this is where Im now confused due to the recent update, I enjoy playing the game SecondLife and am wondering if the Air will be able to play it reasonably well... right now I struggle with low graphics (on a 4-5 year old laptop which uses a ATI radeon x600).

I noticed that both the Macbook Pro and the Air have 9400M cards and if you pay extra you can have a Macbook Pro that switches to 9600gts; is this really a big difference?

One of the main differences I see is that the Pro has 2.53 ghz with 4gb ram while the Air has only 2.13 ghz with 2 gb ram. To my knowledge 2 gb of ram is more than enough for most applications currently (im not video editing).

If I configured the Air, would a SSD increase the speed of the computer so that the processor gap would not seem too significant? (Considering that the speed of a computer is based upon the HD, Graphics, and Chip).

Thanks!

 

[kindablue09]

This advice is based on my pov...

The 2.53 mpb is a great deal; scratch that, a fantastic deal. Yes the 9600M is a much better graphics card, it will run games a lot better.
These benchmarks include the mbp you are looking at

http://www.macworld.com/article/136279/2008/10/macbookpro_benchmarks.html

I couldn't find benchmarks for the mba in my quick search, but just trust me, its slower all around. I know people vouch for the mba, but if an interest is gaming, I would shy away. Yes, it can play some of them... but thats not what is was designed for.

Now a question that probably will be asked even before I post is why don't you buy the 13" mbp? Its about 4.5lbs which isn't that much at all. Its a great solution for portability and is cheaper than the mba. Additionally it becomes all the more portable when you look at the 7 hour battery life that it sports, plus its ability to hold 4 gigs of ram.

Needs wise, any macbook should be able to meet your needs. Personally, I would go for the 15" because its a fantastic deal (~1500 usd in the refub store, I think) and it will last a bit longer because of the better components. Unless you have an issue with weight-bearing (can't have a moderately heavy bag) go with the 15" mpb. Plus its the last of a dying breed, the battery can be swapped out by the consumer. Its surprisingly portable and lightweight... and amazing...

 

[Ricanlegend]

The mac book air is a good secound computer , Not as your primary computer, I go will the mac book pro more powerfull , bettter screen