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olos

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Jan 31, 2011
27
1
Refurbished air 13 is $200 off, but I would like to have at least 4GB RAM.
Can I upgrade myself, how, does that mean I will lose warranty?

Thanks,
 
Refurbished air 13 is $200 off, but I would like to have at least 4GB RAM.
Can I upgrade myself, how, does that mean I will lose warranty?

Thanks,

Nope. It's soldered in. You can't upgrade. If you tried, it would certainly void your warranty.
 
all you need is a size 0 screw driver, an exacto knife, and a soldering iron. Don't let Apple, Steve, or anyone on this forum tell you that you can't upgrade to the 4gb. Show them who's the boss.

tonydanza.jpg
 
Thanks! I read somewhere about the soldered RAM of Air but was thinking I will get the 4GB, then should have enough RAM for a long time.

Not until noticed the refurbished one... a lot cheaper but 2GB... tortured.

Yes? It doesn't really matter to me what you do... it's your money. My point was more that a 2 GB MBA cannot be upgraded to a 4 GB, so you'll have you either wait for a new refurb to show up in the store with 4 GB or buy a new one.
 
If you need 4 GB then you'll have to wait for one of those to show up in the refurbs. Based on other posts I have seen, when they do show up they are usually gone within 30-60 minutes, BTW, so you'll have to keep checking. I have a 2 GB 11" and have not found it to be an issue, even when running Ubuntu in a virtual machine... The hard drive response is so fast I have not really noticed, in real time anyway, any problem by having either the 1.4 processor or only 2 GB. Subjectively it is much faster than my older 2.2 MB.

Cheers
 
Thanks. I am debating.
reading posts on if 2gb is enough, for most applications i use probably is, except maybe photoshop cs5.
Price difference is huge $1099 refurbished vs. new+4GB $1339


If you need 4 GB then you'll have to wait for one of those to show up in the refurbs. Based on other posts I have seen, when they do show up they are usually gone within 30-60 minutes, BTW, so you'll have to keep checking. I have a 2 GB 11" and have not found it to be an issue, even when running Ubuntu in a virtual machine... The hard drive response is so fast I have not really noticed, in real time anyway, any problem by having either the 1.4 processor or only 2 GB. Subjectively it is much faster than my older 2.2 MB.

Cheers
 
The spec is somewhat different:

Refurbished:
2.13 ghz core2 duo
1 usb 2.0 port
screen resolution 1280X 800
NVIDIA GeForce 9400M
thickness 0.16-0.76

new:
1.86 ghz core 2 duo
2 usb + sd card
1440X900
thickness 0.11-0.68
 
Is the top one you have listed the previous generation of Macbook Air :confused: If so, then I'm not sure about whether you can upgrade the RAM or not (of course I'm sure other people here will know).
 
The spec is somewhat different:

Refurbished:
2.13 ghz core2 duo
1 usb 2.0 port
screen resolution 1280X 800
NVIDIA GeForce 9400M
thickness 0.16-0.76

new:
1.86 ghz core 2 duo
2 usb + sd card
1440X900
thickness 0.11-0.68
That refurb is a previous generation model. Look for the ones that say released October, 2010.
 
I figured.
But does it matter?
Is the old generation much different in performance and portability?
That refurb is a previous generation model. Look for the ones that say released October, 2010.
 
I figured.
But does it matter?
Is the old generation much different in performance and portability?
I think the current generation is the first that Apple finally got right. It's a whole new design. Of course if you like a lit keyboard, the previous generation had that going for it. :rolleyes:
 
You are absolutely right...
it IS the older model


I think the current generation is the first that Apple finally got right. It's a whole new design. Of course if you like a lit keyboard, the previous generation had that going for it. :rolleyes:
 
Last edited:
You are absolutely right...
it IS the older model
FYI, the new generation (two sizes) has sharper screen, glass trackpad, two USB ports, SD card reader (13" model), integrated flash storage, lighter weight, improved graphics, longer battery time, and better cooling. The list goes on but I think I've hit the main points.
 
can you elaborate on the whole new design part?
I understand the specific differences.

I think the current generation is the first that Apple finally got right. It's a whole new design. Of course if you like a lit keyboard, the previous generation had that going for it. :rolleyes:
 
Refurbished air 13 is $200 off, but I would like to have at least 4GB RAM.
Can I upgrade myself, how, does that mean I will lose warranty?

Thanks,

If you do any modification what so ever, then you will lose warranty.
 
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