Rev A MBP vs Rev A MBA

[Soul Glo]

G'day!

Currently I'm rocking a 1.83 core duo Rev A MacBook Pro - yeah, I couldn't resist. So far it has handled everything I can throw at it - uni work, a fair bit of web dev along with some general Photoshop and Illustrator work.

An opportunity has arisen to trade in for a Rev A Macbook Air 1.6 C2D which I am very tempted to jump at.

Yes, I know its only got one USB plug - big deal, I've got a hub for the one or two times I connect anything more then my iPhone. No Superdrive I can live with. And the 80 gig hard drive is the same as whats in my MBP.

I think the real advantage will be the portability - the MBP isn't a huge burden but its big enough to second guess if I really need to carry that with me.

Performance wise I imagine they'd be pretty similar. The Air has twice the ram I have in the MBP and from what I can gather the processors are much of a muchness. From what I have read the Air will handle the kind of work I throw at the MBP - Cyberduck, Safari, Mail, iTunes, MSN, Photohop and text editor of choice..

So.. am I being ridiculous for even contemplating this trade?

It would be good to hear anyone who has done a similar swap and if they are happy or regret it..



Cheers

SG

 

[fyminc]

my 2 cents

Hey SG,

So I don't own a MBP 1.83 CD but my dad and sis do. All three of us have the MBA 1.8 C2D Rev A. If you're like them, you'll be as happy as a clam with the Air. In regards to your questions about power, as long as you're not doing video, I think the Air will suit you well and the portability factor is amazing. My wife is a landscape architect and uses AutoCAD, Photoshop and Illustrator without any hiccups. Hope that helps. Make the trade. You're getting the bigger (smaller actually), better deal for sure.

Cheers,
J

 

[mgridgaway]

G'day!

Currently I'm rocking a 1.83 core duo Rev A MacBook Pro - yeah, I couldn't resist. So far it has handled everything I can throw at it - uni work, a fair bit of web dev along with some general Photoshop and Illustrator work.

An opportunity has arisen to trade in for a Rev A Macbook Air 1.6 C2D which I am very tempted to jump at.

Yes, I know its only got one USB plug - big deal, I've got a hub for the one or two times I connect anything more then my iPhone. No Superdrive I can live with. And the 80 gig hard drive is the same as whats in my MBP.

I think the real advantage will be the portability - the MBP isn't a huge burden but its big enough to second guess if I really need to carry that with me.

Performance wise I imagine they'd be pretty similar. The Air has twice the ram I have in the MBP and from what I can gather the processors are much of a muchness. From what I have read the Air will handle the kind of work I throw at the MBP - Cyberduck, Safari, Mail, iTunes, MSN, Photohop and text editor of choice..

So.. am I being ridiculous for even contemplating this trade?

It would be good to hear anyone who has done a similar swap and if they are happy or regret it..



Cheers

SG

No No No No No No No.

Don't you dare trade that beautiful MBP for a First Gen MBA. It has major heat issues, and even things like Youtube cause it to choke after a few minutes. If it were the newer MBA's I'd say go for it because it doesn't sound like you need that much power, but those first gen'ers should be stayed away from.

If you want proof, just type MBA or Macbook Air and heat problems/issues/etc and see what comes up.

At any rate, the MBP has much more horsepower than the air, mainly because it has a dedicated graphics card. If you're worried about Ram, you can upgrade it yourself -- it's very easy. I believe you can get 2GB for about 25 bucks nowadays.

If you take good care of your MBP, there's no reason it shouldn't last you another 3 years assuming you're doing the same things you're doing now

 

[ACiB708]

Air

If you do want THAT much portability, then definitely get the Air, besides it will be faster than your MBP. The processor is about 3 generations newer than your current MBP, so it is way faster. The RAM is also faster, not to mention it has 2x the amount.

The air is a good machine, and comparing it to your current one, it will be an improvement for sure, but noting that you use Illustrator and Adobe programs, I'd save for the new Macbook, or maybe a clearance item. A MBP or something. G'luck with your shopping!

 

[mgridgaway]

If you do want THAT much portability, then definitely get the Air, besides it will be faster than your MBP. The processor is about 3 generations newer than your current MBP, so it is way faster. The RAM is also faster, not to mention it has 2x the amount.

The air is a good machine, and comparing it to your current one, it will be an improvement for sure, but noting that you use Illustrator and Adobe programs, I'd save for the new Macbook, or maybe a clearance item. A MBP or something. G'luck with your shopping!

Untrue. Even though the MBA has a newer processor (that is only ONE generation newer, and specifically made for only the Air), it won't do much good because of the heat dissapation problems.

Repeat. The MBA will not be an improvement in any way over your current MBP.

 

[mBurns]

Yeah, I have a MBP Core Duo and was contemplating doing the same thing simply for portability reasons. Playing with the Air (Rev A) at the Apple Store left me deeply disappointed. It seemed slower, not faster.

 

[Soul Glo]

Thanks for the replies!

Alot of what's been said is exactly what's been running through my head.

So a bit more fuel for thought on the issue - would those for the MBP change your tune if I was to suppliment the Air with an iMac in the next 6 - 10 months?

As for the heating issues with Air, I thought that coolBook minimised the effects of this and made the Air a much more usable machine - but I might be over simplifying the problem.

As far as the performance - I think the MBP has a higher geekbench score by about 100 points. Is that much big of a deal? Obviously for games the MBP blows the Air away but I don't think I've ever played a game on it - that's what the xbox is for ;-)

And would the Air havng a year of AppleCare be a good reason to jump? The mbp has none at all.

Thoughts?

Cheers

SG