Hey guys, I'm college student looking to get a secondary computer. I can either pick up a 13 inch MBA for $522 or a 11inch for $430. Which one should I get ? This will be for just taking notes and surfing the web while I'm at school. Thanks ! Also should I just wait for WWDC before deciding? I am in no rush since this semester is ending soon .
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secondary computer 11in Vs 13in?
- Thread starter Baconhall
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Ive had a 13in pro, 13in Retina, 11in air, 13in Air and 15in retina and pro.
For College I'd recommend a 13in Pro if you need performance and portability, and if not then I'd recommend the 13in Air.
The 13in Pro has a much better CPU and is upgradable, but a little bit more weight.
The 13in Air is lighter and has a better resolution for multi tasking, but is non-upgradable.
I would not say an 11in just because the two 13 both offer better battery if I recall.
For College I'd recommend a 13in Pro if you need performance and portability, and if not then I'd recommend the 13in Air.
The 13in Pro has a much better CPU and is upgradable, but a little bit more weight.
The 13in Air is lighter and has a better resolution for multi tasking, but is non-upgradable.
I would not say an 11in just because the two 13 both offer better battery if I recall.
None of the current macbooks are upgradable.
For most college students a pro is a waste of money.
It depends on your what primary needs are, whether you need power or portability more.
Given that you have stated in your OP that this purchase is intended to serve as a second computer, and that you are a college student, I'd recommend the 11".
It is a brilliant little computer - I even used one for a few months as my main computer - and, as a second computer used in an environment where portability matters, there is nothing to beat it. Get one with 8 GB RAM, and 256 GB SSD if you can - it is a fast, powerful and amazingly portable computer.
Given that you have stated in your OP that this purchase is intended to serve as a second computer, and that you are a college student, I'd recommend the 11".
It is a brilliant little computer - I even used one for a few months as my main computer - and, as a second computer used in an environment where portability matters, there is nothing to beat it. Get one with 8 GB RAM, and 256 GB SSD if you can - it is a fast, powerful and amazingly portable computer.
Me? I'm not in the market to buy, currently, as I have a 2013 model I am more than satisfied with, the 2013 13" MBA 8 GB RAM, 512 SSD and i7 Core, which is a superb computer, easily the best I have ever had.
The OP posted two models and their price, which suggested the sort of money he was prepared to pay, which, in turn suggest a refurb model, as that would offer the best value, and I offered advice based on this.
I understand.
My point is how usable could be an 8GB RAM model or stay with 4GB RAM for the next 2-3 years (at least) and save some money.
I think the advice everyone here gives is that the more RAM the better, especially if you intend to hold onto the computer for more than a year. Paying $100 for a doubling of the RAM (it used to cost more some years ago), strikes me as a good investment, but I understand that some people have costed a new computer down to the last cent and find an extra $100 an expense too far.
This is because whatever is invented, or upgraded, or devised, in a year or two will always be a lot more greedy and demanding of memory than whoever is running on machines now. In turn, this means that a memory system which is perfectly adequate now, may well show sigs of creaking in two or three years.
I remember the debates of around six years ago - when I first joined the forum - 'oh, 2 GB RAM is way better than 1', which in turn gradually turned into the 2 versus 4 debate, and now, of course, the debate is whether 4 GB RAM is adequate (of course it is for current purposes), or whether 8 GB RAM would be better (it will be faster, and will future proof the machine for longer).
Thats the 2012, not the current model.
Also only the storage and ram are upgradeable, to a small degree.
The storage on all the current models is upgradeable, too.
I am also a student who recently purchased a MBA as a secondary computer. I was unsure which size to get as well. I went in to best buy to look at them and ended up buying an 11 inch because I didn't feel like the 13 inch was a big enough difference in size from my primary computer which is a 15 inch Dell. I'm very happy with the 11 inch as it is extremely light and the screen is definitely big enough for web browsing and word processing. I do wish the 11 inch had an sd card slot but I'm looking into purchasing a low profile USB drive when I get low on space.
As a second computer, one that won't be doing a lot of heavy lifting, 4MB of RAM is just fine. My post in another thread applies here:
And, the 11" MBA is extremely portable and "carries" very well.
Lou
More Storage by all means, unless you will be doing heavy Photoshoping or something similar. For my heavy lifting I have a SoupedUp Mac Pro with 24GB of RAM. My MBA is an 11" with 4GB of RAM and is fine for the light work I use it for.
My BIG mistake was to buy it with only 64GB of Storage. I had planned to use a 3.5" external drive for my programs and such when I was on the road. A BIG mistake on my part. I have since replaced the internal SSD with a 480GB Transcend JetDrive. Problem solved and I am now happy
Again, 4GB will be plenty for the average MBA user.
Lou
And, the 11" MBA is extremely portable and "carries" very well.
Lou
11inch is great for portability. I used one whilst traveling for a month last year and it was simply brilliant. But get the 8GB RAM 256GB SSD if you ahv ethat option.
The 11" is very small and is a great second computer.
However the limit screen resolution can be annoying at times especially for coding and for photo media work. In terms of performance it is very powerful as long as you don't get the older design.
Not for $430
However the limit screen resolution can be annoying at times especially for coding and for photo media work. In terms of performance it is very powerful as long as you don't get the older design.
Not for $430