Sending back faulty MBP: exchange or get MBA?

[Tambo]

Recently got a MBP 13", which turned out to be a lemon so I'm sending it back. Now I have the option to exchange or switch to a MBA. This is going to be my primary computer for a while, and I plan on using it for design (photoshop, illustrator), some light gaming, and as a DAW (with Logic Pro).

I'm having a difficult time deciding between the MBA (base + 8gb RAM) and the base MPB 13". Could use an extra push in any direction as I'm teetering on the fence right now.

MBP:

I don't need the optical drive or all the ports (ethernet, etc); planning on replacing the optical with a second HD (SSD). My only concern is that if something goes wrong post-installation, applecare won't cover it.

Since it has a faster processor, will the addition of an SSD in a MBP make it, in fact, faster (and more future-proof) than a MBA?


MBA:

All the ports I need/want. Higher resolution. Can replace the battery and SSD (when price comes down) in the future. May, however, not be as future-proof as a MBP with a slower processer. Easily hook up an external HD. Higher resale value than a MBP?


Any help is appreciated.

 

[maflynn]

From the looks of it, you seem to think the MBA is a better fit for your needs, so I'd say go for it.

The only thing I wonder about it the MBA is the performance of the ULV CPU, the ram is not upgradeable and you cannot easily upgrade the storage. If you're ok with those things then by all means

As for 13" laptop being your main machine for photoshop, I found it a bit small for me when I use photoshop on my 13" mbp - for that reason I'm going with 15". Just food for thought.

 

[Tambo]

From the looks of it, you seem to think the MBA is a better fit for your needs, so I'd say go for it.

The only thing I wonder about it the MBA is the performance of the ULV CPU, the ram is not upgradeable and you cannot easily upgrade the storage. If you're ok with those things then by all means

As for 13" laptop being your main machine for photoshop, I found it a bit small for me when I use photoshop on my 13" mbp - for that reason I'm going with 15". Just food for thought.

Appreciate the quick response.

The storage issue one of the marks against getting the MBA (just for the fact I will have to worry about curating my files to internal vs external HD). I plan to use an external monitor, along with an audio interface, so I guess hooking up an external HD wouldn't be a huge inconvenience in that desktop scenario.

 

[gnasher729]

The question is really: Do you want to carry more than 256 GB with you? If yes, MBP. If no, MBA.

If you do all the real work on a desk, with one or two external monitors and an external drive, then the MBA would be fine. The processor speed difference is less than you might think: If you see "xxx GHz, Turboboost up to yyy GHz", then the Mac will often run at the Turboboost speed, where the difference to the MBP is a lot less. And having USB 3.0 now makes the external drive about the same speed as internal (and you can get a 3.5" drive which is lots more space for your money).