Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

Thinking about selling my MPB, and buying a MBA

D

dinamo9

macrumors member
Original poster
Mar 25, 2008
32
0
Hey everyone. I am wondering what I am losing gaining, if I were to switch to a MBA, in terms of speed and performance. I do not need more then 128GB storage. I bought my MPB in December 2009.

My 15.4" MBP specs:

Intel Core 2 Duo (Penryn) - 2.53gHz
4 GB (2x2GB) PC3-8500, DDR3, SO-DIMM
250 GB, 5400 rpm
NVIDIA GeForce 9400M - 256 MB

Thinking about buying the 13" MBA

1.7GHz dual-core Intel Core i5
4GB memory 1333MHz DDR3
128GB flash storage1
Intel HD Graphics 3000


Also if anyone has an idea of what my MBP is worth and I could sell it for that would be appreciated.

Thanks for the help!
 
Buy a 128gb ssd and optibay for you macbook pro.. you'll lose some gpu power switching to that air. I would go optibay and ssd.. your mac will feel completely new again :)
 
Thats a good option, thanks for suggesting that.

I should mention that I dont really need a fast computer. I don't do any intensive work on the computer. It is just for basic needs.

The macbook air appeals to me because of the weight. I'm wondering if it is still going to be as fast and smooth as my macbook pro has been at doing simple tasks.
 
It depends on your own preference and personal use. For your info, I just sold my MBP 15" C2D 2.6GHz for a 11' MBA ultimate. For heavy task, I already have my Imac 27" at home, so MBA would accommodate most of my tasks when I am on the road.

Since you only use your computer to do simple tasks, the new MBA would be ideal. The Air + charger are still weight far less than the 15" MBP alone, in case you concern about battery life.
 
I have essentially the same MBP and have already ordered a 13/256 MBA. I intend to sell the MBP. The Air is a wonderful machine. I had the first one but sold it for the MBP because the battery life was so much better. But now the Air has great battery life so I am switching back. For my needs the MBA is far superior.

BTW, I did remove my optical drive and install an SSD. While much faster than before, it doesn't come close to the speed of the MBA's I have played with in the store.
 
As Briax suggested, I'll change the HD in the MBP for a much faster SSD, that will give you a greater perception of speed from the system and is cheaper than buying a new computer.

Unless of course, you find your MBP too heavy and are internally already convinced of getting an Air.
 
dinamo9 said:
Hey everyone. I am wondering what I am losing gaining, if I were to switch to a MBA, in terms of speed and performance. I do not need more then 128GB storage. I bought my MPB in December 2009.

My 15.4" MBP specs:

Intel Core 2 Duo (Penryn) - 2.53gHz
4 GB (2x2GB) PC3-8500, DDR3, SO-DIMM
250 GB, 5400 rpm
NVIDIA GeForce 9400M - 256 MB

Thinking about buying the 13" MBA

1.7GHz dual-core Intel Core i5
4GB memory 1333MHz DDR3
128GB flash storage1
Intel HD Graphics 3000


Also if anyone has an idea of what my MBP is worth and I could sell it for that would be appreciated.

Thanks for the help!
Click to expand...

I think your idea is well that MBA is better than the MBP because The MBA has a very sexy SSD instead of a bulky hard drive... This is very speedy....!
 
I have been through the same debate as i have the same computer..

as most have mentioned its going to cost a bit.

Your computer can beat it in GPU intensive tasks, but it has the Speed, with $200 you can get yourself a top of the line SSD with a decent amount of memory and increase performance substantially.

What I would love is the weight and portability. However i do have a bigger screen. If anyone would want to trade my pro for their air I would be down (its running 8GB RAM and 7200RPM HDD so it can handle some intense multitasking).

You have 3 choices, restore your MBP and get back some power, great for regular users.
Install a SSD and get a performance jump.
Buy a MBA, from what I hear the previous generation MBA has the same graphical power, same battery life, no back lite keyboard, slower on processing however (but comes with the SSD). and is far cheaper used :D
 
dinamo9 said:
Thats a good option, thanks for suggesting that.

I should mention that I dont really need a fast computer. I don't do any intensive work on the computer. It is just for basic needs.

The macbook air appeals to me because of the weight. I'm wondering if it is still going to be as fast and smooth as my macbook pro has been at doing simple tasks.
Click to expand...

Just buy a SSD for your current machine. That will save you money and you'll have a better graphics card so you'll see better quality playing games and smoother framerates.

Not to mention a higher(?) screen resolution and a larger screen.
 
Apple OC said:
the main thing you will be losing is ... money
Click to expand...

I agree. I would keep the current MBP you have and wait for the re-design. At least, the money would be well spent then.

I also think if you want "speed", then an SSD would be good since you have a C2D. If it were the newer processors, this thread would have been pointless.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back