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Next time, try posting even more opinions as facts and twisting what I posted.

You're not worth wasting any more time on.

/end
 
Wow, I really touched a nerve. I guess others opinions are the only ones that count.

I merely stated that RAM first, but an i7 would be a worthwhile upgrade as it was only $100 more and merely an ~8.3% increase in price.

Done.
 
My argument is that the if you can afford $1200, you can afford $1300.

And it is a dumb argument. Anybody who plans their finances on that basis deserves to go bust.

I notice you did not address a single point I made about my buying decisions for my Air.

I'm out of this one.
 
And it is a dumb argument. Anybody who plans their finances on that basis deserves to go bust.

I notice you did not address a single point I made about my buying decisions for my Air.

I'm out of this one.

I agree,it's actually a dumb argument, when I went for my Mac,I had to save up for a whole month to be able to afford the extra ram,maybe for you 100$ aint much,but for many it is.
 
I agree,it's actually a dumb argument, when I went for my Mac,I had to save up for a whole month to be able to afford the extra ram,maybe for you 100$ aint much,but for many it is.

I did state that I consider owning a Mac a luxury that some cannot afford. I can afford one.

You could have gotten a Windows based laptop for less than what you paid for the Mac. Apparently you decided to spend at the very edge of your means.
 
I did state that I consider owning a Mac a luxury that some cannot afford. I can afford one.

You could have gotten a Windows based laptop for less than what you paid for the Mac. Apparently you decided to spend at the very edge of your means.

You are not getting the point,yes I saved every bit I could because I love OSX and Apple,the quality, feel everything-but spending a 100$ extra is easy just because I spent 1400$,well that logic is flawed.
 
Wow, I really touched a nerve. I guess others opinions are the only ones that count.

I merely stated that RAM first, but an i7 would be a worthwhile upgrade as it was only $100 more and merely an ~8.3% increase in price.

Done.

Really? Only an 8.3% price increase? To hell with a budget, it's only $100. Also, what percentage is the i7's performance compared to the i5's?

But seriously, you do make a point. OP, you should listen to stchman. :rolleyes: I think you should go for a fully kitted out Mac Pro. Yes, I know you said you wanted to choose between RAM and CPU, but honestly, why pay for that in a MacBook Air when you could get MORE from a Mac Pro? ;)

It's only a mere 347% increase. As my old man always used to say: "If you're going to spend $1000 on something you need, you don't give a **** about money and should therefore spend more than you need on something you never needed."

Yeah … his business went bust some time ago. But his words still reside to this day! :D

(OP, go for the RAM :))
 
So spending $1400 is easy, an extra $100 is just too much?

I've seen a lot of people, particularly students using loan money, that have purchased MacBook Air and even Pros and are unable to go up an extra $100. Is it really so inconceivable that some people on a specific budget might need to be able to run a Mac-specific app or two?

But as to the OP’s request: get the RAM. My last MacBook had one of its RAM slots go bad on the motherboard after a few years, and boy did that thing instantly feel like it was twice its age. If you're really going to be using this MBA for light everyday stuff, I think that you'll run into a performance wall with the 4 GB RAM well before you would with the i5 processor.
 
Really? Only an 8.3% price increase? To hell with a budget, it's only $100. Also, what percentage is the i7's performance compared to the i5's?

But seriously, you do make a point. OP, you should listen to stchman. :rolleyes: I think you should go for a fully kitted out Mac Pro. Yes, I know you said you wanted to choose between RAM and CPU, but honestly, why pay for that in a MacBook Air when you could get MORE from a Mac Pro? ;)

It's only a mere 347% increase. As my old man always used to say: "If you're going to spend $1000 on something you need, you don't give a **** about money and should therefore spend more than you need on something you never needed."

Yeah … his business went bust some time ago. But his words still reside to this day! :D

(OP, go for the RAM :))

For you I recommend therapy. Long sessions on the couch might help.

You are comparing a desktop Mac Pro to an UltraBook class laptop.

BTW, the performance difference between the i5 and i7 is ~15% on the 13" and 17% on the 11". You can go look it up. So an 8.3% increase in price giving you a 15%-17% increase in performance is a worthwhile upgrade.

For the last time:

I agree with the RAM upgrade, I simply made a point for conversation that the i5 to i7 upgrade is also worthy. If someone is going to spend $1200 on a laptop, $1300 is not a huge stretch.

Of course, someone like you likes to fly off the handle and get your little feathers ruffled with the realization that someone else's opinion differs with yours.
 
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For you I recommend therapy. Long sessions on the couch might help.

You are comparing a desktop Mac Pro to an UltraBook class laptop.

BTW, the performance difference between the i5 and i7 is ~15% on the 13" and 17% on the 11". You can go look it up. So an 8.3% increase in price giving you a 15%-17% increase in performance is a worthwhile upgrade.

For the last time:

I agree with the RAM upgrade, I simply made a point for conversation that the i5 to i7 upgrade is also worthy. If someone is going to spend $1200 on a laptop, $1300 is not a huge stretch.

Of course, someone like you likes to fly off the handle and get your little feathers ruffled with the realization that someone else's opinion differs with yours.

Genuinely can't tell if you're trolling me. I have no idea how you took what I said literally, or how you thought I was 'flying off the handle' amidst all my little smileys :D
 
I would rather have the 8GB of RAM than the 2.0GHz processor. I have a 2011 13" MacBook Air and swapping in and out of the 4GB of RAM slows down the machine far more than the 1.8GHz processor. The only reason I'm tempted to get a new MacBook Air is the availability of 8GB of RAM.
 
I can afford a Mac, some people cannot.

Clearly, the OP can afford a Mac as well. I think it is safe to assume that each person that has replied to this thread owns a Mac. No one really cares if you can personally afford a Mac, or how much you spent on it. The OP is asking for advice; so you either help or you don't. In case I, and others in this thread are not are not being clear: You aren't helping anyone.


Sigh.


OP - I would personally go with the RAM upgrade, especially since you cannot add more later on. I was using 4GB on my MBP until a friend of mine was kind enough to give me his 8GB RAM after he upgraded to 16GB.

I thought 4GB was working fine until I upped it to 8GB. It really does make a difference.

Good luck with your decision!
 
No offense, but Macs are not built for the budget concious consumer. I think Macs are good machines, but defeintely overpriced.

Expensive, not overpriced.

And the OP uses exactly the right strategy: Fix a price. Then find the best product that you can get for that price. (Should consider refurbished Macs as well, which might get him a better Mac for the same money).

And for almost everybody it is not a question of being able to afford a Mac, but of getting their priorities right.

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So spending $1400 is easy, an extra $100 is just too much?

Might have saved $50 a month for the last two years. $100 could mean waiting another two months. Myself, I set a budget and then I don't exceed it. That's discipline and gets you the best value for your money.
 
I'm almost sorry I engaged in this thread.

To the OP:

I would DEFINITELY get the RAM upgrade from 4GB to 8GB.

IF you can afford the processor upgrade from i5 to i7, I recommend that upgrade as well almost as much as the RAM.
 
I would pick the ram upgrade, the slight processor speed bump for your casual use of it, would not be noticeable, and the SSD drive can be upgraded cheaper at 3rd party sites later on down the road as an option.
 
I would pick the ram upgrade, the slight processor speed bump for your casual use of it, would not be noticeable, and the SSD drive can be upgraded cheaper at 3rd party sites later on down the road as an option.

It is not just clock speed as the i7 has more cache (I think 4 MB) and actually outperforms the 2.5 i5 on the MBPs. But I agree, go for the RAM.
 
I'm almost sorry I engaged in this thread.

To the OP:

I would DEFINITELY get the RAM upgrade from 4GB to 8GB.

IF you can afford the processor upgrade from i5 to i7, I recommend that upgrade as well almost as much as the RAM.

Your argument basically comes down to this: "Qu'ils mangent de la brioche".
 
It is not just clock speed as the i7 has more cache (I think 4 MB) and actually outperforms the 2.5 i5 on the MBPs. But I agree, go for the RAM.

i5 1.8 vs i7 2.0 cache 3mb vs 4mb. Its definitely very small bump in performance, for casual use, I wouldn't need it.

Yes, max out the ram.
 
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Your argument basically comes down to this: "Qu'ils mangent de la brioche".

I don't speak French, but I do recall that saying from my history classes. A quote that people have said was spoken by Marie Antoinette, but no proof that it ever was.

You reference to this is out of place. I am saying get both, not something that is not available.
 
No it is not terrible advice. That is your opinion. I hate it when people say "I should have spent the extra <$$$> on that upgrade". Spending an extra 8.3% is not lunacy.

I think Apple laptops are some of the best made, I also think Apple laptops are the most pricey. I know because I OWN one.

of course it's my opinion. whose else opinion would it be? i do think that most financial planners and economists would agree with me though

If you can afford X then you can afford 1.8X.
If you can afford X' then you can afford 3.24X.
If you can afford X'' then you can afford 5.832X

and so on.

If you can afford 1200 then you can afford 1300 is not a true statement.

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I don't speak French, but I do recall that saying from my history classes. A quote that people have said was spoken by Marie Antoinette, but no proof that it ever was.

You reference to this is out of place. I am saying get both, not something that is not available.

if by "but I do recall that saying from my history classes" you mean "so i googled it" then yes
:p:p:p

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Go for the RAM, but frankly, wait a month and get both.

why? what's happening in a month? or do you mean save up?
 
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