Which Macbook Air suits my needs? 11.6" 2gb RAM 1.4ghz C2D

[gummy3]

Hi all,

I'm in the market for a new Macbook Air and I was looking at this one in particular that's running for $699 on the Apple Refurb section.

Link:
http://store.apple.com/ca/product/FC505LL/A

Specs:
Originally released October 2010
11.6-inch LED-backlit glossy widescreen display

2GB memory

64GB flash storage
NVIDIA GeForce 320M graphics
FaceTime camera

I'm mostly concerned about the 2GB RAM and whether it's sufficient enough for my needs. Also, the i5 procressor (in the 2011 model) vs the C2D processor (in this 2010 model).

I've read a few things here and there, and mostly conflicting reports but just wondering if i could get some insight from people who've used it, and whether this would suit my needs based on my usage.
I'm debating between this, or waiting until the new 2011 Macbook Air gets released into the refurb store. The 11.6" 2011 i5 model with 4GB RAM is currently selling for $1199, so I assume it'll be somewhere around $999 when it comes out in refurb.

Alternatively, the Oct 2010 C2D version (same as above) but with 4GB ram is currently selling for $849 in the refurb section... so a $150 premium for the extra 2GB in RAM.

My usage:
- this will be my secondary computer that I'll use mostly for coffee shop leisure, maybe doing some work at the library... mostly used for internet browsing, iTunes, watching movies, Youtube, and MS Office work (powerpoint/excel or typing documents). I don't game, don't do any coding, no graphics work, etc.

Will this 2GB C2D be enough for my usage? Or should I spit out the money, wait for the 2011 refurb, and pay the extra $300+ premium for the i5 and 4GB ram?

Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

 

[alust2013]

I wouldn't say 2GB would be ideal, but if you don't have all of your apps open all at once, you should be fine with it, especially on a second computer. If you do 2GB, staying on snow leopard would also probably be better, as it currently has better memory management.

 

[gummy3]

I wouldn't say 2GB would be ideal, but if you don't have all of your apps open all at once, you should be fine with it, especially on a second computer. If you do 2GB, staying on snow leopard would also probably be better, as it currently has better memory management.

The most I'd have open at one time would be...

-iTunes/VLC
-Safari/Chrome (browser) with 7-8 tabs open
-MS Excel and Word

Would that slow things down?
Also, would upgrading to Lion really bog down my system with 2GB?

 

[gummy3]

I wouldn't say 2GB would be ideal, but if you don't have all of your apps open all at once, you should be fine with it, especially on a second computer. If you do 2GB, staying on snow leopard would also probably be better, as it currently has better memory management.

The most I'd have open at one time would be...

-iTunes/VLC
-Safari/Chrome (browser) with 7-8 tabs open
-MS Excel and Word

Would that slow things down?
Also, would upgrading to Lion really bog down my system with 2GB?

 

[Booji]

For your uses, its more than enough.

I first bought a 11.6", 2gb 1.4ghz and fell in love it with. After the refresh, for some reason I felt that I needed the 13" with i7 and 256gb SSD so I bought it with the intention of selling the 11.6"

I've done so much on the 11.6" including running Parallels XP virtual machine with a bunch of OSX apps open at the same time. Intentionally trying to push it to the limit, I could get it to slow down, but for most of my use the C2D and 2gb handles everything well and does not feel slow at all. I upgraded to Lion and it has not made a difference other than just taking a bit longer to boot.

The 13" will open applications a bit faster and I can run a bunch of apps at one time before it slows down or the fans start to go crazy. But I was a bit disappointed that for the most part, its really hard to tell the performance difference just by browsing and using MS Office 2011.

I still can't get myself to sell the 11.6". It seems stupid to have two Air's but the form factor of the smaller machine really makes a difference for use in a cafe or on the table on an economy class flight. Its definitely the sexier of the two.

I think a C2D 11.6" makes a really good low cost option that will do just about everything you need.

 

[gummy3]

For your uses, its more than enough.

I first bought a 11.6", 2gb 1.4ghz and fell in love it with. After the refresh, for some reason I felt that I needed the 13" with i7 and 256gb SSD so I bought it with the intention of selling the 11.6"

I've done so much on the 11.6" including running Parallels XP virtual machine with a bunch of OSX apps open at the same time. Intentionally trying to push it to the limit, I could get it to slow down, but for most of my use the C2D and 2gb handles everything well and does not feel slow at all. I upgraded to Lion and it has not made a difference other than just taking a bit longer to boot.

The 13" will open applications a bit faster and I can run a bunch of apps at one time before it slows down or the fans start to go crazy. But I was a bit disappointed that for the most part, its really hard to tell the performance difference just by browsing and using MS Office 2011.

I still can't get myself to sell the 11.6". It seems stupid to have two Air's but the form factor of the smaller machine really makes a difference for use in a cafe or on the table on an economy class flight. Its definitely the sexier of the two.

I think a C2D 11.6" makes a really good low cost option that will do just about everything you need.

Thank you so much for the insights!