Will new MBAs beat MBPs?

[ThirtyThr33]

So I fully understand that this is all based on rumors and not much physical evidence so forgive me in advance. However, do you think the new MBAs will be more powerful/faster than the current MBPs? Again I know we don't have all the details but I have a feeling if the MBAs get sandy bridges and they will obviously have SSDs then they might be better computers than the MBP.

Ideas? Opinions?

 

[ECUpirate44]

The graphics in the MBA are nowhere near the MBP. The 15 and 17 have dedicated GPU's. I think the low voltage sb CPU used in the air is less powerful than the ones used in the pro.

 

[kobyh15]

They're going to use low voltage Sandy Bridge processors. They will not be close in processor intensive tasks to even the dual cores in the 13" let alone the quads in the 15" or 17". For true portable power, the MBP will continue to be the better choice.

 

[awer25]

They're going to use low voltage Sandy Bridge processors. They will not be close in processor intensive tasks to even the dual cores in the 13" let alone the quads in the 15" or 17". For true portable power, the MBP will continue to be the better choice.

^^ This.

 

[ThirtyThr33]

Does photoshop count? Im considering one for college but I can't see myself doing too much gaming or video rendering. Maybe a little. But I just want speed.

 

[awer25]

Does photoshop count? Im considering one for college but I can't see myself doing too much gaming or video rendering. Maybe a little. But I just want speed.

Photoshop is very CPU intensive. You would directly benefit from the 13" MBP over the Air (and even more with the 15" quad-core).

 

[tombubi]

Apple will certainly make a separation in its product lines. So it should be clear the MBP has power and MBA has portability.

 

[Icy1007]

No, they won't "beat" the MBP.

 

[Lone Deranger]

Does photoshop count? Im considering one for college but I can't see myself doing too much gaming or video rendering. Maybe a little. But I just want speed.

Remember, PhotoShop versions CS4/CS5 have options to utilize a dedicated GPU such as those found in the MBP's to speed up various tasks. The GPU in the MBA's are not adequate enough for this and thus won't be used for these advanced acceleration methods.

While an MBA will allow you to do some light PS work, and it will work just fine, once the work load increases (16bpc, large canvasses, lot's of layers, etc.) the MBP is definitely the way to go.

 

[gorskiegangsta]

No, they won't "beat" the MBP.

Or maybe they will "beat" (in a literal sense of the word) the MBPs
Then Michael Bay will make the Transformers 4 movie; it'll be about a war between Macbook Pros and Macbook Airs.

To answer the OP's question, I don't think that the next gen Airs will beat the MBPs in terms of overall performance. Even though they have speedy SSDs, the MBPs have more powerful CPUs and GPUs. It is, however, possible that the "upper" models of Airs will come close in (overall) performance to the entry level MBPs; however, these Air models will likely cost $300-400 more than the MBP.

 

[Young Spade]

I think it depends on what applications you're going to be using. If you're using programs like iTunes, web browsers, Word, Pages, etc. then the Air will probably load and operate those programs faster due to the SSD drive. It doesn't take more than 2 cores to run those.

The MBP will give you a noticeable speed increase when doing processor intensive activities, such as editing, rendering, or processing data; actually moving files around to and from the computer itself would probably be faster on the Air.

Personally I don't do anything but light gaming and light photo editing so the Air is a better machine for me. Lighter and faster is what I'm looking for.

 

[NutsNGum]

They'll beat them in terms of screen resolution. Technically.

 

[saberahul]

So I fully understand that this is all based on rumors and not much physical evidence so forgive me in advance. However, do you think the new MBAs will be more powerful/faster than the current MBPs? Again I know we don't have all the details but I have a feeling if the MBAs get sandy bridges and they will obviously have SSDs then they might be better computers than the MBP.

Ideas? Opinions?

Ya right...