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Worth waiting for Ivy bridge?

X

xStreame

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Feb 29, 2012
12
0
I was planning on buying an Macbook Air for school soon, my 3 years old Vaio is falling apart and only works as a desktop attached to an external screen.

My question is how much faster will Ivy bridge be compared to the 2nd gen sandy?

I know it's not even sure if they will update the macbook air at all, but I would not like to regret buying the air at the wrong time.

I mostly use my laptop for school (office) use, occasionally play games like League of Legends or Guitar hero, but i can still do that on my 'desktop' at home (5day boarding school, weekend at home).

School for me starts after summer, means august

So whats your opinion for my case? worth waiting and wishing or getting it now?

thanks
 
I'd wait unless you really need a laptop now. A release is due pretty soon, so you won't have to wait too long.

What you'll almost certainly get as an update:
- Faster processor
- WAY better video (anything is better than HD3000)
- Cooler - current macbooks run really hot, IMO

Things you -might- get:
- USB 3.0
- Better screen

Things you probably won't get:
- More RAM
- Bigger SSD
 
Thanks for the answers, I guess I'll wait for now, but I doubt there will be any strong improvement in graphic performance (would come too close to the mbp)

AFAIK the stronger the cpu the better the graphics from the HD 3000.

I just want to know how much faster the Ivy brige cpu's are compared to sandy bridge.
 
Im definitely waiting, the HD4000 is something that i think will benefit in the long run, and back 2 school offers are nice, cant decline a free $100 gift card...
 
xStreame said:
Thanks for the answers, I guess I'll wait for now, but I doubt there will be any strong improvement in graphic performance (would come too close to the mbp)

AFAIK the stronger the cpu the better the graphics from the HD 3000.

I just want to know how much faster the Ivy brige cpu's are compared to sandy bridge.
Click to expand...

Probably not much faster. I'd guess maybe +15% or so. A few benchmarks around the web seem to show the same. The main advantage of this new chipset is a 20% lower TDP - these portables badly need to run cooler. My early 2011 MBP has the fans running non-stop.

Some alleged benchmarks:
http://www.tomshardware.com/news/Benchmarks-Intel-Ivy-Bridge-CPU-sandy-bridge,14144.html
 
rogan said:
Im definitely waiting, the HD4000 is something that i think will benefit in the long run, and back 2 school offers are nice, cant decline a free $100 gift card...
Click to expand...

Oh i forgot about the HD4000

Yeah i think i will be waiting. Also because i most likely will have to pay for an upgrade to Mountain Lion.

I already took the school offer in consideration, but since i go to a private school in china it won't be that easy to get the discount
 
If you buy now, you will instantly have a real mobile device again (unlike your dying VAIO) and can enjoy it for at least half a year. When the back2school offers are available, chances are that by then the MBA has been refreshed and you can already read some comparisons and reviews and decide whether it's worth the upgrade or not.

If you deem it worthwhile, you can still sell your SandyBridge MBA at a decent price (Macs tend to be have much stabler 2nd hand prices than a PC notebook) and consider the difference to your purchasing price as usage fee.

The only variable imho is whether the rumored redesigned MBP's will be released within the coming 2-3 months and perhaps offer a tempting alternative (especially for gaming, as the IvyBridge HD4000 chipset will be still as crappy for gaming as the HD3000 in the current machines - at least compared to a dedicated graphic solution that can normally be found in a MBP).
 
ls1dreams said:
I'd wait unless you really need a laptop now. A release is due pretty soon, so you won't have to wait too long.

What you'll almost certainly get as an update:
- Faster processor
- WAY better video (anything is better than HD3000)
- Cooler - current macbooks run really hot, IMO

Things you -might- get:
- USB 3.0
- Better screen

Things you probably won't get:
- More RAM
- Bigger SSD
Click to expand...

Sorry for what may seem like a dumb question, but what does better video do for you in non-gaming/photo or video editing capacities? Does it make a difference with watching videos on the SSD/from an external hard-drive? I show videos during presentations (w/ computer, currently an MBP, connected to a projector); would it influence these in any significant way?

Also, I've heard the thing about the MBAs running hot. Is it so hot that it's uncomfortable on your lap (though I'll be using my MBA on a desk most of the time as it will be for work only purposes)? Are the fans typically running during basic use (multi-tasking, but with MS Office Suite and internet, for example)?

TIA :)
 
you should buy now. for your needs the current mba will do everything you need it to do and way more. waiting until july/august is forever. why wait when you can enjoy it now.
 
Goddammit. My thoughts are jumping around.

The pro-contra ratio is 50:50, there are good arguments which make me want to wait, but also enough to get it now.

I'd like to hear more comments, it might help me find my decision.

Thanks
 
xStreame said:
Goddammit. My thoughts are jumping around.

The pro-contra ratio is 50:50, there are good arguments which make me want to wait, but also enough to get it now.

I'd like to hear more comments, it might help me find my decision.

Thanks
Click to expand...

I'd certainly wait. No one knows what the next updates will be like, but there are major changes estimated in the Macbook pro line. Maybe they will become more attractive with the new changes. But if you're specifically after the Macbook Air, I'd wait. Even if it takes half a year (till August). I personally hate buying something so expensive right before it gets updated to a better option.
 
I really want to get an MBA 13'' myself, but I'm definately gonna wait for the Ivy Bridge. Less heat, considerably quicker intergrated graphics and USB3 are really important factors for me. Also since Lion OS X has become slower and more resource+ram hungry, I really hope there is a 8gb ram option on the next MBA models. Also a screen upgrade with improved colour range would be great.
Heck, the new line of MBPs that's around the corner might also turn out to be amazing machines (thinner MBPs without HDD and ODD).
 
Mac32 said:
I really want to get an MBA 13'' myself, but I'm definately gonna wait for the Ivy Bridge. Less heat, considerably quicker intergrated graphics and USB3 are really important factors for me. Also since Lion OS X has become slower and more resource+ram hungry, I really hope there is a 8gb ram option on the next MBA models. Also a screen upgrade with improved colour range would be great.
Heck, the new line of MBPs that's around the corner might also turn out to be amazing machines (thinner MBPs without HDD and ODD).
Click to expand...

Any idea if it will support dual displays? Don't think the current one does.
 
beyondthesmile said:
Sorry for what may seem like a dumb question, but what does better video do for you in non-gaming/photo or video editing capacities? Does it make a difference with watching videos on the SSD/from an external hard-drive? I show videos during presentations (w/ computer, currently an MBP, connected to a projector); would it influence these in any significant way?

Also, I've heard the thing about the MBAs running hot. Is it so hot that it's uncomfortable on your lap (though I'll be using my MBA on a desk most of the time as it will be for work only purposes)? Are the fans typically running during basic use (multi-tasking, but with MS Office Suite and internet, for example)?

TIA :)
Click to expand...

I need to correct some things that Ls1dreams said.

What you'll almost certainly get as an update:
- Faster processor
- WAY better video (anything is better than HD3000)
- Cooler - current macbooks run really hot, IMO

Things you -might- get:
- USB 3.0
- Better screen

Things you probably won't get:
- More RAM
- Bigger SSD
Click to expand...
Not anything is better than HD3000, it's a pretty good graphics card (chipset?).
Because of people like him, that probably want to game in the MBA, people think that the gpu is weak. It isn't, it can play HD videos smoothly and it can even play plenty of games easily.
From personal experience, the macbook air 11" doesn't get too hot, unless you're gaming. And even then it's hotter than those 15" MBPs with dedicated GPUs.

I think they WILL put a bigger SSD, but I don't know about ram. Maybe they'll make 4gb the standard (for the 1k$ mba).

To sum up, the current generation of macbook airs is perfect for almost anything, but if you don't need one right now, why not wait?
It runs cool, it's blazing fast, has a great screen resolution. But next gen will be even better :)
 
orfeas0 said:
I need to correct some things that Ls1dreams said.


Not anything is better than HD3000, it's a pretty good graphics card (chipset?).
Because of people like him, that probably want to game in the MBA, people think that the gpu is weak. It isn't, it can play HD videos smoothly and it can even play plenty of games easily.
From personal experience, the macbook air 11" doesn't get too hot, unless you're gaming. And even then it's hotter than those 15" MBPs with dedicated GPUs.

I think they WILL put a bigger SSD, but I don't know about ram. Maybe they'll make 4gb the standard (for the 1k$ mba).

To sum up, the current generation of macbook airs is perfect for almost anything, but if you don't need one right now, why not wait?
It runs cool, it's blazing fast, has a great screen resolution. But next gen will be even better :)
Click to expand...

Thank you! That was a really helpful response. :)
 
Since no-one has much of a clue what the next MBA models will contain and which upgrades it'll get, the idea that you should wait until an unknown date for an unknown product is not necessarily the best advice. And given that whenever the next MBA comes out, it'll only be a year until the next one after that, why stop at waiting until Spring/Summer/Autumn for a new one when you could wait until next year?

I would jump now, and enjoy it. Then when a new model comes out, find a Apple dealer and try the new one out. If it is noticeably better, sell your MBA on ebay where you'll take a relatively small loss, and buy a new one.

Chances are that as in the past with the incremental revisions in Apple products, the next MBAs will look notably better on paper, but offer relatively minor improvements in real-life performance, so unless you're an ardent believer in must-have-the-newest-thing, the MBA you can buy now will remain more than adequate for your needs well beyond the next model and the one after that. If you needed something that much better, you'd be better off with a MBP anyway.
 
za9ra22 said:
since no-one has much of a clue what the next mba models will contain and which upgrades it'll get, the idea that you should wait until an unknown date for an unknown product is not necessarily the best advice. And given that whenever the next mba comes out, it'll only be a year until the next one after that, why stop at waiting until spring/summer/autumn for a new one when you could wait until next year?

I would jump now, and enjoy it. Then when a new model comes out, find a apple dealer and try the new one out. If it is noticeably better, sell your mba on ebay where you'll take a relatively small loss, and buy a new one.

Chances are that as in the past with the incremental revisions in apple products, the next mbas will look notably better on paper, but offer relatively minor improvements in real-life performance, so unless you're an ardent believer in must-have-the-newest-thing, the mba you can buy now will remain more than adequate for your needs well beyond the next model and the one after that. If you needed something that much better, you'd be better off with a mbp anyway.
Click to expand...


+1
 
i would wait. only because of hope that ivy's will use less power than sandy's.. its a painfull question with mba's batteries, from mine mba11i7 im getting 3 hours of usage, its not acceptable..
 
I had planned on picking up one this week, but then the buyers guide changed to only buy if needed, approaching the end of a cycle. So in the mean time I'm driving my self crazy thinking about it.
 
Wait or you'll be sorry in a couple of months when the new ones come out. IB > SB for battery, graphics, and cpu. Also, may have 8MB ram option.
 
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