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dirtyjeffer0
Posers don't use avatars.
Premium Member
join:2002-02-21
London, ON

dirtyjeffer0 to Post Op

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Re: Increasing RAM Really helps.

quick question...i colleague of mine is looking a getting a new laptop and has basically decided on the base model Macbook Pro 13" (2.5GHz i5) as it is on sale for $1050 right now...i suggested he consider the new 13" Macbook Air as it is only $50 more...while it isn't on sale, it is lighter, has Intel 5000 graphics vs Intel 4000 graphics on the Pro, SSD hard drive vs 5400 rpm on the Pro and likely much better battery life...his only concern is that the "Macbook Air only has 128GB of hard drive space"...i don't really see that as being a problem for his basic needs...he also said the slower processor in the Macbook Air wasn't as appealing to him...i mentioned the i5 in the Air does have turbo boost, so if you need the speed it is capable of similar speeds, but if the speeds aren't required, it scales down to what is needed, improving your battery life...also, the SSD would be substantially faster and likely provide him with real world "faster speeds" vs the regular drive in the Pro.

am i correct in assuming the real world performance of "regular use" would be better with the Macbook Air?

HiVolt
Premium Member
join:2000-12-28
Toronto, ON

HiVolt

Premium Member

I would tend to agree with you, the MBA with its SSD should be snappier in day to day usage, unless you heavily tax the cpu with encoding or rendering work.

Make sure to get the MBA with 8gb of ram though, as it's not upgradeable after the fact.

dirtyjeffer0
Posers don't use avatars.
Premium Member
join:2002-02-21
London, ON

dirtyjeffer0

Premium Member

he said he looked at some benchmarks online and saw that the Pro spec'd out better...oh well, it's not my money...the fact the Pro does have some upgrade options down the road is at least one saving grace...more RAM and an SSD would be the first thing to do to it.