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Archive 2015 · Advice on MacBook air

  
 
maxx9photo
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p.1 #1 · p.1 #1 · Advice on MacBook air


I need your input, as I will be traveling for 2 weeks and in need of light laptop. I have a 15 MacBook pro but it's kind of heavy so I need something lighter to carry around.

Most likely will use light room for processing, so do you think i5 should be better? Or i7? Also memory 4gb or 8gb? Thanks in advance!



Dec 20, 2015 at 06:03 PM
Ian.Dobinson
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p.1 #2 · p.1 #2 · Advice on MacBook air


I have a 11" mid 2103 Air and I have to say I'm very pleased with its performance .

its base spec other than the 256gig HD (so i5 1.3ghz and 4gig of ram ) .

I use it as my out and about Lightroom machine . I don't make it do heavy stuff much but I have done so on a couple of occasions .
it imported and previewed my near 3k of raw images when I shot a bike race way faster than I would have thought it could . a task that I had tried to get my surface Pro (of around the same vintage) the year before and that just crashed .

if your going to throw more spec at it the be are that by the time you've added 8gi and 25gig of ram to the 13" version you basically have the price of the much better screened 12" macbook .

although I will concede the macbook will struggle more to do CPU intensive tasks that run for a while as the core M will thermal throttle on you . before that point I'm reliable informed its as quick as the i5 in the air



Dec 20, 2015 at 06:58 PM
Paulthelefty
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p.1 #3 · p.1 #3 · Advice on MacBook air


Is a 13 vs 15 really that much in the overall scheme of things? I mean, if you really just need an excuse to buy a new laptop, more power to you, but I can think of a bunch of cheaper ways to reduce a few ounces than a $2K laptop... just sayin' :-)

Paul



Dec 20, 2015 at 10:53 PM
rw11
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p.1 #4 · p.1 #4 · Advice on MacBook air


fastest i7 you can get & as much RAM as you can afford

my 15" Pro weighs < 5 lbs. BTW



Dec 20, 2015 at 11:00 PM
maxx9photo
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p.1 #5 · p.1 #5 · Advice on MacBook air


Paulthelefty wrote:
Is a 13 vs 15 really that much in the overall scheme of things? I mean, if you really just need an excuse to buy a new laptop, more power to you, but I can think of a bunch of cheaper ways to reduce a few ounces than a $2K laptop... just sayin' :-)

Paul


You are right in some, my current MB Pro has become my primary and workhorse desktop for the past 3 years now. I just don't want to risk if anything happen while I travel. That is why the idea came to have a second one and that has to be lighter/smaller.



Dec 20, 2015 at 11:51 PM
Ian.Dobinson
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p.1 #6 · p.1 #6 · Advice on MacBook air


DanBrown wrote:




mid 2013 obviously




Dec 21, 2015 at 03:22 AM
Ian.Dobinson
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p.1 #7 · p.1 #7 · Advice on MacBook air


Paulthelefty wrote:
Is a 13 vs 15 really that much in the overall scheme of things? I mean, if you really just need an excuse to buy a new laptop, more power to you, but I can think of a bunch of cheaper ways to reduce a few ounces than a $2K laptop... just sayin' :-)

Paul




well there is quite a bit of difference in bulk between the 15" pro and a 13" air .



Dec 21, 2015 at 03:35 AM
Ian.Dobinson
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p.1 #8 · p.1 #8 · Advice on MacBook air


rw11 wrote:
fastest i7 you can get & as much RAM as you can afford

my 15" Pro weighs < 5 lbs. BTW


why ?

if its not going to be a main workhorse throwing high spec at it just seems a waste .

like I said i have a base spec (other than the 256gig hd) and was really surprised how capable it is . my main concern was the 4gig of ram . but I have to say that its never had an issue with anything its done in lightroom (which isn't ram hungry anyway) or the photoshop stuff I've done on it .
as my 11" isn't my workhorse the photoshop stuff has been very light .



Dec 21, 2015 at 03:40 AM
lara_ckl
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p.1 #9 · p.1 #9 · Advice on MacBook air


Two things to consider, regardless of the model you decide:

1. You can't upgrade the RAM later.
2. Consider buying from the Apple refurb store. And use a "service" like www.refurb.me to let you know when a particular model you are interested in is available.



Dec 21, 2015 at 07:04 AM
maxx9photo
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p.1 #10 · p.1 #10 · Advice on MacBook air


I've decided to get mid 2013 - i7/1.7/8gbRam/512gbHD - I got one for $600 which is not bad.


Dec 21, 2015 at 08:07 AM
Ian.Dobinson
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p.1 #11 · p.1 #11 · Advice on MacBook air


maxx9photo wrote:
I've decided to get mid 2013 - i7/1.7/8gbRam/512gbHD - I got one for $600 which is not bad.



thats very good ? enjoy



Dec 21, 2015 at 09:37 AM
maxx9photo
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p.1 #12 · p.1 #12 · Advice on MacBook air


Ian.Dobinson wrote:
thats very good ? enjoy


I sure hope so, cheaper than refurbished from Apple.




Dec 21, 2015 at 11:12 AM
rw11
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p.1 #13 · p.1 #13 · Advice on MacBook air


Ian.Dobinson wrote:
why ?

if its not going to be a main workhorse throwing high spec at it just seems a waste .

like I said i have a base spec (other than the 256gig hd) and was really surprised how capable it is . my main concern was the 4gig of ram . but I have to say that its never had an issue with anything its done in lightroom (which isn't ram hungry anyway) or the photoshop stuff I've done on it .
as my 11" isn't my workhorse the photoshop stuff has been very light .



I assumed he wanted to run LightRoom. There is always a trade-off in how long you want a computer to last - buying a higher spec. unit now means a longer time before the software "engineers" are able to crush the efforts of the hardware engineers.

Buying a cheap unit means you'll need (or want to upgrade) sooner. The amount of disruption involved in upgrading is a cost you add when determining what to get when.

My strategy is to buy a used or refurbed unit (refurbs have a warranty form apple and tech support) just after a "nothing" type of updated unit is announced. The fan boys toss their perfectly good units for the latest and maybe not so greatest.



Dec 21, 2015 at 04:31 PM
maxx9photo
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p.1 #14 · p.1 #14 · Advice on MacBook air


Indeed, I only intend to run Light room for quick editing. Most files would be saved on passport HD.


Dec 21, 2015 at 05:33 PM
rscheffler
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p.1 #15 · p.1 #15 · Advice on MacBook air


maxx9photo wrote:
I've decided to get mid 2013 - i7/1.7/8gbRam/512gbHD - I got one for $600 which is not bad.


Curious where you found this? I see the same specced one, 11", at the Apple refurb store in Canada for $1519 CA (about $1100 US).

BTW, I've been using a 2011 11" i7 4GB since it was released as my travel computer and am quite happy with it, other than lacking USB3 (have to use a TB dongle). It doesn't really need a separate storage slot in a bag, as I can just wedge it in between stuff. It works fine... I have no problem culling a few thousand RAWs after a game and processing the selects through LR. Only complaint perhaps is the screen tech of the Air line hasn't really changed at all. Only after recently getting a new calibration puck was I able to make a decent screen profile for it...



Dec 23, 2015 at 11:32 PM
maxx9photo
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p.1 #16 · p.1 #16 · Advice on MacBook air


Curious where you found this? I see the same specced one, 11", at the Apple refurb store in Canada for $1519 CA (about $1100 US).


Bought from eBay, I've seen prices range from $600- $900.



Dec 24, 2015 at 08:35 AM
Savas K
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p.1 #17 · p.1 #17 · Advice on MacBook air


My Macbook Air is mid 2011 and with 4 gigs ram. It's still adequate for Adobe apps and basic business apps such as MS Office. I foresee this remaining in service easily another 2 years, making it a six-year's worth of purchase. But I do maintain 2 laptops in the event of a problem so that I have backup in order to keep the business going. An older Macbook Pro is going to be replaced and the existing 11 inch will play second fiddle.

Presently, I'm checking out a 13 inch Macbook Pro, as it's been reduced in weight over prior years of the pro line, and I'm willing to accept its additional pound of weight over the 11 inch air and gaining an inch of screen and the visual improvement that is retina. I am also going to get 16 gigs of ram and the largest SDD drive in the range. This I am choosing over the 15 inch for its added size and weight. The 11 spoiled me in that regard. I utilize an external monitor for when more screen real estate is desired.



Jan 02, 2016 at 10:52 AM
elkhornsun
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p.1 #18 · p.1 #18 · Advice on MacBook air


rw11 wrote:
With Apple computers it is the other way around. My Mac Pro workstation became obsolete thanks to hardware changes that affected the BIOS and subsequently the video driver compatibility. I wanted to add a higher resolution video card for my new monitor but could not do so on the Mac Pro. Ended up using the new monitor with a Windows 7 tower where I could use the new nVidia drivers required for the higher resolution.

For the past 35 years software deficiencies have been masked by improved hardware performance. Windows 7 required faster CPU's to overcome it deficiencies. Same has
...Show more




Jan 02, 2016 at 02:30 PM
rico
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p.1 #19 · p.1 #19 · Advice on MacBook air


Speaking of MBPr, I switched from 15" to 13" for reasons of weight and size. The loss of screen real estate is easier to tolerate with Retina. I need the connectivity since I make regular use of Thunderbolt (gigabit ethernet), USB, and the SD slot.


Jan 03, 2016 at 04:27 AM





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