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You are here: MacNN Forums > Hardware - Troubleshooting and Discussion > Mac Notebooks > Need Help pick Macbook Air....

Need Help pick Macbook Air....
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ibr80
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Apr 2, 2012, 06:42 PM
 
These would be the 2 choices.

1- 13" Current model with i5 @ 1.7GHz dual-core processor. 4GB RAM, 128GB SSD & Intel HD Graphics 3000 ( Price is $1299 )

2- 13" Previous model with Intel Core 2 Duo. 2GB RAM, 128GB SSD.
( Price is $899 )

Now I know the obvious choise is the current model, but will it play for itself in terms of performance or should I just take the deal ? Im also worried about resale value. I havent bought a mac laptop in over 5 years. Any help would be great. One other note : if I do go with the i5 should I be concerned with it being lasted generation. I now the new Ivy chips are coming but I beleive we are on the 2nd Gen i5 on the current model correct ?

Thanks for your help.
     
cgc
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Apr 2, 2012, 07:25 PM
 
Usually the first question is "what do you plan on doing with it" but I think this is a no-brainer...get the current model (unless $400 will break the bank and if it does I'd wait to save $400 and still get the current model).
     
ibook_steve
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Apr 2, 2012, 08:46 PM
 
i5/i7 models have way better performance over core2duo. As cgc said, this is a no-brainer.

Steve
Celebrating 10 years and 4000 posts on MacNN!
     
ibr80  (op)
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Apr 3, 2012, 12:26 AM
 
I guess i5 it is. Thanks guys.
     
cgc
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Apr 3, 2012, 06:49 PM
 
Originally Posted by ibr80 View Post
I guess i5 it is. Thanks guys.
You won't be disappointed. I have a 2006 MacPro 1,1 with two dual core Xeons and an HTPC I build for with an i3-2100T and HD2000 graphics. They benchmark at about the same; the i3 seems faster in day to day use.
     
The Godfather
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Apr 3, 2012, 07:37 PM
 
Upgrade that respectable i3 to its equivalent with hd3000 and you could make it an OSX HTPC.
     
Dex13
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Apr 4, 2012, 02:59 AM
 
why not wait for the new revisions coming in may?
     
P
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Apr 4, 2012, 02:42 PM
 
Originally Posted by ibook_steve View Post
i5/i7 models have way better performance over core2duo. As cgc said, this is a no-brainer.
If I may be so picky, the big difference is between the second-gen i5/i7 (Sandy Bridge) models and the first-gen i5/i7 models.

EDIT: Air. Argh. Forget I said anything.
( Last edited by P; Apr 5, 2012 at 05:02 PM. )
The new Mac Pro has up to 30 MB of cache inside the processor itself. That's more than the HD in my first Mac. Somehow I'm still running out of space.
     
SierraDragon
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Apr 4, 2012, 03:32 PM
 
Forget the C2D box, the tech is too old.

IMO we will see some kind of laptop upgrade before WWDC in June, so wait if you can. Even if you do not choose the latest model the prices of older models tend to drop a bit, and more info helps make for better decisions.

That said, if you buy now do not stress that newer models are coming because they always are, a good thing. And all the existing Sandy Bridge Macs are excellent.

Whatever you do, absolutely for sure plan on an SSD for the boot drive and compare your total costs accordingly. From Apple or via third-party retrofit.

Note too that the current MBPs still have an optical drive, which means that you can retrofit a 1 TB HDD in the optical drive slot, which is a very big deal. New models may or may not lack the optical drive.

HTH

-Allen
( Last edited by SierraDragon; Apr 4, 2012 at 03:43 PM. )
     
The Godfather
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Apr 4, 2012, 05:32 PM
 
Originally Posted by SierraDragon View Post
Note too that the current MBPs still have an optical drive, which means that you can retrofit a 1 TB HDD in the optical drive slot, which is a very big deal. New models may or may not lack the optical drive.
-Allen
And on that day, I'll procure a preowned i5 MBP that can potentially triboot, at a price that won't break the bank.
     
jinnydor632
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Apr 9, 2012, 05:06 PM
 
Go with the current Gen or wait until the new models come out in a couple months.

I just got a smoking deal on a current gen 256GB 13" MBA. Was use lightly for 3 weeks. Picked it up for $850.
     
Eug
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Apr 10, 2012, 01:11 PM
 
Originally Posted by Dex13 View Post
why not wait for the new revisions coming in may?
That's what I would do unless you could get a killer deal on a refurb or something, especially since the new ones would probably come with USB 3 support, but May be a bit too soon. It could be summer or later.
     
cgc
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Apr 10, 2012, 04:04 PM
 
Originally Posted by The Godfather View Post
Upgrade that respectable i3 to its equivalent with hd3000 and you could make it an OSX HTPC.
Yeah, but I wanted the quietest, lowest power consumption box. If I did an OSX server it'd be running XBMC anyways...Windows 7 fits my needs and it was easy to get IR remote setup (along with a Wi-Fi remote).
     
printbucket
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May 23, 2012, 12:06 AM
 
The i5 is the clear choice, it has much better performance over the previous model.
     
mac_attack
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Jun 15, 2012, 07:24 PM
 
Originally Posted by printbucket View Post
The i5 is the clear choice, it has much better performance over the previous model.
Would you consider the i5 the biggest factor?
     
encrypteverything
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Jun 20, 2012, 12:48 AM
 
I noticed that you seem to have eliminated the 11" up front. Any reason why?
Watch your Back, Jack. Send encrypted messages with Gliph.
     
   
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