fueledbymike Posted June 13, 2013 Share Posted June 13, 2013 Hey so I got robbed last night, super shady awful experience but hey I get a new computer from my insurance I have $1200 I am deciding between these two MacBook Air 13 MacBook Pro 13 I use it for Internet and a little photo editing. Nothing to crazy. What do you think would be best. The Mac air is 1100 so maybe could upgrade the ram or something to make it a little faster? I like the size of the air but the speed of the pro. Any tips Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
popscratch Posted June 13, 2013 Share Posted June 13, 2013 I don't really have any advice, but I just bought the MacBook Pro 13 and it's a really good and fast computer. But I wouldn't buy from Apple. They charge tax and their upgrades are super expensive compared to doing it yourself. I bought mine off Amazon for like $1,115. It's went up like $15 but it's still cheaper than Apple. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thebiglebowski Posted June 13, 2013 Share Posted June 13, 2013 There was a thread on here less than a month ago with Popscratch asking questions about a mac and upgrades. Search for it. But I remember the answer being that the RAM in an Air is soldered in. You cannot upgrade it. It’s the tradeoff you make for the computer being lighter. Can't have everything. Also, myself and others would really recommend you think hard about why you want an apple computer. You can get a computer with the same specs built for about half the price via ebay. I wouldn’t buy an Apple. If it’s what you want, it’s what you want, though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thebiglebowski Posted June 13, 2013 Share Posted June 13, 2013 Especially if all you want to do is surf the web and edit some photos. You could do this through Ubuntu / Gimp for free (outside of hardware costs) and it is very easy to use after a short transition period accompanied with all changes in operating system. Worst case, you don't like it and just install OSX later... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tardcore Posted June 13, 2013 Share Posted June 13, 2013 They just refreshed the Macbook Air, so I would go that route. If you plan to upgrade the ram, you have to do it at time of purchase. take a look around www.appleinsider.com. I think they had a coupon code of some sort through one of the popular online Apple retailers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alogical Posted June 13, 2013 Share Posted June 13, 2013 as said, you would have to upgrade the RAM upon ordering the computer. With the Air, you won't be able to upgrade it yourself. I still find it ridiculous that 8GB costs you $100 through Apple. But they get millions of people to fork it over, so obviously they're doing something right. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fueledbymike Posted June 13, 2013 Author Share Posted June 13, 2013 Yea it's a 100$ to upgrade to the 8gig ram. Think that is worth the extra $100? Also I'm still not sure about 128g storage space on the air. Are the cloud services getting a lot cheaper now? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fueledbymike Posted June 13, 2013 Author Share Posted June 13, 2013 When was the last Mac Pro update. My computer was 2 years old. Will I get the same model? Or will it be and updated version? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tardcore Posted June 13, 2013 Share Posted June 13, 2013 When was the last Mac Pro update. My computer was 2 years old. Will I get the same model? Or will it be and updated version? I think they updated last year with retina displays. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thebiglebowski Posted June 13, 2013 Share Posted June 13, 2013 Yea it's a 100$ to upgrade to the 8gig ram. Think that is worth the extra $100? Also I'm still not sure about 128g storage space on the air. Are the cloud services getting a lot cheaper now? 128GB should be fine and if not, there is external storage available cheaply. I'd do he 8GB given that it cannot be upgraded. Err on the side of caution and future-proof it (for a while). Don't need more than 8, though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tardcore Posted June 13, 2013 Share Posted June 13, 2013 I think 128GB is satisfactory for many users given that they are careful about the amount of media (particularly video) that they store locally. When I bought a Macbook Air a few years ago, I went with 256GB and am not sure it was really warranted. I pay the $25 for itunes match which basically means that I can download anything in my collection from the cloud and it does not count toward however much storage I get from icloud for free. The ram upgrade is probably a good idea though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fueledbymike Posted June 13, 2013 Author Share Posted June 13, 2013 Am leaning towards the air Is it better to upgrade the ram from 4g to 8g for 100$ Or upgrade the process from 1.3GHz Dual-Core Intel Core i5, Turbo Boost up to 2.6GHz To.. 1.7GHz Dual-Core Intel Core i7, Turbo Boost up to 3.3GHz For 150$ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tardcore Posted June 13, 2013 Share Posted June 13, 2013 Am leaning towards the air Is it better to upgrade the ram from 4g to 8g for 100$ Or upgrade the process from 1.3GHz Dual-Core Intel Core i5, Turbo Boost up to 2.6GHz To.. 1.7GHz Dual-Core Intel Core i7, Turbo Boost up to 3.3GHz For 150$ I would go with the ram upgrade. Unless you are doing processor intensive work, you likely will not notice a difference between one processor and the other, but it might suck more juice on average. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thebiglebowski Posted June 13, 2013 Share Posted June 13, 2013 Obviously they are all interconnected and the system as a whole is only as good as its weak link. I would take 8GB RAM over the processor upgrade but the processor upgrade over 16 GB of RAM. But the best answer is don't buy apple and get both while paying less. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
henster311 Posted June 13, 2013 Share Posted June 13, 2013 when i was shooting for the newspaper, i was dumping, editing and uploading on my mac book pro, it was rough. but that was probably my set up and the age of computer. the pros are nice. just heavy. i recently got an air, and its awesome. i think more ram is useful, and if it has an i7 processor. its all flash with an SSD hard drive its quick and smooth. plus i run everything off an external hard drive. lightroom is the only thing on there really that installed on the computer. im also editing 1-3k photos. id say air if you go apple Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thebiglebowski Posted June 13, 2013 Share Posted June 13, 2013 Not even saying this is the best deal you can find but build a comparable laptop here: www.xoticpc.com Install this on it so you get the OS you want (either getting a hard drive ready to install the OS or get Windows and create a dual boot later): http://www.amazon.com/Mac-version-10-6-3-Snow-Leopard/dp/B001AMHWP8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1371146064&sr=8-1&keywords=osx Notice that the price is probably 30-40% cheaper and he have the same intel processor, the same amount of RAM, a warranty, etc... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hipsterasfolk Posted June 13, 2013 Share Posted June 13, 2013 iMac I know after I move into my new place in August I'm ditching my Macbook and snagging an iMac or build something similar. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tardcore Posted June 13, 2013 Share Posted June 13, 2013 Not even saying this is the best deal you can find but build a comparable laptop here: www.xoticpc.com Install this on it so you get the OS you want (either getting a hard drive ready to install the OS or get Windows and create a dual boot later): http://www.amazon.com/Mac-version-10-6-3-Snow-Leopard/dp/B001AMHWP8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1371146064&sr=8-1&keywords=osx Notice that the price is probably 30-40% cheaper and he have the same intel processor, the same amount of RAM, a warranty, etc... the notion that you can build a comparable laptop for less generally proves out to be a myth. Even if you completely ignore build quality and form factor, the budget laptop usually has a lower quality screen or sacrifices the SSD. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thebiglebowski Posted June 14, 2013 Share Posted June 14, 2013 the notion that you can build a comparable laptop for less generally proves out to be a myth. Even if you completely ignore build quality and form factor, the budget laptop usually has a lower quality screen or sacrifices the SSD. Gotta run but show me an apple laptop and I'll find what I would buy with comparable stats. Also explain what you mean by form factor. The case? What leads you to think an apple is less likely to break? They have recalls too. You have stats to back it up? Would like to see them for personal knowledge. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ronniegwilliams Posted June 14, 2013 Share Posted June 14, 2013 If you're set on a Mac, I would recommend you purchase the pro with the smallest harddrive and ram, then upgrade it yourself. I use a Pro and installed 8gb of ram and a 1tb harddrive for hundreds less than what apple would charge henster311 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tardcore Posted June 14, 2013 Share Posted June 14, 2013 Gotta run but show me an apple laptop and I'll find what I would buy with comparable stats. Also explain what you mean by form factor. The case? What leads you to think an apple is less likely to break? They have recalls too. You have stats to back it up? Would like to see them for personal knowledge. We'll make it easy. Just find a specific alternative to the new MBA that the OP is looking at for $1100 http://store.apple.com/us/configure/MD760LL/A? 1.3Ghz dual core i5 (Haswell) 4GB 1600MHz LPDDR3 RAM (optional $100 buy up to 8GB) Intel HD Grapics 5000 128GB SSD 13.3" screen (1440x900) And by form factor I just mean general quality of materials and finish. (aluminum body vs plastic, quality of keyboard/touch pad, and so forth). I think these things have value but it's easiest to just start by comparing the hard specs above. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thebiglebowski Posted June 14, 2013 Share Posted June 14, 2013 Close enough? It's hard to find one that matches exactly 1 to 1. http://www.amazon.com/Samsung-NP900X3D-A04US-13-3-Inch-Premium-Ultrabook/dp/B00B588J6I/ref=sr_1_6?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1371213737&sr=1-6&keywords=ssd#productDetails 3rd generation processor vs. 4th but the 3rd is 1.7 vs. 1.3 for 4th, so call it about a wash. 4 GB @ 1600Mhz Intel Graphics 4000 (so, a level back) 13.3" screen @ 1600 x 900 (so, higher resolution) Windows 8 (which, excluding user preference and only looking at retail value is actually more expensive than the newest OSX) 128 GB SSD $900, so about 20% off the cost. And that was with 5 minutes of looking. If I was really going to drop a grand on a laptop I am confident I could find a similar PC and drop that price down at least another $50-100. I think we can come to common ground this way -- Apple is going to use the newest generation technologies (which have the highest price tags). The problem -- unlike in the 90s and 00s where technology was rapidly improving, the latest improvements are often marginal. Used to double or triple the processor speed everytime you upgraded. Now, 3rd to 4th generation i5 gets a small performance increase for same Ghz and better power consumption. For me, I care about a couple things -- processor speed, RAM, HD capacity and speed, resolution. The specs of the Apple computer on these core attributes (which define the user experience from a hardware perspective) can be easily obtained for 30% or so less using perfectly good technology that might be a generation behind. Gladly take that tradeoff. The performance / price difference justifies it. If you have to have the newest generation technology for every component, then yeah, Apple probably competitively priced. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thebiglebowski Posted June 14, 2013 Share Posted June 14, 2013 Also along the lines of performance vs. cost, seems like there are a ton of laptops out there that offer a built in 24 GB SSD and a 500 GB HDD or something similar. I didn't use them for example purposes to keep things common. This seems like a way smarter route to me than a 128 GB SSD. You don't need your movies and music on a SSD. They don't play any faster or better. I don't want to say it's the same for everyone in the whole world, but I could easily fit my OS and all the "key" programs I will access a lot on 24 GB. Same functionality (arguably better, cause you don't need to get the external storage), better price. If you lock yourself into Apple and don't consider anything else, can't do this (at least I think...not positive on their entire product catalog). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tardcore Posted June 14, 2013 Share Posted June 14, 2013 One could quibble over some of the comparisons above (last year's MBA would probably compare more closely and at that point the price advantage is gone), but I think your conclusion is generally correct. I am by no means a pure Apple fan boy. Up until ~3 years ago, I would not even consider purchasing a macbook. My only point is that they actually are pretty price competive when you can find a direct comparison. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fueledbymike Posted June 16, 2013 Author Share Posted June 16, 2013 http://store.apple.com/us/product/FD102LL/A/refurbished-macbook-pro-29ghz-dual-core-intel-i7 I'm thinking about getting this and spending a lil more... It's an extra $100 out of my pocket. But fast processor 8gig ram and extra 250gb HD than the basic 13in Although it is a refurb. Am I good getting an apple refurb? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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