Worth the Upgrade to an Air?

[freak180]

Screen Size 21.5 inches
Screen Resolution 1920 x 1080
Max Screen Resolution 1920 x 1080 pixels
Processor 3.06 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
RAM 4 GB DDR3 Memory Speed 1066 MHz
Hard Drive 500 GB SATA
Graphics Coprocessor NVIDIA GeForce 9400M G Chipset Brand NVIDIA Card Description GeForce 9400 Graphics Card
Ram Size 256 MB Number of USB 2.0 Ports 4

 

Other Technical Details

Brand Name Apple Series iMac Item model number MB950LL/A Hardware Platform Mac Operating System Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard Item Weight 20.5 pounds Item Dimensions L x W x H 7.42 x 20.79 x 17.76 inches Color Silver, White Processor Brand Intel Processor Count 1 Computer Memory Type DDR3 SDRAM Hard Drive Interface Serial ATA Hard Drive Rotational Speed 7200 RPM Optical Drive Type DVD Super Multi DL Audio-out Ports (#) 1 Power Source AC Voltage 230 volts

This is currently my girlfriend's computer and she was considering getting an Macbook air to replace her current model

 

 

She was considering going to get one with specs like this 

 

Product Identifiers Manufacturer Apple Product Family MacBook Air EAN 885909630400  
Processor Processor Type Intel Core i5 4th Gen. Processor Speed 1.30 GHz Number of Cores Dual-Core  
Display Display Size 11.6"  
Hard Drive Hard Drive Capacity 128 GB  
Memory Installed RAM 4 GB  
Video Graphic Processor Intel HD Graphics 5000  
Battery Battery Run Time Up to 9 Hours  
Miscellaneous Release Date June, 2013

 

 

 

 

What do you guys think, I know she plays a lot of Sims on her mac as well lol and some small music programs.

[zhangm Supervisor]

Is there a specific reason for the upgrade, like she needs a mobile computer, or is it "just time for an upgrade"?

[freak180]

Is there a specific reason for the upgrade, like she needs a mobile computer, or is it "just time for an upgrade"?

easier to take wherever she goes but run really good. I notice on her current imac it seems to hang a few seconds when opening some apps. I figure because of all the crap she has installed on it.

[Brian M. Veteran]

The graphics on the Air will be better, and it will be a lot faster, but at the expense of screen size.

 

If she doesn't need a portable computer, just pop an SSD into her current iMac, it's not as daunting a task as you might think.

[what]

I think she would hate playing The Sims on an 11" screen.

[freak180]

I think she would hate playing The Sims on an 11" screen.

Unless she hooks it up on a 23" monitor i have lol

[notuptome2004]

Also releasing this Fall is  iOS8 

 

 

http://www.apple.com/ios/ios8/

[freak180]

Also releasing this Fall is  iOS8 

 

 

http://www.apple.com/ios/ios8/

She doesnt own an iphone lol

[zhangm Supervisor]

So given the portability as an issue, it wouldn't be an unwarranted purchase as long as you keep in mind that the MBA that you've shown us here has a quarter of the storage capacity that the iMac does on board.

[notuptome2004]

oops  sorry i meant this

 

 

http://www.apple.com/osx/preview/   they just annoiced the newest version of OSX along with iOS8  but yea so that will be out in the Fall  and Free  so if she gets now she can  upgrade to that when it is out.  

[freak180]

oops  sorry i meant this

 

 

http://www.apple.com/osx/preview/   they just annoiced the newest version of OSX along with iOS8  but yea so that will be out in the Fall  and Free  so if she gets now she can  upgrade to that when it is out.  

yeah i heard and im actually impressed by it.. I used windows all my life and when i saw it ....i was like damnn... that's a beautiful OS o.o

[freak180]

So given the portability as an issue, it wouldn't be an unwarranted purchase as long as you keep in mind that the MBA that you've shown us here has a quarter of the storage capacity that the iMac does on board.

Yeah I'm aware of the fact ill being giving up space. But I wanted to know if it was worth it since performance is great on the air from what I heard at least 

[Ambroos]

MacBook Airs are really interesting computers right now.

 

Although I would really go for a 13" model. 11" models don't have a regular full-size keyboard, 13" ones do.

[sanctified Veteran]

My current Air is easily the best laptop I've ever had. What it lacks of theoretical specs it's negated by the fastest ssd right now, really fast memory, quite capable processor and lots, LOTS, of battery life.

 

And if you know your way around the battery is easily replaceable.

[Ryoken]

MacBook Air's run hot when doing anything graphic intensive.. like 3D Games.. not sure how Sims stacks up, but I doubt it's as intensive as Eve Online, so likely fine.. And if more powerful 3D games are not on the agenda, then they are amazing.

 

I would strongly suggest the 13". I have the 13" base model from just about 2 years ago, with the RAM upgraded to 8GB.. never had an issue. I used it at collage, running multiple Virtual Machines, all day, without a problem. It's got an amazing battery life, and it light as a feather. The SD card slot on the side is a great place to slide in a card and leave it for extra storage.. Keep a few extras with it for even more storage, without the need for a full External HDD.

 

I saw and used a bunch of my classmates computer during the course, and end of the day, the Air was best bang for the buck. The price for the hardware isn't as overpriced as some would like to make you believe, and the fact it comes in such a light package makes up for anything else. It weights less than the battery from my PC Laptop.. lol

[freak180]

MacBook Air's run hot when doing anything graphic intensive.. like 3D Games.. not sure how Sims stacks up, but I doubt it's as intensive as Eve Online, so likely fine.. And if more powerful 3D games are not on the agenda, then they are amazing.

 

I would strongly suggest the 13". I have the 13" base model from just about 2 years ago, with the RAM upgraded to 8GB.. never had an issue. I used it at collage, running multiple Virtual Machines, all day, without a problem. It's got an amazing battery life, and it light as a feather. The SD card slot on the side is a great place to slide in a card and leave it for extra storage.. Keep a few extras with it for even more storage, without the need for a full External HDD.

 

I saw and used a bunch of my classmates computer during the course, and end of the day, the Air was best bang for the buck. The price for the hardware isn't as overpriced as some would like to make you believe, and the fact it comes in such a light package makes up for anything else. It weights less than the battery from my PC Laptop.. lol

Thanks for the vauable information. So the 13" seems like the best choice to go if you say so :) Also I wasn't aware you can upgrade the ram in these machines due to how thin they are.