Are the 13" MacBook Air build-to-order options worth it?
June 18, 2012 8:24 AM Subscribe
With her black MacBook on its last legs, my sister is going to be getting a new 13" MacBook Air soon. The stock 256GB model includes a 1.8GHz Intel Dual-Core Core i5, Turbo Boost up to 2.8GHz processor and 4GB of (1600MHz DDR3L SDRAM) memory. The build-to-order options are a 2.0GHz Intel Dual-Core Core i7, Turbo Boost up to 3.2GHz and 8GB of RAM for $90 each (Education Store prices). Knowing that processor and memory upgrades aren't possible later on, would either of these options make a big difference in performance? She uses it mostly for Office documents, some CS5 work, streaming video, web browsing and music and is hoping to keep it as her main computer for at least 4 years. Thanks for any input.
Maximize RAM, the CPU won't make that big of a difference for the tasks you outline. If you can afford the extra 90 bucks, bump the processor as well, but the best thing you can do after you have an SSD in a system is return to the standard upgrade, which is max out the systems ram.
posted by iamabot at 8:29 AM on June 18, 2012
posted by iamabot at 8:29 AM on June 18, 2012
Thirding getting the most RAM possible.
Also save a few bucks for the Applecare extension. It'll go a long way towards keeping her laptop running for the 4 years.
posted by Mercaptan at 8:32 AM on June 18, 2012
Also save a few bucks for the Applecare extension. It'll go a long way towards keeping her laptop running for the 4 years.
posted by Mercaptan at 8:32 AM on June 18, 2012
nthing just max the RAM and keep the CPU at stock. That's what'll make a difference in 4 years' time for OS upgrades and newer applications.
posted by holgate at 8:37 AM on June 18, 2012
posted by holgate at 8:37 AM on June 18, 2012
I would not buy a Mac today with less than 8GB RAM. I guess 4GB is probably sufficient for most things today, but since you want a lifespan longer than 2-3 years, it will become seriously underpowered.
posted by Rock Steady at 8:48 AM on June 18, 2012
posted by Rock Steady at 8:48 AM on June 18, 2012
The upgrade costs are a small % of what you're already paying for. Give it the most power you can right now to offset that huge fixed fee against the inability to upgrade the machine for the duration of its use
posted by MangyCarface at 8:52 AM on June 18, 2012
posted by MangyCarface at 8:52 AM on June 18, 2012
I just bought a 13"... After consulting the nerds at work, it was apparent that the 8 gigs of memory was totally worth it, while the SSD and faster processor would only make a marginal difference.
posted by ph00dz at 9:07 AM on June 18, 2012
posted by ph00dz at 9:07 AM on June 18, 2012
I would buy as much as I could afford. It seems that she will be keeping it for quite a while (a BLACK Macbook? Haven't seen those in YEARS!), so $90 spent now will give more time down the road.
I would get the most hard drive, the most ram, and then the biggest CPU in that order (if you must be on a budget).
Any reason she doesn't go with a Macbook Pro for not much price difference? There would be less upfront cost and more room to upgrade later when she really needs it.
posted by chrisfromthelc at 10:16 AM on June 18, 2012
I would get the most hard drive, the most ram, and then the biggest CPU in that order (if you must be on a budget).
Any reason she doesn't go with a Macbook Pro for not much price difference? There would be less upfront cost and more room to upgrade later when she really needs it.
posted by chrisfromthelc at 10:16 AM on June 18, 2012
I would get the most hard drive, the most ram, and then the biggest CPU in that order
In the past, I might have agreed with you, but I'm not sure if that applies as much these days: Farhad Manjoo's piece from 2010 on "disposable computing" -- offloading storage to either local or cloud systems -- seems less bleeding-edge these days, with the rise of Dropbox and Spotify and iCloud's growing role in the Apple ecosystem. If you have a fast network at hand, storage isn't as critical: it's money that can be spent on a decent NAS or a bigger Dropbox account or whatever suits you. For all the (accurate) talk of Apple moving to non-upgradeable hardware, I don't think there's ever been more options to "upgrade" -- they're just less likely to involve electronic components.
posted by holgate at 10:47 AM on June 18, 2012
In the past, I might have agreed with you, but I'm not sure if that applies as much these days: Farhad Manjoo's piece from 2010 on "disposable computing" -- offloading storage to either local or cloud systems -- seems less bleeding-edge these days, with the rise of Dropbox and Spotify and iCloud's growing role in the Apple ecosystem. If you have a fast network at hand, storage isn't as critical: it's money that can be spent on a decent NAS or a bigger Dropbox account or whatever suits you. For all the (accurate) talk of Apple moving to non-upgradeable hardware, I don't think there's ever been more options to "upgrade" -- they're just less likely to involve electronic components.
posted by holgate at 10:47 AM on June 18, 2012
My contrary opinion: Maximize everything.
These new macs are not upgradable at all. Whatever you get now you're going to be stuck with for however long. If the next OS requires more cycles or more RAM, too bad. If your computing needs go up because your life changed, too bad.
I'm not happy about it but I don't see upgradability coming back to the Macs.
posted by chairface at 11:19 AM on June 18, 2012
These new macs are not upgradable at all. Whatever you get now you're going to be stuck with for however long. If the next OS requires more cycles or more RAM, too bad. If your computing needs go up because your life changed, too bad.
I'm not happy about it but I don't see upgradability coming back to the Macs.
posted by chairface at 11:19 AM on June 18, 2012
I'd bump up the RAM because I think 4GB isn't quite enough these days.
The CPU is probably not worth it. I'd just consider that money towards the next machine.
posted by Good Brain at 1:50 PM on June 18, 2012
The CPU is probably not worth it. I'd just consider that money towards the next machine.
posted by Good Brain at 1:50 PM on June 18, 2012
nthing the others
Bump the RAM
Get the AppleCare
The CPU is not worth it - the gain in speed is negligible for most tasks, and I'd be wary of sacrificing battery life/heat not sure it's an actual issue - I just wouldn't want to take the risk compared to the advantages
posted by motdiem2 at 6:45 AM on June 19, 2012
Bump the RAM
Get the AppleCare
The CPU is not worth it - the gain in speed is negligible for most tasks, and I'd be wary of sacrificing battery life/heat not sure it's an actual issue - I just wouldn't want to take the risk compared to the advantages
posted by motdiem2 at 6:45 AM on June 19, 2012
I have a 2011 13" Macbook Air with the i7 core and SSD (also known as the Ultimate).
I upgraded to the i7 because I wanted to play some games on it. (Not the best choice, but I am a casual gamer who social-games things like Diablo 3, and 90% of the time portability wins.)
Otherwise, the difference between it and the i5 are negligible for the kind of work your sister intends to do on it. My dad has a 11" Macbook Air.
Hope this helps!
posted by selvaria at 6:56 PM on June 19, 2012
I upgraded to the i7 because I wanted to play some games on it. (Not the best choice, but I am a casual gamer who social-games things like Diablo 3, and 90% of the time portability wins.)
Otherwise, the difference between it and the i5 are negligible for the kind of work your sister intends to do on it. My dad has a 11" Macbook Air.
Hope this helps!
posted by selvaria at 6:56 PM on June 19, 2012
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posted by procrastination at 8:27 AM on June 18, 2012