MacBook Air 2014 or MacBook Pro 2012

Hey,
I am a college student that makes a lot of editing on Final Cut Pro X and uses Photoshop, Illustrator... I don't have enough money to buy a Retina model (and don't have access to the refurbished versions), so I am between the 2014 Air (4 gigs of RAM and 256GB of flash storage) and the Pro 2012 (non-retina, 4 gigs of RAM and 500 of storage -not flash). I know the Pro has a faster processor, but with this model I am concerned about the hardware age, since it is from 2012, while the Air is almost recent and it has Haswell processor. What do you advice to me?
Thanks in advance.

You could upgrade the non-Retina MB/Pro with more memory (RAM) & also
consider a later upgrade to an SSD such as the OWC macsales.com offers...
Maximum Memory 16 GB (Actual) 8 GB (Apple)
Memory Slots 2 - 204-pin PC3-12800 (1600 MHz) DDR3 SO-DIMM
•MacBook Pro: How to remove or install memory
an example of upgrade source (RAM, SSD, & etc)
http://eshop.macsales.com/shop/powerbook-ibook-macbook/
•SSD for MacBook/Pro (non-retina) 2009 to current:
http://eshop.macsales.com/shop/SSD/OWC/Mercury_6G/
There is no upgrade path to the user with the retina MB/Air model; an
authorized service provider may be able to change a few parts for you.
•MacBook Pro (13-inch) repair guide - ifixit:
https://www.ifixit.com/Device/MacBook_Pro_13%22
For the technical minded, online guides to attempt upgrade or repair
are available; the OWC macsales site above also has helpful guides.
I'd consider the most recent 2012 series MB/Pro non-retina, only
because you could upgrade it or have it done in most AASP shops.
And recommend checking the specs and exact parts per above.
Good luck & happy computing!

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Macbook Air 2014 Refurb or Macbook Pro 2012 Non-Retina Refurb?

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I have found that my macbook pro 2012 13" (non retina) is slower than macbook air 13" my co-workers own. all macbooks have same softwares and versions.
Macbook pro has better processor but Macbook Air is faster. I guess it is because of Hard drive in pro vs SSD in Air. so my questions are:
Does anyone have a same exprience?
and if I change my HDD to SSD can i beat macbook pro in speed?
waiting for your quick answers because I am feeling bad these days.
Thanks in advance

Take a look at my one and only user tip - Upgrading Your MacBook Pro with a Solid State Drive.
If you have any questions after reading it, just call back. The tip really needs to be updated but I just haven't gotten around to doing so... so many different drives available now!
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Macbook Pro 2012 or Macbook Air 2013

Hello,
I looking to buy a Apple Laptop but really confused to which one to get Macbook Pro 2012 or Macbook Air 2012. Here are is what I do:
Web Development (PHP, Python Django, Node.js, Tornado)
Photoshop (4 times in 10 uses)
Illustrator (1 time in 10 uses)
Web surfing
Need a good backup time (min of 3hrs)
Want a good performance
Will have it for 4 years

Photoshop (4 times in 10 uses)
Illustrator (1 time in 10 uses)
When you use these, you'll be thankful you got a Pro.
Web development
Web surfing
Both are about equal. Some game performance may be better on a Pro, especially if it uses the graphics chip.
Need a good backup time (min of 3hrs)
Don't you mean max? A lot is dependent on how much data you have to backup and whether you choose to clone or use Time Machine. Clones are faster the second go around. Time Machine can be fast, but if you use it for archival, you'll be spending time turning off Time Machine, and archiving necessary to keep archives off the Time Machine drive. And Time Machine needs at least twice the capacity of your original, where clones only need the original.
Want a good performance
Pro is invariably better performance than Air.
Will have it for 4 years
Both only get a warranty up to three years if purchased within the first year from date of computer purchase.
http://www.safeware.com/ offers insurance, but not warranty.
Some credit card companies extend manufacturer warranty. Check if yours does.

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Good afternoon.
I just bought a Macbook Pro 2012 (non-retina) 15 inch from a friend. I think it is running Mountain Lion (has not been upgraded to Mavericks yet), and has iLife on it. It came with the stock 500 gb 5400 rpm internal hard drive. At home, I only have the Snow Leopard OS installation Cds and a copy of iLife 2011 installation Cds. I am going to buy 16 gb of RAM from Other World Computing to install.
I want to replace the hard drive with a 1 tb hard drive, preferably something that is $100 or less.
I talked to Other World Computing (OWC) and looked at the Data Doubler Option to replace the optical drive with a Solid State drive, but decided that for now I want to keep the optical drive inside the computer for portability issues.
I know that Solid State drives are better, but they are still too small, and I want the ease and portability of a 1 tb size INSIDE my computer.
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I saw on Amazon the Seagate 1TB Solid State Hybrid Drive SATA 6Gbps 64MB Cache 2.5-Inch ST1000LM014 It's on sale for $94.
But according to some reviews, this Seagate has a platter that is only 5400rpm, unlike the previous Seagate Momentum that has a platter speed of 7200rpm.
How reliable are the Seagate, versus a Toshiba or Western Digital or Hitachi or something else?
Here are my questions about replacing the hard drive:
1. Is a hybrid solid state drive going to need some kind of special formatting after I put it into the macbook so that I can put the operating system on it?
2. Is a "normal" platter hard drive more reliable than a hybrid solid state drive?
3. Is there any additional driver or special software that I have to install for a hybrid solid state drive?
4. Currently there is no personal data stored on the computer. Can I just put the new hard drive in, and then insert the snow leopard install cd?
5. If I install snow leopard, can I just go to the App store and get the free upgrade to Mavericks?
6. If I want to do the "Data Doubler" option in the future and add a normal Solid State drive into my computer, will it have trouble interacting with the 1 tb hybrid solid state drive?
I would love to get some recommendations about the smartest option to upgrade my hard drive with something that will be fast (I edit lots of photos) and large (1 tb) that isn't going to cost too much. I don't know much about the different brands or options (and there are so many listed in tons of online reviews), that I got really overwhelmed and confused by the info out there.
I would really appreciate any help and advice. I've never switched out a hard drive before.
PLEASE HELP !!! Thanks!
Here is the "About this Mac" Info:
Macbook Pro 15-in Mid 2012
Model Identifier: MacBookPro9,1
Processor: 2.3 GHz Intel Core i7
Memory: 4 GB 1600 MHz DDR3
Software: OS x 10.8.5
Storage (Hard drive): APPLE HDD ST500LM012 Media, Rotational, SATA, GPT (GUID Partition Table)

1. Is a hybrid solid state drive going to need some kind of special formatting after I put it into the macbook so that I can put the operating system on it?
The boot drive, regardless of what it is, needs to be formatted as Mac OS Extended (Journaled). This is standard with OS X.
2. Is a "normal" platter hard drive more reliable than a hybrid solid state drive?
There are arguments pro and con. Bottom line, SSD's and hybrid drives are still quite expensive per GB than standard hard drives. If you have the bucks and are a speed demon, go ahead.   I have better use for my money.   Standard hard drives are mechanical and may wear out over time. But even though SSDs are not mechancial, they can still go bad and ultimately they even have a limit to their write capacity. The jury is still out on this debate.
3. Is there any additional driver or special software that I have to install for a hybrid solid state drive?
No
4. Currently there is no personal data stored on the computer. Can I just put the new hard drive in, and then insert the snow leopard install cd?
You can physically put the hard drive in but probably not install Snow Leopard on this MBP.
The mid-2012 MacBookPro9,1 models came with Lion 10.7.3 (11D2097) preinstalled.   It is very unlikely you would be able to install Snow Leopard on it. Historically you cannot install a version of OS X that is earlier than the version that came with your Mac (even if you replace the hard drive).
5. If I install snow leopard, can I just go to the App store and get the free upgrade to Mavericks?
Not via Snow Leopard on this MBP. See my response to #4.
6. If I want to do the "Data Doubler" option in the future and add a normal Solid State drive into my computer, will it have trouble interacting with the 1 tb hybrid solid state drive?
No. They are completely independent of each other; they are just independent storage units (drives) and their RAM does not interact.

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MacBook Air 2014 or MacBook Pro 2012

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