Trying to decide between a Macbook air or Macbook Pro retina

I'm going to college in September and I'm trying to decide between a fully speced out Air or a Retina pro with upped RAM and CPU. My Dad recently got an air and I have played with it quite a bit and it feels really nice and portable, easy to carry around and use during breaks or to type up notes during a class. I would possibly use Photoshop on it at college (In my graphics design class) but I don't know if I will need to. The Retina display seems really awesome but I don't know whether or not to go for the pro, I would also like to play games on it however not too many (for example the something like skyrim). I also have a main gaming desktop which I would use for high intensity programs at home.

You should also ask this in the MacBook Pro and MacBook Air forums. This is the forum for the white and black plastic MacBooks that were discontinued in 2010. You should also post this question there to increase your chances of getting an answer.
https://discussions.apple.com/community/notebooks/macbook_pro
https://discussions.apple.com/community/notebooks/macbook_air

Similar Messages

  • I'm trying to decide between the time capsule & airport extreme. With either option, will i not have air play?

    I'm trying to decide between the time capsule & airport extreme. With either option, will i not have air play? I have an IMAC, MACBOOK, 2 Apple TVs, 3 iPhones...

    AIrplay to digital or analogue devices like speakers or hifi system is only available in Express. Or Apple TV.
    The TC or Extreme will pass airplay protocol just fine to your ATV.
    The Extreme and TC and now identical apart from the TC having an internal hard disk.

  • Replacing my HDD in my Early 2011 Macbook Pro...Trying to decide between Samsung 840 EVO 250 gb and Crucial M500 240 gb. Samsung is faster but less "mac-friendly". Should I opt for the Crucial due to the "mac-friendliness"?

    I have a S.M.A.R.T error on my current Hitachi drive that came with me Early 2011 Macbook pro. Want to upgrade to SSD.
    Trying to decide between Samsung 840 EVO 250gb and Crucial M500 240gb, at this gb range, the Samsung is faster and uses less wattage....ONE PROBLEM...I have read many user experiences that note it is much less mac-friendly...
    The software samsung  offers is not IOS compatible and some report lower than expected speeds after installation...Also apparently the RAPID MODE of the drive, the fastest drive mode is nonexistant when installed on a Macbook pro?
    Should I opt for the slower and more power cosuming Crucial M500 240gb SSD because it is more Mac-friendly? Does anyone have a Samsung 840 EVO 250 gb SSD installed in their macbook pro? What has been your experience?
    Thanks ahead of time!
    Resoure: http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/crucial-m500-1tb-ssd,3551.html

    I decided against the Evo as there are too many Mac users that have had issues with slow speed on them. Even without these, the main speed that Samsung states for the Evo comes form turbo Write which is a PC only feature as is software dependent.
    I'm sorry but Crucials M500 is simply too slow compared to modern drives to be recomended. Read speed is ok, but the write is far too slow for the price.
    I've used and installed both a Samsung 840 basic and a Samsung 840 Pro in 2 separate Mac books! and currently have the 840 Pro in my own MacBook Pro and it comes very highly recomended. It's all but the fastest Sata III drive you can buy - A few OCZ drives just edge it but the difference is negligible. Samsung by far have the best reliability though when it comes to SSD's. I've been getting 520Mb/s easily on mine consistently, and without getting a MacBook with a PCIe drive you won't get a faster more reliable drive.
    I really would recommend nothing else.

  • Trying to decide between MacbookPro & iPad 2

    Hi all- I'm starting high school next year and I am trying to decide between purchasing a MacbookPro and a iPad 2. I just need something to take notes on and I must have iWorks on it during the day, and for travel. I have access to an iMac at home where  I have all of my homework, projects, files, etc. on, but I am just looking for something a bit more personalized for during the day use.
    I am very nervous as to making the right choice, so all feedback is greatly appreciated!

    Well, I have both. And I know students ( first year college) who get along just fine with an iPad for daily use and most of their coursework.
    I wouldn't want to get along with syncing to someone else's Mac, however. I think that could get frustrating really fast, both because of a lack of access and a lack of personalization and privacy. But if it's YOUR Mac at home, and it has the specs to support an iPad then the iPad will certainly work.
    My second warning about an iPad as your main computer is that while the iPad is fine for visual jounaling and social media, you're going to need a computer for more extensive creative work with images, video and music.
    I'd suggest you look at a third choice, which is a MacBook. (Not a MacBook Pro). They are really sturdy (and iPads DO have to be babied and well-protected when they are transported) and plenty powerful enough to run image-editing, music and video apps. I recently spent a few days at a rural high school in my state where all the students get MacBooks and wow! What they were doing with them and how much easier they made managing their reading, research and writing was amazing.
    One good thing: if you choose any of these products and find that it doesn't really meet your needs, you'll have no trouble selling it.

  • Trying to decide between i7 and quad core - was told that i7 will overheat?

    Hi,
    Did some searching in old threads on this here and online - seemed inconclusive so thought I'd ask again since the Core i7s have been out a while now.
    I've been trying to decide between buying a quad core and one of the recent MPB 15" i7s (specifically the 2.66 with the hi res non glare screen). I use FCP, DVDSP, Photoshop etc - usually for several hours a day.
    Although the quad core seems the logical choice, I'm on a budget would like some wiggle room to get some other gear - if I get the MPB, I'd be able to sell my 13" 2.53 Core 2 Duo and get that gear. On the other hand, I'm trying to think long term in terms of the viability of the machine I buy.
    Just got off the phone with MacMall who told me that because the quad core uses physical cores and the MPB Core i7 uses virtual cores there is a substantial overheating issue with the MPB if you're doing sustained work - say working in Photoshop all day, as I often do. He said that the MBP Core i7s weren't designed to do that so the overheating could cause logic board and other issues over time.
    Has anyone experienced this?? Or if you have other thoughts on my dilemma, would love to hear them.
    Thanks!
    cb

    I will be a bit more blunt than the other person. Whomever you talked to at MacMall was full of it.
    Either you transcribed the details of the conversation wrong, or they have no clue what they're talking about.
    Even if you're doing a lot of work in Photoshop all day, the odds of you doing anything that requires a lot of sustained heavy action by the CPU is going to be low. There might be 5 minutes worth of something here or there, but most of the time it's probably going to be pretty limited CPU wise.
    There's a reason Apple doesn't put the Core i5 or i7 into the 13" MBPs, and that's because there's just not enough room in the case for the second fan the 15 and 17" models have.
    But long story short, Apple isn't like HP or Acer, who will stuff desktop CPUs into laptops because there's some idiot out there who will buy it. And it would be pretty stupid to put a high end CPU like the Core i7 into a laptop, and then expect people NOT to use it.
    MBPs aren't really designed for hours worth of sustained work like you'd get from gaming, but I don't think you'd run into any problems with Photoshop.

  • Trying to decide between products

    tRYING TO DECIDE BETWEEN PRODUCTS PS 10 OR CS 5 WITH EDUCATOR DISCOUNT USE CS3 AT SCHOOL WANT A PHOTO PRODUCT FOR HOME

    Well, if you qualify for the education discount, I'd get PS if you can, especially since that's what you're used to. But you can download a 30-day trial of PSE to see if it works for you.

  • Macbook air or Macbook pro retina?

         I am in the market to buy a new laptop. I have been thinking about it for quite some time now. However, I just cannot seem to decide between the 13 inch baseline Macbook Air (possibly 8gb ram upgrade) and the 13 inch Macbook Pro with Retina Display baseline. I will be using this computer to surf the web, watch youtube, sometimes edit photos with aperture, maybe use imovie sometimes, and play the occasional video game. This is my forst mac by the way. Also, i am going away to europe this summer and would like to have a laptop with me. Should i wait for the refresh in june? Will they refresh in june? Will the Macbook air be able to suit my needs, will it be fast enough? Which would you recommend? Thank you so much.
    McGregor

    I do have the lastest Macbook air 13" (8 gig RAM) since 5 months. I use it for pretty much the list you stated plus software dev on XCode and VisuaStudio in a virtual machine.
    Don't get me wrong, Macbook air is wonderfull / near perfect machine and you can't really go wrong with it. No mather your decision, if you get a Macbook Air, upgrade to 8 Gig of RAM. Latest OSX take 2 Gig or RAM right at startup and you will easily get RAM at 4 Gig with couple of web browser and others. Don't even hesitate, get the 8 Gig upgrade so you will support next OSX version easily.
    As for speed the MBA will not make you feel you are waiting for it. For comparison,  my main windows PC is a Quad Core i7 with watercooled overclock to 4.8Ghz, 16 Gig RAM and OCZ Vertex 256 SSD drive. Both (PC and MBA) feel equaly snappy and fun to use. The Macbook Air is powerfull and snappy computer and it will get tasks done in a breeze.
    That being said, I ordered a Retina Macbook Pro 15" last week that I will received tomorow. I did it mainly for two things. The retina display and size of the display. Once you tasted that retina panel you simply have hard time getting back.
    But if you are on a budget, and didn't get retina addicted, you will NOT be dissapointed with a Macbook Air (8 Gig) . It is such a good balanced Ultrabook. But for a +200$ price point, considering 8 gig ram upgrade on 13" MBA, I would recommed the MBP retina 13" too.
    Good luck !

  • Which is better for physical therapy graduate student, a MacBook air or MacBook pro?

    Which is better for a physical therapy graduate student, a MacBook air or MacBook pro?

    Macbook Air
    I cannot see you using strenuous applications to help you with a Physical Therapy Degree.
    Have a think of whether you want an 11" or 13".
    I'd recommend the 13" because although the 11" is perfect for taking notes in class etc.; when it comes to performing as a desktop and not sitting on your lap, it can seem too small.
    The 13" is the best of both worlds. You can keep the portability and the power in one.
    Make sure you get a large enough SSD, they always fill up fast with documents and possibly downloaded text books etc.
    With the 13" if you decide to create a innovative project or a collection of photos, you can also use more RAM-consuming applications like iPhoto and iMovie, or even Aperture without worrying about freezing.

  • Macbook Air (Apple MacBook Air MD760HNA )

    Hello!
    My Name is Neeraj. I am a Multimedia specialist.
    My Most Important question is. can I Run All Multimedia Softwares on
    "Apple MacBook Air MD760HNA"
    like. 3d, Photoshop, Illustrator, After Effects and complete adobe suite.
    Is there any problem with multimedia softwares if i buy "Apple MacBook Air MD760HNA" .
    I visit at apple store and excutives suggest me to go with Macbook pro for Multimedia Softwares.
    But my Budget is not for macbook pro. I can buy Macbook air Apple MacBook Air MD760HNA"
    As I found the difference between air and pro is only about Graphics and clock speed.
    I would like to know can I Run all my multimedia softwares on MacBook Air MD760HNA" successfully?
    I would like to here an Expert advice because i am to buy within 2 days.
    Many Thanks in Advance

    I run Adobe CS5 on my 2011 MBA with no difficulties and the 2013 models are significantly faster with improved Intel integrated graphics so your experience would be better. If your budget alllowed it, a computer with a faster processor and integrated graphics would improve your experience with 3D graphics (compositing would be faster) and with graphics post processing. But the MBA can do it.
    I'd strongly recommend you upgrade it to 8GB and at least get the 256GB SSD. If you do any extensive video editing the drive will get full quickly so you'll also want a fast external drive to move data on and off the computer. Also a 13" is rather cramped to having a larger external display would be a plus.

  • New MacBook Airs and MacBook Pros supporting Snow Leopard?

    Do the new MacBook Airs and MacBook Pros support the Snow Leopard OS? I have been trying to install 10.6 but the screen is blacking out after install for the Air and I cannot even boot into an external drive for the Pro. Any suggestions or help?

    Kada,
    A Mac's Firmware is designed to reject the installation of a Mac operating system that predates the version and build the unit originally shipped with. There is a good reason for it, as earlier versions would unlikely be in anyway compatible with the hardware. An OS that predates the hardware would not have the requisite drivers for the built-in peripherals, such as the graphics subsystem and ports. The safetey measure prevents Apple from having to deal with the potential nightmare of users having problems they are not prepared to alleviate.
    You may be able to physically create a working situation by running an earlier build using a VM layer, such as using Parallels or Fusion, but Snow Leopard's single user licensing doesn't lawfully permit it. Snow Leopard's Server edition does however. Then again, it still wouldn't solve your scenario, as you would be running Lion or Mountain Lion to support the VM.

  • I am looking at buying a MacBook Air over the Pro mainly for the 12 hour battery. Just wondering if battery is compromised by upgrading to 8mb and upgrading to I7 Intel dual core. I am not very tech savvy so apologies if dumb question

    I am looking at buying a MacBook Air over the Pro mainly for the 12 hour battery. Just wondering if battery is compromised by upgrading to 8mb and upgrading to I7 Intel dual core. I am not very tech savvy so apologies if dumb question

    If both computers were configured identically, then they would both lose the same amount of battery life with respect to the same starting configuration - comparing apple to apples. I don't know how much the added RAM, etc. would reduce battery life, but it would be less for both models.
    Battery life is a tricky subject because most mfgr.s like to suggest as long a life as possible, but often do so under a set of conditions that are not common to most users. Apple is no different. Their computers do have good battery life, however. But not likely as long as what is in the ads for the typical user.

  • MacBook Air and MacBook Pro Update 2.0 download link broken

    The MacBook Air and MacBook Pro Update 2.0 download link is broken on http://support.apple.com/kb/DL1609. Anyone have the dmg? I know it's on the Mac App Store, but I need the dmg.

    Nobody who have macbook retina don't ahve this problem?

  • MacBook Air and MacBook Pro Update 2.0

    A new update was released today for june 2012 macbook pro'ss/air's. Is anyone else hoping for gaming improvements/improved nvidia drivers? I just updated but havent had a chance to test anything yet. I would also be interested in seeing if battery life improved at all.
    About MacBook Air and MacBook Pro Update 2.0
    This update includes graphics performance and reliability enhancements and improves compatibility with some USB devices.
    This update is recommended for all Mac notebooks introduced in June 2012.
    Source: http://support.apple.com/kb/DL1609

    jbinnyc wrote:
    Could this update do anything to the color settings? I swear my 15" MacBook Retina looks more washed out after the update. Can I undo it via time machine?
    System Preferences > Display
    click colors > click calibrate

  • Interchanging MacBook Air and MacBook Pro Retina power adaptor

    Hi,
    We have both a MacBook Air 2014 and a Retina MacBook Pro in our home.
    Is it safe to use the MBA charger with the MBP and vise versa?
    Thanks.
    Tareq

    OK, this what Apple support told me.
    I can use the MBP Retina charger with the MB Air for emergencies.
    However, I should not use the MB Air charger with the MBP Retina.
    Tareq

  • How do I connect Macbook Air to Macbook via ethernet crossover cable?

    Hi all,
    For the life of me, I'm having a lot of troubles connecting my Macbook Air to Macbook, here is what I've done so far:
    1. Turned on sharing in System preferences on both systems and given "read and write" access to "myself", "users" and "everyone".
    2. Then connected a ethernet cable to both macbook and macbook air (via original Apple USB ethernet)
    3. When I go to Finder > Shared on both systems, they say cannot open drop box insufficient privileges.
    Please someone link to step by step tutorial of Mac OS X 10.5 sharing through ethernet cable or correct me on what I'm doing wrong, and I don't have firewire cable otherwise things would've easier .
    Thanks in advance!

    You are probably over thinking the problem.
    Do not use a crossover cable. Just connect the two machines directly with a standard ethernet cable and they will auto assign ip addresses and be accessible to each other. The ethernet chips in both machines will detect the cable, etc and it "just works".
    Also your sharing settings do not need to be that open. I would recommend to pulling them back so that you are not giving the world access to your machine.

Maybe you are looking for