Which Macbook: rMBP, MBA or MBP?

Hi. I'm going to buy a Mac for studies, and really can't decide which model to chose. I'm considering the Macbook Air 13", Macbook Pro Retina 13" and the Macbook Pro 13". The computer will mainly be used for writing, surfing the web, photo apps (iPhoto, PS and such. Not for heavy film editing), occassional programming and gaming (not the most graphics-heavy games like crysis, skyrim and such).
If I decide to go for the Macbook Pro, I will trade the HDD for a 240GB SSD and also add additional RAM (depending on the model, but 8GB is minimal).
In advance, thanks for all the help I get

Welcome to Apple Support Communities
It's up to you, but I would go for the 13-inch MacBook Air or MacBook Pro. The advantage of the MacBook Pro is that you can replace the hard drive and memory without voiding warranty, and on the other two MacBooks, it's impossible. Also, repairs are cheaper because it has got less soldered parts.
The GPU is the same in all of them, so you should expect a similar performance. The Haswell processor of the MacBook Air doesn't provide an enormous change in performance but battery life. If you get the 13-inch MacBook Pro, buy it with 4 GB of RAM: you can install 8 GB or more of RAM for less money and without voiding the warranty. The same for SSD

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Suggestion-MBA or MBP

I'm looking into purchasing a MBA or MBP, and I need some advice on which will work better for my needs. I currently use a PC and I am ready for a change. I use Adobe, Microsoft Office, Word, Excel, and Powerpoint frequently. I create and save many documents in word and Excel spreadsheets. With so many choices for apple notebooks I am unsure of the differences or which to get MBA or MBP. Please Help!
I currently have Ipad and Iphone 4s. We are slowly converting our household over to Apple products.
Any help would be greatly appreciated!

it depends on ur use.
if u use ur laptop only for browsing, email, some work with work/excel/powerpoint etc, music and so on, then MBA is enough. actually its enough for most of us. MBA also comes with large SSDs, so u can check the storage before buying. and its more comfortable for carrying.
but if u r into heavy gaming, hardcore audio/video editing or need to run other special heavyload softweres, then u will need MBP.
but remember, some gaming, little of photo editing etc also runs smooth on MBA.

Which Macbook Pro to buy as a college student?

There are 3 different Macbook Pro's out there that I can buy with the rebate / reduced price / free iPod Touch. The problem is I don't know which one to buy. Many people said that the difference between a 2.4 and 2.5 core 2 duo cpu is only 5%. Then there is a bit of difference from 256mb to 512mb of the 8600m graphics card.
Basically I will outline what I will be needing from a laptop so you guys can help me make the right decision. But for now before I say what the outline is, you bought your Macbook Pro; did you choose the right one? If you didn't and you could go back in time, which one would you have bought?
Anyways, obviously the laptop is for college work. So Microsoft Word, Powerpoint, Photoshop and such. But of course there will be some gaming here and there. I am a Blizzard fanatic and I only play Blizzard games. From diablo 2, starcraft and now Warcraft 3 is pretty much all I play. I am not even going to try WoW as it could probably ruin my college carreer.
But the game I'm really anticipating is Starcraft 2. Which Macbook Pro would be able to handle that game in your opinion?
But I hope these information is good enough so you guys will know which one I should buy. But if you guys have any other questions on what I will be using the MBP for then let me know so I can help you help me pick the right decision.
Thanks!

If you're going to use your new laptop for college use/gaming/general use, my recommendation is going for the $1799 MacBook Pro 2.4GHz. I recommend this one over the others for a few reasons. As mentioned previously, the 0.1GHz in processor speed in essentially unnoticeable. With regard to RAM, its always best to have your system maxed out in order to achieve its full capacity. However, I do recommend going through www.otherworldcomputing.com or a 3rd party RAM merchant to purchase your additional RAM. You can get it for a drastically reduced price there, and then have an AASP install it for you. Bear in mind that installing RAM yourself could void your warranty. My point about the RAM is, the 2GB standard in the $1799 MBP version is sufficient. Also, the graphics card. 256MB should be sufficient to support your gaming, and unless you plan on getting a large display, it shouldn't be necessary to double the VRAM. So, based on the information you provided, the lower-end model should be plenty enough for your needs. Hope this helps.

Which macbook pro should i buy if i use finalcut7?the i5 or i7?

which macbook pro should i buy if i use finalcut7?the i5 or i7?

Either one will do the job. The more powerful the CPU, the faster it will perform. I suggest that if the budget is tight, go for the i5, if not go for what the bank account will allow.
It is nice to have a fast CPU, but they are not essential to the overwhelming applications that most people use, especially in a non-vocational context. On this forum there are the 'speed freaks' who will tout the virtues of faster CPUs, yet most have never compared two MBPs side by side and experienced the differences of real world results.
Ciao.

Aspiring Photographer, Which MacBook should I buy?

I'm looking for which MacBook I should buy (Air vs. Pro vs. Retina; 13" vs. 15"). I'm aspiring to become a photographer and hopefully get to travel around the world. I don't care at all about weight of the MacBook; if I have to lug it around, then I will. I just wish for it to have enough battery life that'll get me through the day (maybe a movie or two for plane rides), fast, great screen resolution, and quite a lot of memory to store my photos as well as editing them. I am making the switch from a Windows PC and this will be the second Apple product I will have ever purchased (first being an iPod Touch). I am in no hurry to buy one and price will definitely be taken into consideration. Duly note that I don't speak 'computer', so as much as possible I request that suggestions and comparisions be typed in simpler terms. Thank you for help and the time it took for you to read/respond to my question ^-^. Have a wonderful day ^-^.

The MacBook Air is still my favourite. It has the newest features, and its battery life and light weight are two important features the others can't match.
The Retina display is undeniably gorgeous, but that's the extent of its appeal. The MBA's display is very sharp and more than adequate for every imaginable purpose. Everyone who picks up my MBAs remark on how light they are. That doesn't surprise me any more, but it is the one Mac I use most often, probably owing to its portability. I can count on at least three days of battery life during occasional use. Configured the way you indicate, it will almost certainly suffice for the duration of your undergraduate work and is unlikely to become obsolete for years thereafter.

MBA vs MBP

Hi everyone. I'm wondering which one to buy MBA or MBP. The things i want to know for each -
1 How hot can they get?
2 How well they perform on heavy load ( photoshop, games, flash etc.) and compared to each other
3 Is there a big difference between 11" and 13" MBA? Or is it enough 11" or rather you should just add those 200 and get a better one?
I really like that air is light, probably wouldn't hurt when using it on my laps for hours.
That's pretty much it. Thanks in advance.

I had an MBP 13" 2008 and now have an MBA 11". I can't speak for the present MBP's, but I did notice that now and then my 2008 MBP would get warm under the left-hand side of the keys there. Never hot. Believe, me, I've had laptops that got too hot to use, and the MBP, while it got a little warm, was never, ever so bad.
So far, my little 11", doing all the things my MBP 13" used to do, hasn't gotten warm once. Betting that they improved on the current MBP's, I'd say you don't have to worry about heat unless you're really putting them to work. The aluminum bodies are remarkably cool and work very well.
The difference between 11" and 13" MBA is this:
(1) Obviously, smaller screen real estate. That's up to you. I have no problem with this, but some people want more room just to see things wider and/or have more windows open across a screen.
(2) Battery-- 11" gets 5 hours (six sometimes), 13" gets a whopping 10 hours. MBP 13" by the by, gets around 7 hours.
(3) SSD--11" max is 128G, 13" max is 256.
Just in case it matters to you:
* Backlit keyboard--only on MBP not on the AIrs (some people find this a deal breaker)
* Lock slot--only on the MBP not on the Airs. This is my one issue with the Airs. There is an odd sort of device on sale for them now by which one can lock them to the table, but no slot in the computer. Except in places I really trust, I never leave my little 11" out on a table. If I'm at a coffee place and need to get more coffee, I close it up and take it with me. it's just too easy for someone to snatch it. I am thinking of getting the new weird lock thing for it. My old MBP, however, had the slot and I could lock it to the table.
Here's some things to consider:
(1) MBA can't be upgraded. So whatever you get, that's what you get. If you get 2G RAM you're stuck with that, you can't make it 4G RAM--which is why the advice to go for 4G is a good one. With the MBP you can upgrade.
(2) Disk Drive--obviously, MBA doesn't have one, MBP does.
(3) MBA comes with SSD standard. MBP doesn't and if you want it you'll have to pay a lot more. But you can have it with the MBP if you want it. I gotta tell you, now that I've got it, I'm spoilt. I won't ever go back
In the end, the best way to decide is, I think, twofold. First, which is more important to you, power or portability. Because portability is where you get the real magic of the Airs. Their lightness (you'd be surprised at how much of a difference going down from almost 6 pounds to 2 or 3 makes), slimness, even the speed of getting them in and out of carrier bags is beyond compare. Power and storage is where the MBP excels. Second, if you haven't yet, you should go to a store and check both out. I'm a great believer in going for the computer that calls your name, that you fall in love with. If an MBA is what you fall in love with, you can make it work even if it doesn't have all you think you want.
Hope that helps!

Suitability of MBA and MBP for FCPX ...

Hi there,
i am going to purchase either a 13" Macbook Air or Macbook Pro & plan to use FCPX on it.
the problem is I discovered the following:-
a) the anount of RAM is so low as compared to my iMac whic has 32gb RAM.
b) i always read that it is better to get a dedicated video RAM but most of the latest MBA and MBP only comes with on board video RAM.
c) the HDD though is a flashed based but is so small, start from only 128gb. Could it be that Apple wants us to buy an external HDD ?
cheers & thanks

RyanManUtd wrote:
… But for me, what is important is that when I am editing on the timeline, I hate it when it becomes slow. Sometimes even the beach balls appear.
So in my case, better to have a fast processor or a bigger RAM ?
I have never seen a beachball using FCPX (see my specs: I'm on the very low end of hardware).
(I've seen crashes … it's not all pink here )
Aside 'no background rendering' … or manual initiated rendering (to see complex compos in real-time…) :
Imho, it's all about 'delivery': put each stream on its own 'platter' = no beach balling, no stutter
And with stream I don't mean the source(s), but what you see on screen:
in case, you do pic-in-pic, compounds, MultiCam, you see 2/several streams - then, I recommend 2/several drives …
to over-exaggerate:
when you put the sources of a 4x camera MultiCam on 4 different drives ==> no stutter, no beach balling at all, even on antique, underpowered systems… ok, that's over-the-top, my several external, simple usb3 drives deliver each 2-3 fullHD streams flawless ...
best practice is it anyhow to separate Events from app/OS/cache…
I would suggest a min. of 16GB Ram.
The number-crunching (rendering) is mostly done on GPU, not CPU.
Last, silly comment: benchmark tests test benchmarks!
Means: FCPX + MacOS + Apple hardware sums up 'higher' than expected.
Don't be too focussed on GHz and stuff, no -user is interested in …
Shall I link again to my stunt? (some board members: "Nooo, not again!!" <yawn> )
I do link to my stunt ... >> 4x 4k Multicam on MacMini

MBA vs MBP: Should I buy?

I was hoping to get some opinions from some of you who have the Macbook Air.
Currently I have a Powerbook G4.. the second to last revision before the Intel switch: 1.67Ghz G4/1Gb RAM/160Gb HD/ATI 9700 w/128MB.
Here is my dilema: I am going to be buying a new Apple laptop as early as tomorrow 2/15. I was originally planning on buying a 15" Macbook Pro fully maxed out in every made to order configuration, but all my research has led me to believe that an update to that product line is imminent. I am the type of person that likes to have the best/most powerful thing for the sake of having it even when I may not use it to the limit of it's capabilities, but I am also very impatient and don't know if I can wait for the update whenever that may happen while my $$$ burns a hole in my pocket.
So, I began thinking about what I actually do with my PBG4.. I used to do music production and graphic design but not so much anymore. Mostly I watch movies and surf the net, I do convert movies and music quite often, but don't really utilize all the IO that I have (except S-video) I have been tempted by the Macbook Air, but I am wondering if I will regret giving up all the power and IO of a Powerbook or Macbook Pro.
I know if I get a Macbook Pro and they release an updated version shortly after my purchase I will be totally burned.. but I am wondering if I could live within the limitations of the Air?
Just interested in getting some opinions from those of you that have the Air or both MBA and MBP..
Many thanks,
James

Really, IMO, you should wait it out until the MBP is refreshed. If you absolutely cannot, then it's going to be a difficult decision on your part. When you break down the specifications, the MBA is really not "new" in the sense that it still uses the 65nm Merom microprocessor. This processor is set to be eventually phased out by the new Peryn, 45nm processors that were announced in late January. So if you go with an MBA today, you're almost dropping the cost of the baseline 15" MBP for a notebook that is essentially last year's technology. Not to mention that the RAM in the MBA is not upgradable, and the HD uses an outdated parallel ATA interface (ie slow).
Additionally, you need to really consider your needs in a notebook. If you still do music production and graphic design at all, then the MBA is probably going to be a huge disappointment. Remember that this thing wasn't meant to be a desktop replacement like the MBP. Apple's target consumer for the MBA is someone who needs a second or even third computer for situations where portability is a must, and is willing to sacrifice speed and power to get it.

Which MacBook 13" Air for authors?

In the next month I will purchase a MBA and welcome advice on which 13" model to get. Thank you in advance.

Bottom line: The entry level 4 GB RAM, 128 GB SSD, 13” MacBook Air (MBA) will work fine for your needs. You can consider some upgrades if your budget is liberal.
Writing with Apple Pages or MS Word is a light-duty task so any MBA model will do. The main considerations are how much RAM to purchase and how big of an SSD storage device. Also consider using a large monitor (24" or 27”) with an external keyboard and mouse on your desktop. It gives you the best both worlds of portability and desktop usability.
RAM: It comes standard with 4 GB of RAM which will do for your light-duty needs.   I use a 4 GB MBA and I also do mostly light-duty productivity-application work (web, mail, word processing, spreadsheets, presentations, iTunes, and some video streaming). 4 GB serves me well. However to double this costs only $100 and may be worth it if you plan to keep it for a long time. The memory is not upgradeable after you purchase it. So if your budget is liberal choose 8 GB and if not choose 4 GB.
How much storage do you need? Again this is a decision to make up front since it there is no guarantee you can upgraded it after you purchase it and you cannot change it during the warranty or AppleCare period. (3rd-party MBA SSD upgrades are are on the market but not yet for the 2013 models.)
How much space to you use on your Mac or PC now? That is a good indicator of how much you will use on a MBA. If you purchase the 128 GB option you will have about 100 GB of usable space, leaving some headroom. If you think you will use more than 100 GB then purchase the 256 GB option. If you undersize the SSD all is not lost. You can always offload files onto an external disk if your SSD fills up.
That’s it. Once you make your RAM and storage size decisions you are off and running and any of the choices will work. The 4 GB RAM, 128 GB SSD configuration should work fine for light-duty processing to write a book.
Play with the options at http://www.apple.com/macbook-air/specs.html
$1,100:          4 GB RAM, 128 GB SSD <— This option will work fine.
$1,200:          8 GB RAM, 128 GB SSD
$1,300          4 GB RAM, 256 GB SSD
$1,400          8 GB RAM, 256 GB SSD
Additional costs:
Optional purchase of AppleCare ($250). This would extend the warranty to 3 years. Not only does it extend the warranty but it give you 24/7 Apple consulting so if you ever have a question you can ask Apple directly. Without AppleCare you get 90 days of free consulting and a one-year warranty.
Backup disk (not optional): You will need at least one 1-TB external disk for Time Machine (or other) backups. Time Machine is the automatic backup program built into OS X. Cost: ~$75.
Optional large monitor: A 24” or 27” monitor would cost $200 to $250. You would also need a video adapter ($10) a keyboard ($40 for a used Apple wireless keyboard) and an Apple Magic Mouse ($25 used). That is a total of ~$300.
http://www.amazon.com/BlueRigger-DisplayPort-Thunderbolt-Adapter-Cable/dp/B007KB 3VIU/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1385516326&sr=8-2&keywords=mini+displayport+to+dvi
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_0_10?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keyword s=apple%20wireless%20keyboard&sprefix=apple+wire%2Caps%2C235&rh=i%3Aaps%2Ck%3Aap ple%20wireless%20keyboard
Software:
iWork (Pages, Numbers, and Keynote) will come for free with Mavericks OS X. So you are set. If you prefer the Microsoft Office suite (Word, Excel and PowerPoint), that will cost $140 for a Mac edition. iWork will read and write MS-Office file formats.

Hey Guys ! I need help on figuring out which MacBook Air to buy . Please Help Me !

I Need Help Figuring Out Which MacBook Air To Buy.

Avoid the MacBook Pro (non retina) unless you absolutely need to burn or read DVD/CD media on the road and don't want to carry around a small external optical drive. That leaves the MBA and the MBPr as your two choices. The Air's advantage is extreme portability and battery life - especially with the standard CPU. The MBPr's main advantage is its display. Both are perfectly good workhorse computers for school and work. Neither is especially good for gaming other than casual games. In fact many games don't support the Intel integrated video at all.
Once you've decided on which model I strongly recommend that you have at least 8GB of RAM. How large a drive depends on how much you intend to stuff onto your computer. Using my MBA for home and work, which includes a minimal installation of Windows 7 for programming and verifying that websites look and behave acceptably on both platforms, I can fit everything I need on a 256GB drive but could never live on a 128GB drive. My wife, however, could have saved a little cash and gone with the 128GB model.

Which Macbook Pro is good for a college student?

Hi!
I want to buy the new Macbook Pro with Retina Display. My current laptop has 455 gb in which I only used 83 gb of it since the past 5 years I've been using it. I know that the original macbook pro is good too but its way heavier than the Macbook pro with retina display and therefore its easier for me to carry the macbook pro with retina display to school. Also it has 9 hour battery which is very good.
I will be storing music (2000+ songs), pictures, school documents (word, powerpoint, etc). I rarely do video editing or photo editing. I often have 3+ programs open while using the laptop and have 3+ tabs open on internet.
There are 2 Macbook Pro's that I am having troubles choosing from:
1.13-inch: 2.4GHz with Retina display... It has 2.4GHz dual-core Intel Core i5, Turbo Boost up to 2.9GHz, 4GB 1600MHz memory, and 128GB PCIe-based flash storage.
2.13-inch: 2.4 GHz with Retina display... It has 2.4 GHz dual-core Intel Core i5, Turbo Boost up to 2.9 GHz, 8GB 1600MHz memory, and 256GB PCIe-based flash storage.
I am planning on using this mac for a long-term use... but also know that I can buy an external storage when I run out of space.
Which Macbook is suited for my needs?
Thank you!

You say you are a college student but then leave out the most critical piece of information regarding choice of computer, what are you studying and what are the computer requirements for your course of study?
Select the computer that is most comparable with your professors and other students in your field of study. Music, etc. is not relevant, unless your field of study is music.
Get the most ram and disk space you can afford.

I am going to university this fall for engineering and I was wondering which macbook pro (13 or 15 inch) would be better.

I am going to university this fall for engineering and I was wondering which macbook pro (13 or 15 inch) would be better. Is the larger screen worth the extra weight ? I will be doing some computer programming and I feel like reading code on a smaller screen could be a bit of a pain. Also, what is the best option in terms of backup? I don't anticipate having a lot of video but I will have some pictures, music files as well as regular documents and spreadsheets. I'd also like to get an idea of how good the battery life is. Thanks in advance:)

The 13" will do the trick for what you describe as your needs, Be sure to consider how you will backup your data -- need an external drive?
Also be sure to check with your college or division of study to see what they recommend. If they are hostile to Macs, you may be on your own for finding support. But in most major cities, that will not be too hard.

I'm 51 years old and recently retired. I have a new IPad Air. Which MacBook should I buy to go with it? I don't understand flash storage. It feels like I would have a bunch of flash drives to keep up with. Help an old lady out!!!

I'm 51 years old and recently retired. I have a new IPad Air. Which MacBook should I buy to go with it? I don't understand flash storage. It feels like I would have a bunch of flash drives to keep up with. Help an old lady out!!!

Depends on how you want to use it. Flash storage on the newer macbook and macbook air are built in. A macbook air is the most light weight and a very good machine. It will do all you want it to do unless you are running some very intensive programs. If you go to the apple store on line you can compare the different macbook pro" and macbook Air's.

If I charge my iPod Touch with an unplugged MacBook Pro, does the MBP discharge more quickly?

It's just a doubt.

It simply would not be smart to charge your iPod from your MacBook Pro when the MBP is unplugged from the main power source. It will quickly discharge your battery - yes, VISIBLY (whatever that may mean) - possibly putting your MBP into deep hibernation mode since the battery will be quickly drained.
Clinton

Which MacBook Pro with retina display ( 13 inch or 15 inch ? )

I can't decide which MacBook with retina display to buy. I'm switching to a Mac from a PC, but I am used to the Mac platform. So far I'm am thinking that, I will choose the 15 inch model, if apple would lower the price a lot at the upcoming event WWDC 2013. But I would consider buy the 13 inch if apple rises the processor speed, offer more ram, and ssd, while keeping the same price.
The 15 inch MacBook offers:
An extra 2 inches of screen space
Much faster ( quad core vs dual core )
The 13 inch MacBook provides
A compact design
Dual core
13 inches
$1000 less
For full comparison visit: http://www.apple.com/macbook-pro/specs-retina/
I will be useing this Mac for
Ios application developing ( Xcode, ios simulator ),
Home use
Web searching
Sometimes at school
Utilities
And other usual stuff.
So overall,
I won't be carrying this around much,
I will do lots of web searching and app developing,
And utilities and other usual stuff
And a need for extra screen space for more room when I'm web searching and app developing.
What do think? Also, would you reccomended any extra features ( extra ram, ssd, or a higher processor) for my needs. This will be a great help, thank you. Ps. I have my fingers crossed for a new MacBook Pro lineup and WWDC 2013. I hope to see upgrades for the MacBook Pro with retina display, apple.

Hi,
I am a researcher so I store a lot of papers, data, and use numerical software. I have had a 17inch high spec macbook pro for over a year now. I find that apart from the large screen, it was unnecessary to get the high specs. This is why. Firstly, the hard drive is easy to replace and upgrade, apple charge a lot for their own ones. Secondly, the ram in my one was upgradable (which i didnt know when i bought it) and i since upgraded to 16gigs from 8 and its amazing. Thirdly, the newer macbook pros run hotter than the previous ones.
The retina is overrated and the programs for retina need more memory and processing power, so what you find is that your hard drive will get taken over sooner, your mac will run hotter, and battery life lower.
I would say to you, dont worry about the processor speed, the normal speed offered is perfect, more than that is not necessary unless you are running highly demanding apps, the mac will run hotter too. Dont bother getting a large hard drive in the macbook. Get a flash SSD drive, and buy a good portable 2tb HD, like a WD one, and use that to store as much of your work as possible. I believe apple started soldering their ram cards to the motherboard or something so that people cant upgrade. Check in advance and see if the macbook you want can be ram upgradable, then get a lower ram model and buy good 8gb ram cards to make 16gig. Very very easy to install them, took me about two minutes to do mine, it will be much cheaper.
If I think of anything else i will post back. Dont forget to install GFX card status too and use integrated only when on battery, i get up to ten hours of battery life without wifi, around 8 with wifi.
edit. I forgot to mention that if you buy your mac and try to open it you will void the warranty.

Which Macbook: rMBP, MBA or MBP?

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