Macbook air 13 inch, should i get it? or is it 2 slow?

[zoeypie101]

So, lately iv been carrying around a 6-7 pound laptop that is gaming quality (windows 8.1 and linux, multiple versions of linux). lately i realize i don't really game outside of the house much, and i am getting tired of the weight being hard on my back. To combat that iv been looking at getting a laptop that is light weight and cheaper (by cheaper i mean something under 2k which is what my bigger laptop is).

now i know cheaper means it cant game and I'm fine with that, and i know, its not going to be anywhere near the speed of my gaming laptop or my desktop which is a mac pro 2010 i think, it has a few replaced parts (dual booting Yosemite and windows 7)

during my search i looked at multiple options, like getting a cheap netbook and running linux on it to make it run faster, getting a windows 8.1 laptop that is low end of mid grade, but all those seem to have to much compromise, enough that it kinda bugs me

during my search i came across 2 laptops, the macbook air 13 inch, and macbook pro 13 inch

the macbook air is only about 2.5 pounds which is very good, it has more ram then most laptops in that range, but i see 2 things that worry me, compared to the retina 13 inch macbook pro, it only runs at 1440x900, and for os x, i wonder... will that be to low a resolution in todays age? and its only 1.7ghz compared to the 2.8 ghz i3 inch macbook pro, so would the weight and price be worth it? or would i actually have to sacrifice to much using a macbook air to be worth picking that one instead? and btw, i do plan on picking the ones with the highest specs, like 0.5tb drive, 8g ram, 1.7 ghz i7, likewise, id pick the same on the macbook pro 13 inch, except for the processor, id probably go with the i5 fastest since i don't necessarily need the speed of the i7 for what id use it for. and yes, im fine with a half a tb drive, infact i only really use a little over 256 gb on os x on my desktop

last thing, i am happy to answer any questions, and thank you for helping me make this decision

like i said before i use both windows and mac (sometimes linux)... infact im using yosemite right now to write this fact i no longer am looking at windows laptops (nothing wrong with windows, i might even dual boot, as long as i can use yosemite as my main on the laptop) so please hold off on suggestions other then the macbook air 13 and macbook pro 13

[karmatwelve]

◄ Personally, I do not recommend getting a Macbook if you are concerned about price. I used to own one in 2008 and well... let's just say I wish I had bought something else. You might be better off getting small secondhand laptop and installing linux. That's what I would do. It really depends on what your needs are. You shouldn't have to feel compromised though.

To answer your other question - I think a 1440x900 resolution is fine. I never had an issue with it. Sometimes I had to make my own wallpapers, but that's about it. I never felt it was lacking in any way.

If you really want something lightweight, maybe you should consider a tablet? ►

[zoeypie101]

karmatwelve

◄ Personally, I do not recommend getting a Macbook if you are concerned about price. I used to own one in 2008 and well... let's just say I wish I had bought something else. You might be better off getting small secondhand laptop and installing linux. That's what I would do. It really depends on what your needs are. You shouldn't have to feel compromised though.

To answer your other question - I think a 1440x900 resolution is fine. I never had an issue with it. Sometimes I had to make my own wallpapers, but that's about it. I never felt it was lacking in any way.

If you really want something lightweight, maybe you should consider a tablet? ►

well, I'm used to os x so I'm fine with it being a macbook air/pro, the reason why i asked tho wasn't money (i figured out how to get an air/pro for the same price, give or take a few dollars... tho that does mean spending more then i would on a windows/linux laptop), i was just asking about weight, but realized the resolution may be to much of an issue. i got to use my friends macbook pro tho for a little bit and realized the weight may not be an issue after all. as for linux, i tried that for a while but i ended up giving the linux laptop to my dad who needed it more. so for now im just looking at macbook pro 13 inch's and trying to figure out what the cheapest refurbished one i can go with on the apple website. only really requirment is that it has 500gb hard drive, and ssd or pcie


also as for a tablet, i used to own an android one, but i never really used it much before it died. i do plan on getting a new one, but AFTER i get a laptop.

[Sonic Offline]

I would suggest the MBP over the MBA because it's not much bigger and not much heavier.

Also, you can scale the resolution of the retina display up to 2880x1800 I believe.

[elliottatk]

what somthing light a cheap get a chrome book

[zoeypie101]

Sonic Offline

I would suggest the MBP over the MBA because it's not much bigger and not much heavier.

Also, you can scale the resolution of the retina display up to 2880x1800 I believe.

that is the resolution of a 15 inch macbook pro retina, a 13 inch (what id buy) has 2560x1600

elliottatk

what somthing light a cheap get a chrome book

yeah no, i want a full on computer, a chrome book just seems like a waist of money to me

[Flemmes Felares]

Mac =/= cheap. It does not matter what you go with from Apple, there will always be an equivalent out there that performs better for hundreds less. Go for the ASUS ZENBOOK UX303LN or something like that. The performance is about the same for a few hundreds less.

[zoeypie101]

I am getting a little tired of the fact that i said, im my original post i didnt want sudjestions for "better then a macbook pro/air" i just wanted to know about the pro/air and if i went pro, how low i could go with refurbished withought issues.

Flemmes Felares

Mac =/= cheap. It does not matter what you go with from Apple, there will always be an equivalent out there that performs better for hundreds less. Go for the ASUS ZENBOOK UX303LN or something like that. The performance is about the same for a few hundreds less.

well originaly i was worried about price, but now, all i care is the laptop isnt 2k like my gaming laptop, and i now really want one that runs OS X Yosemite. i wasnt worried about price to begin with, i just wanted something light and those 2 happen to be very light

[Derek Craven]

Call me Crazy, But I've was forced to use Mac in school (Macbook pro in Middle school and upgraded to Macbook Air in High School) and so I've become acquainted with this bran very much. In my oppinion, I think Mac is more than excellent for school because it can last all day with out having to worry about charging it and overall is pretty qiuck in the sense i havnt had to deal with the pinwheel of death like in the older models..