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X2theZ325

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Dec 4, 2010
18
5
New Jersey
I am going to order a MBA 11" this week. I could really use some advice on what specifications I should buy. I will be using the laptop for your everyday basic needs (music, pictures, occasional movie, surfing the web, e-mails, word processing etc.) I am definitely going to upgrade the ram to 4gb because I think it is worth the $100 and you can't upgrade later. So, basically I don't know if I should buy the base model with 4gb ram, or if I should buy the 128gb model with 4gb ram. Then if I decide to go with the 128gb model, then you get the opportunity to get the faster processor. Does anyone have any experience with the 2 different processor speeds? Is there a significant difference between the 1.4ghz and 1.6ghz? Thanks in advance for your help!
 

teski

macrumors regular
Oct 23, 2010
216
8
How big is your music and picture collection? My iTunes database is huge as is my photo collection, and I'm not into having my library on an external drive so I always go for the largest drive config possible.

If I were you (again not knowing your personal data details), I'd got for 128GB drive and 4GB RAM for sure. Now at that point, I'd just get a maxed out unit.
 

X2theZ325

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Dec 4, 2010
18
5
New Jersey
My music and photo collection is only about 10gb at this point! So, I will have plenty of room to grow even with the smaller 64gb hard drive. One of the reasons I would go for the 128gb hard drive is for the ability to get the faster processor if it is worth it. I am unsure if the difference between the 1.4ghz and 1.6ghz processor is even substantial or noticable.
 

MoreAwesomeDanU

macrumors 6502
Dec 4, 2010
266
118
hey, im in the same situation as you. Except theres no way im going for the 11 ultimate. Originally thats what i bought, and the bill came down to $1600 after tax with education discount... Which was just ridiculous to me. I didn't open it and returned it. Now im getting a basic + 4gb

It all depends on how you plan to use it really. First of all, i don't think 0.2ghz is gonna make a noticeable difference. maybe if you render a movie or apply a Photoshop filter, it will be a few seconds faster, but other than that i doubt it. For the harddrive, on my current mbp, i only used 33gb and i used it for school for 4 years now. I keep all my music on my iphone/car/home computer cuz playing it off the laptop will just make ur battery last shorter. Theres really not much point to view photos on such a small screen all the time. If i do need to i can use a external harddrive or a 32gb usb stick (which are super cheap now days)

4GB ram for $90 was kind of a no brainer tho. Except now i have to wait for the shipping.
 

potentpotable

macrumors regular
Oct 22, 2010
136
0
Toronto
If your usage is primarily light (no Photoshop and Aperture, etc.), then a basic processor is fine. Hell, it even runs CoD4!

As for the hard drive, 64GB probably suffices. I have a 128GB, and what I do is put all non-essential files (like movies and photos) on an external, plugging it in when I want to view them. I just have music (50GB) and school files on the SSD, because I don't want to have to plug in an HD every time I open iTunes.
 

robby818

macrumors 6502a
May 2, 2007
587
6
If this is going to be your main computer then 4GB/128 GB is the way to go..but at that point I would take a strong look at the 13" and even consider going with the base model if you do not run a lot of apps at the same time.
 
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