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Dnicolaas

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Nov 28, 2016
3
1
Amsterdam
I'm want to buy a macbook but i can 't diside witch one i should get because i like the design and the screen of the macbook 12'' and i Don’t really care that there is only one pord but on the macbook air 11'' i like that it got a little bit more power (they are both stock specs and the same price in my country) and i like on the macbook 12'' that there is no fan. What do you guys think should i get the macbook 12'' or the macbook air 11''?
 

thats all folks

macrumors 6502a
Dec 20, 2013
675
750
Austin (supposedly in Texas)
does Apple still sell the 11" there? it doesn't in the US.

the Air is the more powerful system with a better keyboard. a 13" Air has the best battery life of all the Mac portables.

you should get yourself in front of these machines to compare how you feel about them. the 11" Air is tiny little thing but the screen is an odd shape for document work.
 
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Phil A.

Moderator emeritus
Apr 2, 2006
5,800
3,100
Shropshire, UK
The rMB has a smaller overall footprint than the 11" MBA (5mm deeper, but 19mm narrower), is lighter (921g vs 1080g), has a faster SSD and has a far, far better screen (bigger and retina vs the 1366x768 of the MBA). It also has a force touch trackpad and I prefer the keyboard on the rMB.

Standard memory on the rMB is 8GB and the smallest SSD 256GB whereas the MBA starts at 4GB with a tiny 128GB SSD

The MBA does have a faster processor, but it's not really noticeable in real life use and the other advantages far outweigh this one negative IMO.

Also, if you absolutely need 2 USB ports, Magsafe and Thunderbolt / Displayport then the MBA is a better choice but for me, there's no doubt that the rMB is a far superior machine to the 11" MBA (I've got both)
 

Dnicolaas

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Nov 28, 2016
3
1
Amsterdam
The rMB has a smaller overall footprint than the 11" MBA (5mm deeper, but 19mm narrower), is lighter (921g vs 1080g), has a faster SSD and has a far, far better screen (bigger and retina vs the 1366x768 of the MBA). It also has a force touch trackpad and I prefer the keyboard on the rMB.

Standard memory on the rMB is 8GB and the smallest SSD 256GB whereas the MBA starts at 4GB with a tiny 128GB SSD

The MBA does have a faster processor, but it's not really noticeable in real life use and the other advantages far outweigh this one negative IMO.

Also, if you absolutely need 2 USB ports, Magsafe and Thunderbolt / Displayport then the MBA is a better choice but for me, there's no doubt that the rMB is a far superior machine to the 11" MBA (I've got both)


I think that i go for the macbook 12'' 2015 because it's better for me
 
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aleni

macrumors 68030
Jun 2, 2006
2,584
911
macbook all the way. but the m3 feels slower than the air with 1.6ghz core i5. if your budget is enough, get the m5. it's worth it. it's as fast as the air.
 

aleni

macrumors 68030
Jun 2, 2006
2,584
911
you lovin it so far? give it time to settle down. until it's finishing the indexing. it will be blazing fast. fast enough for daily tasks.
 

AeroStud1026

macrumors member
Dec 19, 2007
80
0
Galloway, NJ
I just purchased a the latest model MBA, 13" 8GB RAM and 128GB SSD. I love it, especially for the price. I would consider the 13" MBA, the 11" is 100 dollars apart and you get 8GB of RAM and a bigger screen along with better battery life. rMB's start at $1299 regular price. I feel like the MBA is the best bang for your buck unless you can get a rMB on sale.
 
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maerz001

macrumors 68030
Nov 2, 2010
2,537
2,449
I am using the Air now for more than 4 years. I still love the form but this screen really sucks. Tilt this thing 5 degrees and you see a massive temperature shift. you can't do any reliable color work on this crap
 
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whwang

macrumors regular
Dec 18, 2009
176
87
I am also considering an MB or an MBA. When both are customized to the top spec, the price difference is within 10%. How do you guys think the difference in performance and energy consumption would be? I will sometimes do some light Photoshop work, and tether control of my DSLR under Windows 7 using Parallels in the field. Which one will you recommend?
 

maerz001

macrumors 68030
Nov 2, 2010
2,537
2,449
@whang: If u say u want to work with pictures I can't recommend the Air's display as I already said. Check this out in a store. The colors are whashed out and the viewing angle is miserable. And than the resolution...

Speed wise the Air wins about 10%. And battery lasts 2hours longer.

But the air is a dead horse. Last updated early 2015. and it will probably follow the route of the cMBP.

If u really consider to max it out why don't u get the new rMBP without touch bar? It costs almost the same as the air, u have more speed and same batterylife, perfekt display.
 
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sostoobad

macrumors regular
Nov 5, 2011
155
0
Boston
I have a 2014 11" MBA and bought a barely used 12" macbook, had it about a month and could easily compare the 2 side by side.
12" retina is nice but to my eyes doesn't kill the 11" which is good, it also is lighter, nice, but the 12" MB keyboard drove me nuts
so I sold it and stayed with the Air.
 

aleni

macrumors 68030
Jun 2, 2006
2,584
911
I have a 2014 11" MBA and bought a barely used 12" macbook, had it about a month and could easily compare the 2 side by side.
12" retina is nice but to my eyes doesn't kill the 11" which is good, it also is lighter, nice, but the 12" MB keyboard drove me nuts
so I sold it and stayed with the Air.

Drove me nuts the first weeks of typing, but after 3-4 weeks, it's a joy to type. Dont lift your fingers too high on the air while typing.
 

whwang

macrumors regular
Dec 18, 2009
176
87
@whang: If u say u want to work with pictures I can't recommend the Air's display as I already said. Check this out in a store. The colors are whashed out and the viewing angle is miserable. And than the resolution...
Speed wise the Air wins about 10%. And battery lasts 2hours longer.
But the air is a dead horse. Last updated early 2015. and it will probably follow the route of the cMBP.
If u really consider to max it out why don't u get the new rMBP without touch bar? It costs almost the same as the air, u have more speed and same batterylife, perfekt display.

Hi, Thanks. I am doing scientific imaging in the field. The Photoshop work is only to check image quality (focus, etc) and to determine the subsequent imaging strategy. I only do serious Photoshop work at home or in my office, where I have an old iMac and a MacPro + Dell 5K. So the display of the Air is not a major concern.

I did not consider rMBP because I thought it consumes more power for the same task. However, based on what you said, I may be wrong. I will give it another look.
 

maerz001

macrumors 68030
Nov 2, 2010
2,537
2,449
I did not consider rMBP because I thought it consumes more power for the same task. However, based on what you said, I may be wrong. I will give it another look.

The rMBP without touch bar has the 15W processor category of the Air and bigger battery. Reviews give it 10-12 hours battery life.
the one with TB has the 28W and gets more like 7-8hours
 
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whwang

macrumors regular
Dec 18, 2009
176
87
The rMBP without touch bar has the 15W processor category of the Air and bigger battery. Reviews give it 10-12 hours battery life.
the one with TB has the 28W and gets more like 7-8hours

Thanks a lot. Now it looks like a legitimate option.

One more question, the 13" rMBP without touch bar can be equipped with a 2.0GHz i5 or 2.4 GHz i7. Both are 15W. For doing the same thing, do the consume the same amount of power? Or one of them will be more power efficient than the other?
 

maerz001

macrumors 68030
Nov 2, 2010
2,537
2,449
Thanks a lot. Now it looks like a legitimate option.

One more question, the 13" rMBP without touch bar can be equipped with a 2.0GHz i5 or 2.4 GHz i7. Both are 15W. For doing the same thing, do the consume the same amount of power? Or one of them will be more power efficient than the other?

I have not seen a direct comparison between the two. But probably it will be like with other chips. Higher clock speed, higher power usage and the specific task will be done faster. But the overall consumption is almost the same (energy = power * time). Staying idle the i5 might consume a bit less.

But you will only get 7-8% more speed i5/i7. So usually the money is not worth it to upgrade.
 
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