New Macbook Air 13" 1.86Ghz 2GB RAM Judder with 1080p Content ??

[macbedhead]

Will only having 2gb of RAM pose a problem for 1080p HD content ?

I will only upgrade to 4G if it is absolutely necessary , as I hate Apple have now locked down user upgradable RAM on this notebook.

 

[hwu182]

I've heard it go both ways. Some people here have said it studders on occasion, while others have said it plays wonderfully. Ive also seen youtube videos that go both ways. Personally, I've tested this on a 2gb 13 inch MBA and it worked flawlessly. I tried out a youtube 1080p flash video and performed wonderfully. But just for safety I got the 4gb mba, and would suggest you get 4gb as well just for safety. Especially if you'd like this machine to last 2 or 3 years.

 

[macbedhead]

Yeah ,I'll only be playing mkv off an external..I heard that youtube 1080p is a lot rougher on the brains of the machine...
Thanks

 

[HardLuckStories]

Yeah ,I'll only be playing mkv off an external..I heard that youtube 1080p is a lot rougher on the brains of the machine...
Thanks

There are reports of Flash being a bit of a RAM hog in the forum. Myself i've seen Safari chomp 200-300MB and the flash plugin 200-300MB in light use, this is before you load anything else iTunes, office etc. 4GB is a good option for relatively little cost.

 

[nfl46]

I have the base 13" (1.86Ghz, 2GB RAM, 128GB) and 1080p plays just fine on my new Macbook Air.

 

[Hankster]

Yes, both MBA models sporting the 2GB will have issues with 1080. I specifically went to the Apple store to test this out. Using all their models (all 2GB) I streamed a 1080 HD video from You Tube after buffering it. The stuttering was very bad, the screen would freeze every other second - literally.

I bought the 4GB and the exact same 1080 video from You Tube does not stutter at all, smooth as soy milk For $100 more the extra 2GB is well worth it!

This was my experience and it's the reason I went with 4GB.

 

[nfl46]

Yes, both MBA models sporting the 2GB will have issues with 1080. I specifically went to the Apple store to test this out. Using all their models (all 2GB) I streamed a 1080 HD video from You Tube after buffering it. The stuttering was very bad, the screen would freeze every other second - literally.

I bought the 4GB and the exact same 1080 video from You Tube does not stutter at all, smooth as soy milk For $100 more the extra 2GB is well worth it!

Which videos were you looking at? I just looked at this video in 1080p and mines isn't stuttering, nor is my screen freezing.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XITHbsUUlYI

Toy Story 3 Trailer in 1080p

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZF59DBmYAq4

 

[neteng101]

I specifically went to the Apple store to test this out.

Most Apple store machines are running Flash 10.0 - I checked this out at the store, you need the latest 10.1 to get hardware acceleration. That's the core issue. 2GB should be fine - but don't expect to be doing too much else besides running the 1080p video.

 

[nfl46]

Most Apple store machines are running Flash 10.0 - I checked this out at the store, you need the latest 10.1 to get hardware acceleration. That's the core issue. 2GB should be fine - but don't expect to be doing too much else besides running the 1080p video.

This.

 

[HardLuckStories]

Most Apple store machines are running Flash 10.0 - I checked this out at the store, you need the latest 10.1 to get hardware acceleration. That's the core issue. 2GB should be fine - but don't expect to be doing too much else besides running the 1080p video.

+1

 

[Hankster]

Most Apple store machines are running Flash 10.0 - I checked this out at the store, you need the latest 10.1 to get hardware acceleration. That's the core issue. 2GB should be fine - but don't expect to be doing too much else besides running the 1080p video.

That would explain it. Still glad I got the 4GB though, for only $100 more it's worth the doubling. You can't really go wrong unless you really can't afford the extra $100. Good to know 1080 will run on 2GB though.

 

[neteng101]

Still glad I got the 4GB though, for only $100 more it's worth the doubling.

No question about that - the only reason I see people picking up 2GB is because its available in store at that magical $999 price point.