Fully Loaded MBA worth it?

Hi there!

I am about to make my purchase for the MBA so I would like to ask for your opinions / advice on what I should be getting.

Question: Do you deem it worth to purchase the fully loaded 13 inch MBA?

I am intending to replace it with my existing notebook and hopefully to also use it for the long run. I understand that as according to reviews, the difference between the maxed out CPU and the default isn't much noticable in real world experiences. Is that true for those of you who have purchased the fully loaded 13 inch?

I am really excited about this and I am glad Apple came up with the new MBA which is almost a perfect fit (though it does not have an integrated 3G support) as I have been contemplating getting an iPad. However after much considerations, the iPad though wonderful in of itself, doesn't cut out to what I need. The MBA is a great answer to what I have been looking for!

Thank you so much for your inputs. Greatly appreciate it! 🙂

iPhone 4, iOS 4

Posted on Nov 3, 2010 5:34 AM

Jan 4, 2011 10:51 PM in response to Bercanees

As time has moved on my personal computing needs have evolved. Computers of various types are central to my work (science and engineering) as is travel for better or worse.

Historically I have owned just about every form of computer I could lay my hands on and work with effectively and efficiently. These machines included 286, 386, 486, Pentium and C2D based PCs as well as a Mac Classic and Colour Classic (the latter still works!).

Late last year I decided to buy an iMac with a 2.8 ghz quadcore i7 processor and 16 gb RAM. My reasons were prosaic, or sensible depending on your POV. In essence I needed to look at various UNIX based files (command line driven), as well as run 64 bit- based windows software with the ability to access as much RAM as was available to the system. I have to say this has been a fantastic purchase and I no longer bother with or need to use the windows based workstations that I have access to.

Unfortunately this does not solve my travel needs, initially I maintained my old but very robust Sony VAIO which is armed with (a now old) 1.83 ghz C2D processor and 4 gb RAM. This machine has been an absolute trooper and runs a range of high end packages such as Definiens, ERDAS ER Mapper, DataMine, Systat, Global Mapper and ERDAS ER Mapper beautifully.

In parallel I have been running a MacBook with a 2.4 ghz C2D processor and 2 gb RAM. I have found as time has progressed I have naturally moved away from my trusty travelling workhorse over to the MacBook. I now have to upgrade my system as I still have to use some of the software mentioned above and the MacBook is no longer up to the task.

With this in mind I looked at a range of laptops and a variety of online reviews. The MBA looked ideal although a number of online reviewers clearly missed the "Utility of Design" approach and focussed on the "old processors".

My philosophy is simple, I have to deliver high quality, often precise and accurate outcomes in a timely fashion and it is an absolute fallacy to think this is simply a question of the processor and clock speed. It is in fact a combination of processor, speed, RAM and disk access that governs how well a Mac or PC performs (as well as my input and well written software). My principal needs are performance coupled with mobility.

In order to pick the right machine I decided to run my own tests in Geekbench and Xbench.

The first number is the Geekbench score which focuses on processor and RAM performance, the second number is the Xbench score that also includes metrics for both graphics and disk access performance;

iMac i7 2.8 ghz 16 gb RAM- 8643 - 196

iMac C2D 3.06 ghz 8 gb RAM - 4248 - 164

MacBook C2D 2.44 ghz 2 gb RAM - 3386 - 123

MacBook Air C2D 2.13 ghz 4 gb RAM (256 gb SSD) - 3045 - 178

The Geekbench scores are exactly what one would expect. However, in my view, it is the Xbench scores that are the most significant as this metric recognises the impact of the SSD and the potential bottle neck that conventional hard disk drives may create especially with very large data files. For reference my trusty old Sony delivered a Geekbench score of 2023.

Following this analysis I ordered a MacBook Air with 2.13 ghz processor, 4 gb RAM and 256 gb SSD. It is a fantastic machine and more than fulfilled my expectations. The windows based software runs faultlessly (Bootcamp partition 128 gb) and has no problem dealing with very large spatial datasets and images (10 to 25 gb). Moreover the performance coupled with portability make this machine an ideal travel companion.

I have no hesitation in recommending the MBA and contrary to some commentators views it is able to handle a range of high end and complicated computing tasks with complete aplomb. I have no doubt its smaller cousins perform admirably and also above and beyond expectation.

This is a direct consequence of the "Utility of Design"

Hopefully this review will prove helpful. An alternate is the VAIO Z