11 or 13inch air for college?

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Level 1

0 points

11 or 13inch air for college?

I am going to college for engineering, most likely mechanical, at Duke. My question is should I get the 11inch macbook air (2.0Ghz i7, 8gb ram, and 256 SSD) or the 13inch macbook air with the same specs (I am leaning towards the 11 inch). The price difference is $50. I will have a desktop monitor (20-25 inches) and an external hard drive that I can connect the laptop to while in my dorm. I will be using it for Logic pro and maybe some light gamming. But I think its primary use will be note taking in class and writing papers (I don’t really know because I haven’t started yet). There are computer labs with top of the line iMacs that I can use for any hardware intensive programs like CAD. I will have to be able to use some windows programs, I can get windows xp free or windows 7 ultimate for $15 through Duke, is bootcamp the best solution or is a virtual machine better? (Secondary question not as important)

Recap:

Desktop monitor in dorm
External hard drive in dorm
Light gamming
Some logic Pro
Portability is important
Durability is important too (not sure if they differ in durability)
Some windows programs needed
Is screen size going to be a major issue?

Please excuse my grammar, I have no aspirations of becoming an English major.

I also apologize if this question has been asked elsewhere or if I am rambling.

By any chance can someone compare the strength and speed of this laptop to a 2008 iMac with a 3.06Ghz Intel core 2 duo and 4gb of 800Mhz DDR2 SDRAM? (If not it doesn't really matter)

MacBook Air

Posted on Jun 27, 2012 3:28 PM

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Answer 1

Jun 28, 2012 4:22 AM in response to ceb59

If portability is a major issue then the 11" is winning the battle... unless battery duration is also very important for you, then the ~2h increase in the 13" is worth the extra size and weight which is noticeable but not a very big difference. I'm on the same boat as you as far as requirements. I had a 11" air 2010 and it was incredible light, awesome in portability, but I ended up getting a 13" air this year as these 2h more will save my life very frequently.

As for the comparison with the 2008 iMac you're mentioning... you are gonna notice it VERY MUCH. The SSD, and extra soldered ram will make your air fly.

PS: I also apologize for any grammar mistake as I'm not native english speaker 😀

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Answer 2

JE13

Level 4

3,938 points

Jun 28, 2012 8:31 AM in response to ceb59

Have you played on both? Which do you like better?

As others have said, the question really comes down to screen size (while away from that external monitor) and battery life. If you don't mind the smaller screen, and you can do with 5 hours (relatively speaking) compared to 7 hours battery (relatively spreaking) then don't be afraid to go with the 11". Not only is it incredibly light--which means less weighing you down as you haul that bookbag from class to class, not only is it incredibly small--which means it can fit on very small desktops in class rooms, and give you more room on a tabletop for your books and papers--but it that lightness/slimness also translates to being able to slip it in and out of bags faster; you save time packing and unpacking, and have more room in the bag for other things.

In the end, play on both and go with the one you fall in love with, as both can be configured similarly (do go for 8g RAM), and, thus, can be pretty much the same in performance. Which means what matters is which computer you are going to enjoy working on.

And do let us know which you pick. Either one is a great computer for college. 😀

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Answer 3

WiseJD

Level 4

1,954 points

Jun 27, 2012 4:51 PM in response to ceb59

I have the 11" and absolutely find it outstanding. However my granddaughter has the 13" and likes it better than mine for her school work. I don't think one is any different than the other as far as reliability or durability goes. If I were headed to Engineering School, I would probably go with the larger screen due to the applications your will find yourself using at college. Compared to the notebooks most of us have lugged around for years, you will find the 13" very portable.

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Answer 4

skiflyer

Level 1

5 points

Jun 27, 2012 10:15 PM in response to ceb59

How big are you? This debate comes down to precisely 2 things.

1) The 13inch has a slightly bigger screen. This makes working on it a little easier for people who care a lot about the size of the text. It also has more pixels, so if you're cool going small text you get a little more information on the screen.

2) The 11 inch is slightly more portable.

I personally find the 13inch ultra-portable already, and I'm one of those people that has 7 windows with tons of text on my screen at a given point in time so the 13inch was a no brainer for me.

The other things you asked about: durability, performance, etc. Are pretty much a wash... the above 2 issues are all you need to decide on, in my opinion.

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