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I'm thinking about buying a mac for school. I'm between 13-inch air with core i7 or 13-inch pro. For school I need to install windows to run circuit simulators and some similiar software since I'm studying engineering. I'm thinking the air because of portability but I don't know if the power will be enough. Wich computer would you people recommend? 13 inch air, 256 SSD, 8 RAM, 2.0 i7 or 13-inch pro 2.9 i7, standard HDD, 8 RAM.
Thanks for your time
MacBook Pro, Mac OS X (10.7)
The Air should be more than adequate from a power standpoint. The other priorities would seem to indicate that the Air is most appropriate. I press the computer a bit more than you describe, and it is beautifully quick.
How about modeling software like autocad and similar? Do they perform well? Cause I'm also going to need a lot of modeling software through my studies
I'd go the opposite way - for what you'll be using it for, I'd take the Macbook Pro 13 Inch.
The Air does have a better screen resolution than the 1280 X 800 on the Macbook Pro 13 Inch.
But because you'll be running Windows, Autocad and maybe Photoshop, I'd take the 13 Inch Macbook Pro and upgrade the RAM to 16GB. Autocad is more RAM dependent.....
Don't get me wrong, I do like the MB Air.......I do however, like the idea that I can upgrade my Macbook anytime I want so that I can keep it longer by adding more RAM or swapping the hard drive for a SSD....
In any event, i'm sure you'll be happy with whatever Macbook you decide to purchase.
And if you're not happy with your first purchase, you have a 14 day return/exchange policy so you can exchange it for the one you want.
good luck...
There's no right or wrong choice here.
Both the MBA and MBP will be more than adequate for your specified use.
As stated, the MBP is upgradeable and will probably last you longer.
The compromise may be the 13" MBP with a SSD drive. I would switch the HDD for a third-party SSD drive. This will make the MBP the equal of the MBA in terms of performance.
Air or pro?
