MBA or rMBP...Need advice

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Level 1

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MBA or rMBP...Need advice

Hello,

I am in the market for a post-college laptop and I am having trouble making the decision between the 13' inch macbook pro retina or the 13' inch macbook air. My current Macbook Pro is the Mid 2009 15' inch; it is running the latest Yosemite (even if it is slow) and it has held up well for my 4 1/2 years of college running from 2011-2015. I do play some light gaming such as the Sims 4, but that is about it. I am hoping to save some money by not buying the top of the line pro line, but am wondering if its specs would be better suited. The reason I am leaning more towards the Air is because the only thing I use my computer for is web browsing, Netflix streaming, movie watching and Sims 4. Graphics are not that big of a deal to me but I would probably upgrade the air to the i7 core processor and the 8gb memory. I am having a difficult time making this decision and any responses would be helpful.

MacBook Pro, OS X Yosemite (10.10.5)

Posted on Sep 14, 2015 9:00 PM

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Answer 1

Sep 14, 2015 11:47 PM in response to chipgirl1820

MBP all the way

Don Morgan

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Answer 2

dwb

Level 7

33,326 points

Sep 15, 2015 12:55 AM in response to chipgirl1820

One of the best purchases I ever made was in 2011 when I bought the MBA. At that time it hit the perfect spot of performance, price, and mobility. We had to replace a seriously aging 2009 MBP this spring and it was hard to decide between the rMBP and MBA. I'd already delayed the purchase nearly 6 months hoping Apple would substantially update the MBA and couldn't wait any longer.

I wound up getting the new 2015 rMBP and I like it but not nearly as much as I like the MBA and it is possible that if/when the MBA gets some attention from Apple I'll sell it and get another MBA. Like you my mobile needs aren't demanding and even now the 4 year old MBA performs like a champ. For me, the rMBP biggest advantage is the gorgeous display. In terms of speed, for my purposes, the retina spends way more time waiting for me than I spend waiting for it.

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