This review is for the 256gb SSD 13.3inch Macbook Air w/ 2gb of ram.
(Check the comments after reading the review if you're still on the fence, I'm going over some more uses and offering more tips and advice, and if I have problems I'll note them below, I'll try and add a video review in a week or two showcasing everything after some more use, stay tuned!)
Here's a short overview of the benefits of the 13.3 inch macbook air, and things you should know prior to pulling the trigger, final recommendation is at the bottom :)
When I heard about the air I had the follow questions / concerns. Hopefully I can ease your mind...
2gb of ram only (you can custom order 4gb but you can't install this any time later on).
I was paranoid this computer would be unusable. I feel like I need 8 gigs of ram and a quad core machine just to run firefox (it gets so slow), not to mention the other tasks I enjoy doing. 2 GB is going to be far too much of a bottle neck... or so I thought!
2gb is ample ram. If you run out of ram, OSX writes to the hard disk (virutal ram, the stuff you've been told your entire life is bad and to avoid it at all costs... but with SSD, this becomes a non issue).
13.3 inch screen... Is it going to be enough to use as my main computer? Will it be too heavy to travel?
The 13.3 inch is perfect. I had a 13 inch macbook pro, I loved it, but I got rid of it because I needed a bit more screen real estate and the machine seemed a bit too slow (likely the hd was the major bottleneck).
The 13.3 inch macbook air has the resolution of a 15 inch, in the form factor of a 13 inch. It's truly the perfect combination.
Gloss (on the air) is a non issue, unlike the macbook pro 13 inch on up (where it is a issue). I thought the gloss on here would annoy me... not a bit! It's different.
The next concern I had was the processor. Honestly, I thought 1.86 core 2 duo was going to be a bit sluggish. Especially with 2gigs of ram... However, (I'm pleased to report), there's been no such problem on my end (a friend of mine bought the 11inch and the speed difference is noticeable, but compared to a 15inch macbook pro (running i5) it feels about the same, only more speedy on launching.
That's to say, with this base configuration (1.86ghz core 2 duo) you can do everything you need (including playing games like Crysis, Call of Duty, Battlefield, Starcraft) all on this little machine.
I've edited HD video on the unit (no problems), (though exporting is obviously much slower than on my imac, as to be expected, but editing and working on the footage was pretty much the same, it's only in exporting where you realize the machine is slower).
All in all the processor is fine.
So let me recap.
I was afraid the processor might be a bit too slow to use as my only every day machine (turns out it's not, granted if you edit HD video daily as your job, you might be better off with a i7... in fact you would... but if you edit video a few times a week, not a big deal).
I was hoping I might be able to play a game every now and then and was afraid the 2gb of ram and 1.86 core 2 duo would be the death of me... not even a problem. I can play call of duty modern warfare 2 (I'll come back and let you know how Black Ops is when It comes out), and Dirt 2 with no problems (granted, I'm using low to medium settings). So the processor is not an issue.
I was afraid 2 gigs of ram was far to unacceptable (almost didn't buy this because of it), but again, that's not a problem. The SSD is more than zippy enough to handle any paging if required.
(I'm typing this on firefox with over 40+ tabs open, listening to music with itunes, downloading photos from my amazon s3 account, and uploading a video via FTP to a web host)
No slow down at all. I usually experience slow down on my imac with a quad core, where here I do not.
Everything is just instant.
I was worried about the screen. I'm one of those who likes taking his computer outside on the beach, at a conference, or to a local coffee shop to get work done. The macbook pro glare was unbearable. The 13 inch screen was limiting...
The Macbook Air? No such problems, glare is pretty much a nonissue, and the extra resolution is a god send (especially if you want to do any programming or editing (video or photo).
Bottom Line:
This is the perfect computer for me right now (and I do a lot of things).
I've edited video, worked on photo's, wrote, and opened obscene amounts of tabs, all with no slow downs (again, applying filters in photoshop on 12+ mp files will slow down some, obviously, and exporting your HD video will be slower, but the actual working is a non issue).
The main benefit of this machine to me (and the reason I bought it) was so that I could use this at my desk when needed, I could take with me on the road, and when traveling.
I need to be able to edit photos (screen shots, comps, whatever) and edit video (as well as export).
I need to be able to write (using this mac it is instant, just a click of a button, no more waiting on the spinning beachball of doom for word to load up... ON MY IMAC QUAD CORE!)
I want something with a decent battery life (I got over 10 hours of use, I have the brightness set low (around 50%) bluetooth off, wireless on, browsing the web (no flash), itunes running, and typing away (checking wikipedia and google constantly, all with no slow downs at all, this thing is better than my imac!)
(To be fair, I did watch some netflix videos and hulu on my laptop as well and the battery lasted around 4 hours).
And I need to be able to carry this machine around and do all my work. This machine is just perfect.
I love it, and I love it more with each day.
Right now I have a somewhat unique setup. I have a laptop stand for the laptop (sets it off beautifully) that I use with an external keyboard and mouse (logitech wave combo, which I prefer due to ease of typing, when I need the track pad for gestures it's right there (along with my fellows gel pad).
I have a lap desk for my laptop, and the air works on it perfectly. So I can get work done on my laptop in perfect comfort while laying down, or lounging on a chair or couch at home (I don't take it with me).
I have a nice laptop sleeve that fits perfect (be.ez 13 inch macbook pro sleeve, fits the air like a glove), that I fit inside my vertical messenger bag (which houses this laptop + + a wacom tablet and my kindle will fit in there too).
So when I'm on the go I have the laptop secure and protected (I also bought a slip on pad that gives your wrists relief when typing on the laptop).
In the end, I feel this is the perfect computer. 128 SSD is enough for most people, if you install windows, you can live with 128, but 256 gives you room for your music library and editing videos.
I use an external Western Digital Passport 1tb with this laptop (requires no power cord) and I'm 100% perfect. I love this setup and I doubt I ever go back to the way things where.
No more desktop work (except to batch encode or use as a render farm), and no more bulky laptops (this thing is everything I want and need).
5 out of 5 stars.
If you do a lot of video work, or you render out animations a lot. You can use this machine to do your work, and your desktop to handle the heavy processing. Just store your files on a usb flash drive and xfer to your desktop to handle the render.
If you do 3d animation / modeling. Modeling will be fine, rendering may be a bit slow, when ready, save your file to usb drive, xfer to desktop and your done. (Or use your favorite batch rendering program).
I LOVE IT!
Here's links to all the accessories I use, and at the top under the product description you can view images of how it all looks together.
I'll come back and update this review through time, feel free to post any questions and I'll come back and respond.
Have fun, and buy one!
My Media Drive (House Movies, Photos, Music)
Western Digital My Passport Essential SE 1 TB USB 2.0 Portable External Hard Drive WDBABM0010BSL-NESN (Silver)
(Note they have a newer version that supports USB 3.0, however the macbook air does not support 3.0 so I see no need in spending the extra cash, There is a black version that supports 3.0 and is the same price. I just already have a 500gig black one that I use so I went with silver).
My Case (Macbook air fits perfect)
Be.ez 100691 LA robe Allure Sleeve for Macbook 13.3 (Black)
My Lap Desk (use it on the couch, in the bed, lounging around, non slip and very steady)
Logitech Comfort Lapdesk
I really use it the most when researching, browsing the web and consuming media. When I'm creating content at home (other than writing) I'll sit at my desk and use this...
Logitech N110 (seems that it's not being sold right now by amazon so I can't use the insert a product link, just type it in and you'll find it, check my images at the top for more).
I use this keyboard at the desk:
Logitech Wireless Wave Combo Mk550 With Keyboard and Laser Mouse (920-002555)
I like this for the ergonomics, it feels good even while typing for extended periods.
I hope you enjoyed this review and feel free to leave a comment or question below :)
0 comments:
Post a Comment