Why is my Air so fast?

ch1ll1man · ch1ll1man #1 (**permalink**)

03-29-2011, 12:29 PM

So this is an up in the air question but one I want to understand. Why is my Macbook Air 11inch so fast???

I'm running office 2011, parallels with win7, Safari, 1Password, Skype, Transmit and it's cruising along.

I don't understand how a machine with a 1.4Ghz Core 2 Duo and 2GB RAM can achieve what it does - it responds much quicker than my Macbook Pro15 running the same applications. Is it simply that the disk is SSD? If so then Apple needs to have all it's machines SSD as standard.

Kevriano · Kevriano #2 (**permalink**)

03-29-2011, 12:34 PM

Yep, the SSD makes a huge difference, and you can buy most Mac's with SSD now, if you have enough money. Hella expensive they are at the moment.

Printerman · Printerman #3 (**permalink**)

03-29-2011, 12:34 PM

It’s because it’s flash memory.

No hard drive to have to spin up and read from.

Apple calls the Air the “Next generation of MacBooks”. Probably meaning that one day, MacBooks will all have flash memory.

pigoo3 · pigoo3 #4 (**permalink**)

03-29-2011, 12:41 PM

Yes...various reviews of the newest MacBook Air have mentioned that it feels as fast as a MacBook or MacBook Pro with a faster processor.

- Nick

harryb2448 · harryb2448 #5 (**permalink**)

03-29-2011, 05:34 PM

Fast air usually equates to beans, but yes it is the SSD.

Whilst folks complain about the price they never complain about the performance!

lifeisabeach · lifeisabeach #6 (**permalink**)

03-30-2011, 11:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ch1ll1man

Is it simply that the disk is SSD? If so then Apple needs to have all it's machines SSD as standard.

What Apple NEEDS to do is continue letting people decide for themselves what they can afford as a drive option. SSDs are not cheap, and capacities are not up to what the larger hard drives are at.

iggibar · iggibar #7 (**permalink**)

03-30-2011, 11:29 AM

If you are basing this speed on the an application that you ask to pull up info(like images, data files, etc.) then yes, it's due to the SSD. It cant really be the ram because they both can run at the same speeds. If you think that SSD is fast, you should try an OWC SSD on your MBP!

vansmith · vansmith #8 (**permalink**)

03-30-2011, 12:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lifeisabeach

What Apple NEEDS to do is continue letting people decide for themselves what they can afford as a drive option.

Absolutely. Not only the cost but the capacity as well. You simply can't get a solid state drive anywhere the near capacity of a SATA disk.

Kevriano #2 (permalink)
Member Since: Jul 02, 2006 Location: Crawley, England Posts: 4,560 Mac Specs: 20" Intel iMac 2.4 Ghz/3G Ram/320HD, Snow Leopard. PBook G4, 1.5Ghz/1.5 Ram/250 HD, Leopard 10.5.6.	03-29-2011, 12:34 PM Yep, the SSD makes a huge difference, and you can buy most Mac's with SSD now, if you have enough money. Hella expensive they are at the moment. Try my custom Mac Forums Search Engine: Mac Forums Google Search Please use the reputation system if you consider any help given useful (it's the little ✓/✘ on the left <---)
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pigoo3 #4 (permalink)
Member Since: May 20, 2008 Location: U.S. Posts: 20,669 Mac Specs: 13" MB 2.4ghz, 2gig ram, OS 10.7.4	03-29-2011, 12:41 PM Yes...various reviews of the newest MacBook Air have mentioned that it feels as fast as a MacBook or MacBook Pro with a faster processor. - Nick - Computer slow, too many "beachballs", read this: Beachballs - Computer seems slower than it used to? Read this for some speedup tips: Speedup - Almost full hard drive? Some solutions. Out of Space - Apple Battery Info. Battery
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harryb2448 #5 (permalink)
Member Since: Nov 28, 2007 Location: Nambucca Heads Australia Posts: 14,264 Mac Specs: iMac i5 2.7GHz OS X.8.3	03-29-2011, 05:34 PM Fast air usually equates to beans, but yes it is the SSD. Whilst folks complain about the price they never complain about the performance! *Hang on to those original install discs like grim death! Using OS X.7 or later make a bootable USB thumb drive before running Installer!*
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iggibar #7 (permalink)
Member Since: Apr 20, 2009 Location: C-Town Posts: 3,935 Mac Specs: MBP15" 240gb OWC SSD+120gb OWC SSD. MBP 13" 120gb OWC SSD. PowerBook17. PowerMacG5. iPhone4S 32gb.	03-30-2011, 11:29 AM If you are basing this speed on the an application that you ask to pull up info(like images, data files, etc.) then yes, it's due to the SSD. It cant really be the ram because they both can run at the same speeds. If you think that SSD is fast, you should try an OWC SSD on your MBP! MBP 15" 240gb OWC SSD+120gb OWC SSD, 8gb OWC MBP 13" 120gb OWC SSD, 8gb OWC 17" PowerBook PowerMac G5 1.8DP Galaxy Note 2 80gb XPS 720 Core2Extreme 3.67ghzOC, 128gb Crucial SSD, 1.5gbWD Black RAID0. 4gb DominatorOC, 2xGTX560ti SLI.
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ch1ll1man #1 (permalink)
Member Since: Mar 06, 2011 Location: UK Posts: 11 Mac Specs: Macbook Air 11inch 2GB RAM - Mac Mini - MacBook Pro 2009 and more....	03-29-2011, 12:29 PM So this is an up in the air question but one I want to understand. Why is my Macbook Air 11inch so fast??? I'm running office 2011, parallels with win7, Safari, 1Password, Skype, Transmit and it's cruising along. I don't understand how a machine with a 1.4Ghz Core 2 Duo and 2GB RAM can achieve what it does - it responds much quicker than my Macbook Pro15 running the same applications. Is it simply that the disk is SSD? If so then Apple needs to have all it's machines SSD as standard.
	QUOTE Thanks

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