finalizing macbook air purchase today

Originally released July 2011
11.6-inch (diagonal) high-resolution LED-backlit glossy widescreen display
4GB memory
128GB flash storage
Thunderbolt port with support for up to 2560-by-1600 resolution
FaceTime camera
Intel HD Graphics 3000

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just few questions

1. is it fast enough since it has just a i5 1.6 ghz dualcore processor?
2. can mba install bootcamp easily? or do ya gotta do some hacking?
3. does WOW have a streaming client for MAC like it does for windows?
4. is now a good time to buy the MBA? im going to college in spring and idk if ill get better deals by then
5. overall do u like the MBA?
6. 128gb should be good enough? i just plan on osx, windows 7, and 2 games at 20gb each.
7. its 829$, best i can afford though, buying from APPLE refurb section...should i be okay?

thanks

1. is it fast enough since it has just a i5 1.6 ghz dualcore processor?
Should be fine

2. can mba install bootcamp easily? or do ya gotta do some hacking?
It will bootcamp as easily as any other Mac. I dont think you will want to with such a small SSD.

3. does WOW have a streaming client for MAC like it does for windows?
What do you mean?

4. is now a good time to buy the MBA? im going to college in spring and idk if ill get better deals by then
Well, you would be able to take advantage of the student discount.

6. 128gb should be good enough? i just plan on osx, windows 7, and 2 games at 20gb each.
I think you will find this woefully too small. You will have absolutely no growing room. Both operating systems need room to grow, and you will not be giving either enough.

7. its 829$, best i can afford though, buying from APPLE refurb section...should i be okay?
Should be fine

One other thing, this is not anywhere close to a gaming laptop. You would be better off saving your money and getting a beefed up MBP with the extended video card.

I have to agree. This is a student laptop, for schoolwork, web browsing, etc. Not games. I would suggest saving up for a macbook pro and buying one used or refurb in the spring prior to school. It will be much faster, better graphics and possibly more ram, most definitely a larger SSD or HDD. I personally own a mid 2012 13" mbp and love it.I've ran a few games and it runs well. Mine has the 256 SSD which is awesome! Super fast.. I really suggest waiting and saving up.

my other option is macbook pro more with decent specs, but it has a 500gb HDD which is only 5400 RPM....is that good enough or will it suck?

btw the intel 3000hd is good enough for the games i play

i think the 1019$ macbook pro would be good for me because its only 190$ more and i figure id have to pay ~50$ for a dvd drive for the Air and its got more storage and a better gpu and 500gb hdd, so yeah

Agreed.

PS. I'm not sure what you mean by "streaming client," but you can most definitely play WoW on your Mac. Be sure to check out "Pocket Gnome" as well.

btw the intel 3000hd is good enough for the games i play

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The new MBP 13" machines use the Intel HD 4000, a much faster and better GPU than the HD 3000. The HD 4000 can borrow up to 1 GB of memory to use as VRAM provided the MBP has 8 GB installed.

I'm stil deciding lol.
Was going to go with the mb pro, but I saw it in my friends and I really wasn't feeling the 5400 rpm drive

But went to the apple store and checked out the 13" MBA 128 gb ssd and i think that's great for me

And with the online reviews i seen it can run skyrim on medium

Any qualms with my plan? Should I go ahead and order or can anyone point out a flaw in my plan?
Thanks

Or I can get the 11" version with 256gb ssd for a bit more
But dang 11 is smallll

Mbp for sure, might be worth getting with 500gb drive and get ssd later...
I just got a 15" mbp with 750gb (7200rpm) hdd and had supplier add 256gb ssd as primary and move hdd into DVD slot (obviously DVD needs to be removed and special bay putting in) this gives performance and storage space. Not 100% sure if it's possible with smaller mbp... Might be worth looking into. I have read though that the MBA is not upgradable. So what you buy is what you have forever.
Or of course, you could get with ssd and plan to put hdd in later ... Or run with USB drives.
128gb will not be enough for long term usage - unless you are very disciplined.

Am in agreement that 128GB is woefully small when you're already planning on dual booting and installing a "couple" of 20GB games and you will soon come to regret the decision not to wait until you can afford the next higher up model.

If you go for it, would suggest you need to plan ahead now for external storage to maximize your drive space.

If you have never owned a computer that ran from an SSD, then a Mac with a HD will run as fast or faster than any previous computer you have had.

Ok ill get the refurbished mbp 13 500gb

But I thought macs aren't upgradeable at all.

If I buy a ssd off neweegg, can I pop it in myself like a regular laptop?

Or do I need to go to a apple store and have them do it? How much would they charge?

I heard macbooks are locked tight and u need a special tool to open them.

Thanks for the replies guys

While learning your way around your Mac, would encourage you to look at OWC as a starting place for any upgrades - even if you decide to purchase elsewhere.

Went to the apple store again today and I realized something...

Black Fridays in 2 weeks...

Think I can get a good deal then? Or will they all be sold out?

alright GUYS

final decision!

Refurbished MacBook Pro 2.5GHz Dual-core Intel i5 - Apple Store (U.S.)

Yay? Nay? Gay?

Either way

I want to order today.
I trust this forum, and etc.

Jeez man…you are TERRIBLE with decision making (it's been almost a month)! Pull the trigger already!

As far as the "Black Friday" question. Apple usually doesn't include computers in any sort of "sale". They usually only include stuff like small accessory items…like iPod/iPhone cases, maybe iPad accessories, etc.

When purchasing a new/refurbished item from Apple…the refurbished area (as you've already chosen)…is your best bet when it comes to price.

Good luck,

- Nick

pigoo3 said:

Jeez man…you are TERRIBLE with decision making (it's been almost a month)! Pull the trigger already!

As far as the "Black Friday" question. Apple usually doesn't include computers in any sort of "sale". They usually only include stuff like small accessory items…like iPod/iPhone cases, maybe iPad accessories, etc.

When purchasing a new/refurbished item from Apple…the refurbished area (as you've already chosen)…is your best bet when it comes to price.

Good luck,

- Nick

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yeah your right - i am SO indecisive sometimes. you should see me at a chinese buffet - ill walk back and forth 5 times trying to decide what i want between 2 aisles :S

but thank you all for your input - its go time

WAIT!!! Nah, just kidding ...

Mac is on the way!!

I noticed in description it didn't mention a "recovery disk" (I screw around a lot so I do factory resets a lot too)

So is there like a recovery partition built in like windows laptops these days? Or how do I do a "fresh install" of Osx after my initial fingering?

Well, you COULD stop screwing around with it so much that it needs recovery ... just sayin' ... but yes there is a recovery partition and an option for an internet install.

chas_m said:

WAIT!!! Nah, just kidding ...

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lol dont scare me!

i got my shizz like a bouse.

question though, is it a unibody macbook pro? (its 2012 13")

i hear if its a unibody you can upgrade to an SSD (i plan to do so later)

if i take it to an apple store with a SSD i buy online (OCZ or whatever i saw earlier), will the apple techs insert it for my happily? or will they charge an arm and a leg? or will they tell me to buy another macbook pro that has an SSD :S

thanks