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Apple Computing Products:
macOS - Notebook Hardware
Macbook Air 13 VS. Macbook pro 13 or 15
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<blockquote data-quote="s2odin" data-source="post: 1147108" data-attributes="member: 176525"><p>Well if you are going to be using Photoshop, the extra screen real estate on the 15 MBP with the upgraded screen would be the best.</p><p></p><p>All three of them will be fine for what you're doing tho. You have to see what you really need and then what you can afford. The Air doesn't have an Optical drive, so you would have to buy an external ($80) or use the remote sharing feature. The Air can also go up to 4gb of RAM (not user-upgradable). Your best bet if you get the Air is get it with 4gb of RAM. The other thing with the Air is the small HD space. These are very hard to upgrade, but I think some manufacturers are starting to make the 1.8" drives... Lots of people rave about the screen on the Air, but it's still a small screen, and viewing larger images on PS will be somewhat of a hassle.</p><p></p><p>With the 13 you get the base model MBP. This one has an optical drive, so you're set there. With the MBP's you also add a Firewire port, as well as an ethernet connection. An SD card reader is also included which can be a great help for getting photos off your camera and into PS for editing. The 13" has the standard 1200 x 800 screen, which, personally, is irritating sometimes using PS with large images. The MBP's also can go up to 8gb of RAM, which can be good for heavy duty PS usage. The 13" only weighs about 5 lbs so not bad.</p><p></p><p>Finally is the 15" MBP. Same ports as above, but add a higher res screen (1440 x 900) or the upgraded 1680 x 1050 glossy / anti glare. Depending on your PS usage, the upgraded screen would be your best bet. It allows manipulating large images much easier. The 15" also uses Intel's newest iX processor. They are, synthetically, twice as fast as a standard C2D processor. They have hyper-threading, which means that each core can have 2 threads. This means that while a C2D processor only has 2 threads, an iX processor has 4 threads, making multi tasking and CPU intensive tasks much easier. The iX series is also a little more future proof. Finally, it weighs in at about 6 lbs, so not bad.</p><p></p><p>Now with all that said, take a look at what you really need and then what you can afford. Or just go into your local Apple store, or Best Buy and test them all out and see which you like the best. And see if any of them have the upgraded screen, or look at another laptop with the 1680 x 1050 res. to see how much nicer it is.</p><p></p><p>Some recommendations tho:</p><p>-If you get the Air, get it with 4gb of RAM. You cannot upgrade this later.</p><p>- If you get either of the MBP's, get them with the lowest RAM and HD possible then upgrade yourself later. You want to upgrade to at least a 720 RPM HD after market, and RAM can be had extremely cheap these days. Don't pay Apple to do something when they charge double or triple the price.</p><p>- Look into a good case / backpack to get so you can protect it and make carrying it easier.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="s2odin, post: 1147108, member: 176525"] Well if you are going to be using Photoshop, the extra screen real estate on the 15 MBP with the upgraded screen would be the best. All three of them will be fine for what you're doing tho. You have to see what you really need and then what you can afford. The Air doesn't have an Optical drive, so you would have to buy an external ($80) or use the remote sharing feature. The Air can also go up to 4gb of RAM (not user-upgradable). Your best bet if you get the Air is get it with 4gb of RAM. The other thing with the Air is the small HD space. These are very hard to upgrade, but I think some manufacturers are starting to make the 1.8" drives... Lots of people rave about the screen on the Air, but it's still a small screen, and viewing larger images on PS will be somewhat of a hassle. With the 13 you get the base model MBP. This one has an optical drive, so you're set there. With the MBP's you also add a Firewire port, as well as an ethernet connection. An SD card reader is also included which can be a great help for getting photos off your camera and into PS for editing. The 13" has the standard 1200 x 800 screen, which, personally, is irritating sometimes using PS with large images. The MBP's also can go up to 8gb of RAM, which can be good for heavy duty PS usage. The 13" only weighs about 5 lbs so not bad. Finally is the 15" MBP. Same ports as above, but add a higher res screen (1440 x 900) or the upgraded 1680 x 1050 glossy / anti glare. Depending on your PS usage, the upgraded screen would be your best bet. It allows manipulating large images much easier. The 15" also uses Intel's newest iX processor. They are, synthetically, twice as fast as a standard C2D processor. They have hyper-threading, which means that each core can have 2 threads. This means that while a C2D processor only has 2 threads, an iX processor has 4 threads, making multi tasking and CPU intensive tasks much easier. The iX series is also a little more future proof. Finally, it weighs in at about 6 lbs, so not bad. Now with all that said, take a look at what you really need and then what you can afford. Or just go into your local Apple store, or Best Buy and test them all out and see which you like the best. And see if any of them have the upgraded screen, or look at another laptop with the 1680 x 1050 res. to see how much nicer it is. Some recommendations tho: -If you get the Air, get it with 4gb of RAM. You cannot upgrade this later. - If you get either of the MBP's, get them with the lowest RAM and HD possible then upgrade yourself later. You want to upgrade to at least a 720 RPM HD after market, and RAM can be had extremely cheap these days. Don't pay Apple to do something when they charge double or triple the price. - Look into a good case / backpack to get so you can protect it and make carrying it easier. [/QUOTE]
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Apple Computing Products:
macOS - Notebook Hardware
Macbook Air 13 VS. Macbook pro 13 or 15
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