MBA or rMBP

I need:
-Something that I can carry around easily
-Can perform fast under heavy usage
-I can put on bed without worrying I'd blocked the fan, or simply wouldn't heat.
-Something that I wouldn't need to replace for at least five years.
+I use Photoshop and watch a lot of movies.

The MBA that I consider: 13" i7 8GB 128GB
The rMBP that I consider: 13", the lowest end

My concerns about MBA:
-Retina
-Would it be crushed under heavy CPU usage?

My concerns about rMBP:
-Would an i5, even if the best, take me through five years?
-Battery life
-Heaviness
-I heard it heats up
-Its fans aren't at the rear = need to be careful not to block them

One more thing, maybe I could get a 256GB one if I got a MBA
In that case, storage is a concern for rMBP as well.

Nonetheless, I'm undecided. Which do you think I should be getting?

You do not indicate if they will be new or at least a 2013 model which means haswell processor family. And what do you mean by heavy CPU usage? If you mean Photoshop or streaming videos either model will handle that with no issues. I consider heavy usage creating video effects with Adobe After Effects and in that case the Air will not handle that and the MB Pro will but slowly.

IMO - I would recommend the MB Air. I have a MB AIr and a MB Pro. Their specs are listed under my avatar.

I have used the Air for Photoshop work and it does really well even with the i5 and 4gb. It never gets hot in my lap (where it is now) and is very light, easy to carry around.

The MB Pro will be heavier, you will notice the warmth when in your lap. Battery life will be a lot less.

The i7 in the Air will have a bit better performance than the i5 in the MB Pro. (You can download the Mactracker app from the Apple store for the latest information on all models.)

I would definitely get at least a 256GB SSD for what ever model you choose. As for the retina display, I don't see it as a deal breaker for the AIr. The only way to answer it for sure is to go to a store and see one and compare it to the non-retinas. Some people love them others see it as no big deal.

Lisa

Heavy usage is more than a hundred tabs open, five Photoshop documents, uTorrent, Skype and iTunes all open and I would be switching constantly between them.
Would Air handle these tasks without heating/making noise/slowing down?

I will be getting the early 2015 model as my country doesn't have a refurbished store.

As for retina, I did go to an Apple Store, but I don't think the difference would stand out under the spotlights of the store. Possibly the only reason Retina appeals to me is that I wouldn't have to stick my nose to the screen when it's really sunny in the room.

karakury said:

Heavy usage is more than a hundred tabs open….

Click to expand...

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- Nick

Sorry did not realize you wanted to demand so much...100 tabs???? Really???

I doubt either machine will give you the performance you are wanting. I am not sure why you would want that much going at the same time as you would not be keeping up with it all.

Five photoshop docs open or more - no problem. I will select a couple hundred at a time to sort through them on my MB Pro (I will stick with the Pro because it has 16GB of memory and an i7.) I do the detail work on my Mac Pro with it's dual monitors - more viewing real-estate.

As for uTorrent - don't ever use it. iTunes - will have it playing music at the same time. Skype - don't use it but have had Facetime open a time or two.

If you want that kind of performance out of a laptop you are looking for the 13" Macbook Pro i7 with 16GB of memory and the 512 SSD. That is going to cost $2200.

Oh and with 100 tabs open and multiple programs that are downloading (uTorrent, Skpe - possibly, iTunes - possibly) any laptop will get warm.

Lisa

Just imagine the performance hit if a good percentage of those 100 open tabs had Flash or HTML5 video running on them (banners, rotating commercials, auto-playing video, etc.).

And of course let's not even talk battery runtime!!!

- Nick