Which refurbed Mac (air vs pro)

[083420c]

Hey guys sorry for beating a dead horse but I just recently lost my 09 MacBook Pro and need to replace it. My budget requires a refurbished unit direct from apple and I am bouncing between these two. The MacBook Pro (late 2013 model) with 8gb ram and 256 gb flash. The competitor is an air with 4gb ram and 256gb flash (early 2014 model). Obviously the pro has retina display and more ram but the air has 12 hours of batt life which is huge for me. My primary uses will be downloading movies TV music etc and just general internet browsing (multi tabs). My concern is the 4gb isn't enough on the air though I've read one million conflicting opinions. Here are the details and prices ( in Canadian dollars). Let me know what you'd do if in my position, thanks!!

Air $1099
Originally released April 2014
13.3-inch (diagonal) LED-backlit glossy widescreen display with support for millions of colors

4GB of 1600MHz LPDDR3 onboard memory

256GB PCIe-based flash storage
1
720p FaceTime HD Camera

Intel HD Graphics 5000

Pro $1299
Originally released October 2013
13.3-inch (diagonal) Retina display; 2560-by-1600 resolution at 227 pixels per inch
8GB of 1600MHz DDR3L SDRAM
256GB Flash Storage1
720p FaceTime HD camera
Intel Iris Graphics

 

[pigoo3]

If it were me…I would go for the 13" MacBook Pro. I know that it's $200 more. But if you're planning on keeping this computer for at least 2-3 years (or more)…that 8gig of ram will be more & more important.

Right now you could survive with 4gig of ram…but believe me today & in the future…8gig of ram is much better.

Also. The MacBook Pro has better graphics hardware. The Intel Iris graphics is newer & faster than the Intel HD 5000 graphics.

Also remember that the ram on both of these computers is not upgradeable. Which is why getting the 8gig of ram now is important.

If the MacBook Air had 8gig of ram it would be a more difficult choice. But even then…the MacBook Pro still has the better retina display…and the better graphics hardware.

HTH,

- Nick

 

[chscag]

Obviously the pro has retina display and more ram but the air has 12 hours of batt life which is huge for me.

Real world battery life is not going to give you 12 hours. Most "reality" tests I've seen from Macworld and MacLife say you'll be lucky to get 10 hours. And I agree with Nick about getting the retina model.

 

[pigoo3]

One more thought. I know the reason why these computers were mentioned (both refurbished)…was for budget reasons. But why not purchase a brand new 2015 MacBook Air?

If your budget can handle $1299 for the refurbished MacBook Pro mentioned in post #1…then a 2015 13" MacBook Air for $1199 would work. Add $100 to bump up the ram to 8gig…and this unit then costs $1299 (exactly the same price as the refurbished MacBook Pro).

The 2015 MacBook Air would have 8gig of ram, even better graphics hardware…and if it has better battery life than the MacBook Pro…you get that too.

- Nick

 

[083420c]

One more thought. I know the reason why these computers were mentioned (both refurbished)…was for budget reasons. But why not purchase a brand new 2015 MacBook Air?

If your budget can handle $1299 for the refurbished MacBook Pro mentioned in post #1…then a 2015 13" MacBook Air for $1199 would work. Add $100 to bump up the ram to 8gig…and this unit then costs $1299 (exactly the same price as the refurbished MacBook Pro).

The 2015 MacBook Air would have 8gig of ram, even better graphics hardware…and if it has better battery life than the MacBook Pro…you get that too.

- Nick

Unfortunately I am a Canadian shopper so these funds are in CAD And the new Mac air with 8gb of ram would be an additional $300 compared to the MacBook Pro. Thanks for the input tho!