Can't decide between the MBA or the rMBP :/

[flyinglawngnome]

Hey guys

I'm starting in a secondary school where I live (grade 10, 11 and 12), and I'm in dire need of a new laptop, I'm just not sure which one to pick. Right now my choices are between:

13" MBA with 8gb ram, 256gb storage and 1.6GHz

or the

13" rMBP with 8gb ram, 128gb storage and 2.7GHz

I'll mostly be doing school work on this laptop (Microsoft Office, a CAS program and some light audio editing), but I'll also possibly be doing some light gaming with a few indie games here and there. I'll probably get an external HDD or a cloud service at some point, but I don't really want to run programs off of external drives, I'll also be carrying it with me around school. So what do you guys think is the best choice, is the increased storage of the MBA worth it, or is performance increase of the MBP too big to pass up. Ultimately I'd want it to last 4-5 years.

Thanks in advance.

 

[velo3100]

I would go with the air as it can do everything you have stated, not sure what a cas program is but the other stuff it should be able to do.

 

[flyinglawngnome]

I would go with the air as it can do everything you have stated, not sure what a cas program is but the other stuff it should be able to do.

Yeah, I figured too, since its the lightest, do you figure it would have any trouble running light indie games, and do you think it would be necessary to get the 8gb ram

 

[velo3100]

For light gaming yes. Simple 2d games the air can handle it. I personally would get the air as it allows you to multi task more. This means that you can use for other uses if you decide to in the future.

 

[flyinglawngnome]

In what kind of way do mean as opposed to the rMBP?

 

[velo3100]

Both can be used for pretty much the same thing except that the mbp is designed for more professional use. I meant as in get the 8 gigs as if you change your mind about how you use the air, you can push it further than the 4 gigs version. The pro will always be faster and better but is too expensive if you are just starting secondary school.

 

[flyinglawngnome]

Both can be used for pretty much the same thing except that the mbp is designed for more professional use. I meant as in get the 8 gigs as if you change your mind about how you use the air, you can push it further than the 4 gigs version. The pro will always be faster and better but is too expensive if you are just starting secondary school.

I actually found the pro for relatively cheap in a sale, which makes the difference between them 100$, would you say it would be worth it, or am i better of spending my money on something else?

 

[velo3100]

If the price difference is on $100 then go with the pro as there is normally a huge price gap between the 2. You could look into the lenovo x1 carbon as well. Also the dell xps line is good. Razor blade if you can afford it.

 

[flyinglawngnome]

If the price difference is on $100 then go with the pro as there is normally a huge price gap between the 2. You could look into the lenovo x1 carbon as well. Also the dell xps line is good. Razor blade if you can afford it.

Yeah, I've looked at the x1 carbon too, it looks pretty sweet tbh, I might end up getting that, thank you very much for the feedback

 

[flyinglawngnome]

If the price difference is on $100 then go with the pro as there is normally a huge price gap between the 2. You could look into the lenovo x1 carbon as well. Also the dell xps line is good. Razor blade if you can afford it.

Yeah, I've looked at the x1 carbon too, it looks pretty sweet tbh, I might end up getting that, thank you very much for the feedback

 

[BeingRitesh]

It depends on your usage. For writing work, MacBook Air is best. It has larger battery life so you can easily bring it anywhere. Whereas MacBook Pro is for designing and good graphics performance in Gamings too but their battery backup is lesser than MacBook Air. So choose wisely.