I am considering MBAir 11: few questions

Hey guys,

I am planning to get a MB Air 11 inch, i7, 8gb ram, intel hd 6000 basically a 2015 model. I am doing an MSc in engineering and I might need this as my secondary laptop.So my questions are:

- is it the right time? since the made the new Mac I heard (rumors) that the air might get some update
- can it handle multiple tabs (+20) and heavy word/excel files? (more than 30k words, thesis and excels with loads of data)
- I am new to mac books are they durable?
- the graphics card is the only thing that concern me, how is it performance-wise?
- I am planning to use for light gaming(Steam,minecraft and similar), will it handle it well?

Thanks in advance

 

I don't have an Air but I'm a bit surprised that you can get them with an i7.

On the durability issue: I bought a 2014 retina MacBook Pro this past December to update my 2008 MacBook Pro. There is nothing wrong with the 2008 model except the spotlights screen problem - it's still quite usable though. I keep my iTunes library on it. I expect my 2014 rMBP to last a minimum of six years. We have another MBP from 2007 and it still works and another from 2008 which still works though the DVD doesn't work anymore. We take pretty good care of our equipment though.

The MacBook Air uses integrated video - it doesn't have a discrete graphics chip or card. My MacBook Pro is the same - Intel integrated video. I don't do any gaming - mainly work-type stuff on it and the graphics are fine for that. My son does light gaming on his MacBook Pro - but he isn't demanding on settings. My daughter prefers using a desktop with a powerful graphics card for her gaming.

If you have an Apple Store or Best Buy nearby, then I'd recommend trying one out.

One thing about thin and light laptops is that they can generate a lot of heat while gaming and that might not be acceptable to you. If this is the case, then I'd recommend getting a more traditional laptop that has better airflow.

 

1: that is an unknown to be honest

2: easily

3: define durable and your needs, this can be very subjective to each user. They are a consumer/prosumer unit and well built, however they do not normally take to drops, liquids, and heavy use and abuse near as well as other units, and non warranty repairs are exhorbant.

4: there is no graphics card, it is an integrated GPU and as fast as the dual core i7 IGP in any ultrabook in that series. but roughly as fast as the antiquated NVidia 640m or the IGP in the old A6 AMD units.

http://www.notebookcheck.net/Intel-HD-Graphics-6000.125588.0.html

5: depends on the game, the dual core i7 U series has been known to struggle with many steam games both in the CPU and GPU aspects. as per many reviews if you want to attempt much gaming you will want to get a copy of windows and bootcamp it as well to double framerates in weak ports etc.

Mmoy gave great advice on going to try one out and yes if you push the CPU for gaming or hard work they can get quite hot as with all ultrabooks and thin and lights, they have to sacrifics cooling and other aspects for the size.

 

Answer to the minecraft and light gaming question. Minecraft for sure will run with no problem. On the steam games it would depend on the steam game you're playing and the settings you have set. resolution, graphic settings etc..

I was able to install minecraft on a MacBook 12" and it played it perfectly fine with some adjustment on the minimap to 2 all the rest was on fancy and smooth lighting. what I'm getting at it the MacBook is only a Core M w/ intel hd 5300 and the MacBook Air is a i7U w/ intel hd 6000 processor. The MacBook Air will be fine for minecraft and some steam games I personally work with someone that plays on a Previous gen MacBook Air perfectly fine.

 

Thanks for all the answers guys.

I went to Apple store the other day, but I was unlucky to find a guy there who did not knew what were the graphics capability on the air and he was only saying that I should get a pro...and the displayed model there was a air 11 inch with intel3000! I was disappointed. But I got to see the 12" which looks absolutely stunning.

I have asked about durability since my current laptop is made with carbon fibre but I dropped it once and it got a nasty deformation on it, not noticeable but very ugly. However I am usually very good at keeping stuff so I am predicting the MB air should be able to handle dust, scratches and common wear and tear no?

Happy that can run Minecraft, that means OPENGL is definitely more than 2.0 and according to the link KCETech1 post it is

I love 11" laptops as I currently own a Vaio X (I cannot live with 2gb of ram anymore) which I am about to upgrade that and get an air 11" as secondary. Best of both worlds no? lol

I am buying a air 11" now. I am convinced

EDIT: One more question, can it handle Flight Sim at modest settings? something like Flight Gear :S

 

Not really. you still get a pretty low framerate on lowered details. ( both osx and windows versions )

 

I just bought a 2015, 11" MBA myself a few days ago. Although it's a base model version *i5/HD 6000/4GB/128GB SSD (it was $699 after BB apple sale and $100 off edu pricing). I know the MBA 13" is better in specs slightly, with the better battery life, I choose form factor/portability over that. The size on the 13" was the deal breaker for me. The 11" gave me that much less to carry both in weight and size, even though it's just a tad bit. Every little thing adds up. Getting through customs/security checks and flying internationally quite often, I find that the batter life was sufficient for my needs. I pair it with a iPhone 6+ which I get more than enough entertainment, and business work use (word, PP, excel) when combined.
I know most people dread the screen quality on the 11, but I find it just fine. Comparing it with my iPhone and iPad, I can see the jaggies/pixels, but not enough for me to be bothered with. If they eventually make the MBA 11/13s with retina, I would still be all over the 11". Saved not getting a 13" MBA for the arrival of the 13" rMBP with skylake, when it eventually comes out. It will be my main laptop/desktop. You won't be disappointed. I love my 11" MBA.