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    Oct 10 13" MBA vs. New 11" MBA

    Discussion in 'Apple and Mac OS X' started by amidond, Jul 27, 2011.

  1. amidond

    amidond Notebook Evangelist

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    Hey everyone, I am looking for a new laptop and the user ZaZ recommended for my needs the last gen 13" MBA. I recently went to Fry's and checked out both the 13/11" last gen MBA's and was quite fond of both. I think I could actually live with the 11" screen.

    So I was looking for some thoughts on the last gen 13" vs the new 11". I am mostly concerned with battery life and heat. I don't play PC games and I don't need a ton of processing power.

    Also how well or not do the last gen's run Parrallels/VMware in case I need Windows 7?
     
    amidond, Jul 27, 2011
    #1
  2. zOne31

    zOne31 Notebook Consultant

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    I would definitely look into getting the new 11" because that's a pretty huge jump in CPU going from C2D to Core i5. Another thing to consider is if you use the SD slot a lot because the 11" doesn't have one. Plus, the 2011 MBAs have a backlit keyboard.

    Both versions should be able to run a virtual system just fine.
     
    zOne31, Jul 27, 2011
    #2
  3. masterchef341

    masterchef341 The guy from The Notebook

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    I would plan on booting into windows if you need it (unless its something really quick and simple) because I think the virtual machine performance is going to leave much to be desired.
     
    masterchef341, Jul 28, 2011
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  4. dmk2

    dmk2 Notebook Evangelist

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    The 13" offers at least an hour more battery life than the 11". Last year's 13" also ran a bit warmer and spun the fan faster than last year's 11", but they were both relatively cool running compared to the MBPs. I don't know if that's still true of the new models.

    Honestly, I would chose based on size vs. screen resolution. I got the 11" to use as a travel laptop and not a primary computer, so size was more important in the decision. But sometimes I wish I had the extra vertical screen resolution of the 13". If this is going to be your primary computer, I would get the 13"

    Just fine unless you're running something CPU intensive or gaming, then you would be better off dual-booting.
     
    dmk2, Jul 28, 2011
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  5. amidond

    amidond Notebook Evangelist

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    Thanks for the responses. The more I think about it the better I am liking the 11". Problem is everyone is seeming to recommend 4GB. Problem is the 10' model is only $50 cheaper than I could get the 11' model for with 4GB. If I settle for 2GB I could get one under $900.

    Decisions, decisions
     
    amidond, Jul 28, 2011
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  6. ZaZ

    ZaZ Super Model Super Moderator

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    Probably the biggest question is do you want the WXGA+ screen on the 13" model? Other than that, they'll be fairly similar.
     
    ZaZ, Jul 28, 2011
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