MBA 11inch config.

Is it worth to upgrade to from 1.4 to 1.6 Ghz? what about the 3 yr extended warranty?

I'll be getting te 128G SSD and 4G rams to go along with this.

 

Well, it depends, if money isn't an issue get the 1.6 CPU, 4gb, and 128gb ssd. If your kinda on a budget get the 4gb's and the 128gb's memory. You can always buy the extended warranty later, you can NOT upgrade the memory later.

 

I actually think the 11" Air is perfect with 1.4ghz, 4gb & 64gb ssd... if they offer it in this config.

The reason is that I'm betting they won't be your primary computer, so having the extra juice and storage probably isn't critical on a trip.

Just have to make sure the 1.4ghz is enough to play all HD movies, youtube, Hulu type of thing. The RAM is good to have a lot of stuff going on without swapping to disk, so that can be very useful.

I have a 2.13 Air with 256gb SSD and 4GB ram and I would consider buying another 11" Air to carry around like a true mobile, but the iPad 2 will probably arrive sooner and with much expanded (and needed) functionality like USB, flash and front facing camera.

 

Actually i'm hoping this will replace my primary. I'm using a 2.4Ghz Dell M1330 with 320g and 4G ram.. i have to lug this on my back constainly, it's getting too heavy.. I'm not sure if the 1.4ghz would be enough if i just watches at home and open a few excel windows, and outlook at the same time.

 

^ That's not enough to replace your primary to be honest. 1.6 would be the way to go.

I would go for the 13" Air if you want to replace your primary, unless you are absolutely sure you can stand working on a 11.6" all the time. The 13" is about the same weight as the 11" Air, just bigger (and more powerful).

 

That's open for debate. If you're just going on the Internet or listening to music, the SU9400 should have more than enough oomph. Plus the low power consumption has tangible benefits like less fan usage and heat.

 

I had my SU9400 overclocked to 1.73ghz on my M11x and it was still a little too slow sometimes under Windows 7.

I'm not sure how well OS X will handle it but it would probably be fine under most circumstances, just a little less responsive.

 

I have the 11" with 1.4Ghz, 4GB of RAM and 128GB SSD and it's been enough for my use (Office, internet, music, movies, email, light gaming). If this were to be my only computer, I probably would have gotten the 1.6Ghz, but I haven't really noticed any slowdown with the 1.4 yet. It runs OSX and Windows 7 fine and even is good for some very light gaming every now and then. In the end though it's all about your personal needs and cost, and if you can afford the upgrade, I say go for it.

 

To be honest, if this is going to be your main machine, get a Macbook Pro 13. Its still very portable, yet way faster than the Air.

 

As a primary, a loaded Air has advantages. Much better screen, huge SSD trades off on slightly slower processor and Optical drive. The only reason I didn't get a Pro was the screen really, the Air's 13" is stunning next to the MBPs. I could have lived with heavier weight and more battery life too.

 

MBP is out of the question, it has no improvement over my current system. I guess i'll be getting the 1.6.

 

Ok, the MBP is faster than the Air, yet the MBP isn't faster than your current, so your going with the Air? That makes no sense.

 

he means portability i suppose =)

 

If it is your primary and you want to keep it for 3+ yrs, wouldn't you want the ability/option to upgrade with expresscard? I mean 3 yrs is a long time but I suppose a upgrade (as an example) for 4G card can be had with sacrifice of one usb slot so I guess that's not big of a deal.

I might hold a bit to see the latest ultraportables that come out in a month or two. I am sure they won't have the graphic performance of the MBA but might be worth looking at the benchmark for comparison.

 

I'd actually prefer a 2.0 option I feel like in 2 years or so a 1.4 or 1.6 just won't be fast enough. I'd like a 1.2 i5 that clocks itself to 2.3 when needed. I played with an 11in Air and I love it but I can't help but think like in 6-8months I'll feel like it's to slow.

 

I don't think we're going to have that problem for a while since CPU development have slowed drastically over the last few years.

Looking at the Core i7s and Core i5s for example on a Desktop, we've had pretty much the same old same old Quad Core for 3 years now, with incremental 10-20% performance upgrades through the new models.

Even the new Sandy Bridge is just a higher clocked Quad Core that has integrated graphics. It does have a higher over clocking capacity, but other than that, Sandy Bridge isn't even really an upgrade to my Core i7 920 that is like 2 years old at this point.

So if you use your air for normal browsing, viewing, and computing, nothing is going to change in 3 or even 5 years.

You might remember Merom, the first Core 2 Duo mobile processors - introduced in 2006. Yep, that's nearly 5 years ago!

A Merom clocked at 2ghz can do everything you need today. Actually, a Merom does just that.... in our Macbook Airs which run an evolutionary form of Merom - Penryn SL processors.

To give you a big picture, brand new Macbook Airs are sold with what is essentially low voltage 5 year old processors! That's the wall that Intel and AMD have hit...