Should I get a Macbook Air 13" laptop or HP desktop AMD A8 quad core

keeranbri

Hello Everyone,

Hopefully someone can provide me some good advice here. I cannot decide on what to do . I have already
bought this HP desktop AMD quad core about 2 weeks ago. However I have a older HP desktop that is still running pretty good
its only a Intel pentium processor , 4gb, 1 terabyte. And I have a Gateway laptop that is still running Good.

I've been thinking, of returning the HP desktop that I just bought and get me a mac book air. I have read so many reviews about them and heard no negative feedback about it, but only excellent ones due to its lightweight and fast processor.
However, it is probably going to be an extra $500.00 out of my pocket to by the Air, but just thinking that this machine
would probably be my best friend and last me a long time.

I was wondering if any of you out there have a mac maching of some sort, even a macbook pro, and if it would be worth it
to return the HP desktop and get me this instead.

bull313

As an Apple Product Professional, while it is a great laptop, I believe the MacBook Air is WAY overpriced. The AMD A8 is very similar to an Intel i5, which is standard on the cheaper MacBook Air. Granted the MacBook Air comes with a solid state drive, which is significantly faster than the hard drive in the HP. I, however, cannot justify the extra $400-$750 for the MacBook Air.

I hope this helps.

JaneDoe

What do you want? Power or portability? If you usually use your computer while you're out, and your current computer is breaking your back, then get a MacBook Air. If you usually use your computer at home, and the weight isn't a big deal for you, then your desktop is a much better value for the money.

DoubleNNs

I have a Macbook Air and love it. But I mostly got it for the balance between mobility and power. I was a student, tired of lugging around my heavy laptop and it taking up my entire desk when I took it to class. And even now, I get most of my cert studying done in the library, so it's awesome to have a light computer I can go everywhere with, and sometimes even forget it's in my bag.
However, I got it a few years ago, and there weren't yet many competing laptops of the form/power. Today in 2014, there is an abundance of powerful ultraportables.

Whether you should get one really depends on what you plan on doing w/ it. And although you can use virtualization, dual boot, or even completely reformat the computer w/ the OS of your choice, how comfortable you are w/ Mac OS should be a consideration.

olaHalo

If you need a mobile device get a mobile device.
If not get a desktop and throw an ssd in there.

NightShade1

bull313 wrote: »

As an Apple Product Professional, while it is a great laptop, I believe the MacBook Air is WAY overpriced. The AMD A8 is very similar to an Intel i5, which is standard on the cheaper MacBook Air. Granted the MacBook Air comes with a solid state drive, which is significantly faster than the hard drive in the HP. I, however, cannot justify the extra $400-$750 for the MacBook Air.

I hope this helps.

Any apple device IS overpriced

YFZblu

olaHalo wrote: »

If you need a mobile device get a mobile device. If not get a desktop and throw an ssd in there.

/thread

da_vato

I personally think you'll love the portability of an ultra-book not to mention the speed of the ssd. Remember that ultra-books do not have built in cd/dvd drive. Mac verse any other ultra-book is really going to be an OS preference.

JaneDoe

If you're looking to spend a couple grand on hardware for high end video editing or something, Macs might be priced competitively, but if you don't need to spend $3000 or more on hardware, you'll pay an arm and leg for the Mac OS.

keeranbri

The MacBook i want to get is the 13 inch MacBook Air. The cost of it is 1099.00. I already have a mobile device, a gateway laptop, a hp desktop that's about 4 or 5 yrs old, so wouldn't a Mac book air be a good on to my gadgets

DoubleNNs

Only you can determine the answer to that question, depending on what you plan to do w/ it and what role/need the new machine is filling.

tpatt100

Yeah all the reviews I have seen are positive but I got a regular Macbook non Retina because I wanted to replace the hard drive and RAM on my own so the Retina Macbooks and Airs were out of the question.

JaneDoe

A $1099 macbook air is going to be a lot slower than your desktop, because it will have less ram, a slower processor, etc. Mac stops ripping you off when you're spending a couple times that amount.

Bryzey

I recently brought a macbook pro retina display and couldn't be more happy with it.

Great battery life(10 hours or so), great portability, very fast with high quality aesthetics and finish. Runs all of my VM's for study and does everything I need it to do comfortably.

The computer is irrelevant. Just make sure it is within your budget, does everything you need it to do, has all of the ports you need it to have and gives you some enjoyment to buy and own and your set for the next few years.

DoubleNNs

JaneDoe wrote: »

A $1099 macbook air is going to be a lot slower than your desktop, because it will have less ram, a slower processor, etc. Mac stops ripping you off when you're spending a couple times that amount.

A laptop is almost always slower than a desktop, at any price point.

EngRob

I would say if you want a reliable go-to ultra portable laptop that doesn't need to run processor hungry apps (i.e. video editing) then go with the MacBook Air. They are expensive, just like other Apple products, but they're reliable and hold a decent resale value if you take care of them.

I took the plunge for one in 2011 and loved it. It was perfect for what I needed and I only sold it a year later, for a couple hundred less than what I purchased, when I needed more power for Video editing and Sound Production. I upgraded to a used 2011 Macbook Pro and threw extra RAM and SSD in there.