Macbook air or macbook pro?

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serenity8

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I will be getting a new laptop for medical school and I was wondering whether I should get a macbook air or macbook pro? Do med schools ever require the use of an portable dvd drive or ethernet ports which are missing from the macbook air and are there ever any programs that med schools use that are processor intensive?
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have to admit that the Macbook Airs are attractive to me as well. I've got a 4 yr old MBP that I will probably be replacing before I start med school (hopefully next fall). Really the only reason I'd stick with the MBP is for the processor. I mean, the Airs use Core 2 Duo which is what I have currently. I would be interested to find out if I could notice the difference between the i7 and the Core 2 Duo when it comes to the things I typically use a computer for (web browsing & office use)
 
serenity8 said:
I will be getting a new laptop for medical school and I was wondering whether I should get a macbook air or macbook pro? Do med schools ever require the use of an portable dvd drive or ethernet ports which are missing from the macbook air and are there ever any programs that med schools use that are processor intensive?
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macbook pro, if you are going to spend $$$ for a mac it might as well have all the features you could need
 
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serenity8 said:
I will be getting a new laptop for medical school and I was wondering whether I should get a macbook air or macbook pro? Do med schools ever require the use of an portable dvd drive or ethernet ports which are missing from the macbook air and are there ever any programs that med schools use that are processor intensive?
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Your school might have recommended computer minimum standards posted somewhere. I have needed a DVD drive at times, but for most things you could just jump on a school computer and throw the media on a flash drive. If the school has wireless, I don't see why you would need an ethernet port (aside from the slowness of wireless). Keep in mind I know nothing of Macs.
 
TooMuchResearch said:
Your school might have recommended computer minimum standards posted somewhere. I have needed a DVD drive at times, but for most things you could just jump on a school computer and throw the media on a flash drive. If the school has wireless, I don't see why you would need an ethernet port (aside from the slowness of wireless). Keep in mind I know nothing of Macs.
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if you should ever need a dvd drive, you should hook up your laptop to your network, and share your desktop's dvd drive.
 
You should get a macbook air for the portability. They're supposedly putting in quad cores on them soon.
 
Rumor is new MBA are coming out this Wednesday so wait and see!
 
tman5890 said:
You should get a macbook air for the portability. They're supposedly putting in quad cores on them soon.
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new 13 inch mbps dont even have quad core processors. I doubt theyll put one in a macbook air. More likely a dual core i5 or something like that.
 
OP, why a Pro or Air. Why not just a plain old MacBook?
 
I'd get a MacBook Air with a superdrive just in case. :)
 
Honestly, the MacBook Pro isn't that heavy and is significantly less expensive than the MacBook Air (for a comparably powerful computer). I'd go with the Pro unless you have a really compelling reason to be carrying around something light.
 
I personally love MBA because it's so portable and light...but maybe that's just me.
 
How many usb ports to you need or use on a daily basis, on laptop I usually have two plugged in, and a third isn't all that uncommon. Plus, at most major school Ethernet should be faster than wireless, and if you work in a library a lot or expect to be downloading a lot nothing beats are hardwired ethernet cable. Plus, IIRC memory is a bit smaller on the air than it is on the Pro, although a bit faster due to it being a SSD, but the processor is weaker.

If you are used to laptop PCs think about it this way, regular laptop or netbook...(yeah i know its not the perfect anaolgy buts it darn close.)
 
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MBP all the way. The air is a laptop lite. You'll get more bang for your buck and more longevity out of a MBP.
 
I personally use both a Mac and a PC (but I prefer PC). I also like the MacBook Pro more than the MacBook Air. The i5/i7 Intel processors for Pro are incredibly fast and you also get a larger hard drive and more RAM with the Pro.

Pro: Better battery life, better CPU performance (how fast it is), best value for the money.

Air: Better graphics performance and boot-up time.
 
I had this same decision four days ago, and ended up buying the macbook air. I am in love with it, and as long as you don't game/do graphics it is the superior choice, especially for a med student that is alternating between the library/school/home.
 
Depends how clumsy you are. I know I would break a Macbook Air in four seconds of having it in my possession. I currently own a macbook pro which is pretty durable so far (I've had it for a year and 10 months) the unibody frame really helps. I have had no issues with it except for a 30$ fix once and sometimes my charger needs to be messed with to start fully charging. My next computer is going to be a toughbook.
 
Eh I'm not really a fan of netbooks. I'd take a 11-13" laptop anyday. If I wanted something that light (in weight and features) I'd rather have a tablet.
 
They're supposedly putting in quad cores on them soon.
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May I ask why not a PC? Not a Apple/Mac hater but just curious.
 
Get a pro, they are not really that heavy, actually rather slim and compact in design.
 
Go with a 13 inch Pro. Very powerful, and quite portable. Don't go for anything larger than that, because they do get bulky.

For the money, might as well get a powerful machine that is a little heavier and wider, but still slim.
 
Note the Pro will have better reliability all that considered.

I would recommend the 13" MBP
 
How is the monitor hinges on the air, with continuous use? I have seen them in stores, but the considering the size it seems like you would have to open the laptop with both hands as the base of the laptop is so light...
 
Pro is faster, comparably priced, and not that much bulkier. I went into the Apple Store intending to buy an Air, and went with the Pro at the last minute. Best decision ever.
 
I have a macbook air, coming from a 13 inch MBP. I enjoy the macbook air's performance much more than my previous macbook. The thinness isn't even all that special anymore.
 
Consider going the PC route, and getting a netbook. Although it won't be as slick as the Macbook Air, it will be about 5 times cheaper (good netbooks can be bought around the $300 mark).
 
New Macbook Airs aren't coming this week. The rumor ended up being for the unlocked iPhones instead.

If you are looking at a MBA, wait till July. Apple has an order in for 300,000 new MBA with i3, i5 and i7 ulv processors. The battery life should be just as long, if not longer than the MBP. You rarely will use a dvd drive or ethernet. If you do need either one, you can buy them from newegg or tigerdirect pretty cheap.

I'm was debating between the air and the pro and like the air better(unless the prices of the airs go way up when they get refreshed)
 
Whatever you choose, get the 3 year "Apple Care Protection Plan." I had a plain old white MB for almost 3 years, and last week it started to really mess up. Since it was my 2nd time needing a logic board repair, they just gave me a brand new MBP.

I love the 13 inch MBP, it is durable, light, and powerful. I doubt you will need a DVD/CD drive, but it can never hurt. I would get the MBP because it will probably last you all 4 years of medical school (assuming you take care of your stuff). The MBAs are pretty awesome though, I would however guess they are updating soon. So if you buy now you will probably have an outdated machine in less than a month or two.
 
Renaissance Man said:
Whatever you choose, get the 3 year "Apple Care Protection Plan." I had a plain old white MB for almost 3 years, and last week it started to really mess up. Since it was my 2nd time needing a logic board repair, they just gave me a brand new MBP.

I love the 13 inch MBP, it is durable, light, and powerful. I doubt you will need a DVD/CD drive, but it can never hurt. I would get the MBP because it will probably last you all 4 years of medical school (assuming you take care of your stuff). The MBAs are pretty awesome though, I would however guess they are updating soon. So if you buy now you will probably have an outdated machine in less than a month or two.
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:thumbup:
 
Mithril said:
I personally use both a Mac and a PC (but I prefer PC). I also like the MacBook Pro more than the MacBook Air. The i5/i7 Intel processors for Pro are incredibly fast and you also get a larger hard drive and more RAM with the Pro.

Pro: Better battery life, better CPU performance (how fast it is), best value for the money.

Air: Better graphics performance and boot-up time.
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Ive never tried the mba long enough to be able to compare graphics, but i highly doubt that is true....as far as the faster boot times on the mba, thats only because of the ssd.

i went with a 13 mbp, i7, 8gb ram, and an ssd. Both the extra ram and ssd i bought aftermarket and installed them myself (much cheaper). except for portability the mba is got nothing on this combo. on benchmarks it scores better than some medium range desktops.
 
addo said:
Ive never tried the mba long enough to be able to compare graphics, but i highly doubt that is true....as far as the faster boot times on the mba, thats only because of the ssd.

i went with a 13 mbp, i7, 8gb ram, and an ssd. Both the extra ram and ssd i bought aftermarket and installed them myself (much cheaper). except for portability the mba is got nothing on this combo. on benchmarks it scores better than some medium range desktops.
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Damn. How much cash did that cost?
 
addo said:
Ive never tried the mba long enough to be able to compare graphics, but i highly doubt that is true....as far as the faster boot times on the mba, thats only because of the ssd.

i went with a 13 mbp, i7, 8gb ram, and an ssd. Both the extra ram and ssd i bought aftermarket and installed them myself (much cheaper). except for portability the mba is got nothing on this combo. on benchmarks it scores better than some medium range desktops.
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Holy crap, what are you using the MBP for???
 
Sounds like he went low end stock parts from apple for memory and HDD and then upgraded. Its ~$275 to upgrade to a good 160 GB SSD or ~$550 for a 250GB and ~$80 for the 8GB of memory.
 
WeAreNotRobots said:
Pro with SSD.
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This would actually give you the best performance. Though the air's ssd is faster than most ssd's you can get on the market. Honestly, how much power do you really need for med school anyway?
 
xanthomondo said:
Damn. How much cash did that cost?
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1450+250 (120 gb sata III ssd)+85(ram)

i could have gotten a bigger sata ii ssd for the price but decided for the smaller but faster sata iii. i can open every single program on the comp in about 4 secs :laugh:, boots in about 12 secs.

in all honesty its an overkill for anything med school related and i knew that from the beginning.

if the 13 mbp had discrete graphics it would be a killer machine. thats the only thing missing
 
addo said:
1450+250 (120 gb sata III ssd)+85(ram)

i could have gotten a bigger sata ii ssd for the price but decided for the smaller but faster sata iii. i can open every single program on the comp in about 4 secs :laugh:, boots in about 12 secs.

in all honesty its an overkill for anything med school related and i knew that from the beginning.

if the 13 mbp had discrete graphics it would be a killer machine. thats the only thing missing
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Is the SSD worth the extra money, or would you opt for a slightly faster processor? I am hoping that by the time I go to buy a new mac that SSD prices will be a little more reasonable.
 
addo said:
1450+250 (120 gb sata III ssd)+85(ram)

i could have gotten a bigger sata ii ssd for the price but decided for the smaller but faster sata iii. i can open every single program on the comp in about 4 secs :laugh:, boots in about 12 secs.

in all honesty its an overkill for anything med school related and i knew that from the beginning.

if the 13 mbp had discrete graphics it would be a killer machine. thats the only thing missing
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for 1700 bucks, it better!

IMO, the fact that you're paying such a premium for 120 gig HD, to me, is just not worth it. SSD's are still in their infancy and chances are you're going to needs more space down the road (unless you don't mind lugging around your external). I can wait an extra 4 seconds for my PC to load, personally.
 
addo said:
Ive never tried the mba long enough to be able to compare graphics, but i highly doubt that is true....as far as the faster boot times on the mba, thats only because of the ssd.
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The 15" Pro has AMD discrete graphics, which will beat out the other models, but most people buy a 13" Pro instead, which have the HD 3000 graphics card as opposed to the NVidia cards on the other 13" models. The Air can clock at a higher fps than other models.
 
fyi, my air boots up from complete shutdown in ~11 sec, and then from there boots programs in about .2-.5 sec with the 250 GB SSD.
 
Pro! my harddrive blew out at the 2 year mark on my air. I think they use a thinner, crappy hd. Thank god for apple care.
 
Guys i'm debating between the 13" MBP and the 15" MBP. any advice greatly appreciated! I love the size of the 13, but I like that the 15 also has an Anti-glare screen option! which might be good at school where you can't really control the lighting. thoughts?

Also, I think the 15 has a more powerful processor that's Quad core instead of Dual-core. lots better?

thanks guys!
 
rossbossss said:
Pro! my harddrive blew out at the 2 year mark on my air. I think they use a thinner, crappy hd. Thank god for apple care.
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The MacBook Air is using solid state memory now, which is theoretically significantly superior to an old disc drive.
 
Mithril said:
The 15" Pro has AMD discrete graphics, which will beat out the other models, but most people buy a 13" Pro instead, which have the HD 3000 graphics card as opposed to the NVidia cards on the other 13" models. The Air can clock at a higher fps than other models.
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no point in a discrete graphics card if you're not gaming since the HD3000 can run HD video streams with ease. If you want to game, get a desktop.

Before you buy a computer, ask yourself what you need it for? Do you need a quad core if you're watching movies and doing word processing? Don't waste your money on hardware you won't get any use out of!
 
If you want a very powerful computer might as well get a desktop at that point. With high end stuff like graphic cards your battery will be running out within an hour. I am pretty sure if you are going to pay upwards to 40k for tuition, said medical school will be able to provide you with all the computing power you will need.
 
serenity8 said:
I will be getting a new laptop for medical school and I was wondering whether I should get a macbook air or macbook pro? Do med schools ever require the use of an portable dvd drive or ethernet ports which are missing from the macbook air and are there ever any programs that med schools use that are processor intensive?
Click to expand...

Macbook pro. No doubt.
13" is fine. 15" is luxury... 17" is just excessive.

The 15" i7 is what I have. I am in love with it.
 
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