Difference between MacBook Air and MacBook Pro

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Frogger27

Frogger27

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sorry if this question is somewhat obvious, but I am a computer noob. I need a new computer and was offered a pretty sweet deal on a 2015 MacBook Air (~$400). Would this be sufficient for all my Med school needs or would it be worth it to buy a new MacBook Pro instead?
 
Air is fine. I'd get an external HD to store stuff on it when you're not using it though (like all the sketchy videos).
 
Womb Raider said:
Air is fine. I'd get an external HD to store stuff on it when you're not using it though (like all the sketchy videos).
Click to expand...

What is this 2003, who the heck still downloads "sketchy" videos? All about that online streaming now

But to @Frogger27, the Macbook Air is fine especially for $400. Just don't expect all the nice things the Pro has (like a gorgeous screen, better CPU, more RAM, faster storage, etc.). For a student, it's more than enough though
 
JP2740 said:
Sketchy videos?
Click to expand...
Yep, they're floating around out there and are passed down from class to class - just like every video from Kaplan, Pathoma, USMLERx, B&B, and DIT, and every textbook (in pdf form) imaginable. Plus it's just nice to have a backup for all of your notes/lectures/ppts/research/flashcards, etc... just in case your computer dies or gets stolen.

Am I supporting piracy? No. I just understand reality and realize that the overwhelming majority of med students aren't going to pay for these items.
(Edit: see below)
 
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JP2740 said:
Sketchy videos?
Click to expand...
It occurred to me that you don't know what sketchy is... It's a company that provides videos to help people memorize information in the form of memory palace. You can google them - sketchymedical. Sorry for confusion.
 
Just to be the devils advocate...

I bought the 2015 12" macbook (not pro or air, but similar to the air), and I regret it. Should've shelled out the extra 800 for a pro. The smaller laptops have really insufficient computing power for med school needs, IMO.

For example I can't run word, powerpoint, and a lecture viewer simultaneously without serious lag/crashing issues.

So if I want to both watch lectures and take notes simultaneously, I need to go to the library and watch the videos on a public computer while trying on my macbook. And god forbid I try to check my email with a textbook PDF open I risk crashing my whole computer lol.

I know people who get along fine with the air, but usually they're people who don't rely heavily on the computer for studying.
 
The Knife & Gun Club said:
Just to be the devils advocate...

I bought the 2015 12" macbook (not pro or air, but similar to the air), and I regret it. Should've shelled out the extra 800 for a pro. The smaller laptops have really insufficient computing power for med school needs, IMO.

For example I can't run word, powerpoint, and a lecture viewer simultaneously without serious lag/crashing issues.

So if I want to both watch lectures and take notes simultaneously, I need to go to the library and watch the videos on a public computer while trying on my macbook. And god forbid I try to check my email with a textbook PDF open I risk crashing my whole computer lol.

I know people who get along fine with the air, but usually they're people who don't rely heavily on the computer for studying.
Click to expand...

The 12" Macbook is not similar AT ALL to the Air other than their similar thinness. The one you have is a severely gimped laptop, with one port and incredibly under-powered components. The Air is comparable to the 2015 13" Macbook Pro in terms of hardware, except for the lower resolution screen. And $400 is a great deal for one to pass up
 
Few things
1. Bad screen
2. No warranty.


400 dollars is a good deal though. To be devil's advocate you can purchase a refurbished I-5 surface pro 4 for about 600ish dollars which is three generations ahead of the MacBook air. If you like Macs it's a decent deal knowing the next capable machine's price point is almost 800 dollars more. (MacBook pro )
 
The Knife & Gun Club said:
Just to be the devils advocate...

I bought the 2015 12" macbook (not pro or air, but similar to the air), and I regret it. Should've shelled out the extra 800 for a pro. The smaller laptops have really insufficient computing power for med school needs, IMO.

For example I can't run word, powerpoint, and a lecture viewer simultaneously without serious lag/crashing issues.

So if I want to both watch lectures and take notes simultaneously, I need to go to the library and watch the videos on a public computer while trying on my macbook. And god forbid I try to check my email with a textbook PDF open I risk crashing my whole computer lol.

I know people who get along fine with the air, but usually they're people who don't rely heavily on the computer for studying.
Click to expand...
You bought an underpowered pos and not powerful laptop. The air is actually more computing power compared to the MacBook.
 
Frogger27 said:
sorry if this question is somewhat obvious, but I am a computer noob. I need a new computer and was offered a pretty sweet deal on a 2015 MacBook Air (~$400). Would this be sufficient for all my Med school needs or would it be worth it to buy a new MacBook Pro instead?
Click to expand...
My institution provides all students with a MacBook air as a standard issue preloaded with essential software. Everyone I talk to about it is very happy with theirs.
 
Frogger27 said:
sorry if this question is somewhat obvious, but I am a computer noob. I need a new computer and was offered a pretty sweet deal on a 2015 MacBook Air (~$400). Would this be sufficient for all my Med school needs or would it be worth it to buy a new MacBook Pro instead?
Click to expand...
Get the macbook Air. That is what I used this past year. Lightweight and a hell of a price. Mine is 2014. You wont regret it.
 
After going retina, I can't see myself going back. Also, the current air is outdated.


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile
 
byaaaaaaah23 said:
Definitely get the Air. I lugged my MBP to class every day for 2 years, and every day I wished I had an Air.
Click to expand...

I believe the new MBP's are lighter than the air. But if you're talking about the last gen MBP, then yes it is heavier. But as I mentioned in an earlier post, the air is becoming outdated.


Edit: just looked it up, the air is actually lighter than the new MBP (2.96 vs 3.02 lbs.) but IMO, the difference is insignificant.


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile
 
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They're both a waste of money, close thread. Zoom Zoom Zoom.

(obviously if it's in good shape, snag it for 400...what kind of question is that?)
 
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byaaaaaaah23 said:
Definitely get the Air. I lugged my MBP to class every day for 2 years, and every day I wished I had an Air.
Click to expand...
Is that the 2015 one? I'm debating between that and the MB Air too. Is it actually annoying to carry around with you to class, library, and stuff?
 
americanm00se said:
Is that the 2015 one? I'm debating between that and the MB Air too. Is it actually annoying to carry around with you to class, library, and stuff?
Click to expand...
Lol the MBP is light man! I carried around some monstrous windows one and did fine. Didn't die, still here
 
dr.d00m said:
What is this 2003, who the heck still downloads "sketchy" videos? All about that online streaming now

But to @Frogger27, the Macbook Air is fine especially for $400. Just don't expect all the nice things the Pro has (like a gorgeous screen, better CPU, more RAM, faster storage, etc.). For a student, it's more than enough though
Click to expand...
Sketchy Micro/Path/Pharm. They're basically the best, great to have downloaded so you can watch them on the go or when you don't have internet for whatever reason.
 
Really depends on what you're going to use it for.

I dual boot on my MBP to do occasional gaming, so I'm glad that I have a MBP. I can play recent games at relatively high graphics settings without any problems. At home I also have three external monitors that I hook my MBP up to; this again either wouldn't be possible or would significant impair performance with an Air - assuming the Air even has the necessary ports to do this. This wouldn't be possible with an Air. If you use your computer primarily for stuff like checking e-mail, web browsing, and watching videos, then the extra hardware of the MBP isn't necessary.

I don't think the MBP is hugely heavy or a huge burden to carry around, so the "advantage" of a smaller and lighter form factor in the Air isn't a huge deal to me. I'm glad that I ended up going with a higher end MBP; it's approaching 4 years old now and can still handle just about anything I throw at it with ease. Unless something tragic happens, I bet I will be able to at least get through residency with this machine, and I bought it at the beginning of MS3.
 
NickNaylor said:
Really depends on what you're going to use it for.

I dual boot on my MBP to do occasional gaming, so I'm glad that I have a MBP. I can play recent games at relatively high graphics settings without any problems. At home I also have three external monitors that I hook my MBP up to; this again either wouldn't be possible or would significant impair performance with an Air - assuming the Air even has the necessary ports to do this. This wouldn't be possible with an Air. If you use your computer primarily for stuff like checking e-mail, web browsing, and watching videos, then the extra hardware of the MBP isn't necessary.

I don't think the MBP is hugely heavy or a huge burden to carry around, so the "advantage" of a smaller and lighter form factor in the Air isn't a huge deal to me. I'm glad that I ended up going with a higher end MBP; it's approaching 4 years old now and can still handle just about anything I throw at it with ease. Unless something tragic happens, I bet I will be able to at least get through residency with this machine, and I bought it at the beginning of MS3.
Click to expand...
What MBP do you own that lets you play "recent" games at "relatively" high graphic settings on 3 external monitors? Also, what recent games are even being ported to linux/mac os? My main PC rig with a dedicated gpu and one monitor barely lets me do what you're implying.
 
Giovanotto said:
What MBP do you own that lets you play "recent" games at "relatively" high graphic settings on 3 external monitors? Also, what recent games are even being ported to linux/mac os? My main PC rig with a dedicated gpu and one monitor barely lets me do what you're implying.
Click to expand...

It's a top-of-the-line configuration 2013 rMBP. This includes a dedicated GPU, 16 GB RAM, quad-core CPU, etc. I should clarify that my expectations for graphics settings are quite low, so "hardcore gamers" (not me) would probably find it unacceptable. I also dual-boot, i.e., I have Windows installed on a separate partition. I use Parallels to emulate Windows for older, not visually intensive games to play in macOS (games from the 90s), but for more intense games I use Windows. Anyway, I can play Overwatch, Skyrim, and CS:GO at medium settings reasonably well (by "reasonably well" I mean 30 FPS or above - fine enough for me). Using a Mac as a dedicated gaming machine is obviously stupid, but for occasional gaming it works fine. And really, I mostly play older games that don't have particularly demanding graphics or turn-based games - not FPS with any regularity - so my requirements aren't high.

Also, I don't play games on 3 monitors (4 total including the monitor on the laptop). Obviously a mobile GPU can't handle that kind of setup. I did actually try it once with Skyrim - basically ran it as a three-monitor extremely wide display - but I could only run it at like 3 FPS, lol. The multimonitor setup is only for my "workflow" a.k.a. being able to watch Twitch or YouTube videos while I finish charting at home.
 
Last edited:
Frogger27 said:
sorry if this question is somewhat obvious, but I am a computer noob. I need a new computer and was offered a pretty sweet deal on a 2015 MacBook Air (~$400). Would this be sufficient for all my Med school needs or would it be worth it to buy a new MacBook Pro instead?
Click to expand...

The Knife & Gun Club said:
Just to be the devils advocate...

I bought the 2015 12" macbook (not pro or air, but similar to the air), and I regret it. Should've shelled out the extra 800 for a pro. The smaller laptops have really insufficient computing power for med school needs, IMO.

For example I can't run word, powerpoint, and a lecture viewer simultaneously without serious lag/crashing issues.

So if I want to both watch lectures and take notes simultaneously, I need to go to the library and watch the videos on a public computer while trying on my macbook. And god forbid I try to check my email with a textbook PDF open I risk crashing my whole computer lol.

I know people who get along fine with the air, but usually they're people who don't rely heavily on the computer for studying.
Click to expand...

For this reason, my med school told us to only get a Pro and not the 12" TrashBook or the Air. I'd stick with getting one of the 2016 retina pros that came out right before the mac upgrades where everything was replaced with USB-C. You'll need a USB port for using your external hard drive and such. The pro has a separate graphics card on it so it can handle heavier programs and has larger RAM and etc. so you can keep things open and stream without lags.
 
Just bought the 2015 MBP with an upgraded 256 GB HD and 8GB RAM. It's a lot lighter than the older MBPs but with the Retina display, it is so nice to work on. For $400, that seems pretty hard to pass up but the 2015 MBP is WELL worth the money. Treat it well and it will last FOREVER, barring any freak HD issues.
 
The Knife & Gun Club said:
Just to be the devils advocate...

I bought the 2015 12" macbook (not pro or air, but similar to the air), and I regret it. Should've shelled out the extra 800 for a pro. The smaller laptops have really insufficient computing power for med school needs, IMO.

For example I can't run word, powerpoint, and a lecture viewer simultaneously without serious lag/crashing issues.

So if I want to both watch lectures and take notes simultaneously, I need to go to the library and watch the videos on a public computer while trying on my macbook. And god forbid I try to check my email with a textbook PDF open I risk crashing my whole computer lol.

I know people who get along fine with the air, but usually they're people who don't rely heavily on the computer for studying.
Click to expand...
I bought Air, too, but this Apple's anti-piracy policy is killing me 🙂 I am seriously thinking over buying another laptop, tend to Sony Vaiao. As for the Powerpoint, special templates ( https://www.templatemonster.com/powerpoint-templates.php ) are saving me cos I have to make business presentations almost every week.
 
NickNaylor said:
Really depends on what you're going to use it for.

I dual boot on my MBP to do occasional gaming, so I'm glad that I have a MBP. I can play recent games at relatively high graphics settings without any problems. At home I also have three external monitors that I hook my MBP up to; this again either wouldn't be possible or would significant impair performance with an Air - assuming the Air even has the necessary ports to do this. This wouldn't be possible with an Air. If you use your computer primarily for stuff like checking e-mail, web browsing, and watching videos, then the extra hardware of the MBP isn't necessary.

I don't think the MBP is hugely heavy or a huge burden to carry around, so the "advantage" of a smaller and lighter form factor in the Air isn't a huge deal to me. I'm glad that I ended up going with a higher end MBP; it's approaching 4 years old now and can still handle just about anything I throw at it with ease. Unless something tragic happens, I bet I will be able to at least get through residency with this machine, and I bought it at the beginning of MS3.
Click to expand...

My MBP turns 7 this year. I messed around with the new models at an Apple store last week. No noticeable difference in performance.
 
is this good enough?
or should i get a pro?
 

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