If it's your main computer I'd recommend the 13" Air. I'd also go for 8GB of RAM, you can't upgrade it yourself and it should keep your Air up to date for much longer.
Well the fact the Air can handle now a littlebit of gaming makes me happy. I have the 13inch 2012 version and I'm on the road 6 days a week for my job and education. I use this machine as my working device, and with this model I can play a game every now and then when I the time. Gaming isnt always hardcore gaming. For that you'll need a Windows desktop. For a road warrior like me, this is satisfying enough.
I don't disagree (I play 99% of my games on a Windows desktop) but the Air is capable of doing a bit of gaming. No reason not to show people what it's capable of.
I'm a webdeveloper who is 6 days a week on the road. I'm not gonna carry around a MSI GTX or something like that when there is a machine like this. Believe when you a lot like I do, you'll LOVE a light machine. In terms of performance I dont need superb gaming graphics, just a fast SSD and excellent batterylife. The Air both has that. Also the build quality is amazing, it can handle a few bumps. For me, since my livelyhood depends on it, the Air is an amazing machine and worth the money.
would you recommend going for the 13" mba (base spec) or the 13" mbp (base spec)? they cost the same, and the only differences I can see between them (apart from thickness) are that the mba has a 128gb ssd, whereas the mbp has a faster cpu, and you can upgrade the hard drive/ram, also the mbp has more ports.
I noticed that you use Google Chrome, although I've heard mix views about it, I know that it's superbly fast and super sleek, but I've heard that it eats up alot of your bandwidth and even while in 'incognito' mode, it still keeps a record of everything you do and keeps that info for two years, so, all in all, is it worth it?
Austin Evans I don't know what you're talking about with good SSD speeds. I'm running the same exact Air as yours and my games run really choppy, even with the settings turned down. Also, the fan is super loud and it even woke me up at one point. Macs have decent specs, but if you want a real computer, just get a Windows.
Maybe yours is faulty because my, and everyone i know, Air is fine. There run games perfectly well, unless you're trying to run windows games through boot camp then what can you expect from an 11 inch laptop, the fan keeps quiet all of the time and if you're doing something you can fall asleep to on your MBA, its not going to start the fan. Trust me. "If you want a real computer, just get a windows." No one who owns a mac has ever said that. No one.
You should really look into the huge shopping shelf of extremely powerful ultra books. While they sure as hell won't get 30 frames a second, you do exchange power over weight. I use a Samsung Series 7 laptop, it runs beautifully. Besides there are other more easily disputed brands out there other than Alienware.
Minecraft and Portal 2 are most likely the least needing games.. I could run these games on max with my old 4850 and now withmy 560 Ti. The old 4850 could not run battlefield 3 though, so maybe you should test some really resource craving game? Or do the macs not have graphical intense games..?
Im not debating about portability im debating pure size! This has to be one of the smallest laptops on the market and it can still game. I'm not arguing processors, I'm just saying a laptop which weighs less than two pounds and that is less than an inch thick in most places, that can game, is very impressive.
I got a 15» Mac pro (not retina). I play games like Amnesia, GTA San Andreas maxed out. No lag what so ever. Not a gamer on a computer, but t works great for my use!! :)
The fan didn't sound to loud but does it get hot where your hands sit when typing or on the sides? Thats a big concern for me since I have had a laptop nearly die from over heather (dust in the fan)
Hey Austin! I just got the exact same Air as you and already my SSD is not achieving 300MB/s on the write. Any ideas on why my SSD has slowed down so drastically, it used to achieve the speeds that yours is achieving in the video but now it doesn't and its only 2 or 3 days old! thanks :)
I have been to a couple of his livestreams and I have a greater view over his overall standpoint on apple. I have nothing against the guy and he is quite cool. I just simply cannot justify buying a mac under any circumstances.
i built my primary pc but just bought my macbook air today for school. I just ogt the basic one seeing that i own a primary pc and i love it memory is alittle low for my likeing but overall im happy with it.
I have looked at ultrabooks and performance wise they usually either don't top the MBA or are just a little better. And the ones that are better are more expensive so i really don't see the point.
Next time can you do more minecraft tests, because I play minecraft and looking for a macintosh that can run minecraft smoothly. Maybe I will be getting the retina display macbook pro
@glovor1 LOL, it's a technique lecturers use to keep the students listening. Changing tone makes the lecturer not boring. Also walking back and forth like Steve Jobs (R.I.P) did helps
question, I'm about to upgrade to the new pro, I will be running VM's while video editing, and I also plan on hardcore gaming with bootcamp. Will 8 gigs be enough for me? I'm not worried about the processor which can be clocked to 3.3 ghz, but especially with editing and VM's will 8 be cutting it to close?
OK so I got a Macbook air with my DJ package and I am a gamer.. Currently my mom has my other computer Asus and she works at intel. She told me that if I were to play a game on this air it would mess it up.. I just wanna know if it's true or if she is trying to stop me from downloading anything.
@MrPrezi2 I'm a big fan of Mac. When my sister gave me her 2012 MacBook air for booting and syncing with her iTunes account, I didn't want to give it back to her. LOL, it's such a fun computer and blazing smooth :)
yeah, reading into it more, I found that the air also has a higher resolution screen. I'll have until september to decide at least, as I'll be getting a laptop for my birthday :D
![กี่หมื่นฟ้า | Your Sky Series EP.1 [1/4]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/vLGjxFL6U_I/mqdefault.jpg)
If it's your main computer I'd recommend the 13" Air. I'd also go for 8GB of RAM, you can't upgrade it yourself and it should keep your Air up to date for much longer.
You can use Steam/other places to download gamesor use a USB DVD drive. I haven't bought a physical PC game disk in a couple years.
hi
The kit lens is a decent all around lens but I would go with the 50mm. Much nicer quality as far as depth of field as well as that wider aperture.
30-50fps usually. Crazy servers can be a fair bit below but usually it stays above 30fps.
Thank you, you are the first person to show portal 2 playing on the new macbook air.
Close down any apps that are running in the background and see if that helps.
There are some nice improvements (SSD is much faster, it runs a fair bit faster and quieter, USB 3.0) but for the most part they're very similar.
Sure but keep in mind this is an 11" laptop with integrated graphics. Games like Minecraft and Portal 2 are about as much as it can handle.
You can probably get by with 8GB but I'd recommend 16GB. You'll be able to use it and since you can't upgrade it might as well be prepared.
Well the fact the Air can handle now a littlebit of gaming makes me happy. I have the 13inch 2012 version and I'm on the road 6 days a week for my job and education. I use this machine as my working device, and with this model I can play a game every now and then when I the time. Gaming isnt always hardcore gaming. For that you'll need a Windows desktop. For a road warrior like me, this is satisfying enough.
I don't disagree (I play 99% of my games on a Windows desktop) but the Air is capable of doing a bit of gaming. No reason not to show people what it's capable of.
Definitely go with the Air. The CPU performance isn't worth the tradeoff IMO.
Quite a bit slower. I use the Air for video editing on the go but it's always simple, I wouldn't want to edit full-time on it.
Thanks for your great job Austin, my question is" does it perform well for some minor photo editing such as in lightroom ?
As a main computer I'd go with the 13".
Nice test & video. Finally unboxed my review unit on the channel too. Awesome 2012 update.
It is a macro lens but officially Nikon calls it a micro lens.
Looking to pick up an Air in the future as my laptop replacement.
Not really. My 4.2GHz Core i7-2600k desktop renders the same 1080p clip in about 1:45.
To get 8GB of RAM you have to custom order it from Apple. Took about a week to get to me.
Yep, there's not much difference between the MacBook Air and Windows Ultrabooks besides design and OS.
The Retina MacBook Pro should handle Minecraft absolutely no problem.
Yup.
Open Settings > General > About
Sweet video!
Does the air get as loud or hot as a pro?
Should i buy Macbook air if i'm going to use it at: Small Online Games ( 1 or 3GB size ), Sony Vegas, and photoshop?
I'm a webdeveloper who is 6 days a week on the road. I'm not gonna carry around a MSI GTX or something like that when there is a machine like this. Believe when you a lot like I do, you'll LOVE a light machine. In terms of performance I dont need superb gaming graphics, just a fast SSD and excellent batterylife. The Air both has that. Also the build quality is amazing, it can handle a few bumps. For me, since my livelyhood depends on it, the Air is an amazing machine and worth the money.
can you do a gaming build with a monitor, mouse, and keyboard included?
would you recommend going for the 13" mba (base spec) or the 13" mbp (base spec)?
they cost the same, and the only differences I can see between them (apart from thickness) are that the mba has a 128gb ssd, whereas the mbp has a faster cpu, and you can upgrade the hard drive/ram, also the mbp has more ports.
The 11 inch Macbook Air with Haswells GT3e graphics is quite an exciting prospect imo. Should be a huge boost.
I noticed that you use Google Chrome, although I've heard mix views about it, I know that it's superbly fast and super sleek, but I've heard that it eats up alot of your bandwidth and even while in 'incognito' mode, it still keeps a record of everything you do and keeps that info for two years, so, all in all, is it worth it?
Yay for actually waiting to watch the entire video then commenting :D
Keep up the good work Austin.
Compare the size of that and the size of the macbook air... mm?
Austin Evans I don't know what you're talking about with good SSD speeds. I'm running the same exact Air as yours and my games run really choppy, even with the settings turned down. Also, the fan is super loud and it even woke me up at one point. Macs have decent specs, but if you want a real computer, just get a Windows.
Maybe yours is faulty because my, and everyone i know, Air is fine.
There run games perfectly well, unless you're trying to run windows games through boot camp then what can you expect from an 11 inch laptop, the fan keeps quiet all of the time and if you're doing something you can fall asleep to on your MBA, its not going to start the fan. Trust me.
"If you want a real computer, just get a windows." No one who owns a mac has ever said that. No one.
TheOrangeType I know mine is a piece of crap. And I just said that so there.
***** Ha, no. I'd rather clean the piece of crap out myself. At least I know it's getting done with no possible setbacks.
***** There is a problem with your Mac, my Macbook Air 2012 handles games just fine
***** Clearly. I don't care though, I still prefer Windows over Mac.
The way he ends his sentences. EPIC!
So, would you recommend the macbook air for some everydayday computing with a bit of portability?
Would a 13" MacBook pro base model will be better for gaming?
Nicely done. Can you show how fast fcpx is. Thanks!
You should really look into the huge shopping shelf of extremely powerful ultra books. While they sure as hell won't get 30 frames a second, you do exchange power over weight. I use a Samsung Series 7 laptop, it runs beautifully. Besides there are other more easily disputed brands out there other than Alienware.
Will the mac Air support both iOs and Windows simultaneously ? If so can it play Battlefield and Gta IV smoothly .Thaks
hi. is it a big difference between the 2011 model and the 2012 model?
Austin, should I get the base-line MacBook Pro, or your MacBook air with 4gb of ram?
I think i gonna buy this little machine
It looks pretty nice
Minecraft and Portal 2 are most likely the least needing games.. I could run these games on max with my old 4850 and now withmy 560 Ti. The old 4850 could not run battlefield 3 though, so maybe you should test some really resource craving game? Or do the macs not have graphical intense games..?
iPod 3G question: Where can I see what iOS I'm using?
My SSD is slower on the write speed than yours for some reason. I have a 13" UK model. I can imagine that's part of the difference.
i want to get a laptop so i can play games and have something to keep me occupied while im out, what is a good laptop that i should get/
For video editing would the base model Macbook Air be able to handle it?
In every video description, you say you use a Nikon 40mm 2.8G "Micro" Lens. Isn't it a Macro Lens instead ?
can you do some screen flow of minecraft and switch through the render distances
What about the heating?
Definitely. If you have an Android device, it can sync up with the Google chrome app on your phone.
...This is a notebook though. It doesn't really matter what you think about macs, you have to admit, this is impressive for its size.
Im not debating about portability im debating pure size! This has to be one of the smallest laptops on the market and it can still game. I'm not arguing processors, I'm just saying a laptop which weighs less than two pounds and that is less than an inch thick in most places, that can game, is very impressive.
I got a 15» Mac pro (not retina). I play games like Amnesia, GTA San Andreas maxed out. No lag what so ever. Not a gamer on a computer, but t works great for my use!! :)
Pls make a video about overclocking processors... Core 2 Duo, i5, Pentiums and i7
How’s your 2020 going Austin
The fan didn't sound to loud but does it get hot where your hands sit when typing or on the sides? Thats a big concern for me since I have had a laptop nearly die from over heather (dust in the fan)
But it might be able to if you installed Windows via bootcamp. You can do this for free with Windows 8 too!
I will get a macbook air 11 inch with 4 gigs of ram, should ivget the 64 gigs ssd or the 124 gigs ssd
I love the way he talks
Hey Austin!
I just got the exact same Air as you and already my SSD is not achieving 300MB/s on the write. Any ideas on why my SSD has slowed down so drastically, it used to achieve the speeds that yours is achieving in the video but now it doesn't and its only 2 or 3 days old!
thanks :)
I have been to a couple of his livestreams and I have a greater view over his overall standpoint on apple. I have nothing against the guy and he is quite cool. I just simply cannot justify buying a mac under any circumstances.
i built my primary pc but just bought my macbook air today for school. I just ogt the basic one seeing that i own a primary pc and i love it memory is alittle low for my likeing but overall im happy with it.
Hey Austin, have you tried SC2 on it yet?
I have looked at ultrabooks and performance wise they usually either don't top the MBA or are just a little better. And the ones that are better are more expensive so i really don't see the point.
Great reviews as usual
wine or bootcamp maybe?
Can games be played jus as well on the $999 version?
how do you play minecraft if there is no right click?
whats that application in his dock that looks like a headphone
Wait...do people game more often on the smaller more powerful computers. Orrr......
Can I still update my iPod 3G on iOS 4.2.1 to iOS 4.3 or higher?
How can u effort all this ??
I love the 11.6in Macbook air great laptop
Next time can you do more minecraft tests, because I play minecraft and looking for a macintosh that can run minecraft smoothly. Maybe I will be getting the retina display macbook pro
Just how can the Air game with no CD drive? Where do you put in the game disc?
@glovor1 LOL, it's a technique lecturers use to keep the students listening. Changing tone makes the lecturer not boring. Also walking back and forth like Steve Jobs (R.I.P) did helps
question, I'm about to upgrade to the new pro, I will be running VM's while video editing, and I also plan on hardcore gaming with bootcamp. Will 8 gigs be enough for me? I'm not worried about the processor which can be clocked to 3.3 ghz, but especially with editing and VM's will 8 be cutting it to close?
Awesome I think I'm going to buy one. Thanks!!
This is just a video review showing some benchmark and gaming tests. Why are you getting so worked upped for?
Will it run Battlefield 3 smoothly?
OK so I got a Macbook air with my DJ package and I am a gamer.. Currently my mom has my other computer Asus and she works at intel. She told me that if I were to play a game on this air it would mess it up.. I just wanna know if it's true or if she is trying to stop me from downloading anything.
Can I play battlefield 3 on max settings on this mac....
Yeah, I don't expect it to run Battlefield 3 or any similar, but could you try Team Fortress 2 and such games? :)
@MrPrezi2 I'm a big fan of Mac. When my sister gave me her 2012 MacBook air for booting and syncing with her iTunes account, I didn't want to give it back to her. LOL, it's such a fun computer and blazing smooth :)
yeah, reading into it more, I found that the air also has a higher resolution screen. I'll have until september to decide at least, as I'll be getting a laptop for my birthday :D
I was the one shutting up lol.
im thinking of geting a macbook for video edeting would this be good or the 13 inch air or the 13 inch pro
Do you know if I can still update my iPod Touch 3G (iOS: 4.2.1) to iOS 4.3?
1:46 "Also shut up for a minute so you can hear the fan noise" ur hilarious bro.
Can you plase do more macbook air 11" videos
please help, will this mac run the sims 4!?!?!?
+bubbleteamarzipan Yeah it should run fine the Sims 4 isn't very intensive.
Could I play GW2 on high performance with this?
bootcamp?
is it good for playing the online game WOW? (world of warcraft)
Decided to run the same NovaBench score on my Asus G75 and got 1,280 o_O. Pretty beastly for a laptop eh.
OMG YOURE FINALLY PLAYIBG PORTAL 2!!!!!
when ever i play minecraft my fan goes crazy. i have core i7 13" 8gb of ram. please help?