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MacBook Air 11 for Lightroom
- Thread starter Reezo
- Start date
It'll run, but unless you're connecting to a decent external monitor, colour reproduction is well below average on the Air's TN panel. It's waaay out of date. Rather look at maybe getting a used 2015 Retina display Pro or even a Mid 2012 MD101 which you can upgrade.
koffiejunkie
Executive Member
Don't listen to the naysayers. I have a 2014 MacBook Air 11" - it handles Lightroom just fine.
I'm assuming you're buying 2nd hand, since the 11" is not available anymore. Some notes:
1. I took all the upgrades, so mine is a 1.7Ghz i7, 16GB RAM. This helps.
2. The screen is not great and too low resolution - you're going to want to use an external display.
3. It's no MacBook Pro 15", but it's not a lot slower than a 13" (both are dual core).
4. The MacBook 12" has a better screen but is noticeably slower (I have a current one with all the upgrades)
I use mine connected to a doc, with the lid closed (on an Arc stand). I use it to keep my Aperture library alive, and it does this just fine. If I was a professional, I'd probably look into a 15" MBP with discrete graphics, since this is what makes most of the performance difference. But as it is, I'm a weekend warrior and I'm not under pressure to get my work out.
I'm assuming you're buying 2nd hand, since the 11" is not available anymore. Some notes:
1. I took all the upgrades, so mine is a 1.7Ghz i7, 16GB RAM. This helps.
2. The screen is not great and too low resolution - you're going to want to use an external display.
3. It's no MacBook Pro 15", but it's not a lot slower than a 13" (both are dual core).
4. The MacBook 12" has a better screen but is noticeably slower (I have a current one with all the upgrades)
I use mine connected to a doc, with the lid closed (on an Arc stand). I use it to keep my Aperture library alive, and it does this just fine. If I was a professional, I'd probably look into a 15" MBP with discrete graphics, since this is what makes most of the performance difference. But as it is, I'm a weekend warrior and I'm not under pressure to get my work out.
All well and good but as per his op he’s looking for a machine to use on the go so I suggest he pays attention to the naysayers.
newby_investor
Executive Member
IMO: I'm sort of jealous of my colleagues with Macbook Airs because they are small and light, but then they have to carry around a whole backpack with dongles to actually connect anything.
I'd buy a Dell XPS 13. It's about the same money, somewhat more capable, *slightly* more bulky but not much.
Edit: It's worth saying it works pretty well for Lightroom too, at least as well as, if not better than, the MB-A. Tested on a colleague's machine. If you get the 4k screen it's pretty slick though it is more expensive than the normal FHD.
I'd buy a Dell XPS 13. It's about the same money, somewhat more capable, *slightly* more bulky but not much.
Edit: It's worth saying it works pretty well for Lightroom too, at least as well as, if not better than, the MB-A. Tested on a colleague's machine. If you get the 4k screen it's pretty slick though it is more expensive than the normal FHD.
Was about to say, paying attention to the "naysayers" is just as important when making a purchase decision like this. Even used, they're not exactly cheap so it's worth researching properly and asking questions before making a decision.
I'm pretty sure you're confusing the MBA with their newer MB. The Air has dual USB ports as well as a Thunderbolt port. It also doesn't come in a 4K screen configuration.
newby_investor
Executive Member
You might be right. They all look the same to me. I was more thinking about ethernet dongles (none of the new Macs have ethernet ports, and I work in areas where radio-quiet is required), and VGA/HDMI dongles for presentations, not so much for USB. So whichever one it was, the Macs don't have those, but my Dell ultrabook has them...
That's fair enough - I have a enternet dongle for mine as well, it lives on the end of the ethernet cable I have to carry around so I don't really notice it.
