Macbook Air 4Gb Ram

[cms22]

Hello. I am using an 11 inch PC laptop using Windows 7 with 2GB Ram. It is starting to get very slow in my work (using chrome, MS Outlook, Word, Excel and PowerPoint and occasional editing of images. I don't play games or edit videos or graphics).

I was thinking about upgrading to the 11inch Macbook Air. My question is though whether 4GB of Ram in the Air is enough or would it be worth upgrading further to 8GB Ram? Does the OS in Mac eat up ram necessitating further memory?

Any advice would be great.

Thanks

C

Edited June 11, 2013 by cms22

[lujanit]

Well to start off new MBA's were announced today. When they will be available here is anyone's guess. I had 4 gig RAM in my MBP and upgraded to 8 gig. Truth is I didn't notice any difference but then I don't play games etc. I guess it would depend a lot on whether you are running Windows via bootcamp or through VMWare etc. 2 gig RAM is not enough to smoothly run Windows unless you are using XP or older and even XP can be problematic if you are using an emulator.

If your machine is getting slow try running Disc Utility/Repair Disc Permissions. A very good alternative is get Onyx, free, just make sure you get the one for the version of the OS you are running. Use the Automation tool. Easypeasy.

Edit: I just reread your post and see you are not currently using a mac. Why would you want to get a mac to run windows? Plenty of cheap PC's out there. I was looking at a Dell the other day. 15" screen, Windows 7 or 8, 8 gig RAM, 750 gig HD at about 25k. Samsung offer something that looks like a MBA at about half the price of a MBA. Then again you get what you pay for.

Edited June 11, 2013 by lujanit

[cms22]

No. I'm not looking to run Windows on Mac. (Did I say that in the original post?)

All I'm after is some advice as to whether a Macbook Air (2012 or 2013 version) running at 4GB RAM would provide a significant boost in power over my slow 2GB Windows laptop PC? Or would it be necesssary to further upgrade to 8GB RAM for the tasks I undertake on the computer (using chrome, MS Outlook, Word, Excel and PowerPoint and occasional editing of images)

Any advice on the RAM issue would be great.

[negreanu]

The new Haswell Macbook Air's have PCIe2 SSD drives with 700MB/s read and 700MB/s write speeds (Double SATA speeds) so even if your machine uses the swap file it would be super fast anyway and near unnoticeable.

Could just buy it and try. They are cheap enough if not enough just resell it or buy here:

http://classifieds.thaivisa.com/electronics/computers-for-sale/macbook-air-2013-11-haswell-released-2-days-ago-227874.html

Edited June 13, 2013 by negreanu

[TobiasML]

You can use the MBAir with 4gb ram without any issues. Especially if you only use the specified programs. I am using a MBAir since last year and it never fails me with speed issues.

[2008bangkok]

If u want to future proof it as much as possible then get the most RAM u can afford, u may not need it now but Mac's can last a good few years and u will need it them that's for sure.

[donm]

I am using (I bought recently in Thailand) the MAcbook Air (mid 2012 model) (a newer model; looks the same, but with longer battery life has just been released).

I am very happy; I previously used notebooks with Windows 7.

The transition to Mac OS is a total breeze; in my view easier than Windows. I was going to get a Windows 8 notebook, but decided against. I find the trackpad on the Mac is something else; it works so well. September will see the release of a new OS (upgrade); Mavericks. This OS, amongst other improvements will increase battery life on a Mac.

The 4GB RAM is fine for me; I work with large multiple sheets. You can download OpenOffice free, which is compatible with MS Office and save as Office files.

I'm not trying to sell Macs; just check one out at a shop and play around to see if you like.

[sniffdog]

As OSX has a feature called 'Inactive Memory' it's always recommended to get as much RAM as you can afford.

You might be satisfied with 4gb (I had only 900 MB free on my 2012 Mini with 4gb) it will run much faster if you have more 'inactive memory' available.