Macbook Air 13" - 2011 vs 2012 Battery and Speaker difference?

li21 · 22nd July 2012, 2:34 AM

Hi all

tossing up between a 2nd hand 2011 air or a new 2012.
Price difference I think will be able $500-$600 so its significant...

Just wondering is there any REAL difference between Battery performance and the internal speakers between the 2 years?

i.e any improvements?

damo13579 · 22nd July 2012, 3:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by li21

Hi all

tossing up between a 2nd hand 2011 air or a new 2012.
Price difference I think will be able $500-$600 so its significant...

Just wondering is there any REAL difference between Battery performance and the internal speakers between the 2 years?

i.e any improvements?

battery and speakers would be pretty much the same i imagine.

2012 model has an ivy bridge CPU, 2011 model has a sandy bridge CPU. not something ive looked into much but ive heard the ivy bridge CPU's are more efficient and dont use as much power.

also the 2012 model has USB 3, 2011 has USB2.

ronald_r32 · 22nd July 2012, 9:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by li21

Hi all

tossing up between a 2nd hand 2011 air or a new 2012.
Price difference I think will be able $500-$600 so its significant...

Just wondering is there any REAL difference between Battery performance and the internal speakers between the 2 years?

i.e any improvements?

might not be any huge differences, but you are buying one new and one second hand. So the new one would have no cycles on the battery and full warrenty.

damo13579 · 22nd July 2012, 2:05 PM

ronald_r32 makes a good point, a second hand one could have a battery that is halfway through its lifecycle already so brand new is probably going to be a better option.

if you are looking to save some $$$ and dont mind going an older model i would look at a refurb.
refurbished 2011 model 13 inch mba is $1059
http://store.apple.com/au/product/FC965X/A

mmc · 22nd July 2012, 2:13 PM

One advantage is you can order 2012 with 8GB ram. 2011 have only 4GB and neither are user upgradeable (soldered in).

I've got a 2011 13" Air. For what I do - web surfing, office apps, the difference to 2012 isn't worth it I don't think. But if you're a heavier user of CPU then the more efficient IVYs will be worth it.

Either way they're lovely laptops. Very happy with mine.

Ethan W · 22nd July 2012, 2:37 PM

Does the graphics performance matter? Because the Ivy Bridge Models are far more powerful in that regard.

On the other hand, if you can get more storage for similar money with the old one and that's more important to you, then that's something to consider, as well.

Cpt.J.Sparrow · 22nd July 2012, 6:29 PM

HD4000 is markedly faster than HD3000 in 3D.

I can play decent games on my '12 MBA.

li21 · 22nd July 2012, 6:41 PM

thanks!

I didnt know about the refurb units..
If there isnt too much diff between battery and speaker/sound .. then I might get one of those..

I don't think I'd play games on it though so lesser GPU is fine.

22nd July 2012, 2:34 AM	#1
li21 Member Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Sydney Posts: 2,392	Macbook Air 13" - 2011 vs 2012 Battery and Speaker difference? Hi all tossing up between a 2nd hand 2011 air or a new 2012. Price difference I think will be able $500-$600 so its significant... Just wondering is there any REAL difference between Battery performance and the internal speakers between the 2 years? i.e any improvements? __________________ Successful Trades: WAY too many to list. Please help save abandoned animals. Adopt a Pet today for life! http://www.saynotoanimalsinpetshops.com http://www.catrescue.com.au/

22nd July 2012, 2:05 PM	#4
damo13579 Member Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Ulverstone, Tasmania Posts: 563	ronald_r32 makes a good point, a second hand one could have a battery that is halfway through its lifecycle already so brand new is probably going to be a better option. if you are looking to save some $$$ and dont mind going an older model i would look at a refurb. refurbished 2011 model 13 inch mba is $1059 http://store.apple.com/au/product/FC965X/A __________________ Sharktoon T9 (green), Asrock 970 Extreme3, AMD 1090T, Corsair H70, Antec Quattro 850W PSU, 2x4Gb Corsair ddr3 1600, XFX GTX295 1792MB , Seagate Barracuda 1TB, Win7 Home Premium 64bit, Aoc 2236Vwh, Logitech X-140, Microsoft Sidewinder X4 + X5. When you are up to your nose in crap, it pays to keep your mouth shut

22nd July 2012, 2:37 PM	#6
Ethan W Member Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: Glenhaven NSW, 2156 Posts: 1,469	Does the graphics performance matter? Because the Ivy Bridge Models are far more powerful in that regard. On the other hand, if you can get more storage for similar money with the old one and that's more important to you, then that's something to consider, as well. __________________ Obsidian: Phenom II X4 965 \| 8GB DDR3 \| AMD 6970 1GB \| 115GB SSD & 2TB RAID0 HDDs \| Win7 Pro \| Razer BlackWidow, DeathAdder \| AudioTechnica AD700 Macbook Pro 13" 2010 \| C2D 2.4GHz \| 8 GB \| 120GB SSD, 640GB HDD \| OSX 10.8 --- iPhone 4 \| 16GB \| AldiMobile --- iPad 3 \| 32GB Wifi Steam: [OCAU] Ethan

22nd July 2012, 6:29 PM	#7
Cpt.J.Sparrow Member Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: Glen Waverley, VIC Posts: 445	HD4000 is markedly faster than HD3000 in 3D. I can play decent games on my '12 MBA. __________________ Gadgets Galaxy Player 5.8 \| Nexus 4 \| iPad 4 \| PowerShot SX1 IS Game Console Xbox 360 Gaming PC (Sold; waiting for Haswell) \| 30" WQXGA IPS Home PC i3 2105 (HD3000) \| P8H67-I Deluxe \| 1333MHz 4GB \| M4 64GB \| Green 500GB \| DVD-Multi \| X-400 Fanless \| PC-Q11 \| Winows 7 HP 32-bit \| 27" Full HD TN LED NAS TurboNAS TS-119P+

22nd July 2012, 6:41 PM	#8
li21 Member Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Sydney Posts: 2,392	thanks! I didnt know about the refurb units.. If there isnt too much diff between battery and speaker/sound .. then I might get one of those.. I don't think I'd play games on it though so lesser GPU is fine. __________________ Successful Trades: WAY too many to list. Please help save abandoned animals. Adopt a Pet today for life! http://www.saynotoanimalsinpetshops.com http://www.catrescue.com.au/

22nd July 2012, 2:13 PM	#5
mmc Member Join Date: Jun 2002 Posts: 24	One advantage is you can order 2012 with 8GB ram. 2011 have only 4GB and neither are user upgradeable (soldered in). I've got a 2011 13" Air. For what I do - web surfing, office apps, the difference to 2012 isn't worth it I don't think. But if you're a heavier user of CPU then the more efficient IVYs will be worth it. Either way they're lovely laptops. Very happy with mine.