Macbook Pro 2012 MD101 vs Macbook Air 2017 MQD32

[Aaron McCotton]

Hello people of the internet!

 

I have a Macbook Pro MD101 (mid 2012, non retina) with 3rd gen i5 processor, 8GB of ram and 120GB SSD. This device has been with me for years. Recently I considered to upgrade to something lighter and more powerful. but currently I don't have any budget for Macbook Pro 2014 and younger. I was thinking about Macbook Air 2017 MQD32 with 5th gen i5 processor, 8GB of ram and 128GB SSD. I use XCode a lot in my Macbook since I developed iOS apps, and also sometimes do graphic design. 

 

So, do you think I should upgrade to the Macbook Air 2017 or just simply upgrade my current Macbook Pro 2012 to let's say a 16GB of ram and a bigger SSD? 
Thanks in advance, everyone. Hope you have a good one!

[Darkseth]

Keep in Mind, the Macbook Air 2017 only has a non-retina TN-Display with TN-typical horrible viewing angles, and just a 1440x900 resolution.

Not the first choice, if you do any graphical stuff, where you need/want somewhat of a "Color accuracy".

 

If possible, i would go for the Air 2018 way more than 2017.

Or one of the latest Macbook Pro 13" retinas? WAY better specs, and not more weight.

 

Macbook Pro 13" weights 1.37 kg.

Macbook Air 2017 weights 1.35 kg. You will never notice that. But the difference in Displayquality could not be any bigger. And performance too.

[wgaca]

All MacBooks after 2016 excluding the Air 2017 are with terrible keyboards that WILL fail. If you are unlucky enough for it to fail after apple's keyboard service program ends you will pay for the replacement.

https://www.apple.com/uk/support/keyboard-service-program-for-mac-notebooks/

Also, the 2018 Air is with soldered on SSD. No upgrade, no data if something happens. This model is more like an iPad with an embedded keyboard than a laptop.

 

The 2017 Air is exactly the same laptop as 2015 but with upgraded CPU. The 2015 air is exactly the same laptop as 2013 air but with upgraded RAM and CPU.

 

In terms of the performance difference, the MacBook Air SSD is faster but you will hardly notice the difference in normal workload.

The 2012 i5 is 3210M and the 2017 Air comes with i5-5350U assuming you will get the cheaper one and not the i7. 

According to PassMark the 5350 scores lower than the 3210.

 

The only upgrade you will get is the battery life on the Air is insane due to the low powered SSD/CPU and RAM. 

If that's your thing go for it, otherwise it's pointless.

[Aaron McCotton]

20 hours ago, VegetableStu said:

at this point, any upgrades to the 2012 MBP would be just to make it last a little longer. if you need the muscle, you need a machine with a more recent CPU/GPU ._.

All right then. thank you!

[Aaron McCotton]

15 hours ago, Darkseth said:

Keep in Mind, the Macbook Air 2017 only has a non-retina TN-Display with TN-typical horrible viewing angles, and just a 1440x900 resolution.

Not the first choice, if you do any graphical stuff, where you need/want somewhat of a "Color accuracy".

 

If possible, i would go for the Air 2018 way more than 2017.

Or one of the latest Macbook Pro 13" retinas? WAY better specs, and not more weight.

 

Macbook Pro 13" weights 1.37 kg.

Macbook Air 2017 weights 1.35 kg. You will never notice that. But the difference in Displayquality could not be any bigger. And performance too.

I didn't know that Macbook Pro 2017 has a horrible viewing angles hahaha I wouldn't mind with the non retina screen though. But thanks anyway for the suggestion. Cheers!

[Aaron McCotton]

15 hours ago, wgaca said:

All MacBooks after 2016 excluding the Air 2017 are with terrible keyboards that WILL fail. If you are unlucky enough for it to fail after apple's keyboard service program ends you will pay for the replacement.

https://www.apple.com/uk/support/keyboard-service-program-for-mac-notebooks/

Also, the 2018 Air is with soldered on SSD. No upgrade, no data if something happens. This model is more like an iPad with an embedded keyboard than a laptop.

 

The 2017 Air is exactly the same laptop as 2015 but with upgraded CPU. The 2015 air is exactly the same laptop as 2013 air but with upgraded RAM and CPU.

 

In terms of the performance difference, the MacBook Air SSD is faster but you will hardly notice the difference in normal workload.

The 2012 i5 is 3210M and the 2017 Air comes with i5-5350U assuming you will get the cheaper one and not the i7. 

According to PassMark the 5350 scores lower than the 3210.

 

The only upgrade you will get is the battery life on the Air is insane due to the low powered SSD/CPU and RAM. 

If that's your thing go for it, otherwise it's pointless.

Well, that made sense. So even if I change to Macbook Air 2017 the differences in speed and multi-tasking capabilities wouldn't be significant. Thank you for the answer. Cheers, mate!

[zigandzag]

from the statement "The 2012 i5 is 3210M and the 2017 Air comes with i5-5350U", take that to cpuboss.com >> http://cpuboss.com/cpus/Intel-Core-i5-5350U-vs-Intel-Core-i5-3210M and in general the newer 2017 Macbook Air should be almost twice the machine as the older 2012 Macbook Pro.  The hard drive is the newer m.2 or nvme style allowing faster access and the iris video should be a boon to the overall performance. 

>>>this is my assessment, I would like to see somebody put them side by side  to prove it. <<<<

As an Apple repair guy, I don't like recommending any of the new machines due to the non-repair-ability of them.  To elaborate on that, if your screen is cracked, you can buy a replacement screen from ebay but, you cannot attach it without a trip to the Apple store.

[Lord Vile]

On 6/17/2019 at 11:23 AM, Aaron McCotton said:

Hello people of the internet!

 

I have a Macbook Pro MD101 (mid 2012, non retina) with 3rd gen i5 processor, 8GB of ram and 120GB SSD. This device has been with me for years. Recently I considered to upgrade to something lighter and more powerful. but currently I don't have any budget for Macbook Pro 2014 and younger. I was thinking about Macbook Air 2017 MQD32 with 5th gen i5 processor, 8GB of ram and 128GB SSD. I use XCode a lot in my Macbook since I developed iOS apps, and also sometimes do graphic design. 

 

So, do you think I should upgrade to the Macbook Air 2017 or just simply upgrade my current Macbook Pro 2012 to let's say a 16GB of ram and a bigger SSD? 
Thanks in advance, everyone. Hope you have a good one!

I would save up a bit more and get a used 2015 pro 15" tbh