We knew this thing wasn't going to be a speed demon and the numbers are proving it. Gizmodo ran a series of test on it. Boot time is 50% slower than a base model, generation old MacBook Pro and around 10% slower than the comparably footprinted base model, generation-old MacBook. This is most likely due to the 4200 RPM 1.8 inch hard drive. When the SSD MacBook Airs come out, we expect much better results.
In other tests, the MacBook Air faired better and even managed to prove itself the king of the MP3 compressing - which is likely attributed to its more modern processor and 800mhz front side bus:
A few notes on testing from Gizmodo...
The Computers:
• The MacBook Air has a 1.6 GHz custom Intel processor, 2 GB 667 MHz DDR2 RAM, and an 80 GB, 1.8", 4200 RPM HDD.
• The MacBook (a generation old) has a 2 GHz Intel Core Duo processor, 1 GB 667 MHz DDR2 RAM, and a 120 GB, 2.5", 5400 HDD.
• The MacBook Pro (also a generation old) has a 2.2 GHz Intel Core Duo processor, 2GB 667 MHz DDR2 RAM, and a custom 160 GB, 2.5", 5400 RPM, Seagate Momentus HDD.
The Tests:
• For the MP3 Encoding, we used iTunes and Seu Jorge's album Cru, which is 46 minutes long. We set up custom import settings, which were 192 kbps VBR, set at high quality.
• The Video Conversion test was done using a trailer for 300 that was 1:46 in length and 73 MB (.mov). We converted using the export option in Quicktime 7.4 that used the iPhone export preset.
• The Thumbdrive to MacBook file transfer test was done using an 803 MB .zip file and a 2GB Lexar Lightning Thumbdrive (30 MB/s read, 21 MB/s write).
• The File Duplication test was done on the Lexar thumbdrive using the same zip file used in the previous test.
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Comments
so you have issue with a
so you have issue with a computer that is 1/3 slower in CPU and smaller and slower HD not bring able to match the speed of a pro system?
And to add it was actually faster at MP3 encoding. I'd say what the heck is wrong with the pro system it should be minutes faster then the air, not just a few seconds
I think the same, I would
I think the same, I would expect to see major performance differences and not this..
I totally agree with this.
I totally agree with this. The results are not really a surprise but they show that the MBA is still a fast machine.
I reboot my PowerBook G4 about once a week or less. Reboot time is not an issue for me. It's still way faster than my windows laptop.
could you run Xbench on it
could you run Xbench on it ?
http://www.xbench.com/
and post the numbers compared to the MacBook ?
Thanks
For me, and I would think
For me, and I would think for many mobile users, the boot time is critical. Where the macbook air seems best is for short business trip, where I might want to do some quick email or update my presentation while on the short flight, or while waiting for the plane, while waiting for the meeting to start, or more generally while having a few minutes here or there. And for that use, the boot time is really important.
Have you heard of sleep
Have you heard of sleep mode? Boot time doesnt mean anything these days.Wake from sleep time is less than 5 seconds, thats what most users experience. Why do people make such a big deal out of useless benchmarks.
Has everyone gone completley
Has everyone gone completley mad? The MBAs processor was the fastest thing on the planet just a few years ago. We're computers only good for checking email and surfing the internet just a few years ago? No. I was doing full blown editorial jobs on a G3 powerbook with something like a 300 megahertz processor nearly 10 years ago. This processor is an order of magnitude more powerful than anything most people even need. It's crazy. By the logic that says this is woefully underpowered, the fastest Mac Pro desktop available now, will be a completley useless relic in 24 months. Totally, totally insane.
One of my favorite in-flight
One of my favorite in-flight pastimes is to watch all the Windows workerbees staring at their screens while Windows takes MINUTES to boot up and become usable....if only for Solitaire.
I work in an environment
I work in an environment where there are a lot of laptops, both PC's and Macs. What always surprises me is that when the Window's machines are opened up, I hear the Window Boot melody. When I open my Mac, it just wakes up.
So booting is really a non-issue for me (and I have an "ancient" G4 Powerbook). I only reboot whenever a new update requires it, and even if that is happening more frequently now, it is at the weekly level.
The MacBook Air's slower
The MacBook Air's slower than the MacBook? Madness. What next, the iPod Classic has more space than the iPod Nano?
I don't think that anybody
I don't think that anybody needs to turn off their laptops anyway, mine is constantly sleeping when I don't use it. I only reboot when a) software update requires it or b) I did some work which created so many swapfiles that my 2GB RAM were not sufficient and my machine is now super slow compared to a fresh started system. Sure enough I can delete the swapfiles from /var/vm but somehow it's still slow - don't know why.
These are the only two reasons why I shut down my MBP@1.83 (first generation Core2 not C2D). Also when I fly in airplanes I always have it in sleep mode.
So from the mp3 conversion I would expect actually a spectacular Xbench result for the "slow" processor speed 1.6 versus 2.2 the MBP@2.2 should be at least 35% faster if not,then the MBA is great !
I'm the same guy who posted the Xbench comment, so please go ahead and do the test.
If only they had thrown 2gb
If only they had thrown 2gb of ram in the macbook, this would probably have looked different. True, the MBA custom cpu has 800mhz fsb, and the older macbook doesn't. But 41sec boot time?! on a bad day, mine takes 32 sec on booting..
great point, updated to
great point, updated to reflect that.
Wow, speed in minutes n
Wow, speed in minutes n seconds, looks like all computer users are living life in the fast lane, yet a project takes days to finish.