I use a 2009 MacBook Air with 128GB SSD as my only computer with a screen. (i.e. Everything else is headless)
A few things tax the machine:
1. Streaming video, especially flash, and especially when you multitask it.
2. HDMI out. I like to plug my Air into an HDTV and stream video using VLC. Sometimes this will overheat and start skipping.
3. There is lowered responsiveness when the Air is doing a backup to Time Capsule.
4. The Ethernet is not as fast as a normal PC, which can be kind of obnoxious sometimes.
5. If I put it on the bed covers for too long it overheats and slows down. Likewise for couches and occasionally my lap.
All in all I'm happy with this setup, and I use many big apps concurrently: Photoshop, Word, Mathematica, Eclipse, lots of PDFs, iTunes, Safari, VLC, SABnzbd+, as well as many other less taxing apps like Aquamacs, EverNote, Mail.. all concurrently.
The Air has never had a problem for me running standard apps. The issues always crop up when I'm trying to watch video (esp flash) or doing large amounts of i/o either through WiFi or ethernet.
There are some Gigabit USB adapters that you can buy. They are apparently Mac compatible. Of course, with USB2 peaking at less than half GB ethernet's speed, it's still just an OK solution.
A few things tax the machine:
1. Streaming video, especially flash, and especially when you multitask it.
2. HDMI out. I like to plug my Air into an HDTV and stream video using VLC. Sometimes this will overheat and start skipping.
3. There is lowered responsiveness when the Air is doing a backup to Time Capsule.
4. The Ethernet is not as fast as a normal PC, which can be kind of obnoxious sometimes.
5. If I put it on the bed covers for too long it overheats and slows down. Likewise for couches and occasionally my lap.
All in all I'm happy with this setup, and I use many big apps concurrently: Photoshop, Word, Mathematica, Eclipse, lots of PDFs, iTunes, Safari, VLC, SABnzbd+, as well as many other less taxing apps like Aquamacs, EverNote, Mail.. all concurrently.
The Air has never had a problem for me running standard apps. The issues always crop up when I'm trying to watch video (esp flash) or doing large amounts of i/o either through WiFi or ethernet.