2020 MacBook Pro vs 2020 MacBook Air

[Lawson Tyler Robic Burke]

Hi, I am wondering what laptop would be best for my needs. The MacBook Air 2020 i5 16gb RAM or the new MacBook Pro i5 16gb RAM. The MacBook Air intel is 10th gen but the pro is only 8th and same with the MacBook Air RAM is faster then the pro in the base model. I need the laptop for university and to use for fl studio a music production program. Which would be best? There is about a $200 difference in price which I’m happy to pay but not more for the higher end MacBook. I’ve heard things about the over heating of the MacBook Air, is this even a big issue? Which laptop would you suggest? Thank you

 

[1215799]

Hi,
I'm in the same situation as you, my Air 2020 will arrive tomorrow, but I have decided to snt it back to Apple and order the Pro 2020 base. My biggest concern is the heat and noise of the fan (Air) and also the Pro 2020 got more power even with the 8th gen. chip because of better heat management.
My advice to you is to get the Pro 2020 base.

 

[lagisibuk]

we know, "pro" means do anything better than air
if you can afford 10th gen, go with that, at least 16GB/512ssd.

but, all decission depend on your task/activity with this machine.
if you're only using for document, browsing, wathing movie, sometimes edit photo. i think go with air no problem

i will go with pro 2020 10th processor, because im not buy macbook every year, so i need to think invest and save my money for 3-5 year until buy the new one.

 

[SylvainLafrance]

RAM and SSD are faster on the MBA 2020

 

[Drosera]

RAM and SSD are faster on the MBA 2020

But when the thermals are taken into consideration (MBA's 1 fan vs MBP's 2), does this still stand?

 

[1215799]

But when the thermals are taken into consideration (MBA's 1 fan vs MBP's 2), does this still stand?

Not only are the 10th gen. /LPDDR4X Pro 2020 faster even the old 8th. gen / LPDDR3 Pro 2020 are faster because of thermals

 

[SylvainLafrance]

I plan to replace my old MBP 2015 in the next year. My choice so far is the MBP 2020 13" base model + 16GB RAM

 

[Shoov]

I'd recommend upgrading your current model instead if you can. I ordered the 2020 Macbook Pro 16" (with upgraded SSD) only to realize they removed all regular USB ports and the SD card reader from the Mac line. I'd have to buy several adapters to do what I do now plus have things hanging off my laptop all the time. For someone with a photo hobby this is a deal breaker and totally lame to do to their loyal customer base. I get they want to push us into the future but not even an SD card reader? I canceled my 16" order and upgraded my 2015 13" with 1TB storage. It was SO easy and cost me $300 - I'm super happy and highly recommend it. Check it out at How-to geek. I'll ride this out until they put the USB & card reader back in and stick with my 2015 13" until it goes to the morgue (and despite my love for Apple - maybe even after).

 

[Jack Neill]

I'd recommend upgrading your current model instead if you can. I ordered the 2020 Macbook Pro 16" (with upgraded SSD) only to realize they removed all regular USB ports and the SD card reader from the Mac line. I'd have to buy several adapters to do what I do now plus have things hanging off my laptop all the time. For someone with a photo hobby this is a deal breaker and totally lame to do to their loyal customer base. I get they want to push us into the future but not even an SD card reader? I canceled my 16" order and upgraded my 2015 13" with 1TB storage. It was SO easy and cost me $300 - I'm super happy and highly recommend it. Check it out at How-to geek. I'll ride this out until they put the USB & card reader back in and stick with my 2015 13" until it goes to the morgue (and despite my love for Apple - maybe even after).

They will never put those back on the MacBook.

 

[0920872]

Hi, I am wondering what laptop would be best for my needs. The MacBook Air 2020 i5 16gb RAM or the new MacBook Pro i5 16gb RAM. The MacBook Air intel is 10th gen but the pro is only 8th and same with the MacBook Air RAM is faster then the pro in the base model. I need the laptop for university and to use for fl studio a music production program. Which would be best? There is about a $200 difference in price which I’m happy to pay but not more for the higher end MacBook. I’ve heard things about the over heating of the MacBook Air, is this even a big issue? Which laptop would you suggest? Thank you

I just got my i5, 16GB RAM, 1TB SSD MBA. Switched from a base 2014 MBP. Didn't go for the 2020 MBP because of my spite towards Touch Bar, and my priority of large storage, because without the SD port, there's no non-intrusive extra storage option. The longer battery life was also appealing, albeit the difference is minimal.

It's mostly an obvious upgrade from my 2014 MBP, it is much lighter, has a much better screen, True Tone is easy on the eye, the keyboard travel is shorter, and feels more comfortable for typing some longer text. It's also fast, and handles load well, with some caveats below.

Now what's not so obvious:
1. It can drive 4K@60Hz with extended display for productivity and some PIP video just well. Though, it is not perfectly smooth as with a dedicated GPU MBP or with my old MBP and an eGPU.
2. Some HD videos seemed a little jittery on this machine, which was surprising and I'll have to test it more.
3. This machine has thermal issues!!!!!! It's day #2, but it's so bad, I'm considering returning it. I have 10 apps open, system load is 20%, yet the fans are continuously on and loud as heck. My 2014 MBP never ever did this. Imagine if I had to do something processing heavy. I think this largely defeats the purpose of having 16GB RAM in this MBA.
4. With the current load, the predicted battery life is 4 hours. Whaaat?!

So it's a strong machine and it is just fine for productivity, at this point, it seems to offer no advantage over the upgraded 2020 MBP really, other than price. And for the base 2020 MBP, it really depends on how well it handles the extra 4K display, as it notably has a slower integrated GPU.

PS: if you wanna work with FL Studio on a serious level, just go with a Windows PC. I'm glad it has a MacOS port which is OK, but it's so much more robust on PC.

 

[0920872]

Update: I'm keeping the air. After a cache clean and a restart, the machine has been ultra solid, the size is perfect and the keyboard feels like a masterpiece.

 

[Jack Neill]

Here are some GB results from my i5/8/512. The lower 2 tests were with the Mac sitting directly on a desk. The top two tests are with it sitting on a monitor stand and a desk fan blowing air underneath it.

 

[0920872]

Here are some GB results from my i5/8/512. The lower 2 tests were with the Mac sitting directly on a desk. The top two tests are with it sitting on a monitor stand and a desk fan blowing air underneath it.

View attachment 915711

With a case on, no extra ventilation, my numbers are:

 

[Jack Neill]

With a case on, no extra ventilation, my numbers are:
View attachment 916043

Pretty similar to mine with it just sitting on a desk. I am totally fine with its performance. I think the thermals are a non issue with this machine.

 

[0920872]

Pretty similar to mine with it just sitting on a desk. I am totally fine with its performance. I think the thermals are a non issue with this machine.

Agree. I'm increasingly happy with the machine. The form factor is just a winner. Even sidecar works perfectly over WIFI, so I have a completely mobile dual screen setup. I think if this is a machine you use most of the day the form factor and weight just outweighs the performance benefit of an MBP.