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A real review of MBA 2020 about temperature i3 vs i5

jeccsron

jeccsron

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Apr 8, 2020
7
5
This video is about temperature.
Dual-Core i3 vs. Quad-Core i5

Test: YouTube, Facebook on Safari-Chrome (many tabs), Netflix, AppleTV, calculator, notepad, etc.
"Normal use"

 
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Good content. Additionally, this video indirectly shows how the i3 performs perfectly well for everyday tasks, in case there are still some people on the fence.
 
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I have not watched it yet but I will. Thanks for posting. I'm leaning towards the i5 but maybe the i3 is sufficient.
 
This has exactly been my experience so far with the i5 version, with everyday tasks, i have not seen an issue with thermals or fans coming on. For sure, if you are taxing the cpu, say exporting a 4k video in Final Cut, you will see the fans come on. My friends 2018 Macbook Pro i5 reaches around 90 degrees as well, and the fans come on in his laptop as well, but the cooling is definitely a little better than the Air.

I was thinking of returning it with all of this hoopla regarding the cpu temperature, but im going to keep it now.
 
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I think the i3 would be fine for my use (mainly Photos and photo library management- my 2010 MacBook Pro and 2018 air were good enough) but for $100 more I went with the i5 upgrade. Made sense especially since I was upgrading to the 512gb drive too. if I didn’t need the extra hard drive space then I would have stuck with the base i3.


I do think the base i3 will be perfectly fine for most “typical users.”
 
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This video I think perfectly sums up both that the i5 only runs hotter when pushed more and that the i3 is also very capable.

I watched the entire video and for the most part temps were basically the same. It was only when the machine was pushed a lot with many apps running that you started to see the i5 running 5-10 degrees warmer. To me the number that was most telling is that only a couple of spikes where the i3 even hit 100% utilization which means it has plenty of power for the average user.

So at the end of the day the i5 isn't a bad buy like some people had worried but the i3 is no slouch and will run cooler as you stress the machine more.
 
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I'm not doing any web development or photo/video editing. I like to have Numbers always running with 1-2 spreadsheets (budgets or trip plans), Mail, iMessage, and Safari with 3-6 tabs. In the past I have tended to go all-in with processors and RAM in order to have a quality experience for a longer time. I like zippy, with little lag. Given my usage pattern of having things open in the background (and jumping between them), am I generally taxing the CPU or the RAM more? If it's CPU, I'll go with i5 and 5GB, but if it's RAM, then I'll go with i3 and either 8 or 16.
 
Have to admit, as much as I love mine (i5) I wasn't expecting it to run as hot as it does. I mean, it is warming up just browsing the internet here, if used on my lap. On a totally flat surface it is fine, but I often use mine in bed before sleeping, and it doesn't seem suited to anything but tabletop use, if you want to keep it cool, and that is just browsing the net.
 
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geesus said:
Have to admit, as much as I love mine (i5) I wasn't expecting it to run as hot as it does. I mean, it is warming up just browsing the internet here, if used on my lap. On a totally flat surface it is fine, but I often use mine in bed before sleeping, and it doesn't seem suited to anything but tabletop use, if you want to keep it cool, and that is just browsing the net.
Click to expand...
I had a discussion with apple support about my MacBook pro getting really hot a while ago and they told me macbooks are not made to be used on your lap which is why they don't use the word laptop on their website 🤣
 
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I used my MBA i5 yesterday coding on my lap and had no problem, it was warm but not ultra hot and uncomfortable.
 
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Would the i7 be the same as the i5? One of the good things about the 2019 model was that generally it didnt crank up the fans or run that hot. I am upgrading mostly for the keyboard and quad core but not sure whether to go i5 or i7. There appears to be enough of a performance difference to justify the upgrade. Just wondering if the i7 will run hotter and generate more fan noise.
 
I think the tl;dr is i5 is a no brainer for $100, there isn’t a major heat or fan crank up discrepancy that’s fear mongering, graphics are way better than i3, but keep your expectations in line with thermal throttling and i3 will probably be fine for some/most users anyways

i5 quad core will be easier to resell / better for longevity so I don’t see why you wouldn’t. But if you’re a basic user not worried about resell or foreseeably upping what you demand i3 is fine

they’re all a boost from 2018-
/2019 airs, all MacBook 12” goes without say, and MacBook pros even from half a decade ago and maybe even a few years ago
 
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geesus said:
Have to admit, as much as I love mine (i5) I wasn't expecting it to run as hot as it does. I mean, it is warming up just browsing the internet here, if used on my lap. On a totally flat surface it is fine, but I often use mine in bed before sleeping, and it doesn't seem suited to anything but tabletop use, if you want to keep it cool, and that is just browsing the net.
Click to expand...
How long had you had your 2020 i5 when you posted that comment the other day? And, are you still having the same experience now that it's 2 days later?

I received my 2020 i5 4 days ago and have been using it a lot every day. On day 4 it seems to be running cooler than on day 2, under moderately heavy load and under light.
 
roncron said:
How long had you had your 2020 i5 when you posted that comment the other day? And, are you still having the same experience now that it's 2 days later?

I received my 2020 i5 4 days ago and have been using it a lot every day. On day 4 it seems to be running cooler than on day 2, under moderately heavy load and under light.
Click to expand...
Interesting, enough to change your mind a little based on your original post? I've decided I would use the turbo boost adjuster app if I need to and adjust the thresholds based on my workload. I don't care as much about optimal performance all of the time, I value it being cooler and not having the fans on.
 
Interesting video.

FYI on student discount - some college/university campus stores extend education pricing to alumni. Mine also have Applecare+ even less than Apple's online Education Store - $183 vs $229
 
roncron said:
How long had you had your 2020 i5 when you posted that comment the other day? And, are you still having the same experience now that it's 2 days later?

I received my 2020 i5 4 days ago and have been using it a lot every day. On day 4 it seems to be running cooler than on day 2, under moderately heavy load and under light.
Click to expand...

I think it had finished indexing. It was the 2nd day I had it. It isn't getting hot though. Just very slightly warm when browsing the net while it is on my lap (and presumingly with the air holes obscured by my clothing to some degree). Doesn't get warm at all when used on a flat surface, so I'm assuming it is working as intended now.
 
so far day 2, mine seems way cooler too

I used it for a handful of hours yesterday (I thought indexing was only like an hour or so on a fresh install?) and it was really toasty at times now not so much

will keep an eye on it
 
Trixs said:
I had a discussion with apple support about my MacBook pro getting really hot a while ago and they told me macbooks are not made to be used on your lap which is why they don't use the word laptop on their website 🤣
Click to expand...

It was probably just a singular stupid employee. If they’re associating interface strictly with the name you’d need to hold it out in front of you like a book.
 
geesus said:
Have to admit, as much as I love mine (i5) I wasn't expecting it to run as hot as it does. I mean, it is warming up just browsing the internet here, if used on my lap. On a totally flat surface it is fine, but I often use mine in bed before sleeping, and it doesn't seem suited to anything but tabletop use, if you want to keep it cool, and that is just browsing the net.
Click to expand...

That's dismaying to read.

Did have a Mac *notebook* before you can compare it to? Does it run hotter or colder than something else you've owned?

I'd hate to get a 2020 MBA and have it run hotter and noisier than a 2015 MBA, which still works wonderfully well — speedy, quiet, and cool — a true *laptop*.

By the way, I think the Apple support rep was being honest and smart, not stupid. I have read several times over the years that Apple deliberately eschewed the term “laptop” in favor of *notebook* precisely because of heat issues, potential issues on bare legs, etc.
 
My 2020 air is much cooler on my lap than my 2018 macbook pro (i7). Even though the processor on the air gets much hotter (hitting 100C a lot).
 
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