M1 Air with Thermal Pad Mod

[imrazor]

After a year of hard use, still getting great performance out of this modded MBA.

I've tried various things to get better cooling, such as putting the laptop in a vertical stand or blowing a small fan over the back cover, but nothing really seems to help it push past this kind of performance. And I really can't complain. This mod has been totally worth it.

 

[gorilla_butter]

After a year of hard use, still getting great performance out of this modded MBA.

I've tried various things to get better cooling, such as putting the laptop in a vertical stand or blowing a small fan over the back cover, but nothing really seems to help it push past this kind of performance. And I really can't complain. This mod has been totally worth it.

Same here. I run Handbrake encodes often and the mod has been stable and just as fast today as it was when it was new. I have a stand too with fans that I turn on during encodes, but it doesn't really change anything, but figure it can't hurt either.

 

[timmillea]

I have just bought Downton Abbey on Blu-Ray Series 1-4, 33 episodes of the monstrosity, for my mother. I will give my modded MBA on its stand a good run with Handbrake tonight!

 

[steve217]

I have just bought Downton Abbey on Blu-Ray Series 1-4, 33 episodes of the monstrosity, for my mother. I will give my modded MBA on its stand a good run with Handbrake tonight!

Sounds like it will be!

What's your opinion on this for cooling?

I don't have a heat camera nor have I bothered to benchmark but that little $12 fan seems like it's blowing away a lot of heat.

 

[timmillea]

As you may know, I am a great fan (no pun) of the MBA for its silence, hence an even bigger fan of it sans fan!

 

[Queen6]

Sounds like it will be!

What's your opinion on this for cooling?


I don't have a heat camera nor have I bothered to benchmark but that little $12 fan seems like it's blowing away a lot of heat.

The fan will displace a good deal of heat from the Air's baseplate increasing the efficiency of the cooling solution. I've used the same approach with other passively cooled systems to good effect. You could probably work the numbers by running Cinebench for 30/60 minutes with and without the fan and calculate the differential.

Q-6

 

[DrCC]

So I opened up my laptop today and surprise surprise, I think mine has the mod done from the factory
I can clearly see a black pad installed by Apple and this is was a virgin never before open Air M1 bought in November 2021. So has Apple been applying the mod since November 2021 at least? I have checked out some guides online with the mod and the back plate did not have that black thermal pad on it, mine does.

And this is a pic of the backplate from one the the DIY mod videos on YouTube.

So I guess, if Apple does it now, Happy Modding everyone ! 🤩

 

[timmillea]

That is amazing - proof that Apple monitor discussion groups such as this, study the hard evidence and quietly make manufacturing mods!

DrCC well done. Have you done any tests to compare your MBA's performance with those published 'way back when' in this thread?

 

[DrCC]

I haven't done any tests because I was planning to do the tests after I mod it. However, I knew the mod doesn't help me much though, I use my laptop in a clear shell plastic case and I know the case kills the performance, it doesn't allow the heat to dissipate as well, I have noticed a 40-50% drop in fps when doing encoding in Handbrake. The drop is still there without the case, but not as much. That is the main reason I postponed doing the mod, my laptop is not safe without a clear shell case, I have to have it on. As a workaround I have bought a laptop cooling pad and I always put the Air on it when at home and in "desktop mode". This is a good compromise and I can still keep the hard shell case on.

For me, what it would be interesting to do is to the test it with and without the clear shell case and with and without the laptop cooling pad. But I have no time for any testing for the next 2 months or so.

 

[timmillea]

Yes, I keep mine in a shell case at all times, except when I have loaded up Handbrake. Then I remove the bottom shell, pop the MBA on a laptop stand and let the magic happen overnight.

 

[adrianlondon]

So I opened up my laptop today and surprise surprise, I think mine has the mod done from the factory
I can clearly see a black pad installed by Apple and this is was a virgin never before open Air M1 bought in November 2021. So has Apple been applying the mod since November 2021 at least? I have checked out some guides online with the mod and the back plate did not have that black thermal pad on it, mine does.

<snip>

And this is a pic of the backplate from one the the DIY mod videos on YouTube.

<snip>

So I guess, if Apple does it now, Happy Modding everyone ! 🤩

Or, maybe someone modded it and forgot to remove it before returning it to Apple 😁

 

[DrCC]

Haha. It wasn't a refurb though. I ordered it online from the Apple store, it came sealed with everything.
Plus the mod looks "factory" in matching black colour. Maybe someone had fun at the factory or I ended up with an experimental Apple prototype. Who knows. More people with Airs ordered after November 2021 will need to open up the bottom case, check it out inside and confirm.

 

[steve217]

So I opened up my laptop today and surprise surprise, I think mine has the mod done from the factory
I can clearly see a black pad installed by Apple and this is was a virgin never before open Air M1 bought in November 2021. So has Apple been applying the mod since November 2021 at least? I have checked out some guides online with the mod and the back plate did not have that black thermal pad on it, mine does.

View attachment 2006742

View attachment 2006743



So I guess, if Apple does it now, Happy Modding everyone ! 🤩

If that’s a cooling pad, it seems in a wrong place.

Compare to the picture in @timmillea post #276. That factory pad seems too far to the right.

 

[DrCC]

Isn't the M1 chip is next to the right speaker? If I remember correctly that whole area is the heatsink, the pad seems to be over a portion of it only.

 

[Tenkaykev]

Just to clarify, this is the base MacBook Air with the lowest spec? ( 8/7 ) cores, and not the 8/8 core model?

 

[DrCC]

The one with the factory mod is a maxed out Air (8/8 core, 16GB, 2TB).

 

[Tenkaykev]

The one with the factory mod is a maxed out Air (8/8 core, 16GB, 2TB).

Ah, OK, mine was a base spec 8GB 8/7 without any factory mod.

 

[TSE]

Sorry, read through a couple pages and can't find it. Can anyone tell me in laymen's terms the difference between modded MBA and not-modded MBA?

 

[steve217]

Sorry, read through a couple pages and can't find it. Can anyone tell me in laymen's terms the difference between modded MBA and not-modded MBA?

Linus' video does a good job of explaining.

 

[Tenkaykev]

Thread Revival!!

Having read reviews of the new M2 Air and the poor thermal management, I think it's time for @timmillea to replicate his excellent work with the original M1 Air and see whats possible with the new M2 😉
I'd volunteer to do it myself if anyone is willing to send me the base M2 Air 😉😁

 

[Klapper.cz]

Thread Revival!!

Having read reviews of the new M2 Air and the poor thermal management, I think it's time for @timmillea to replicate his excellent work with the original M1 Air and see whats possible with the new M2 😉
I'd volunteer to do it myself if anyone is willing to send me the base M2 Air 😉😁

It doesn't have poor thermal management People somehow forgot, that the fanless design with managed throttling is a wanted feature in the Air - no one was as "surprised" back then when M1 Air came out, but somehow the paradigm shifted and after the M1 Air good reputation users expect to be some magical powerhouse

And there are already 2 videos that pads help this time too:

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=m2+air+thermal+mod

Btw. I'll keep my modded M1 Air and will get M2 Pro 14" when it comes in a 6 months +/-, also planning to put some small pad inside it too, to balance the heat back dissipation and fans speed/noise. But can't find any video of someone trying it on 14", only in MBP 13 M1, where the pad helped fan to get from 4000RPM to under 2000RPM with the 'same result', which is what I plan. So if anyone see that tested in MBP 14" 2021, please let me know

 

[timmillea]

Ha Tenkaykev, I would accept the same offer

I have studied the new M2 MBA benchmarks and read the reviews. It is an incremental spec upgrade but less so than the price upgrade and at a loss of the iconic and expensive but much-appreciated and practical wedge design.

I believe the M2 is more M1.1 than 2. I don't believe the tiny "0.1" lbs weight reduction (too imprecise for me) nor the "20%" volume reduction - from the quoted measurements it simply is not possible. Perhaps @Archimedes could test both?

As I said elsewhere, the loss of Johnny Ive's design input will probably make the 2020 MBA the pinnacle of Apple design and the best-designed laptop of all time. I am in no hurry to downgrade to a newer model! In 20 years from now, working examples will be highly collectable and worth far more than their original price.

 

[Queen6]

Ha Tenkaykev, I would accept the same offer

I have studied the new M2 MBA benchmarks and read the reviews. It is an incremental spec upgrade but less so than the price upgrade and at a loss of the iconic and expensive but much-appreciated and practical wedge design.

I believe the M2 is more M1.1 than 2. I don't believe the tiny "0.1" lbs weight reduction (too imprecise for me) nor the "20%" volume reduction - from the quoted measurements it simply is not possible. Perhaps @Archimedes could test both?

As I said elsewhere, the loss of Johnny Ive's design input will probably make the 2020 MBA the pinnacle of Apple design and the best-designed laptop of all time. I am in no hurry to downgrade to a newer model! In 20 years from now, working examples will be highly collectable and worth far more than their original price.

Biggest issue is the base model M2 now only having a single nand SSD versus the base M1's duel nand SSD. Resulting in significantly reduce performance. Downgrade being the operative word, unless one is willing to get into 14" MBP $$$$ but that's the game...

Q-6

 

[timmillea]

Yes Q-6, the minimum SSD that could be considered is 512GB for that reason, which adds even more expense.

Apple is in danger of going up its own bottom again - pricing itself out of the market yet producing ever-more mediocre designs. Look at the Mac Studio - an offence to anyone with any sensibilities. Time to sell AAPL.

 

[Tenkaykev]

Ha Tenkaykev, I would accept the same offer

I have studied the new M2 MBA benchmarks and read the reviews. It is an incremental spec upgrade but less so than the price upgrade and at a loss of the iconic and expensive but much-appreciated and practical wedge design.

I believe the M2 is more M1.1 than 2. I don't believe the tiny "0.1" lbs weight reduction (too imprecise for me) nor the "20%" volume reduction - from the quoted measurements it simply is not possible. Perhaps @Archimedes could test both?

As I said elsewhere, the loss of Johnny Ive's design input will probably make the 2020 MBA the pinnacle of Apple design and the best-designed laptop of all time. I am in no hurry to downgrade to a newer model! In 20 years from now, working examples will be highly collectable and worth far more than their original price.

Yes, I'd agree with that. I've removed the thermal pads from my base M1 Air, I don't do anything that would stress the processor and the reason I made the original mods was because of the posts in this forum by your esteemed self and a few of the other experimenters.
I've watched the videos kindly linked by @Klapper.cz 👍, I wasn't inspired, I'd like to see more of the "off the wall" copper shim / DIY heat pipe work undertaken by a couple of the more adventurous posters from earlier in the thread.