Macbook Air 2.0 Reviews / First Impressions

[rittchard]

Has anyone else tried running 3DMark06 on the new MBA?

I re-ran it again this morning at 1024x768 and the results were only slightly better than before. So far I'm getting:

1280x800: 1460

1024x768: 1600

The fan did not kick in throughout most of the test, which I thought was odd. I'm wondering if I'm still doing something wrong. The processor is of course slower than the MB's, but I didn't think it would make that big a difference (MB posted results have been 2000-2300 range).

 

[duffyanneal]

The processor is of course slower than the MB's, but I didn't think it would make that big a difference (MB posted results have been 2000-2300 range).

Steve mentioned during the release that the GPU clock speed was a little slower. They probably did this to save a little battery and reduce heat.

 

[rittchard]

Steve mentioned during the release that the GPU clock speed was a little slower. They probably did this to save a little battery and reduce heat.

Ahhh, thanks. Makes more sense then.

- - -

Here's my First Impressions and long-winded purchase/upgrade decision story all consolidated into one long blog post:

http://rittchard.wordpress.com/2008/11/04/macbook-air-apparent/

 

[Philflow]

Has anyone else tried running 3DMark06 on the new MBA?

I re-ran it again this morning at 1024x768 and the results were only slightly better than before. So far I'm getting:

Here's something you could try to make sure you Air is running at highest settings during 3d Mark. I had Air 1.0 and it clocked down automatically during benchmarks.

Install RMClock (freeware) and check on the monitoring page that your Air is really running at 1.8Ghz. If it isn't, make a profile 'maximum performance' and select only the highest multiplier. This will force your Air to run at 1.8Ghz. It isn't dangerous as you can see by the temps on the monitoring page.

RMClock also offers the possibility to undervolt, but that isn't really important for this benchmark, unless your Air starts overheating.