Many recommending the 13 over the 11, but isn't it noisier??

[Scott6666]

I see a lot of threads recommending the 13 over the 11. But I also see some comments that the fans on the 13 come on quite a bit more than the 11.

Aren't some of you 13" owners a bit frustrated with the fan noise? Isn't that a compelling reason to go with the 11's?

While the 13's are better than the previous generation, they still don't seem to be as good as they need to be in the noise department.

 

[vm7118]

I see a lot of threads recommending the 13 over the 11. But I also see some comments that the fans on the 13 come on quite a bit more than the 11.

Aren't some of you 13" owners a bit frustrated with the fan noise? Isn't that a compelling reason to go with the 11's?

While the 13's are better than the previous generation, they still don't seem to be as good as they need to be in the noise department.

fan noise is one reason to go with the 11.

reasons to go with the 13:

13" screen
1440x900 resolution (same as in my 15" MBP)
true full size keyboard/trackpad (also same as in my 15" MBP)
256GB SSD
relatively decent CPU
SD card slot

 

[bowlerman625]

its all about personal choice and what you feel you need and can afford. For me, the form factor of the 11.6 was the big deal over the 13. To me a game changer. Now I'm not a power user and will never be a power user so from what I have read about the 11 inch and from what I have seen in my 4 times playing with one over the past 6 days, the 11.6 is the best one for me. It will serve my needs well and the form factor is the best thing out there for my money.

 

[kapalua12]

I can only speak for myself and I've only had my 13.3" 2.13/256/4GB for 2 days but the MBA is perfectly silent for me. I have not heard the fan once.

 

[AppleGoddess]

my 11.6 is silent.

 

[aberrero]

I am usually very big quiet computers, and 13" is silent for me in day to day use. It gets loud during games or under stress, but 95% of the time it is silent.

 

[mikethebigo]

I don't think fan noise is the best of reasons to choose one over the other. To be honest, the best way to pick seems to be to just go to the Apple store and check out both. The 11" won me over thanks to its size.

I can say though I've never noticed the fans come on... For the whole 8 hours I've had this thing

 

[gks]

My 13" is also silent. I can't hear anything from it.

No complaints.

 

[Bluemeanie1976]

I've already got 2 Macbooks, (one unibody, and one polycarb), and an ipad, so no need for the 13". Size was important to me.

 

[ReallyBigFeet]

You won't hear the fans on the 11" that often because its a lightweight CPU made for lightweight use. The 13" may trigger the fans a bit more, but thats only because the owners are demanding more from their rigs than simple word processing and surfing.

 

[vow]

It's dead silent when not doing anything CPU intensive but very obvious when I am. Frustrated? Can't say yes because it's comforting to know that the fan is working to keep the CPU/GPU cool in this tiny machine.

 

[M87]

You're telling me the fans don't make any noise on the 11.6 when gaming?

 

[Bluemeanie1976]

You're telling me the fans don't make any noise on the 11.6 when gaming?

Who said that?

 

[ReallyBigFeet]

You are only hearing reports of 13" models sounding "louder" because their owners are pushing them harder. Simple.

That's like saying "I hear that the Turbo model burns more gas than the 4-banger!"

 

[M87]

Who said that?

What I mean is, unless I'm playing a game on steam or doing something really demanding my 13 is dead silent. I don't understand this talk about the 13 making a racket under normal use.

 

[catdog02481]

I see a lot of threads recommending the 13 over the 11. But I also see some comments that the fans on the 13 come on quite a bit more than the 11.

Aren't some of you 13" owners a bit frustrated with the fan noise? Isn't that a compelling reason to go with the 11's?

While the 13's are better than the previous generation, they still don't seem to be as good as they need to be in the noise department.

What are you smoking?
My 13.3" MBA is dead silent...

 

[catalyst6]

You are only hearing reports of 13" models sounding "louder" because their owners are pushing them harder. Simple.

That's like saying "I hear that the Turbo model burns more gas than the 4-banger!"

this makes absolutely no sense

 

[eba]

What I mean is, unless I'm playing a game on steam or doing something really demanding my 13 is dead silent. I don't understand this talk about the 13 making a racket under normal use.

Right. I can't imagine any scenario where the fans run on the 13 that they wouldn't also run on the 11. Unless someone can come up with such a scenario, then it's a non-issue.

 

[wirelessmacuser]

Far too much is being made out of the fact that one can hear the airflow when the fans run. I've put my 13" thru some intense tasks, the fans run to keep it cool, that's what fans do. No problems, it's a good performer with 4GB. I'm completely satisfied.

 

[drbob20]

Fan noise?? Really the only time the fan on my 13" came on for any length of time was when I was converting a few movies using handbrake. Other than that my MBA has been quiet as a sleeping baby.

 

[Lifequest]

My MBA 13" is dead silent.
Checking bench marks for 11" vs 13" I'd say 13" if you can afford it.
The 11 is perfect for light tasks but I'm sure during your 2 years or what not of use, you're going to encounter many more intensive task and be frustrated.

Shutdown: <2sec
Boot up: 11sec

Fan noise? nope. Not even when: Downloading, itunes, Safari, Messenger Chat AND installing Photoshop all simultaneously. Fan didn't need to turn on.

 

[jumpmanjay23]

Coming from a Powerbook

I got the 13.3 inch and I don't think the fan noise is a problem at all! I'll be honest and say that I only do web browsing, email, and Office stuff. I don't think this is heavy enough to engage the fans though. Also, I'm coming from a 6 year old 15 inch Powerbook G4...and that got pretty loud to say the least.

So is it annoying to me? Not really. Could the 11 inch be better? From what I have been reading it is better about fan noise. Long story short, it's about preference. Fan noise just wasn't high on my list of preferences.

 

[mac jones]

I've had the Rev A, Rev B and now both the 11 and 13 inch in the house.

Both the 11" and 13" are silent.

I mean s i l e n t.......

The rev a/b/c's are turbines in comparison.

I guess they are using new fans.........duh


BTW heat is vastly improved.

I guess they are using new heat fixers also

 

[iRun26.2]

I've had the Rev A, Rev B and now both the 11 and 13 inch in the house.

Both the 11" and 13" are silent.

I mean s i l e n t.......

The rev a/b/c's are turbines in comparison.

I guess they are using new fans.........duh

That is one of the things I dislike most about my original MBA. It sounds almost like the new ones makes it worth an upgrade just for the improvement in fan noise alone!

 

[bossxii]

Play any game such as Starcraft, WoW, CS etc.. fans on both goto Max RPM. Start handbrake, or encode a large file in iMovie and the fans will spin up. At full RPM the 13" MBA is still much, much quieter than the previous gens which sounded like a jet taking off.

Stress the GPU or CPU to it's limit and the fans will be running. If you don't play games, or run CPU/GPU intensive decoding etc.. you will never hear the fan run. Such a huge improvement from even the Rev C MBA's.