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Stock charger not adequate?

MountainStorm

MountainStorm

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Mar 19, 2025
9
2
I've been wondering if the 30W charger that comes with the MacBook Air M3 is actually sufficient. Under normal use, it seems fine, but what about when the laptop is under heavy load? Could it start discharging even while plugged in if I'm doing something intensive like video editing, coding my ray tracing engine or gaming? (I know the Air wasn't made for these things, but still nice to get some work done on the go if you know what I'm saying!)

I found the following comment in a Reddit thread on the slightly older M1 Air:
Your M1 MacBook Air came with a 30w charger from Apple.

This inexpensive Targus charger will provide up to 60w of power over the USB-C port.

Testing reveals that the M1 chip can draw a maximum of 43w under load, so using a more powerful charger could result in (slightly) faster charging.

The Targus charger is safe to use with the M1 MacBook Air, because the laptop will only draw as much power as it needs.

Do not try to use a USB-C charger that provides less than 30w of power.
Click to expand...

Would a higher wattage charger (like 35W or even 70W) make a difference, or is this just a limitation of how the MacBook Air manages power? Curious if anyone has noticed any battery drain while doing heavy tasks while being plugged into the outlet.
 
raythompsontn said:
At some point, under heavy use, the MBA will not be able to dissipate 30 watts of energy without overheating. The device will start throttling. The 30 watt charger will be more than adequate for your use. Unless you are able to sustain the workload for tens of hours. Then you need a better machine, not a better charger.
Click to expand...
Thank you! Hopefully I will not need more than 30 watts for my ray tracer!
 
Even if you do, higher wattage chargers are peanuts on Amazon, even for quality ones.
But I do agree with @raythompsontn, you're going to be battling the thermals.

I am interested to hear how it turns out. From what I've read when it comes to consumption the MBA can peak around 30W but will drop to 9W due to thermal throttling.

I did consider the 70W charger too but ended up getting the dual 35W. I have higher wattage chargers kicking around if I need them, I'm not going to be hammering the CPU for extended intervals, and there's potentially some battery life benefits to charging with a lower wattage charger. I'm not wholly convinced on the latter issue since the MacBook monitors the battery temperature, but it's not going to hurt it.
 
Howard2k said:
ended up getting the dual 35W
Click to expand...
I like that charger for two reasons, well maybe three. One is that it is relatively small. Another is that it has dual USB-C ports so I can charge more than one device overnight. And the last reason is the folding plug. I travel with that charger exclusively. I charge my MBP, my iPhone, my watch and my iPad. I connect the MBP and the iPad to the charger. The watch and iPhone are connected to the MBP and charge via the Mac's USB-C ports. I charger four devices overnight using just that single 35 Watt charger. It seems to be quite adequate for my uses.
 
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35w becomes halved if using 2 simultaneously. That is the only case when it can drain while charging.
Not an issue with 30w or 35w if used with single device.
 
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ctjack said:
35w becomes halved if using 2 simultaneously. That is the only case when it can drain while charging.
Not an issue with 30w or 35w if used with single device.
Click to expand...
Excellent point.

How to use the 35W Dual USB-C Port Power Adapter - Apple Support (CA)

You can use the 35W Dual USB-C Port Power Adapter to charge up to two devices at the same time.
support.apple.com support.apple.com

Charge two devices​

To charge two devices, connect your devices to either port on your power adapter. When you connect two devices, power is automatically distributed between them based on their power requirements. For most devices, power is shared evenly when you have two devices charging at the same time. For example:

  • If you connect a Mac laptop and an iPhone or iPad, each device receives up to 17.5W.
  • If you connect an iPhone and an iPad, each device receives up to 17.5W.
  • If you connect a Mac laptop or iPhone and an Apple Watch or AirPods, the Mac laptop or iPhone receives up to 27.5W and the Apple Watch or AirPods receive up to 7.5W.
 
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just use any GAN usbc charger 65w or 100w if you think stock is not enough (hint: it is more than enough)
 
Can't you buy the optional higher watt charger from Apple when you buy the MBA? If you were concerned about it I would have opted for the higher watt charger.

I bought the 90 watt I think it is charger from Apple when I bought my M2 MBA and it has been great. It charges fast and I don't have thermal issues. Even if it gets warm performance doesn't degrade from my personal experience.

I know all MBA with thermally throttle under a heavy enough compute load but in real life this hasn't ever been a problem I have witnessed. You can also buy a laptop cooler and use an ice pack with towel around it if thermals ever become a problem?
 
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