Just Received Week 10 MBA

[Mercuric Oxide]

Has it really been 10 weeks? (I guess of manufacturing).

Anyway, I turn it on and plug in the charger and it says 50 mins remaining, I will report if future chargings have the 8 hour problem.

I also downloaded iStat Pro, fan speed is at 2499 rpm right now with the MBA in my lap, I will test with not only YouTube, but also an animation site I use which has h264 encoding of shows to see how the cores respond (hi def flash will really test this current build).

If anyone has any other requests in seeing if any other issues are ironed out, feel free to ask.

But so far, it doesn't feel broken like the week 1 machine it was exchanged for.

[al82]

Please keep us updated, thanks :)

[AreanFSL]

Yes - Let us know if it is evident there is choppiness/stuttering video and if fans shoot high under intensive use!

[Mercuric Oxide]

Wow, so either my first MBA was a lemon, or Apple is making some progress!

OK, so I played youtube videos full screen for 45 mins, and after 5 mins, the CPU did go high, up to 80 C. But, it's not as grim as it sounds, the fan went up as well, to 6200 rpm. After another 5 mins, the CPU was brought down to 65 C and hovered around 60 C for the rest of the video playing. Both cores remained up, and the fan hovered just below 6000 rpm.

The hi def flash h.264 videos kept the machine a little more hot, same setting as above (full screen, 45 mins), but the machine hovered around 75 C. Both cores continued to run, fans stayed at 6200 rpm. (the site used for the h.264 was crunchyroll.com, but you need an account (which isn't free) to view h.264).

Either way, after both tests (which were 10 mins after each other), both cores continued to run. No stuttering whatsoever after an hour and a half of flash videos. Also, after each test, the fan speed went back down to 2500 rpm within 10 mins. I haven't downloaded the fan update, but it may already be on here. I kept the MBA on a wooden desk to ensure proper ventilation.

I use headphones, have the volume high, or have other background noise, so the 6200 rpm made no difference to me; and I'm assuming that the general consensus here is that everyone wants the fans to run high to prevent one of the cores from shutting down, correct?

So, I am very satisfied and I think Apple is slowly ironing out the problems. If you have an MBA that has the common issues, I highly suggest you look into getting an exchange (also, when they bring the machine out, ask to look at the back of the box at the serial number, the number after W88 will be the week of manufacture, make sure it's recent - I got a strange look, but hey, it's my 2 grand).

My battery still hasn't drained after the test (58% remaining), but I will test the battery after it has fully decharged to make there aren't any extremely long charge times. I will also test downloaded hi def mkv files, but I know that that hasn't had as many problems, and I'm sure it'll be fine as the h.264 online ran with no problems.

I hope this helps those who are scared to buy an Air or thinking about an exchange.

[weeman]

Just out of curiosity, what problems were you having before?

[Mercuric Oxide]

Just out of curiosity, what problems were you having before?

The worst problem was that the fans weren't bringing the temps down quickly enough and a core would shut down, making everything painfully slow.

Other updates:

The MBA lies flat ;)

When playing avi or mkv files in vlc, the fans go to 5000 rpm and keep the CPU at a "cool" 50 C

Fully decharged the battery, says 3 hours until fully charged (seems a little long, but at least it's not 8 hours).

[AreanFSL]

; and I'm assuming that the general consensus here is that everyone wants the fans to run high to prevent one of the cores from shutting down, correct?



No - I believe the consensus is upset that the fans turn on consistently from simple tasks. In relation, these are compared with MB's and MBP's which fans do not turn on from watching a video.

[weeman]

The worst problem was that the fans weren't bringing the temps down quickly enough and a core would shut down, making everything painfully slow.





Hmm...how do you check if one of your cores are shutting down? Mine gets super slow at times. Thanks in advance.

[Mercuric Oxide]

No - I believe the consensus is upset that the fans turn on consistently from simple tasks. In relation, these are compared with MB's and MBP's which fans do not turn on from watching a video.

Hmm, I'd rather the fans turn up than a core shutting down...

I mean, given the thin size of this thing, I don't think you can get around the fans revving up.

h264 videos aren't a simple task. On my Mac Pro with 8 cores, the same 264 videos use about 10% of each core when running, which are 2.8 GHz.

Now if you only have 2 cores at 1.6 GHz for the same load, then the CPU is obviously gonna get really hot, esp in a laptop, and ESP in a laptop with the thinness of a MacBook Air.

I wouldn't mind the fans not revving up, but I don't think that's possible with the current size of the MBA.

Either way, a fan speeding up won't stop you from working like a core shutting down does, and that was my main concern - so I'm sorry if I got anyone excited who was more concerned about the volume of the fans by making this topic, but for me, the MBA now works.

[izibo]

Either way, a fan speeding up won't stop you from working like a core shutting down does, and that was my main concern

That's my big concern as well. I had a week 2 MBA that went back to Apple for an exchange (core shutdown stuttering problem). My new one left China on Wednesday, so I'll keep people updated with a before and after when I receive the new unit. Hopefully today!

[hotdamn]

That's my big concern as well. I had a week 2 MBA that went back to Apple for an exchange (core shutdown stuttering problem). My new one left China on Wednesday, so I'll keep people updated with a before and after when I receive the new unit. Hopefully today!

mine left shanghai on wednesday, too.
I was not expecting it today :o

[Mackan]

Hm, anyone really happy with their Air? Seems like a flawed product if the fan needs to go run like crazy for medium tasks. Thin is good, but it needs to be silent too..

[somecows]

So, I am very satisfied and I think Apple is slowly ironing out the problems. If you have an MBA that has the common issues, I highly suggest you look into getting an exchange (also, when they bring the machine out, ask to look at the back of the box at the serial number, the number after W88 will be the week of manufacture, make sure it's recent - I got a strange look, but hey, it's my 2 grand)..

My number says W8810FQ...

How do I know if this means week 1 or week 10?

As someone else asked, how do you know if a core shuts down?

[hotdamn]

As someone else asked, how do you know if a core shuts down?

Wild guess: Activity Monitor

[mashoutposse]

No - I believe the consensus is upset that the fans turn on consistently from simple tasks. In relation, these are compared with MB's and MBP's which fans do not turn on from watching a video.

The MB and MBP fans are probably bigger, which means more air pushed through at default speed.

[aristobrat]

My number says W8810FQ...

How do I know if this means week 1 or week 10?

As someone else asked, how do you know if a core shuts down?
That's week 10. Week 1 would look like W8801FQ. :)

Hm, anyone really happy with their Air?
There's another thread in this forum asking how owners feel 30 days after owning the MBA. Seems like there are more people happier with their MBA than not.

[AreanFSL]

Either way, a fan speeding up won't stop you from working like a core shutting down does, and that was my main concern - so I'm sorry if I got anyone excited who was more concerned about the volume of the fans by making this topic, but for me, the MBA now works.

Yes - I'm with you on this one. I rather have a fan turn on than a core shutting down. A little noise never hurt nobody. :D :apple:

[AreanFSL]

The MB and MBP fans are probably bigger, which means more air pushed through at default speed.

Yes - I would think they would be bigger, given the size.

[ayeying]

I have a week 4 macbook air and my core shutdown problems were gone after a COPS reset. Then again, I did redo my thermal paste so that might affect some stuff.

[izibo]

mine left shanghai on wednesday, too.
I was not expecting it today :o

Well, mine was delivered today. I am at work, but it is sitting in my buildings package room according to the tracking information. It's pretty crazy to think that it rolled off the assembly line and got packaged on Wednesday, left China Thursday evening, and was delivered at 9:30 AM on Friday! I know I got a little extra time due to the time zone change, but still... That's FAST!

Hopefully it will be a week 11 unit so I can feel far superior to everyone else! ;)

[aristobrat]

I am at work, but it is sitting in my buildings package room according to the tracking information.
Man, I'd be scheming up some way to get out of work early if I were in this situation. hehehe. :)

[ayeying]

Man, I'd be scheming up some way to get out of work early if I were in this situation. hehehe. :)

kick yourself in the balls, say you got injured and need to go home.

[mcvaughan]

Week 8 MBA here -- no issues at all! :)

[Scott6666]

Yes - I'm with you on this one. I rather have a fan turn on than a core shutting down. A little noise never hurt nobody. :D :apple:

Drives me crazy. Neeeeeed silence. Fans break my concentration. Birth defect I guess. The MBA world is divided into those who hate fans and therefore are frustrated with the otherwise perfect MBA, and those who don't care who don't see why we are fussing and that the MBA is perfect.

PS. The behavior of the week 10 MBA sounds to me just like the week 1 MBA. Loud. I've come to the conclusion that's just the way they are designed.

[conchshell]

Week 10 MBA here also, no problems so far (crosses fingers)

[conchshell]

double post, sorry

[Darge13]

Week 7 no probs.

[Mercuric Oxide]

PS. The behavior of the week 10 MBA sounds to me just like the week 1 MBA. Loud. I've come to the conclusion that's just the way they are designed.

No, The week 1 MBA would have it's fans go full blast, with no trade off. The CPU temp wouldn't go down and one core would still shut down despite the fans running.

Week 10 is still loud, but you're actually getting something for dealing with the "loudness" - a working machine.

If the machine went to 6200 rpm while writing a text file or browsing online, then sure, I'd be upset. But high def videos on a <1 in. enclosure with an integrated graphics chipset, that's a feat within itself.

Either way, if you're watching a video, you shouldn't be able to hear the fans. If you're doing a non-video intensive task, the fans should only bother you (to the extent that you regret your purchase) if you are in an empty room devoid of sound.

Given the size of the MBA, the fans have to be smaller, and not only work harder because they're smaller, but also because of the limited airflow. We can't have everything, and a machine as thin as the air simply won't operate under intensive loads with the fans staying at a whisper quiet 2500 rpm. It's just not possible with today's technology for handling heat.

[khosna]

I have a week 1 MBA with none of these problems (knocking on wood). I guess I got lucky with a good build.

[aristobrat]

Drives me crazy. Neeeeeed silence. Fans break my concentration. Birth defect I guess. The MBA world is divided into those who hate fans and therefore are frustrated with the otherwise perfect MBA, and those who don't care who don't see why we are fussing and that the MBA is perfect.
I can't think of any model of Apple notebook that would pass the video tests mentioned in this thread without having the fans running at an audible level. :confused:

[bcaslis]

No, The week 1 MBA would have it's fans go full blast, with no trade off. The CPU temp wouldn't go down and one core would still shut down despite the fans running.

Week 10 is still loud, but you're actually getting something for dealing with the "loudness" - a working machine.

If the machine went to 6200 rpm while writing a text file or browsing online, then sure, I'd be upset. But high def videos on a <1 in. enclosure with an integrated graphics chipset, that's a feat within itself.

Either way, if you're watching a video, you shouldn't be able to hear the fans. If you're doing a non-video intensive task, the fans should only bother you (to the extent that you regret your purchase) if you are in an empty room devoid of sound.

Given the size of the MBA, the fans have to be smaller, and not only work harder because they're smaller, but also because of the limited airflow. We can't have everything, and a machine as thin as the air simply won't operate under intensive loads with the fans staying at a whisper quiet 2500 rpm. It's just not possible with today's technology for handling heat.

Agree 100% with this.

[mtk75]

kick yourself in the balls, say you got injured and need to go home.

:eek: You must be highly flexible... I'd have a very hard time kicking myself in the balls. :p (I also have no need to go home sick today... :D )

-Matt

[duffyanneal]

I can't think of any model of Apple notebook that would pass the video tests mentioned in this thread without having the fans running at an audible level. :confused:

I just watched about 15 minutes of 1080p video on my new MBP. It didn't break a sweat. Well it did get to 54 C, but the fans were still running at 2000 RPM. :D

[rich a]

Hm, anyone really happy with their Air? Seems like a flawed product if the fan needs to go run like crazy for medium tasks. Thin is good, but it needs to be silent too..

I have to be honest. I absolutely love this product. I really only use it for basic functions like taking notes at school, web surfing, music and some videos and the fan hovers around 2500rpm about 90% of the time. The only time the machine heats up is when I'm laying in bed with the MBA on my chest (prob because I'm covering some of the vents that way) - then the fan shoots up to like 6000rpm.

[spyz88]

well yesterday I called Apple and they told me to go back to the Apple store to exchange my week 1 MBA (with stuttering problems and 183 degree cores) for one of these famous week 10 builds.

I have to say that right out of the box after setting it up the first time the fans were pinned at 6200 rpm's and 180 degrees. I looked at activity monitor and it said finder was using 1,001MB worth of memory. Let me say that at that point I did not install any programs or nothing like that.

I also noticed in activity monitor that when I mounted an image a program named something to the effect of "imagemounter" was also pinning the fans and raising the core temp. The only difference that I see with this week 10 build is that the fans actually bring the tempature down to a normal level once it heats up.

When I was at the final step of calibrating the battery I was playing a DVD with the external SuperDrive and it stayed at a cool 122 degrees with 2499 rpm's on the fans.

And finally can someone with a MBA PLEASE go to hulu.com and tell me if the full screen video causes your MBA to stutter and heat up like crazy? I'm not sure if they use flash or h264 but it just MURDERS my core temp and fan speed. Thanks!

[Mhaddy]

I've got a week 10 MBA and have not experienced any problems. The fans shoot up to 6100/6200 rpm when watching YouTube fullscreen for ~10 minutes, or during Spotlight indexing, or other very intensive tasks, but minutes after whatever task is finished, the temps and fan speeds drop. I don't see this out of the ordinary, considering the <1" enclosure, integrated graphics chip, etc. that somebody else mentioned.

I'll check Hulu later today and report back.

[johnzoidberg]

I have a week 1 MBA with none of these problems (knocking on wood). I guess I got lucky with a good build.

Same here. :)

[spyz88]

Well now on the first calibration of my 10 series I plugged it in at 9:30AM EST and its now 4:28PM EST and its still an amber light. This is getting a little ridiculous.

[hotdamn]

Well now on the first calibration of my 10 series I plugged it in at 9:30AM EST and its now 4:28PM EST and its still an amber light. This is getting a little ridiculous.

its a lemon, call apple.

[johnzoidberg]

I have a week 1 MBA with none of these problems (knocking on wood). I guess I got lucky with a good build.

Same here. :)

[bcaslis]

Well now on the first calibration of my 10 series I plugged it in at 9:30AM EST and its now 4:28PM EST and its still an amber light. This is getting a little ridiculous.

The first couple of charges can take a long time. After that it should get much better, but it still takes about 4 hours total to charge an almost empty battery (2 hours to get 75%, then 2 more trickle charging the rest.

[teek]

Week 7 no probs.

Also week 7, i think.. serial is W88078C****

Fan is nuts, kbd backlight is nuts, screen ligth is nuts. MBA is nuts. Still, im holding on to this baby. I really need to return it and get a new one.

[spyz88]

Well I called Apple back and they exchanged it for a new Penryn MBP 2.4/2GB/200GB and its having no problems with the video at all. Fans stayed at 2500 rpm's the whole time. It also charged very quick :) Sorry MBA I loved you but maybe rev 2...

[ayeying]

My MBA has been completely behaving itself now. I'm running Vista Business in Fusion along with OSX and no lag or temp rising over 70deg. Remember people, the machine is SUPPOSE to get hot because the casing itself, primarily the bottom, is a giant heatsink. Look at the pix posted by iFixit and other sites, you'll see why the casing gets hot. For why your processor gets insanely hot, well, either you have a problem with the configuration (software) or the thermal paste problem (hardware). Oh btw, the heatsink does NOT actually touch the processor, there is about 0.2-0.8mm gap more or less. This is where the thermal paste come in to help.

And for the youtube or any flash vid complaints... happens on any mac, just bigger macbook(pro) doesn't have that much fan problems since they have better cooling.

[spyz88]

My MBA has been completely behaving itself now. I'm running Vista Business in Fusion along with OSX and no lag or temp rising over 70deg. Remember people, the machine is SUPPOSE to get hot because the casing itself, primarily the bottom, is a giant heatsink. Look at the pix posted by iFixit and other sites, you'll see why the casing gets hot. For why your processor gets insanely hot, well, either you have a problem with the configuration (software) or the thermal paste problem (hardware). Oh btw, the heatsink does NOT actually touch the processor, there is about 0.2-0.8mm gap more or less. This is where the thermal paste come in to help.

And for the youtube or any flash vid complaints... happens on any mac, just bigger macbook(pro) doesn't have that much fan problems since they have better cooling.The new MBP handled streaming HD video with no problem.

[pughchrism]

i picked up a week 11 mba yesterday. fit and finish are perfect! when reading on this forum and not watching video i see about 52C.

however, watching lost on hd fullscreen has probs: mild periodic stuttering and big core heat. goes up to 80 and finally cools to 70 to mid/upper 60's. simultaneously opened a macrumors forum window and my 2nd core began to shutdown - on for a sec, off for half a sec. i then changed to normal setting with lost and the core stabilized again. all of this was carried out on a flat wooden surface.

it would be useful if some of you others performed the same test. you can find the lost series on abc.com

in addition, i ran it down to 18 min power. plugged it in at ~12am and it was still amber at 6am. i'm not sure when it turned green.

sorry, i moved this to a new thread "p/u week 11"

[AreanFSL]

Picked up my week 10 today. :) Wow the presentation when you open the MBA is truly exciting!
I'll report back with my fan/heat experience.. Just remember I came from a MBP 2.0 Core Duo where i'm able to cook eggs after some heavy use! ;)

[j62lee]

Also week 7, i think.. serial is W88078C****

Fan is nuts, kbd backlight is nuts, screen ligth is nuts. MBA is nuts. Still, im holding on to this baby. I really need to return it and get a new one.

I just picked up a week 7 build as well.. no problems right now *touch wood*, but it's not even a day old and I haven't had much chance to play with it.