2020 i5 MBA upgrade over 2016 i5 MBP

[randy0613]

Hi all,

Looking to see if it's worth it to upgrade my 2016 i5 MBP to a 2020 i5 MBA.

Just for reference, my MBP is an i5/16GB/256. It is only a dual core processor but does run at a base clock of 2.9GHz. One thing to note, it does have the Iris 550 GPU as well. It's attached to a 24" 1080p monitor for more real estate and it runs that monitor with no issue. As I'm typing this I have a youtube video playing in the background (1080p) and my MBP is running at 56 Degrees Celsius.

I am a fairly heavy user. Currently on my MBP I have various Chrome windows open with about 30 tabs total open (this is not usual for me, usually only 5-10 tabs open). I am a regular Lightroom/Photoshop user as well as Premiere Pro and After Effects. Currently my MBP has no issues with Chrome and Lightroom/Photoshop but it does slow down with Premiere and After Effects. I edit both 1080p and 4k footage. Effects take a long time to apply and rendering takes a while too (my videos are usually always 5 minutes or shorter). When I edit 4k I will usually use proxies or edit at 1/4 quality for smooth timeline movement.

Based off my usage, will the new quad core i5 MBA be an improvement? Will I see faster rendering and smoother operation overall? The spec I'm looking at is i5,16,256. I am in Canada and will be making the most of the student program for Airpod Pro's and trading in my current MBP so I'm getting a fairly good deal on the Air but only want to purchase if it is worth it as an upgrade.

Thanks for reading!

 

[darkmatter343]

I wouldn't advise getting the air, even if it's i5 quad core could handle your workload, you'll be running the thing close to it thermal limit almost all the time. I'd look at either the base model MacBook Pro with an upgrade to 16gb and whatever storage you need, or the newer MacBook Pro 13" with the 10th gen which comes stock with 16gb. Both of those have much better cooling solutions which will handle the workload you mentioned, while not running at 100c like the Air will be.

This being said... and not to contradict myself but I'm currently typing this on a 2020 MacBook Air, base config with the 10th Gen i3 Dual Core, which has the Iris Plus Graphics and 8GB ram. I have Safari running with 8 tabs open, Cisco's Packet Tracer App, and a Linux Virtual Machine constantly running that I keep going back and forth to. Fan's rarely come on, and it's never slow, so... 🤷‍♂️

 

[randy0613]

I wouldn't advise getting the air, even if it's i5 quad core could handle your workload, you'll be running the thing close to it thermal limit almost all the time. I'd look at either the base model MacBook Pro with an upgrade to 16gb and whatever storage you need, or the newer MacBook Pro 13" with the 10th gen which comes stock with 16gb. Both of those have much better cooling solutions which will handle the workload you mentioned, while not running at 100c like the Air will be.

This being said... and not to contradict myself but I'm currently typing this on a 2020 MacBook Air, base config with the 10th Gen i3 Dual Core, which has the Iris Plus Graphics and 8GB ram. I have Safari running with 8 tabs open, Cisco's Packet Tracer App, and a Linux Virtual Machine constantly running that I keep going back and forth to. Fan's rarely come on, and it's never slow, so... 🤷‍♂️

Unfortunately the new base MacBook Pro is only a dual core too so i feel as if thought that wouldn't be much of an upgrade over my current one? The 10th gen one is like $1000 more or so.

It seems like people have been having success with the thermal pad mod. I ordered the Air with the i5/16/256, I am going to try it out and see how it handles the workload. Apple has a 2 week return policy so I'll thoroughly test it during the 2 weeks and see if it's able to keep up. If not then it will be getting returned. Figured why not, as long as its returnable then might as well give it a shot.

 

[IngerMan]

I had the 2016 13” MBP TB 4 port. Loved it except for the butterfly keyboard and was so so on Touch Bar. My 2020 Air is my new favorite. i7 16GB 256SSD.

 

[randy0613]

I had the 2016 13” MBP TB 4 port. Loved it except for the butterfly keyboard and was so so on Touch Bar. My 2020 Air is my new favorite. i7 16GB 256SSD.

I don't mind the butterfly keyboard too much so I'm guessing I'll really enjoy the magic keyboard. How do you find the Air holding up to the workload compared to your MBP?

 

[magbarn]

Unfortunately the new base MacBook Pro is only a dual core too so i feel as if thought that wouldn't be much of an upgrade over my current one? The 10th gen one is like $1000 more or so.

It seems like people have been having success with the thermal pad mod. I ordered the Air with the i5/16/256, I am going to try it out and see how it handles the workload. Apple has a 2 week return policy so I'll thoroughly test it during the 2 weeks and see if it's able to keep up. If not then it will be getting returned. Figured why not, as long as its returnable then might as well give it a shot.

What?!
That's news...

You would probably satisfied with the MBA (until you try a MBP too, I returned my 2020 i7 MBA after getting the 2020 MBP), but I'm a heavy Lightroom/photoshop user and the 2020 i7 MBA was still slower than a 2017 MBP 15 quad core model. The power limitations really keep the quad core limited when pushed. The base MBP can sustain max performance much better than the MBA and your usage is considered heavy.
Yes the base model is "only 8th gen" but the cpu is still definitely quicker than the MBA as it's capable of keeping a much higher boost clock when all 4 cores are being used.

 

[randy0613]

What?!
That's news...
View attachment 925364

You would probably satisfied with the MBA (until you try a MBP too, I returned my 2020 i7 MBA after getting the 2020 MBP), but I'm a heavy Lightroom/photoshop user and the 2020 i7 MBA was still slower than a 2017 MBP 15 quad core model. The power limitations really keep the quad core limited when pushed. The base MBP can sustain max performance much better than the MBA and your usage is considered heavy.
Yes the base model is "only 8th gen" but the cpu is still definitely quicker than the MBA as it's capable of keeping a much higher boost clock when all 4 cores are being used.

Ahh i seem to have misread the Apple site. If that is the case then the MBP is only a few hundred dollars more and may be a better option then. I wonder how the 8th gen i5 will hold up to the 10th gen i5 though.

 

[magbarn]

Ahh i seem to have misread the Apple site. If that is the case then the MBP is only a few hundred dollars more and may be a better option then. I wonder how the 8th gen i5 will hold up to the 10th gen i5 though.

Here’s last year’s 2019 MBP 13 with same cpu as the 8th gen 2020 MBP 13

That’s Cinebench R20 which is more of a sustained performance test. For burst processing use like just surfing the web, the MBA will keep up and sometimes may be faster, but in sustained use the 8th gen is still able to be significantly faster than the 10th gen CPU MBA due to power limitation on the chip. Even upgrading to i7 doesn’t come close to bridging the gap as you’re lucky to get just 6% better performance with it.

Only reasons for the MBA: 1. You really don’t want to spend extra. 2. Hate the touchbar with a passion. 3. Must have wedge shape. 4. That extra 0.3 pounds really bothers you. 5. The GPU is better on the MBA vs 8th gen 2020 MBP, but again if you stress the CPU/GPU the extra performance goes away as the power limiter limits the performance. 6. You gotta have the rose gold color (It really does look like rose gold and my wife fell in love with the color. That’s why she got the MBA haha!)

 

[ctjack]

The only problem with base 13 2020 is that you are paying for technologies from 2017 13 MBP. That makes me feel "dumb" to pay the price of a new laptop for such an old internals.

 

[IngerMan]

I don't mind the butterfly keyboard too much so I'm guessing I'll really enjoy the magic keyboard. How do you find the Air holding up to the workload compared to your MBP?

Im just doing office stuff and Video Conferencing. My favorite thing is the comfort to type on from the wedge design, the lightness of it. The screen. The feel on my lap. The battery life.

I am sure the 2020 air will edit video better than your 2016 dual core 13" MBP but it will not be as efficient as the 2020 13" MBP. It will handle the job but the MBP13" Gen 8 or Gen 10 will handle it faster, plenty of videos comparing that.

As you said you are a "fairly heavy user" it sounds like a Pro would be a better choice. If I made coin from video editing or was doing it a few days a week, I would of gone Pro.

 

[ctjack]

If I made coin from video editing or was doing it a few days a week, I would of gone Pro.

If I were making money from video editing, I would have gone with 16 core AMD PC and 2080Ti, which is on par with Mac Pro, while costs $2000.
That is all possible thanks to Blackmagic design, who opened gates for consumers. Because previously Resolve was only invite-only system, but now it is the same in MAC/Win and operates in the same way. They did a great job at optimizing it in Windows.