I’ve read the various threads on here about 8 core vs 10 core. The consensus seems to be that it’s not worth it unless you do video editing or gaming. However, assuming one can afford it, is there any harm in upgrading to 10 core? Basically are there any trade offs? For example, is there a decrease in battery going to 10 cores? I’m considering it, but wanted to know the downsides (if any)? Thanks!
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Any harm in upgrading the M2 MacBook Air to 10 cores?
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yes, the trade offs are a slightly lower battery life and a slightly higher operating temperature, so unless you benefit from the additional cores (you know that you want to do lots of video rendering and / or AAA gaming) you're actually better off with less GPU cores as even those are more than just plenty of fast for other things than that.
Thanks! How significant is the battery life issue? Negligible?
Also, upgrading to 10 cores doesn’t help with future proofing at all?
You will be wasting $100 to get the 10 core model.
i have no values at hand. the differences will still be quite small though, but measurable.
My question is a silly one, even with the 10 cores, is there a way to limit how many cores can be used in general application use in case you do want to want to extend battery life? It'd be nice to have that user option to limit to 8 or fewer cores when you're conserving battery life.
Thanks! Is the battery life issue always an issue or only once the computer is getting pushed to the max such that the other cores are needed?
i think it's also generally, but more pronounced during heavy use.
i don't like advertising that channel, but i think Max Tech has had some videos for the M1 in different configurations, possibly M2 as well
i don't like advertising that channel, but i think Max Tech has had some videos for the M1 in different configurations, possibly M2 as well
I assume macOS uses GPU cores the same as CPU cores, meaning on as-needed basis, so as long as you're not doing something graphics intense, like hi-res gaming, they don't kick in, then there shouldn't be much downside to having more. The main downside is cost, but for most use cases, upgrading RAM to at least 16GB gives you much more bang for the buck, if you have to choose between different upgrades. Just looking at it numerically, it's a 100% RAM increase compared to a 25% GPU increase.
Right you are, there's another longer thread that discusses this, BUT, it's also been suggested that a binned GPU core might still draw some residual power. However, it seems to be likely that a 10c M2 Air will throttle relatively quickly, so the benefit of the extra GPU cores is fairly transient, and practically speaking, it's not a compelling update. Incidentally, even if binned cores do draw power, I'm not sure how you could prove that.
I haven't been able to find anything that would suggest it decreases battery life with regular daily use compared to the 8 core. The video here doesn't cover battery life just performance from what I watched of it.
I've been searching for that info also and haven't found anything. The day they went on sale, I ordered a 10-core that's already shipped and debating if I want to order an 8-core and return the 10-core. But I don't think it's worth the hassle. I would do it if I found evidence of a heat/battery life benefit of the 8-core during everyday use (nothing GPU intensive). I'm not concerned about the $100 difference.
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@melican The short version is probably not worth the hassle of returning, but anyone else thinking of opting for the 10 core, save the money and invest in more storage, memory or just save your cash.
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I’m the initial poster — I’m already going to do 16GB of RAM and 1TB of storage. The question is just whether I also upgrade the cores but I want to know if I lose battery life.
I know I could get a 14” M1 Pro at that price. BUT I’m not a pro user. I care about portability. I also can’t see myself buying a 2021 computer half way through 2022 (especially when no timeline has been given for the M2 Pro.
Same..I traded my 2019 M1 Touchbar with 8 cores, so I will see if there is an actual difference in battery life before I send in my trade to Apple. I don't care about 100 bucks either just was looking to have a maxed out portable as hell machine. I debated the 14 but dang is it heavy and I don't need all that power and will never use all the I/O on it either MBA is the perfect laptop.
If you are not a Pro user then you are not going to see any benefit from 10 cores, so save your money. If you’re a gamer then you might actually see a reduction in performance as it runs hotter than the 8 core and throttles more. I don’t see the battery life as an issue as it lasts so long anyway.
What could also be relevant is what kind of intensive tasks you'll be running. Is it a fixed workload with a clear start and finish (i.e. encoding a 5-minute video) or is it an indefinitive workload that can scale up (i.e. gaming).
If it is something like gaming, a 10-core model could very well run hotter and deplete the battery faster, but with 25% more graphics performance (so, overly simplified, i.e. 60fps instead of 48fps, or 1440x900 resolution instead of 1280x800). With something like video encoding, a 10-core model would finish the encode faster, so the remaining battery charge after the task has finished might even be higher.
If it is something like gaming, a 10-core model could very well run hotter and deplete the battery faster, but with 25% more graphics performance (so, overly simplified, i.e. 60fps instead of 48fps, or 1440x900 resolution instead of 1280x800). With something like video encoding, a 10-core model would finish the encode faster, so the remaining battery charge after the task has finished might even be higher.
When you buy the 10-core, you’re actually buying a binned chip that passed all tests. The 8-core chips are actually failed 10-core chips- all are made with the intention of achieving 10 working cores.
The system manages the cores according to demand, so for ordinary (non-graphically intensive) use, the overall power utilization will be for all intent and purpose, identical to an 8-core. The ”extra” cores allow the chip to work to its full potential under demand.
The system manages the cores according to demand, so for ordinary (non-graphically intensive) use, the overall power utilization will be for all intent and purpose, identical to an 8-core. The ”extra” cores allow the chip to work to its full potential under demand.
exact same procedure as Intel applies- an i5 is a binned i7. This is done by every fab.
If 8 cores ain't enough for you 10 won't be either. Especially on sustained load. You'll be MUCH better off with an M1 Pro with 16 Cores or M1 Max with 32.
I got the 10 core because, why not? It's not that much more so I might as well do it.
It could be one of those extending the life kind of things, hard to say, but why not.