Base 2020 MBP 13" vs base 2020 MBA i5

[erasr]

I'm sure this has already been discussed but I'm struggling to find the answer to this specific question in a thread.

1. Does the new base MBP 13" use the latest Intel processor? 10th gen, right?

2. Does the new base MBA i5 (not i3) use 10th gen?

I've seen conflicting reports that the MBA actually does but MBP doesn't...

 

[galaxy6]

The base MBP (2 thunderbolt ports) uses 8th gen. Only the 4 thunderbolt port models use 10th Gen.

The i5 MBA uses 10th gen.

 

[Recall66]

The base MBP (2 thunderbolt ports) uses 8th gen. Only the 4 thunderbolt port models use 10th Gen.

The i5 MBA uses 10th gen.

Just to elaborate on this the base MBP uses an older but higher powered ‘U’ series chip whereas the MBA uses a newer but lower power ‘Y’ chip

The mba chip is snappier in single core performance but will struggle in comparison under sustained load therefore one may suit you better depending on intended use.

I thought this one over myself and went with a base MBP.

 

[iandk]

Same, just got the Base MBP with 16GB RAM as a stopgap.

 

[supertiffany]

go with the Base MBP its better than the macbook air i5 quad core

 

[deeddawg]

go with the Base MBP its better than the macbook air i5 quad core

Define "better"...

If one intends to do stuff with frequent sustained CPU loads, then the MBP would tend to be the better choice.

On the other hand, if one tends towards short burst CPU usage and generally low power stuff such as your typical Mail, Safari, Numbers, itunes, sorta stuff, or even light photo editing / culling / categorizing, then the MBA does great. It's also lighter, less expensive, and best of all has actual real function keys instead of a touchbar. Plus Apple's specs claim the MBA supposedly gets 10-20% more battery life.

So which one is better depends on what your definition of better happens to be.

@erasr to your question tho - base 2020 MBP is 8th gen cpu, all 2020 MBA's are 10th gen.

 

[supertiffany]

Define "better"...

If one intends to do stuff with frequent sustained CPU loads, then the MBP would tend to be the better choice.

On the other hand, if one tends towards short burst CPU usage and generally low levels of CPU usage (typical Mail, Safari, Numbers, itunes, sorta stuff, or even light photo editing / culling / categorizing) the MBA does great. It's also lighter, less expensive, and best of all has actual real function keys instead of a touchbar.

So which one is better depends on what your definition of better happens to be.

generally if comparing the base macbook pro vs i5 macbook air
there are more benefits with the former than the latter

only if user is strict on a budget especially a student who will use it for office apps like word and presentations, emails and such with the educational pricing the $899 macbook air is better


yes it might have the advantage of real function keys tho that one is subjective since many also likes the touchbar better

less expensive of course with base macbook air at 999 but going up will make it only 200 dollars less than the macbook pro
with all the benefits of better cooling, better performance, better speakers and even better screen.

and it's only lighter by only 100 grams.

 

[deeddawg]

@supertiffany exactly why I stated "which one is better depends on what your definition of better happens to be"

A buyer should choose the one that best fits his/her preferences and needs.

Sweeping, uninformed claims of xyz is better than abc don't help the person asking the question.

 

[trackbikes]

Here in Spain the base MBP and the higher spec MBA are the same price.

im really struggling to work out which to get.
I’ll use it for mostly browser based work, but I will edit and export 4 videos a week via screenflow nothing too technical exported at 1080p
any suggestions?

 

[deeddawg]

any suggestions?

#1 - use Activity Monitor to see what your CPU activity looks like during your current work. Same for Memory Pressure (so you know if you need to upgrade)
#2 - make your best guess then buy from a place with a good return/exchange policy.

 

[hooper2]

MBA i5/8/512 and MBP 8th gen i5/8/256 are the same price at Costco... For someone who does web/email/writing and a lot of Zoom, which would you recommend? Thanks!

 

[deeddawg]

MBA i5/8/512 and MBP 8th gen i5/8/256 are the same price at Costco... For someone who does web/email/writing and a lot of Zoom, which would you recommend? Thanks!

I’d try the Air and return it if it wasn’t a match to your needs. Seems it should be but I also dunno what your storage needs are. I couldn’t do 256GB SSD.