Buying a MacBook Air i5 or i7?

[Mikkel.kg]

Slanging? I learned a new word today. I like it!

And I missed the personal hits. It's a fair discussion given the incredible amount of disinformation floating out there. If some threads are to be believed, i7s are ticking time bombs waiting to burst into flames the minute Skyrim is launched.

Things like "noticeable difference" get thrown around like it actually means something. Unless someone brings hard numbers, its just that, discussion.

And the point I was trying to make (without engaging in personal hits) is that Apple wouldn't knowingly design a laptop that would burst into flames or be any sort of security risk, or risk burning out if used, or anything like that. Comments like that just feed the hysteria around this topic.

If someone wants to buy a slower computer because they can get 30 more minutes of battery life (like 7 hours instead of 6 and a half) or maybe run 5C cooler, then so be it. Do so with the full knowledge of what you are doing. Don't do it because you're afraid your CPU is going to burn up if your browse too long. That's all.

What's up with all the hyperbolic statements? No one but you have talked about "ticking time bombs" or macs "bursting into flames". People have expressed a valid concern with heat, based on issues with last year's model.

I find it quite demeaning and arrogant that you call this "hysteria".

 

[ZBoater]

What's up with all the hyperbolic statements? No one but you have talked about "ticking time bombs" or macs "bursting into flames". People have expressed a valid concern with heat, based on issues with last year's model.

I find it quite demeaning and arrogant that you call this "hysteria".

Yes, I am prone to hyperbole. It's a personal failing of mine. But once you've read some of the threads regarding the heat and battery life over the past 12 months (this topic isn't new you know), you can't help but grow a bit cynical and hyperbolic.

 

[Ptdr]

Let's sum up:

i5:
* Mail/Internet usage
* Better battery life
* No additional cost
* Less Heat


i7:
* Video/Image editing (really? buy MBP)
* Faster by 5-10% on average (no difference it terms of regular computer use such as mail/internet)
* Lowers battery life by 20-30min (depends on processor usage)
* Costs $90 more (Educational program that everybody can buy through it)

Well, for me no need to buy a MBP, i've just sold mine (2010) only decause i need portability, and the 2012's air i5 is already more powerful.
I do music production, i'll be able to run logic 9 smoothly with a macbook air, and i get 8gb ram, a big bonus for DAW softwares.

@Zboater : If battery-wise, the i7 is really 30 minutes under, for such a small amount of CPU, then i'll go for the i5.
As you said, numbers, we need numbers, then people can decide whats best for their needs...

 

[Mikkel.kg]

Yes, I am prone to hyperbole. It's a personal failing of mine. But once you've read some of the threads regarding the heat and battery life over the past 12 months (this topic isn't new you know), you can't help but grow a bit cynical and hyperbolic.

Cynicalism and hyperbole doesn't exactly improve the quality of your arguments, quite the opposite.

Also, I'm well aware that this isn't a new discussion. I've searched the board extensively and read quite a few threads dealing with the heat/battery/noise issues. Based on the sheer amount of users who've reported differences between the two 2011 processors, I think it's fair enough to discuss if such differences also exist in the 2012 models.

 

[pandaguy]

Ended up buying the i5. I don't need the extra power as a college student but honestly I care more about even a little more of battery life.

 

[theSeb]

Imaginary? Do you have sources to back up that assertion?

And okay let's call it a major typo. I apologize for making such an accidental absurd statement. I accidentally wrote 5 when it should have been a 7. The i5 is not faster than the i7, but which one is the better in terms of battery life, noise and heat has yet to be established.

Do you have sources to back up your assertions? I bought a 2011 13" ultimate MBA 2 days after it was released. I created a long thread and took many screenshots of the temperatures and fan noises under 100% CPU load. It's nearly a year later and, despite pushing my little computer nearly everyday, it still has not melted or blown up. I read most of the threads on this forum and I have not seen a shred of evidence that the i7 has some inherent heat issue that the i5 does not. What I have seen is what I see in the MBP and iMac sub-forums nearly every day: "omg, my computer is too hot". If there really was a tangible heat issue that resulted in premature failure, then we would know about it by now and there would be recalls.

99% of people don't even realise that their computer has issues or spend their time running like headless chickens trying to check if their computer has a particular panel or a particular brand of SSD. Fact of the matter is that less than 1% of mac owners bother to post or read forums such as these. When you come to a hospital don't be surprised to see sick people. The mass hysteria threads are worth a giggle though.

 

[ZBoater]

Cynicalism and hyperbole doesn't exactly improve the quality of your arguments, quite the opposite.

Also, I'm well aware that this isn't a new discussion. I've searched the board extensively and read quite a few threads dealing with the heat/battery/noise issues. Based on the sheer amount of users who've reported differences between the two 2011 processors, I think it's fair enough to discuss if such differences also exist in the 2012 models.

You see, thats the point. The supposed "differences" between the 2011 models are accepted as fact because of some posts. In this Anandtech review for example, the difference in battery life between the i5 and i7, at least on the MacBook Pros, is just a few minutes. Review after review for the 2011 Airs fails to mention the "noticeable" heat disparity. Yet someone posts here and you have people returning their i7s to Apple because they run "too" hot or have "significantly less" battery life.

And if you hadn't figured it by now, I'm not aiming for quality, I'm aiming for amusement....

 

[Ptdr]

Do you have sources to back up your assertions? I bought a 2011 13" ultimate MBA 2 days after it was released. I created a long thread and took many screenshots of the temperatures and fan noises under 100% CPU load. It's nearly a year later and, despite pushing my little computer nearly everyday, it still has not melted or blown up. I read most of the threads on this forum and I have not seen a shred of evidence that the i7 has some inherent heat issue that the i5 does not. What I have seen is what I see in the MBP and iMac sub-forums nearly every day: "omg, my computer is too hot". If there really was a tangible heat issue that resulted in premature failure, then we would know about it by now and there would be recalls.

99% of people don't even realise that their computer has issues or spend their time running like headless chickens trying to check if their computer has a particular panel or a particular brand of SSD. Fact of the matter is that less than 1% of mac owners bother to post or read forums such as these. When you come to a hospital don't be surprised to see sick people. The mass hysteria threads are worth a giggle though.

Got the message for the heat, what about battery life?

 

[theSeb]

Got the message for the heat, what about battery life?

Check out the batteries and heat section.

http://www.macworld.com/article/1161434/macbook_air_2011.html

The difference is insignificant. 27 minutes on the 13" and even less on the 11" (202 vs 205 vs 221)

Repeatable test results are much better than anecdotal evidence.

 

[mayuka]

I'm confused. There're a lot of different statements out there....

Can anybody clear things up for me?

i5 vs. i7

- Does the i5 provide longer battery life when the cpu is at 100%?
- Does the i7 get warmer when the cpu is at 100%?

With 100% I mean something like encoding a movie from my dslr. That does take about an hour on my current Macbook.

 

[Barna Biro]

The difference is surely insignificant... the real difference on the other hand is in the i7 being able to perform the same tasks a tab bit faster ( which in the end is saving you time ). Only if you have a limited budget you should go for the i5, otherwise go for i7.

 

[Ptdr]

The difference is surely insignificant... the real difference on the other hand is in the i7 being able to perform the same tasks a tab bit faster ( which in the end is saving you time ). Only if you have a limited budget you should go for the i5, otherwise go for i7.

I don't have a limited budget, but again, if i get half an hour less battery with the i7, i'll go for the i5..

@theSeb : thanx for the link! can't wait for the 2012's battery life test.

 

[theSeb]

I'm confused. There're a lot of different statements out there....

Can anybody clear things up for me?

i5 vs. i7

- Does the i5 provide longer battery life when the cpu is at 100%?
- Does the i7 get warmer when the cpu is at 100%?

With 100% I mean something like encoding a movie from my dslr. That does take about an hour on my current Macbook.

Well, doing things like encoding on the battery is never going to work out well on any computer, whether it's a pc or a mac.

The i7 and the i5 will both reach the same temperatures at 100% CPU load. In theory the i5 has a slightly longer battery life, but since the i7 can get the job done quicker, they will both probably finish with the same amount of battery charge left.

 

[Barna Biro]

I don't have a limited budget, but again, if i get half an hour less battery with the i7, i'll go for the i5..

@theSeb : thanx for the link! can't wait for the 2012's battery life test.

You are not looking at it correctly... Let's assume that you'd get 30 mins less... BUT the i7 is FASTER than the i5 which leaves also a chance for you to finish whatever you were trying to finish 30 mins faster... if you were on the i5, you might indeed have 30 mins of usage left, but the task you have started might still not be finished ( so where's the win in being able to look at progress bars for 30 min more? nowhere... ).

You're really over-thinking the entire "issue" ... If you use your notebook for intensive stuff, it will drain the battery fast no matter what. The real difference you should be instead looking at is: "would the i7's slightly faster clock speed help me get my job done faster in the limited time I have or not".

The difference between the i7 and i5 is not HUGE, but there is some difference... My previous affirmation stands: If you have the money for it, go with the i7, else get the i5.

 

[Ptdr]

Well, doing things like encoding on the battery is never going to work out well on any computer, whether it's a pc or a mac.

The i7 and the i5 will both reach the same temperatures at 100% CPU load. In theory the i5 has a slightly longer battery life, but since the i7 can get the job done quicker, they will both probably finish with the same amount of battery charge left.

It make sence, i don't see the point comparing i5 and i7 at 100% load.

The question for me is :
How is the battery life affected when doing casual stuff (internet browsing, ms works...)??

 

[Barna Biro]

It make sence, i don't see the point comparing i5 and i7 at 100% load.

The question for me is :
How is the battery life affected when doing casual stuff (internet browsing, ms works...)??

Man, try to understand that there is not clear answer for what you are asking... everyone "does casual stuff" differently. You can have puny Excel or Word documents open that don't need a lot of processing, others can have bigger one... or you can even have a mix of them from time to time. Also in the browser, it depends on how many tabs you have open, what exactly you are doing on that website ( is it loaded with animations, videos, etc. ) and so on and so forth...

So what if someone drops by and tells you "I also use it for casual stuff and it lasts 6 hours..." , then someone else comes by saying he also uses it for the exact same stuff but it for him, it only lasts 5 and a half hours ( both of them with the same MBA configurations )... then you eventually buy the same model and come back saying "oooh, but for me it lasts 7 hours!!!! it's great !!!" .... CASUAL IS BLOODY DIFFERENT FOR EVERYONE !!! People who pretend that they can provide you "exact numbers" on "casual use" and pretend to hold a 100% accurate answer ARE LYING !!!

Get the bloody i7 already and be happy with it !

PS: The crap notebook has a 14 day return policy... can't you just get both and test for yourself ?! Seriously now... it's not rocket-science that we're discussing here...

 

[Ptdr]

You are not looking at it correctly... Let's assume that you'd get 30 mins less... BUT the i7 is FASTER than the i5 which leaves also a chance for you to finish whatever you were trying to finish 30 mins faster... if you were on the i5, you might indeed have 30 mins of usage left, but the task you have started might still not be finished ( so where's the win in being able to look at progress bars for 30 min more? nowhere... ).

You're really over-thinking the entire "issue" ... If you use your notebook for intensive stuff, it will drain the battery fast no matter what. The real difference you should be instead looking at is: "would the i7's slightly faster clock speed help me get my job done faster in the limited time I have or not".

The difference between the i7 and i5 is not HUGE, but there is some difference... My previous affirmation stands: If you have the money for it, go with the i7, else get the i5.

As i said before, i'm interested in casual stuff, the i7 won't help me to write faster on works for exemple!!!
For serious stuff like sound editing, most of the time my laptop is plugged anyway, so no worries.

I have the money but i'm not sold yet on the i7, it all depends on the numbers, i would say for me, 10 minutes loss of battery life is the max accepted on casual stuff...

 

[kodeman53]

As i said before, i'm interested in casual stuff, the i7 won't help me to write faster on works for exemple!!!
For serious stuff like sound editing, most of the time my laptop is plugged anyway, so no worries.

I have the money but i'm not sold yet on the i7, it all depends on the numbers, i would say for me, 10 minutes loss of battery life is the max accepted on casual stuff...

You've wasted more time analyzing this than the slower CPU will save you over the life of the MBA. Get the I5 and bring this pedantic thread to an end. You're trying to make an objective decision with subjective terms like 'casual stuff''. Even if someone does a test of the I5 to the I7, there's no way know if their test workload matches how you plan on using your MBA. For a laptop that lasts 3.5 to 4 hours on a battery, and you're looking for 10 more minutes, or a 4.1 - 4.8% difference.

 

[Ptdr]

You've wasted more time analyzing this than the slower CPU will save you over the life of the MBA. Get the I5 and bring this pedantic thread to an end. You're trying to make an objective decision with subjective terms like 'casual stuff''. Even if someone does a test of the I5 to the I7, there's no way know if their test workload matches how you plan on using your MBA. For a laptop that lasts 3.5 to 4 hours on a battery, and you're looking for 10 more minutes, or a 4.1 - 4.8% difference.

I know what you mean, i'll probably go for the i5
I'm still interested to see these battery life tests, even if some of you think they are useless or meaningless for someone hesitating between the i5 and i7...

 

[theSeb]

I know what you mean, i'll probably go for the i5
I'm still interested to see these battery life tests, even if some of you think they are useless or meaningless for someone hesitating between the i5 and i7...

I would go for the i5 in your situation. If I was in the market for a 2012 MBA, then I would probably get an i5, 128 GB and 8 GB of RAM. I have too many computers and lots of storage now so I don't need the extra CPU or storage space.

 

[kobyh15]

This has happened the last couple years. Mass hysteria over nothing. You put a powerful CPU/GPU in a small case and it's going to get hot. Intel knows this and Apple sure as hell knows it. How many outright failures have you heard of because of heat? None. The computers are designed with heat in mind. The whole damn computer is a heat sink for goodness sakes. Buy the computer that is going to make you happy and help you GET YOUR JOB DONE QUICKER. That's what is going to save you money and time. Not fretting over a couple degrees and battery life. Make a decision and move on.

 

[mayuka]

Buy the computer that is going to make you happy and help you GET YOUR JOB DONE QUICKER. That's what is going to save you money and time.

That's a myth. Writing a letter or surfing the internet is still blazingly fast with a Powerbook G4. The only real advantage of the newer processors is encryption speed (because processors have built-in instruction-sets) and video performance (because of the GPU). Since most people do have another computer and use their MBA as portable device they won't notice the difference.

What still puzzles me is how the i7 can be faster and yet produces the same amount of heat...

 

[kobyh15]

That's a myth. Writing a letter or surfing the internet is still blazingly fast with a Powerbook G4. The only real advantage of the newer processors is encryption speed (because processors have built-in instruction-sets) and video performance (because of the GPU). Since most people do have another computer and use their MBA as portable device they won't notice the difference.

What still puzzles me is how the i7 can be faster and yet produces the same amount of heat...

They both have the same thermal rating. The i7 probably does produce a negligible amount more of heat. But the computer is designed to be able to handle it. The OP said he would be doing some sound editing as well. The i7 will be faster. I agree it would be a wash with only web surfing and basic text editing.

 

[Ptdr]

That's a myth. Writing a letter or surfing the internet is still blazingly fast with a Powerbook G4. The only real advantage of the newer processors is encryption speed (because processors have built-in instruction-sets) and video performance (because of the GPU). Since most people do have another computer and use their MBA as portable device they won't notice the difference.

What still puzzles me is how the i7 can be faster and yet produces the same amount of heat...

Thank you!
I'm a teacher so for me the i7 won't "GET MY JOB DONE QUICKER" for writing or web browsing for exemple, i have my laptop with me all day and battery is a priority.
However i wouldn't mind more CPU for my music production projects, that's why i was curious about the ratio CPU gain/battery life, but this seems to annoy some i7 fans or whatever they are...
By the way kobyh15, i actually don't really care about heat...

 

[theSeb]

What still puzzles me is how the i7 can be faster and yet produces the same amount of heat...

Seriously? You really can't figure this out? Think about why would an MBP with a quad core CPU show the same temps as a dual core MBA at load. Most car engines' water temperature stays at the same level, yet they are vastly different.