i5 or i7?

[Faux Carnival]

I read about i7 MBA's heating too much. Is this the case? Or is it just a lie?

 

[chibamac]

Lies!
My 13" i7 is as cool as refrigerated ground beef. Get it and forget it.

 

[sloan47]

I've had ZERO heat issues with the i7. It runs cooler than the 13" 2010 IMO.

 

[LeakedDave]

Is this even a question? The i7 is obviously better if you can afford it.

 

[FAsnakes]

I have the i5.. Would have loved the i7 - but I bought from BestBuy and they don't carry the i7s.. .

 

[Pipper99]

Look at this link:

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/1206473/

If you're willing to go this route, the i5 offers substantial savings.

 

[Chopstick217]

Here is a nice review comparing the two.

http://www.anandtech.com/show/4554/apples-11inch-macbook-air-core-i7-18ghz-review-update

I for one, went for the i7 considering it was only 90 more dollars. As for the fan and heat issues, I haven't experienced any so far.

 

[steve dave]

Here is a nice review comparing the two.

http://www.anandtech.com/show/4554/apples-11inch-macbook-air-core-i7-18ghz-review-update

I for one, went for the i7 considering it was only 90 more dollars. As for the fan and heat issues, I haven't experienced any so far.

Keep in mind that this is for the 11. The difference between the processors for the 13 is much smaller.

 

[KPOM]

The i7 runs a little bit warmer than the i5 at idle, but it is fine overall, and I'm not worried at all about overheating issues.

 

[adamsium]

I have the 11in i7 and have had absolutely no issues with excessive heat.

 

[macjacky11]

It is really a dilemma for me. I am always torn between i5 or i7. Some people say i7 is too warm and not much faster and some people say they dont have a problem with the heat from i7. still thinking now.

 

[misterneums]

It is really a dilemma for me. I am always torn between i5 or i7. Some people say i7 is too warm and not much faster and some people say they dont have a problem with the heat from i7. still thinking now.

Some people are really OCD about heat on their laptops. If they can feel even a little warmth there must be something wrong.

As for performance: There is a big jump from the 1.6 i5 to the 1.8 i7. Otherwise it's a marginal increase on the 1.7 i5.

 

[tbobmccoy]

It is really a dilemma for me. I am always torn between i5 or i7. Some people say i7 is too warm and not much faster and some people say they dont have a problem with the heat from i7. still thinking now.

It all depends on what you plan on doing with it. I have no problems with my i5 MBA 13" and the performance increase is less than 10%. I'm pretty sure that's not worth an extra $90... but that's me. It's all up to you!

 

[Kafka]

Getting the ultimate was tempting with the previous Air since it was weak to begin with, anything more was appreciated, but the i5 handles easily any "basic" use.
I suspect lots of people are getting the i7 while not really needing it.