If you care about thermals in the MBA 2020, get the i3 version.

[uhhmean]

My air just arrived two days ago(i3,8,512) and so far... its been cool,quiet, and fast! and I've been trying to stress it with MY workload.

I had YouTube playing in safari, Spotify, photos syncing, discord and twitter open, and it barley got warm, no performance issues either btw, this thing is zippy.

edited some photos in Lightroom..no issues at all..

I Then loaded up Final Cut Pro, editing and scrubbing through 4k 30p files, adding titles and video effects, WITH safari in the background downloading MP3 files for my video, and it got a little warm but FAR from "hot" or uncomfortable. when I switched to 1080p, it didn't even break a sweat or get warm.


The only time it got more than warm & the fans were spinning was initial set up. After everything was setup, I didn't hear a peep, nor did it get uncomfortably warm.

I was honestly looking everywhere, trying to find a review of the i3 that didn't consist of just web browsing, and some benchmarks. after seeing how many people said the i5 was easy to heat up and make the fans spin, I was immediately turned off from it. I read how people said not to get the i3 because it'd be too underpowered or slow. I was so conflicted, but I ultimately decided on the i3 because of how much cooler they said it was, and if it turned out to be slow or have choppy animations I was going to return it, and so far... this thing is cool, fast, and quiet!! im honestly surprised how it handles final cut 4k footage! the only thing that's slow is the export times, which is fine(to me) and to be expected.

but yeah this is for those people who don't exactly know if they wanna "sacrifice" performance for the thermals, and if the i3 has the same issues as the i5/7! It doesn't have any thermal or performance issues to me, and punches way above its weight! I absolutely love this thing and so glad I got this sku!

Feels free to ask anything!

 

[kreasonos]

My air just arrived two days ago(i3,8,512) and so far... its been cool,quiet, and fast! and I've been trying to stress it with MY workload.

I had YouTube playing in safari, Spotify, photos syncing, discord and twitter open, and it barley got warm, no performance issues either btw, this thing is zippy.

edited some photos in Lightroom..no issues at all..

I Then loaded up Final Cut Pro, editing and scrubbing through 4k 30p files, adding titles and video effects, WITH safari in the background downloading MP3 files for my video, and it got a little warm but FAR from "hot" or uncomfortable. when I switched to 1080p, it didn't even break a sweat or get warm.


The only time it got more than warm & the fans were spinning was initial set up. After everything was setup, I didn't hear a peep, nor did it get uncomfortably warm.

I was honestly looking everywhere, trying to find a review of the i3 that didn't consist of just web browsing, and some benchmarks. after seeing how many people said the i5 was easy to heat up and make the fans spin, I was immediately turned off from it. I read how people said not to get the i3 because it'd be too underpowered or slow. I was so conflicted, but I ultimately decided on the i3 because of how much cooler they said it was, and if it turned out to be slow or have choppy animations I was going to return it, and so far... this thing is cool, fast, and quiet!! im honestly surprised how it handles final cut 4k footage! the only thing that's slow is the export times, which is fine(to me) and to be expected.

but yeah this is for those people who don't exactly know if they wanna "sacrifice" performance for the thermals, and if the i3 has the same issues as the i5/7! It doesn't have any thermal or performance issues to me, and punches way above its weight! I absolutely love this thing and so glad I got this sku!

Feels free to ask anything!

That's great! I'm happy you're pleased with it, I'm still debating as well but I am strongly leaning toward the i3, mainly because of the great price and the fact that it has great graphics and super fast ram 3733 plus that i3 processor is no slouch it has faster single core performance than even some Mac Pros. Also, I figure if I spend less on the MBA then I'll have more money when the new iMac comes out and I'll have an awesome work/home setup.

 

[twintin]

For me coming from a mid-2012 Air, the base model was a no-brainer that gave me most bang for the bucket. Glad I bought it. 😊

 

[ipos]

what made u get i3 over i5?
i5 seems to be a better purchase for future proof

 

[twintin]

Same reason I got the base CPU 2012, it was good enough for my use and has been for the last 8 years. Only reason I bought a new Mac now is because the battery on my old one is completely dead and I needed a little bit more storage (better screen and Touch ID is a bonus too). That’s it.

Trust me, for many the base model is “future proof” enough. It’s just that they don’t know it yet. 😊

 

[shenfrey]

Paying the extra $100 if you can afford to, to get an i5 over an i3 is a no brainer

 

[uhhmean]

Paying the extra $100 if you can afford to, to get an i5 over an i3 is a no brainer

I could afford it! I opted to use my money for more storage instead. Like I said the main reason I refused to get the i5 was the heating issues and fans spinning up often. I can't enjoy my products knowing its getting hot fast and spinning the fans frequently when I first buy it. I don't think the MBA chassis was optimized for quad core just yet. Haven't regretted my decision.

 

[shenfrey]

I could afford it! I opted to use my money for more storage instead. Like I said the main reason I refused to get the i5 was the heating issues and fans spinning up often. I can't enjoy my products knowing its getting hot fast and spinning the fans frequently when I first buy it. I don't think the MBA chassis was optimized for quad core just yet. Haven't regretted my decision.

That’s odd, I’ve only heard my fans once and that was when I first landed up the machine and it was downloading all of my pictures, music and files from iCloud etc. Now it’s virtually silent.

 

[uhhmean]

what made u get i3 over i5?
i5 seems to be a better purchase for future proof

For the thermals. I knew I wouldn't be able to enjoy It if the fans were spinning up frequently and it got hot more easily.

if the i3 felt too sluggish or slow I was going to swap it out for the i5 because id have no other option, but it doesn't!

haven't regretted my purchase!
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That’s odd, I’ve only heard my fans once and that was when I first landed up the machine and it was downloading all of my pictures, music and files from iCloud etc. Now it’s virtually silent.

interesting!! I've seen a ton of people on this forum saying it got hot easily and people returning it, I've must've researched for a good 3 days before making the decision. I guess they had more intensive use cases! but im glad you said that! making me think about maybe swapping it! Best Buy will accept refunds up until the 31st so id have a good idea by then if I feel like this isn't suiting my needs! cheers!

 

[shenfrey]

For the thermals. I knew I wouldn't be able to enjoy It if the fans were spinning up frequently and it got hot more easily.

if the i3 felt too sluggish or slow I was going to swap it out for the i5 because id have no other option, but it doesn't!

haven't regretted my purchase!
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interesting!! I've seen a ton of people on this forum saying it got hot easily and people returning it, I've must've researched for a good 3 days before making the decision. I guess they had more intensive use cases! but im glad you said that! making me think about maybe swapping it! Best Buy will accept refunds up until the 31st so id have a good idea by then if I feel like this isn't suiting my needs! cheers!

My use cases are minor mind, I don’t use light room or do any kind of photo/video editing. My MacBook is used for browsing and admin work, plus I use air play a lot to stream music to my HomePod or video to Apple TV. So keep that in mind as that’s probably why I don’t hear anything.

To be honest the people complaining about thermal issues, are most likely doing things this laptop wasn’t designed to do, simply because that’s more than likely all their budget would allow them to do.

 

[kreasonos]

The idea of getting a new macbook for under 1000 dollars (899 for me) is just so enticing. Once it passes the 1000 mark psychologically it's harder for me to justify. I just don't think computers should be that expensive anymore, not when the majority of computing is done on our phones now (for basic users). In terms of storage, not sure why anyone needs more than 256 gb when you have an icloud folder right there in Finder. Personally, with an icloud folder and my dropbox folder in Finder, I don't know how I'd ever use more than 100 gigs of space.

 

[RiaKoobcam]

To be honest the people complaining about thermal issues, are most likely doing things this laptop wasn’t designed to do, simply because that’s more than likely all their budget would allow them to do.

That wasn't my experience at all. I've written about it extensively elsewhere in this forum, but the 2020 i5 MBA is by far the hottest and loudest MBA I've used out of the four I've owned, and the tasks have all been basic and similar across time.

I agree with @uhhmean - if fan noise and a hot underside of the case are gonna bug you, the i3 is probably the right choice, unless you have some specific use case where only an i5 will do but you can't, for whatever reason, get your hands on a high performance quad core laptop that isn't the Macbook Air.

 

[shenfrey]

That wasn't my experience at all. I've written about it extensively elsewhere in this forum, but the 2020 i5 MBA is by far the hottest and loudest MBA I've used out of the four I've owned, and the tasks have all been basic and similar across time.

I agree with @uhhmean - if fan noise and a hot underside of the case are gonna bug you, the i3 is probably the right choice, unless you have some specific use case where only an i5 will do but you can't, for whatever reason, get your hands on a high performance quad core laptop that isn't the Macbook Air.

Then why haven’t I experienced this issue?

 

[geesus]

I haven't even heard the fans on my i5 yet. I don't know what some of you guys are doing to hear them so often.

 

[kreasonos]

Then why haven’t I experienced this issue?

I think a lot of people fail to realize room temperature can play a big part as can what surface you're using the laptop on.

 

[RiaKoobcam]

Then why haven’t I experienced this issue?

Noooo idea. Off the top of my head:

- Different parts
- Different application of thermal paste
- Different versions of MacOS
- You might be using it exclusively on a desk/plugged in
- Different app closing policy
- Different third party software use
- Different usage patterns
- You might not be making video calls (when the fan got loudest on my 2020 i5, when it was pretty close to inaudible on my 2020 i3 and 2019 i5)
- Your expectations might be different, depending on what your tolerance for heat/noise was on your last device.

I dunno man, but there are thousands of posts discussing this issue both here and all over the internet. That's not to suggest all MBA 2020 i5's encounter this issue, or a majority. There's no way to even estimate a percentage unless you've got access to a server room at Apple full of analytics.

It's also an important point that not all users perceive the behaviour as an issue. Again, depends on your expectations and what you're used to.

You haven't experienced the issue, and many others haven't. I have, and many others have. There are so many factors as to why this could be the case that it's impossible to generalise an answer as to why without information we just don't have access to, so all we can do is guess.

 

[ipos]

very detailed

 

[throAU]

My air just arrived two days ago(i3,8,512) and so far... its been cool,quiet, and fast! and I've been trying to stress it with MY workload.

I had YouTube playing in safari, Spotify, photos syncing, discord and twitter open, and it barley got warm, no performance issues either btw, this thing is zippy.

edited some photos in Lightroom..no issues at all..

I Then loaded up Final Cut Pro, editing and scrubbing through 4k 30p files, adding titles and video effects, WITH safari in the background downloading MP3 files for my video, and it got a little warm but FAR from "hot" or uncomfortable. when I switched to 1080p, it didn't even break a sweat or get warm.


The only time it got more than warm & the fans were spinning was initial set up. After everything was setup, I didn't hear a peep, nor did it get uncomfortably warm.

Yeah my i7 does that just fine too.

There's no need to buy peasant spec.

 

[Bolanders]

As does my i5. This is a sensationalist headline to draw reads.

 

[esphil]

Even pushing my Air, the fan has not gone really above 5k, and at that level its barely audible. Even with the temp at 100c, the CPU doesn't fall back to base levels, I've noticed it staying pretty high. The laptop is cool to the touch at 100c and slightly warm on your lap at that as well. I've never felt it get hot. I've definitely felt previous macbook/macbook pro get hot on a different level, which MUCH louder fans. A previous post by some kid on here saying his fingers were burning from the heat is laughable, he must have had a defective unit with the temps going past 100c to feel that!

 

[RegularGuy09]

I have no doubt the quad core Air doesnt heat up more than the i3 one.

the bigger question between the two is battery life. How much is the difference?
And also real world performance. How different is it?

 

[uhhmean]

As does my i5. This is a sensationalist headline to draw reads.

What? I literally just made an account because I wanted to share my experience with my i3. I never disparaged anyone’s i5 purchase...?

I was worrying about thermal issues the whole time before purchasing the MBA, and didn’t know if the i3 exhibited the same “reported” issues the quad core ones had, and couldn’t find a definitive answer anywhere. So I made this thread to just share my experience with it.

dont care about reads or whatever, just trying to help.
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Yeah my i7 does that just fine too.

There's no need to buy peasant spec.

Nice! Didn’t read up a ton on the i7, so I wouldn’t know too much about it. It was mostly the i5 i saw, so assumed the i7 probably had the same issues! Glad it doesn’t!

 

[Bolanders]

What? I literally just made an account because I wanted to share my experience with my i3. I never disparaged anyone’s i5 purchase...?

I was worrying about thermal issues the whole time before purchasing the MBA, and didn’t know if the i3 exhibited the same “reported” issues the quad core ones had, and couldn’t find a definitive answer anywhere. So I made this thread to just share my experience with it.

dont care about reads or whatever, just trying to help.
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Nice! Didn’t read up a ton on the i7, so I wouldn’t know too much about it. It was mostly the i5 i saw, so assumed the i7 probably had the same issues! Glad it doesn’t!

You wrote "if you care about thermals get the i3". I care about thermals and the i5 is fine. There are people with the i7 that also care about thermals and theirs is fine. Had you said "Purchased an i3 and thermals are fine" then so be it, but you imply that anything but an i3 is not particularly good with the thermals. Again sensationalism headline.

Not to mention right below you said i7 might have same issues as i5. Many here have no issues with thermals at all on an i5 or i7.

Again the dramatic headline or phrase.

 

[thadoggfather]

I wouldn't let thermals dissuade you from i5

for casual tasks, there is no noticeable thermal problem with i5 at all my laptop runs barely warm to the touch and fans not running

Get yourself an ad blocker like AdGuard, and use Safari since its optimized and only chrome/FF when you need to, and you'll be smooth sailing

 

[joeybuckets]

My air just arrived two days ago(i3,8,512) and so far... its been cool,quiet, and fast! and I've been trying to stress it with MY workload.

I had YouTube playing in safari, Spotify, photos syncing, discord and twitter open, and it barley got warm, no performance issues either btw, this thing is zippy.

edited some photos in Lightroom..no issues at all..

I Then loaded up Final Cut Pro, editing and scrubbing through 4k 30p files, adding titles and video effects, WITH safari in the background downloading MP3 files for my video, and it got a little warm but FAR from "hot" or uncomfortable. when I switched to 1080p, it didn't even break a sweat or get warm.


The only time it got more than warm & the fans were spinning was initial set up. After everything was setup, I didn't hear a peep, nor did it get uncomfortably warm.

I was honestly looking everywhere, trying to find a review of the i3 that didn't consist of just web browsing, and some benchmarks. after seeing how many people said the i5 was easy to heat up and make the fans spin, I was immediately turned off from it. I read how people said not to get the i3 because it'd be too underpowered or slow. I was so conflicted, but I ultimately decided on the i3 because of how much cooler they said it was, and if it turned out to be slow or have choppy animations I was going to return it, and so far... this thing is cool, fast, and quiet!! im honestly surprised how it handles final cut 4k footage! the only thing that's slow is the export times, which is fine(to me) and to be expected.

but yeah this is for those people who don't exactly know if they wanna "sacrifice" performance for the thermals, and if the i3 has the same issues as the i5/7! It doesn't have any thermal or performance issues to me, and punches way above its weight! I absolutely love this thing and so glad I got this sku!

Feels free to ask anything!