Is the i3 Processor a poor decision?

[nordique]

I have an i3 model. And have been putting it through the works

if you’re gonna be using it for web browsing, office, Skype, zoom, and have 15+ tabs in safari open plus 5 or 6 desktops, it’s perfectly fine

photo and video editing is fine too if you occasionally do it here and there

I’d you’re doing that work regularly, then none of the Airs are good as by design Apple has them all throttling

i3 is fine and benchmarks better than older Pros (pre 2015) or any previous iPad Airs and much better than any retina MacBook 12”

I’ve had no issues with mine. I’m sure the quad core i5 will be better long term value but I may end up upgrading this in 2-3 or so years if I keep it

 

[kreasonos]

I have an i3 model. And have been putting it through the works

if you’re gonna be using it for web browsing, office, Skype, zoom, and have 15+ tabs in safari open plus 5 or 6 desktops, it’s perfectly fine

photo and video editing is fine too if you occasionally do it here and there

I’d you’re doing that work regularly, then none of the Airs are good as by design Apple has them all throttling

i3 is fine and benchmarks better than older Pros (pre 2015) or any previous iPad Airs and much better than any retina MacBook 12”

I’ve had no issues with mine. I’m sure the quad core i5 will be better long term value but I may end up upgrading this in 2-3 or so years if I keep it

In 2-3 years the ARM processor Macs will be out and those will be pretty cool.

 

[throAU]

if the i7 idles at 70c I will freaking eat it and post the video.

People seem to be throwing that figure around for the quad core but you can guarantee that machine wasn’t idle or there is a firmware bug where it is reading F as C. Or the person reporting that temp did.

A mobile 9w i5 will idle at less than that with no heat sink.

 

[Falhófnir]

I think for a $100 more, its a no brainer to get the quad core i5

A couple of considerations, the '$100 more' only applies if you BTO the base model with the i5 (meaning only direct from Apple) - in a few months you won't be able to look without finding $1-200 off the base stock option from third party retailers, but the base + i5 will always be $1,099.

The stock i5 model is currently $1,299, but with that you also get the 512GB storage. Generally sales on this model seem to be more limited but you will probably also find it for $100 or so off quite easily after a while, which would make it the no brainer over a BTO i5 for $100 more.

 

[Dhonk]

Don't forget, with the teacher/student deal, the i3 is a very nice price point. the i5 is an easy upgrade, but I could see the $899 price point being worth it for many

 

[kreasonos]

Don't forget, with the teacher/student deal, the i3 is a very nice price point. the i5 is an easy upgrade, but I could see the $899 price point being worth it for many

I agree, it's an amazing price for a new Mac with a retina display and with fast memory and a fast ssd as well. That's why I'm hesitant to go up to the i5/512 model, just adding that 300.00 makes it harder to swallow.

 

[Moolani]

Is the i7 for $150 more than the i5 ($250 more than the i3) worth it? Or is the i5 the sweet spot in terms of processor?

 

[JustAnExpat]

My opinion:

*IF* you want to give him a new Macbook Air, stick with the i3 process.

1. He's 10 years old. He probably wants a fancy i7 to play his fancy games, but it's used for school.

2. At 10 years old, he'll be using Microsoft Word, Safari, and Google Apps. My 2017 MacBook Air works just fine for that. I imagine he can go as far back as a MacBook Air 2013 and still not have any problems. Heck, my 12" PowerBook G4 1.25 can (barely) run those programs, and it was made before he was born.

3. *IF* he starts getting into creating movies/ graphic design, it'll probably be when he's at least 15. That's five years away, he'll need a new computer by then anyway.

 

[throAU]

Is the i7 for $150 more than the i5 ($250 more than the i3) worth it? Or is the i5 the sweet spot in terms of processor?

I think the i5 is the sweet spot.

If you're on the fence and can hold off, wait until some people get i5s (or hit someone up who has one) and get them to check the exact CPU model.

if it ends in "G7" it has the exact same GPU as the i7 and is thus almost identical (i.e., apple went for the top of the line i5 in that power category).

If it does not end in G7, it has the downgraded 48 EU integrated graphics (i3 has 32 EUs, i7 has 64 EUs) and will have 3/4 the GPU performance.

CPU wise there's not much in it (100mhz and 2 MB of l2 cache IIRC) - it's mostly GPU between i5/i7.

I went i7 because when i ordered it was not clear what the i5 model number is, and the i5 models in that series are available (from intel) with both 48 and 64 GPU execution unit GPUs, and i wanted the full fat integrated GPU. Buying i7 ensured that, as the i7 is only available with 64 EUs.

The i3 has 32 EUs and HALF the GPU performance in the i7 (and possibly i5).


If you plan on doing anything with video encode/transcode (imovie, final cut, etc., etc.), the GPU will be important as it is what runs intel "quicksync", which apple uses extensively in their video software. Performance with quicksync for encoding video will scale directly with GPU EU count. (i.e., 64 EUs will be ~30% faster than a 48 EU GPU).

 

[VNNMRC]

Uhm...it seems that the i3-g4 has 48 EU, and the i5/i7g7 got 64

Intel Iris Plus Graphics G4 (Ice Lake 48 EU) Laptop GPU

Specifications and benchmarks of the Intel Iris Plus Graphics G4 (Ice Lake 48 EU) GPU.

www.notebookcheck.net

 

[throAU]

Uhm...it seems that the i3-g4 has 48 EU, and the i5/i7g7 got 64

Intel Iris Plus Graphics G4 (Ice Lake 48 EU) Laptop GPU

Specifications and benchmarks of the Intel Iris Plus Graphics G4 (Ice Lake 48 EU) GPU.

www.notebookcheck.net

Interesting. That's different to the spec I've seen on ark.intel.com

e.g.:

Products formerly Ice Lake

Products formerly Ice Lake product listing with links to detailed product features and specifications.

ark.intel.com

It depends what exact part Apple took. There's only one i3 with G4 graphics, but you may indeed be correct given the Iris plus branding.

Depending on what i5 apple took, it may be 48 or 64 eu, but until someone can confirm the exact CPU model numbers...

 

[Venderious]

The i3 configuration will run minecraft just fine. There is no need to return it. I understand that from your perspective this seems like the wrong purchase decision, but it is really not going to matter for your son. If he needs it now, he needs it now. Keep this configuration.

By the way: why not just get him an 11-inch iPad pro instead? Children of your sons age seem to be having much more fun with all the games and apps on the iPad!

 

[mick2]

Interesting. That's different to the spec I've seen on ark.intel.com

e.g.:

Products formerly Ice Lake

Products formerly Ice Lake product listing with links to detailed product features and specifications.

ark.intel.com

It depends what exact part Apple took. There's only one i3 with G4 graphics, but you may indeed be correct given the Iris plus branding.

Depending on what i5 apple took, it may be 48 or 64 eu, but until someone can confirm the exact CPU model numbers...

The Apple version of the generic 1030G7 is the 1030NG7 here: https://ark.intel.com/content/www/u...030ng7-processor-6m-cache-up-to-3-50-ghz.html

The 'N' denotes an oem part. Note it has the 1.1 base frequency and 10W TDP as per the i5 MBA.

Re the GPU, the 'G7' on the part denotes the 64EU version; this site lists it as being 64EUs; and one of the YouTube vids showed a brief screenshot (Geekbench?) that listed it as the G7 rather than the G4 GPU. So in the absence of an actual i5 MBA to test directly, it's looking pretty certain that both the i5 & i7 have the better GPU.

 

[HellasLEAF]

Question. How you would compare i3 new macbook air to 2017 entry level MBP?
[automerge]1585664940[/automerge]
not a gamer, concern would only come from editing/exporting, etc video with imovie. how would entry level air perform in comparison for you average video editor using imovie

 

[algoy]

The i3 is a good processor, enough for many. I´ll use my mac for web browsing work and uni documents and some programming...and i think it could nail it. Yes, the i5 is far better if you use VM or lots of software at once, but we´re not really the primary MBA market segment...