M2 MacBook Air 8-Core vs. 10-Core & Best Specs for Processing Power Without Overheating

[magsafelove]

I've been waiting 12 years to buy a new MacBook Air because I've been waiting for the glorious return of MagSafe on them. Well, here it finally is, and just in time, since my screen on my old Air glitches out daily, if I move the screen in any direction. However, I have questions about this upcoming big purchase:

I am trying to figure out if the 8-core or the 10-core CPU/GPU better meets my processing needs, while maintaining as cool of a laptop as possible. I had major overheating issues with my old Air, even with its fan constantly running, and sometimes it got scalding hot and smelled like burning metal (I know, I probably should have broken down and bought a new laptop when that started happening a few years ago, but the smell eventually dissipated, as did the extreme overheating).

So now I'm ready to take the plunge, and I was wondering if there would be *any* (and I do mean "any at all") heat difference in between the 8-core model and the 10-core model if doing the exact same tasks.

So what do I typically do on my laptop? Way too much--even on this old beast. The majority is web browsing (with 10-40 tabs open at any given time); multiple Microsoft Office products open at once (Excel, PowerPoint, and Word); browser-based graphics-editing programs constantly running in multiple tabs (e.g., Canva); a chunk of the time, Adobe Photoshop and/or Illustrator, as well as GIMP open simultaneously; Zoom (while doing all of the above and screensharing); some of the time, DSLR camera software for downloading and viewing/editing images (Canon software) also simultaneously running; and the latest has been Tableau open nonstop with multiple data sources linked to it. Oh, and Netflix

I was hoping to get more into graphics-editing than I already am (I do it for a portion of my job) and possible video-editing, as well as more into DSLR photography, specifically astrophotography and post-photography processing, but the lack of the MagSafe on the new M2 MacBook Pro 13" means it's no longer an option so I'm just hoping to pick the best specs possible for a new Air. I was hoping for feedback on the following specs and if they would meet my needs above, while staying cool:

M2 Macbook Air
10-Core GPU
24GB RAM
1TB HD

So I picked these specs, after talking with an Apple sales rep about my needs and concerns about heat. She said the 8-core vs 10-core, and RAM and HD wouldn't impact heat, but that didn't seem logical to me because my understanding was more memory meant more efficient multitasking, and more efficient multitasking, I would assume would lead to less of a load on the processor, no?

K, thanks in advance for any help anyone can provide. Hoping to purchase one of these ASAP, lest I move my current Air's screen the wrong way again!

 

[jdb8167]

I've been waiting 12 years to buy a new MacBook Air because I've been waiting for the glorious return of MagSafe on them. Well, here it finally is, and just in time, since my screen on my old Air glitches out daily, if I move the screen in any direction. However, I have questions about this upcoming big purchase:

I am trying to figure out if the 8-core or the 10-core CPU/GPU better meets my processing needs, while maintaining as cool of a laptop as possible. I had major overheating issues with my old Air, even with its fan constantly running, and sometimes it got scalding hot and smelled like burning metal (I know, I probably should have broken down and bought a new laptop when that started happening a few years ago, but the smell eventually dissipated, as did the extreme overheating).

So now I'm ready to take the plunge, and I was wondering if there would be *any* (and I do mean "any at all") heat difference in between the 8-core model and the 10-core model if doing the exact same tasks.

So what do I typically do on my laptop? Way too much--even on this old beast. The majority is web browsing (with 10-40 tabs open at any given time); multiple Microsoft Office products open at once (Excel, PowerPoint, and Word); browser-based graphics-editing programs constantly running in multiple tabs (e.g., Canva); a chunk of the time, Adobe Photoshop and/or Illustrator, as well as GIMP open simultaneously; Zoom (while doing all of the above and screensharing); some of the time, DSLR camera software for downloading and viewing/editing images (Canon software) also simultaneously running; and the latest has been Tableau open nonstop with multiple data sources linked to it. Oh, and Netflix

I was hoping to get more into graphics-editing than I already am (I do it for a portion of my job) and possible video-editing, as well as more into DSLR photography, specifically astrophotography and post-photography processing, but the lack of the MagSafe on the new M2 MacBook Pro 13" means it's no longer an option so I'm just hoping to pick the best specs possible for a new Air. I was hoping for feedback on the following specs and if they would meet my needs above, while staying cool:

M2 Macbook Air
10-Core GPU
24GB RAM
1TB HD

So I picked these specs, after talking with an Apple sales rep about my needs and concerns about heat. She said the 8-core vs 10-core, and RAM and HD wouldn't impact heat, but that didn't seem logical to me because my understanding was more memory meant more efficient multitasking, and more efficient multitasking, I would assume would lead to less of a load on the processor, no?

K, thanks in advance for any help anyone can provide. Hoping to purchase one of these ASAP, lest I move my current Air's screen the wrong way again!

Since the M1 & M2 MacBook Airs have no fan, the only option is to throttle the CPU and GPU when they start to get hot. This won't change based on the number GPU cores though if you are stressing 10 GPU cores you might get to throttling faster. On the other hand, with 10 GPU cores maybe you'll finish processing faster and never reach heat saturation that causes the throttling.

The amount of RAM won't have much impact on heat. In fact, having 24 GB might prevent using swap memory to the SSD which will cause more heat than extra RAM. The amount of RAM won't affect multi-tasking unless some applications get swapped out to the SSD. Even then, the M1 has shown that it is mostly imperceptible under normal use. Many don't even know that they are getting GBs of swap usage.

Anyway, the 8/10/24 GB/1 TB is a monster. You shouldn't have any problems with heat or efficiency.

 

[Sheepish-Lord]

I’m not going to read all this but I saw what specs you wanted and to spend $2K on a MBA then want to know if it will overheat is what’s wrong with MBA owner mindsets ha.

Take your $2K and go buy a MBP 14” which only weighs 1lb more than the Air.

 

[magsafelove]

Since the M1 & M2 MacBook Airs have no fan, the only option is to throttle the CPU and GPU when they start to get hot. This won't change based on the number GPU cores though if you are stressing 10 GPU cores you might get to throttling faster. On the other hand, with 10 GPU cores maybe you'll finish processing faster and never reach heat saturation that causes the throttling.

The amount of RAM won't have much impact on heat. In fact, having 24 GB might prevent using swap memory to the SSD which will cause more heat than extra RAM. The amount of RAM won't affect multi-tasking unless some applications get swapped out to the SSD. Even then, the M1 has shown that it is mostly imperceptible under normal use. Many don't even know that they are getting GBs of swap usage.

Anyway, the 8/10/24 GB/1 TB is a monster. You shouldn't have any problems with heat or efficiency.

Thanks for the reply. Interesting points about the 10-core maybe finishing processing faster and thus never reaching those heat levels.

As for the RAM, thanks for sharing that maybe the swap memory wouldn't get sed as a result. I hadn't realized that, but I honestly don't know a ton about how it all works. Do you know what determines which applications get swapped out to the SSD, and am I better off with an M1 14" MacBook Pro (it feels awful to consider buying last year's model, when I've waited this long to buy a new laptop, but I *need* MagSafe, as I've tripped over the cord more times than I can count). Also, would the M2 Air 8-core 16GB 1TB be "good enough" for what I listed? Thanks!

 

[magsafelove]

I’m not going to read all this but I saw what specs you wanted and to spend $2K on a MBA then want to know if it will overheat is what’s wrong with MBA owner mindsets ha.

Take your $2K and go buy a MBP 14” which only weighs 1lb more than the Air.

Ok, thanks for the input. I honestly *had* been debating between the M2 MacBook Pro 13" and the M2 MacBook Air, until I found out the new Pro didn't have MagSafe so now thinking about an M1 MB Pro 14" feels like a letdown (weight is a huge factor for me), after waiting a whole year for a hopefully way better version of the Air. To be fair, I've been doing all the aforementioned multitasking on my 2011 MacBook Air so I just assumed a new Air would be "doable" but heaps better (I'm not saying it's ideal or better than a Pro, but weight, MagSafe, and the sloped keyboard design were determining factors for me).

 

[Macalway]

You have the RAM and SSD variable also, which may be much more of a heat issue.

A SSD can get very hot. I'm waiting for this particular input. RAM, well I don't know about. SSD I have an external M.2 drive which gets very, very, warm.

 

[jdb8167]

Thanks for the reply. Interesting points about the 10-core maybe finishing processing faster and thus never reaching those heat levels.

As for the RAM, thanks for sharing that maybe the swap memory wouldn't get sed as a result. I hadn't realized that, but I honestly don't know a ton about how it all works. Do you know what determines which applications get swapped out to the SSD, and am I better off with an M1 14" MacBook Pro (it feels awful to consider buying last year's model, when I've waited this long to buy a new laptop, but I *need* MagSafe, as I've tripped over the cord more times than I can count). Also, would the M2 Air 8-core 16GB 1TB be "good enough" for what I listed? Thanks!

I don't know exactly what macOS does to determine who to swap out but in general, the RAM that was used least recently is a candidate. Also, macOS compresses memory to avoid swapping if possible so that factors in as well. And finally, the SoC in the Apple silicon machines have very fast Neural Engines for AI and that might also be used to decide based on recent usage.

If size and weight are an issue and you've been getting by with a 12 year old Mac then no, you probably won't be better off with the M1 Pro 14" MacBook Pro. You'll get worse battery life and you almost certainly don't need the extra horsepower. You do get a better, slightly larger HDR mini-LED screen with local dimming for much better contrast and better speakers with the 14" MacBook Pro. I wouldn't worry too much about last years model. The M1 Pro in the MacBook Pro is wicked fast and isn't likely to be updated until early next year.