Macbook 12" (2017) to MacBook Air base (2020)

[noobinator]

Never had an issue with my old MB 12" outside the keyboard. It's why I sold it. I just didn't enjoy it. I'm debating what to get next and I keep going back and forth between the 2020 base model air and 2020 base model pro. My 12" did everything I needed it to but only slowed down a tiny bit when I edited raw in lightroom.

What kind of performance upgrade can I expect from the base model 2020 air over my old 2017 12" MacBook? Will it handle my raw files better? I usually don't even edit raw files, just on occasion so it's not a deal breaker, even on the 12". I am just trying to decide if I can save $300 and enjoy the air as much as the new pro?

Thoughts, comments, opinions on those who have used both a 12" and the new air?

 

[twintin]

Maby one of following threads can be of some help

2020 Macbook Air, 2018 Macbook Pro or Keep Macbook 12"

Hi All I had my trusty 12" Macbook since 2016, which has the base m3/8/256. Overall it works for what I need it to do, but it is starting to feel it's age. I use it for work these days for emails/opening files and editing excel sheets and such. At night I stream, browse the internet and upload...

forums.macrumors.com

Performance vs 2017 12" MacBook

I just did a little googling and it looks like the MBA isn't really anymore powerful than the i5 in the 2017 MacBook 12". Is this right? I love my MacBook. I'm just a casual user that likes to read the news and do basic office level productivity so it works great. My girlfriend is finishing...

forums.macrumors.com

Compare with Air 2019, but may give you a rough idea of what can be expected from Air 2020

Review of 2019 MacBook Air coming from a 12" MacBook (it's noticeably bigger and heavier)

It's only been a couple of days, but these are my observations. -The MBA is way more powerful. The speed and CPU is a huge leap forward -The SSD is faster; apps load faster . -The keyboard feels better -Screen better. All of this is expected stuff with an upgrade. The biggest down point I...

forums.macrumors.com

 

[throAU]

12" MB to 13" Air, even an i3 model will be a significant upgrade

Faster storage, and max boost speed of 3.4-3.6 Ghz or so vs. 2.4-2.6 Ghz on the passive cooled 12" MacBook. Plus the ice lake CPUs are 15% faster at the same clock speed and the GPU is massively faster for things that use it.

Yes, it has a fan, no it isn't loud most of the time, and if it does spin up the machine will be ripping through things much faster than your 12" machine did.

 

[playtech1]

The i3 Air is on paper a better performer than the 2017 MB, but you are still looking at a dual-core processor, integrated graphics and fairly weak cooling, so I think you should keep your expectations realistic. It will be quicker, but I don't think you will be wowed by the upgrade.

Personally I think the i5 quad core is the sweet spot for the 2020 Air. In my experience (which admittedly is not with the 2020 Airs) quad cores just seem to have a bit more snappiness in general use than dual cores that make them much more pleasing to use.