Macbook air 2020 long term performance for a basic user

[Emm-Mas]

Hi there guys, hope everyone is well!! Im thinking of purchasing the new MBA either the i3 or i5 model as i’m a pretty basic user. I’ve read a lot about the heat issues, my main question is in addition to slowing down the laptop during more demanding tasks will the heat issues affect the long term performance of the laptop?? In particular I’m concerned about the speed, I’m no computer expert but as far as I'm aware its reasonable to assume all laptops will slow down over time but will the thermal issues accelerate this process? If im spending all that money it’s important for me that the laptop remains useable for as long as possible. My old windows laptop takes an eternity just to boot up and even if i try to open something like word i have to wait ages for that to happen lol. As a basic user i just need the laptop to boot up quickly and open up programs like word, youtube, netflix etc quickly for as many years as possible and not to encounter the kind of problems I’m having currently in the future. Considering my basic demands from the laptop i really want this to be a pretty long term investment. Furthermore are there any other long term issues that I should be concerned about with the MBA such as reliability problems with internal parts due to the heat issues? Thanks for all your help

 

[tehStickMan]

Laptops don't just magically slow down over time. Maybe you heard about this from old operating systems (Windows in particular), which over time of install/uninstall programs etc can get gunked up with junk files, which reduced performance a little on old spinning hard drives. Modern OS and macOS doesn't really have these issues.

Secondly, technology keeps moving forward. Your 10yo computer might have issues with some highly demanding websites these days. That's just because it's older tech. It's still the same speed at the same tasks as 10 years ago however.

Your old laptop probably takes forever to load up because it has an old spinning hard disk drive (HDD), which is terrible for loading programs. You want solid-state drive (SSD) these days, and yes the MBA2020 has this. Opening programs is snappy and will remain snappy.

MBA2020 with the i5 is probably your best choice if you want a long-term machine. The only real thing to worry about in say 5 years is maybe your battery will be bad (these are consumables, yes, they degrade with use) - but this is fairly cheap replacement.

Heat issues typically won't be a problem unless you're running at extremes most of the time. I don't think you will be.

 

[TorontoSS]

I think the Air will fit you very well. I don't think you'll experience it really slowing down with either i5 or i3 but just get an i5 as the cost isn't that much more if you configure it from the base model. Just to let you know, I'm a pretty basic user. I use safari, Word, music and iMessages. I watch YouTube as well, and sometimes watch tv on my laptop but pretty rarely. And I had a MacBook Pro 13 inch from late 2013 which did not slow down in 6-7 years.

My old windows laptop did significantly slow down but this was in the late 2000s when things were probably different.

I think you can buy with confidence that it will be fine.

 

[steve1960]

Mid 2012 i5 4GB MBA and mid 2013 i7 8GB MBA both owned since early 2014. I am going to upgrade to the 2020 MBA i3 8GB. Same as you very light use. You will most likely not need an i5 processor. Will be good for another 6 years for light users.
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Typing this message on my late 2009 MacBook White 2.26Ghz 8GB 120GB SSD. Light use, no problem at all.

 

[twintin]

Yes, an i3 base will be enough for you. Have previously owned a mid 2012 Air 8 GB before I purchased this i3 model.

 

[johannnn]

i5 is hotter (both faster CPU and faster GPU). Since the MBA doesn't have active cooling, get the i3 unless you definitely need the i5. Otherwise you will post here again in a month about loud fan noise.

 

[TorontoSS]

i5 is hotter (both faster CPU and faster GPU). Since the MBA doesn't have active cooling, get the i3 unless you definitely need the i5. Otherwise you will post here again in a month about loud fan noise.

I have light usage and have the i5 2020 air. I've experienced no fan noise. It also feels cool when it's on my lap. No problems. Am I watching the temperature inside the machine? No because I think as consumers we don't necessarily need to do that. Computer works great!

 

[jgorman]

Considering my basic demands from the laptop i really want this to be a pretty long term investment. Furthermore are there any other long term issues that I should be concerned about with the MBA such as reliability problems with internal parts due to the heat issues? Thanks for all your help

To my knowledge, the 2020 MBA is the only Mac that has a CPU that can reach 100 degrees C in both burst and sustained loads. No previous MBA model did this. So, what long-term effect this heat has on the internals, no one knows for sure, but we will probably find out in the next few years.

 

[Emm-Mas]

Thanks for all your kind responses, its been really helpful!!! As you can tell i dont know a lot about computers. If ive understood everything correctly it seems like what you’re all saying is that modern laptops with SSD hardrives etc don't really experience slowing and certainly nothing like what I'm experiencing with my 7 year old windows however apps and websites will become more resource intensive in the future. Bearing that in mind i just wanted to ask, a few of you have recommended paying the extra £100 for the i5 do you think a base model i3 MBA would have any issues in handling basic tasks quickly in the future? And should i pay extra for the 16GB RAM to further future proof proof the machine or in light of my basic tasks that would be overkill?? It’s nice reading that some of you still have machines from 2009 running, if i can get even 8-10 years of usage for basic tasks i’d be pretty happy, i did forget to mention that i do like a bit of live sport on NOW TV not 4K or anything just standard HD, im assuming this would also be considered a basic task. Thanks for all your help!!

 

[twintin]

Thanks for all your kind responses, its been really helpful!!! As you can tell i dont know a lot about computers. If ive understood everything correctly it seems like what you’re all saying is that modern laptops with SSD hardrives etc don't really experience slowing and certainly nothing like what I'm experiencing with my 7 year old windows however apps and websites will become more resource intensive in the future. Bearing that in mind i just wanted to ask, a few of you have recommended paying the extra £100 for the i5 do you think a base model i3 MBA would have any issues in handling basic tasks quickly in the future? And should i pay extra for the 16GB RAM to further future proof proof the machine or in light of my basic tasks that would be overkill?? It’s nice reading that some of you still have machines from 2009 running, if i can get even 8-10 years of usage for basic tasks i’d be pretty happy, i did forget to mention that i do like a bit of live sport on NOW TV not 4K or anything just standard HD, im assuming this would also be considered a basic task. Thanks for all your help!!

You have to judge for your self rather than letting others spending your money, especially since 🍎 additions such as RAM is pretty expensive. Personally I have used my Air from 2012 with 8 GB, now with the latest Mac OS, for 8 years with no perceived performance issues, so I bought an i3 base, which I think will work equally well for me the next couple of years.

Just my 2 cents.

 

[Blueberry123]

should i pay extra for the 16GB RAM to further future proof proof the machine or in light of my basic tasks that would be overkill?? if i can get even 8-10 years of usage for basic tasks i’d be pretty happy

When I bought my base MBA in 2013, I am glad I upgraded the ram from 4gb to 8gb (extra £80). It has performed great for my basic use, though I use chrome as my preferred browser, with multiple tabs open.

If I was hoping for a new purchase in 2020 to last another 7+ years, I would have to carefully consider the ram upgrade to 16gb despite the extra £200, because chrome likes to use a lot of ram and it would give me future headroom.

Though personally, if I was upgrading to 16gb ram, I would be considering buying the MBP for the extra performance for multitasking and cooling (has a heatpipe connected to the fan, the MBA does not). The extra ram is only £100 upgrade on base MBP, an easier decision to make.

However, if you are intending to use safari which uses less ram, then a base i3 MBA 8gb should be fine for basic use and is great value. Reading the MBA forum, the i3 (dual core, 9 watts) should run cooler and quieter than the i5 (quad core, 10 watts), if heat and noise is a concern for you. Though do you want to buy a dual core in 2020? Decisions to make.

I am having the same considerations as you to make a new purchase for a long term investment for a new mac, before discounts the cheapest in UK is £999 for a base MBA 8gb, extra £100 for i5, extra £200 for 16gb ram v £1399 for base MBP upgraded to 16gb. I will have a look at both in an apple store soon.

I am disappointed Apple does not use the 15 watt intel U series chip in the MBA anymore and does not have a heatpipe. Without testing, I do not know if this is an issue. It certainly is for some, hence they have returned the MBA for a MBP.

 

[TorontoSS]

When I bought my base MBA in 2013, I am glad I upgraded the ram from 4gb to 8gb (extra £80). It has performed great for my basic use, though I use chrome as my preferred browser, with multiple tabs open.

If I was hoping for a new purchase in 2020 to last another 7+ years, I would have to carefully consider the ram upgrade to 16gb despite the extra £200, because chrome likes to use a lot of ram and it would give me future headroom.

Though personally, if I was upgrading to 16gb ram, I would be considering buying the MBP for the extra performance for multitasking and cooling (has a heatpipe connected to the fan, the MBA does not). The extra ram is only £100 upgrade on base MBP, an easier decision to make.

However, if you are intending to use safari which uses less ram, then a base i3 MBA 8gb should be fine for basic use and is great value. Reading the MBA forum, the i3 (dual core, 9 watts) should run cooler and quieter than the i5 (quad core, 10 watts), if heat and noise is a concern for you. Though do you want to buy a dual core in 2020? Decisions to make.

I am having the same considerations as you to make a new purchase for a long term investment for a new mac, before discounts the cheapest in UK is £999 for a base MBA 8gb, extra £100 for i5, extra £200 for 16gb ram v £1399 for base MBP upgraded to 16gb. I will have a look at both in an apple store soon.

I am disappointed Apple does not use the 15 watt intel U series chip in the MBA anymore and does not have a heatpipe. Without testing, I do not know if this is an issue. It certainly is for some, hence they have returned the MBA for a MBP.

I think these days, RAM is used differently. I also had 8GB in my 2013 MBP and it worked well. I also used the same thought process and instead of getting the i5/8/512 model i upgraded the base model to i5/16/256. I actually think that was a silly decision now and if i was willing to spend £1299 i should have gone to i5/8/512 and that’s probably why it’s a standard config made by apple. Although I’m only using 65GB of storage, the storage may be what makes me upgrade in 4-5 years rather than the ram because apple is good at using ram efficiently.

The reason is this: 8gb ram today isn’t the same as 8gb before. Firstly the ram is much faster and also the way apple builds it’s machines, is that you’re not always using all that ram. it uses the fast SSD, the T2 chip and the RAM. For the MBP, yeah the ram upgrade isn’t much so why not, but for the MBA i don’t think you’d need extra RAM.



i think the i5 upgrade is the best to have for 100 pounds.

 

[deeddawg]

i5 is hotter (both faster CPU and faster GPU). Since the MBA doesn't have active cooling, get the i3 unless you definitely need the i5. Otherwise you will post here again in a month about loud fan noise.

How long have you owned an i5 2020 MBA? In what circumstances have you found yours to be loud or hot?

My i5 is cool and quiet for all normal tasks. Yes, when generating 1000 previews from RAW files in Lightroom it warms up a little and I can hear the fan - yet is never loud or uncomfortable.

Thus my curiosity as to your personal experience with the model.

 

[Blueberry123]

instead of getting the i5/8/512 model i upgraded the base model to i5/16/256

Before reading the MBA forum and watching youtube reviews, my first instinct was also to buy the i5/16/256 MBA. Now I am having doubts because of the reports of heat, performance and noise issues. I have been used to a quiet and cool MBA for the last 7 years, but it is using a 15 watt chip and has a heatpipe, so that plays an important part for cooling and performance. I do not want to be doing thermal modifications.

It's also possible I may not personally see the benefit of a quad core or 16gb ram during the lifetime of ownership, during another 5-7 years if lucky and no expensive repairs. For that I need to understand my use case and future use. Presently I mostly just do email, browsing and watching videos. I do like having multiple tabs open but this is basic use and 8gb should be fine. Some applications may require a quad core, such as sharing screens using zoom, but I do not use them for now.

If I buy the base MBP and upgrade to 16gb, I am confident I will not be concerned about anything (other than adjusting to using the touch bar!). It has a 15 watt chip and heatpipe that I have been used to, and the extra £100 for the ram appears worth it, again to not be concerned long term.

However, I love the MBA, the form factor, lighter and prefer the functions keys over a touch bar. Because of the concerns of heat, noise and performance limitations, I would have to buy 2020 MBA from an apple store, so I know I can test it for 14 days and return it if necessary, which is what I expect I will eventually decide to do.

My instinct says Apple should have put a heatpipe in the new MBA. The new 9 and 10 watt chips appear to be creating further space between the MBP, by deliberately limiting it's performance and cooling, especially on the quad cores, looking at the benchmarks scores and negative reports from some i5 and i7 owners. People buy on price and form factor. Apple could have put a heatpipe on the quad core models and charged more for the upgrades. I would happily pay extra for that.

 

[26139]

My dad's 2012 11" MacBook Air is still running like a champ.

Highly doubtful you'd have issues with the newest version.

 

[Blueberry123]

8gb ram today isn’t the same as 8gb before. Firstly the ram is much faster and also the way apple builds it’s machines, is that you’re not always using all that ram. it uses the fast SSD, the T2 chip and the RAM.

That's encouraging and gives me confidence I could with my basic use be happy with 8gb for the next few years. I could also manage my ram better in the future by using safari instead of chrome. There are discounts available from other retailers than apple for the stock configuarations for the i3 MBA, the i5 512gb MBA and base i5 MBP, so either is tempting to buy.

 

[macintoshmac]

My dad's 2012 11" MacBook Air is still running like a champ.

Highly doubtful you'd have issues with the newest version.

People are getting concerned due to Apple deciding to not connect processor die and the heatsink actively but instead provide passive cooling (from what I gather).

 

[twintin]

People are getting concerned due to Apple deciding to not connect processor die and the heatsink actively but instead provide passive cooling (from what I gather).

Regardless how it is built, the goal is still to keep the temperature within the operational range for the components inside. Are you suggesting this is not the case for the Air ? Has no one built this kind of cooling system before ? If so, how is the loglivity of those other computers with similar cooling design ?

 

[macintoshmac]

Regardless how it is built, the goal is still to keep the temperature within the operational range for the components inside. Are you suggesting this is not the case for the Air ? Has no one built this kind of cooling system before ? If so, how is the loglivity of those other computers with similar cooling design ?

True. The goal is to keep operational temperatures within spec. I wouldn’t mind components running at the higher end of their rated temperatures if that’s what my workload entails. I would still want to keep it as cool as possible, for longevity. I have a MacBook Air 2017 that I push when needed, for photo editing and even for a couple of games (Deus Ex Human Revolution) that I ran on this petite notebook. Would take breaks in between to help cool the computer some, particularly the battery. I don’t own this notebook, so can’t say anything from personal experience. The only experience I can truly trust is mine, and I don’t have it for this notebook. I was merely commenting on why people seem to be unnerved with this notebook and its temperatures.

 

[johannnn]

Should it have better cooling? Absolutely. Why? So it's silent more often.

But the lack of active cooling doesn't mean that the computer will magically get slow in a year or two.

Hopefully the ARM transition fixes the heat problem. I have a feeling that Mac laptops will be significantly better (*) in a year or two when ARM takes over, so if I purchased a laptop today I wouldn't future proof it too much.

* better in battery and heat. If you do something weird like virtualize windows, then maybe you have to stick with old intel MacBooks.

 

[Blueberry123]

Hopefully the ARM transition fixes the heat problem. I have a feeling that Mac laptops will be significantly better (*) in a year or two when ARM takes over, so if I purchased a laptop today I wouldn't future proof it too much.

The transition to ARM is one reason why I may decide to wait to see if it improves on the 2020 MBA. It should bring greater battery life and better heat management. Not sure if the 13 inch MBA would get another redesign for ARM, but a little lighter would also be nice.

 

[gpat]

* better in battery and heat. If you do something weird like virtualize windows, then maybe you have to stick with old intel MacBooks.

Laughed hard at "something weird".

 

[ajaan]

2020 i5/16/256 Air here. It's fantastic.

No heat or noise issues. Cooler and quieter than my 2019 base Pro, which was the hottest, most noisy, and worst Apple computer I ever bought.