Still another "help me decide" thread! i3 or i5?

[dantracht]

Hey all,

Apologies in advance for being the 50th person to post this type of thread, but....I turn to you good people for advice.

Here's my dilemma:

• I have a $1200 budget max.
• I was looking at the following options:
  1. 2020 MBA i3, 256gb, 16gb ram.
  2. 2020 MBA i5, 256gb, 8gb ram.
  3. Refurbished 2019 (since no 2020s yet) 13" MBP base model. I can live with 128gb just fine. My local microcenter has a refurb for a very good price.
  4. A fleeting look at an 11" iPad Pro with pencil and keyboard folio.

All options come to about the same price, give or take.

I am leaning heavily towards option 2, despite the many many posts I see all over regarding heat/fan noise. I had use of a nTB 13" 2017 MBP, and no fan noise can possibly be any louder than that MacBook pro!

This machine would not be my main heavy lifting machine for what I do, which is marketing mostly from home. For that I have my beloved 2015 27" retina 5K imac and my pride and joy, the late 2013 15" MBP that is an absolute beast and a workhorse. This would be my "weekend warrior," primarily for internet (5-10 tabs open on safari, email, apple news, twitter) some music/movies, email, possibly light work in a pinch, but nothing too intensive. I'm one of those sit on his chair with his laptop on a laptop desk so it doesn't burn my lap type of people. I prefer a macbook for that over an ipad, believe it not.

Let me know which option you would choose.

Thanks in advance and stay safe!

D

 

[CheesePuff]

I would say go the i5 route, but there have already been refurb 2020's out they just are usually snatched up quickly, but you would be able to get at around your price range for the i5 with 16 GB RAM that route.

 

[dantracht]

I would say go the i5 route, but there have already been refurb 2020's out they just are usually snatched up quickly, but you would be able to get at around your price range for the i5 with 16 GB RAM that route.

Thanks. Just looked and none right now, but there is a 256gb 2019 13" MBP refurb....which is tempting.

 

[CheesePuff]

Thanks. Just looked and none right now, but there is a 256gb 2019 13" MBP refurb....which is tempting.

The performance gains in the 2020 with the 10th gen chips and iGPU and the new keyboard would make the 2018-2019 a no buy at all for me.
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Also on the edu store in the US you can get the 2020 i5/256 GB/16 GB RAM for $1,179.00, plus AirPods. You just need to check a box agreeing it will be used in part for educational purposes at checkout

 

[Supra Mac]

Yes stay away from previous years. Your requirements can be met by the i3 with 8GB of ram. Can be had for $899. The pro to going this route is the battery should last longer, less cycles over time than the i5.

Also less tied up if you want to go with Apple Silicon in the near future.

 

[Sword86]

My original plan was to go i3/8/256 but it ended up not being available when I went to make the purchase. I ended up going with the i5/8/256.
I think I’ve had it about 6 weeks now(?) I have yet to hear the fan run at all. Does it even have one?
FYI, I am a real basic user. IG, Twitter, e-mail, some web surfing with a VPN running. I rarely if ever have more than 2 tabs open and close all programs once I have finished with them so I am about as non-intensive a user as you’ll find. I use it almost exclusively on my lap with shorts on. Heat has never been noticeable at all. On occasion I will pick it up and feel under it to see how warm it is. No issue at all. My Air is fast and flawless. I’m very happy I didn’t go a drop a fortune on a new MBP. I almost went with the base $1799 MBP but clued in and decided there was no point at all.
S

 

[deeddawg]

My i5 remains silent and cool. I don't run kernel extensions to check CPU temp or fan RPM, as what I'm concerned with is case temperature and whether the fan is audible.

I also don't watch videos on youtube in chrome. If I watch something it's in safari. Thus videos get hardware decoded instead of chrome forcing a software-decoded video codec.

Sure, when I really push it with a generating 1000 image previews or exporting a few dozen RAW files in Lightroom I do hear the fan - but never loud.

From your usage description you should be fine with either.

I agree with others - stick to a 2020 model - even if it means ordering from EDU or waiting for a refurb.

By the way - if you've been to university, check with your old campus store. Some will sell to alumni with EDU discount and give the back-to-school promo. I've done this with both my undergrad school and my post-grad school. Only downside is you may not have the returnability you get buying directly from Apple.

https://www.apple.com/us-hed/shop/back-to-school

 

[dantracht]

Thank you all! I went with option 2 from the edu store and treated myself to an AirPods Pro for $90! Airpods come today, and macbook air comes next week.

Thanks everyone for your help!