Super happy with my 2020 i5

[prism]

Yes, I realize and acknowledge the superiority of the M1 in pretty much every category of comparison with the i5, but I have to say that ever since I did the thermal pad and shim mods, I am very satisfied with my machine. Not only do I almost never hear the fan anymore but it is noticeably snappier than before!
Now it may not be as fast or as energy efficient as the M1 MBA but I frequently use mine in clamshell mode, connected to two monitors, and I do a lot of x86 vm for my work so knowing that these are not possible on the M1 is a deal breaker.
I am certainly looking forward to the next generation M chip equipped MBP later this year and if it wasn't for that horrid Touch Bar; I wouldn't think twice.

 

[Apple_Robert]

Enjoy your modded Mac. Just think...when you upgrade to the M series, you won't have any modding to worry about.

 

[prism]

Enjoy your modded Mac. Just think...when you upgrade to the M series, you won't have any modding to worry about.

Curiously, I got a kick out of the process of modding, the end result made it even more satisfying, but that's just me!

 

[Apple_Robert]

Curiously, I got a kick out of the process of modding, the end result made it even more satisfying, but that's just me!

I modded my 2011 MBP but, I would not think about that with the M1 MBA I got. It would make me too nervous.

 

[prism]

I modded my 2011 MBP but, I would not think about that with the M1 MBA I got. It would make me too nervous.

The additional gains in performance in the M1 from modding are so modest that I wouldn't bother.
In the case of the i5 in my MBA, to get a 1000 point jump in the Geekbench multi score makes the effort worthwhile.

 

[Supra Mac]

I"m getting along with a 2020 i3 with the shim and paste mod. Wife has M1 MBA and we have a M1 Mini on server duty so able to scratch that itch if needed. My needs are pretty minimal so the i3 does what I need.

 

[prism]

I"m getting along with a 2020 i3 with the shim and paste mod. Wife has M1 MBA and we have a M1 Mini on server duty so able to scratch that itch if needed. My needs are pretty minimal so the i3 does what I need.

You are all set!

 

[thadoggfather]

if you need intel compatibility, and/or don't wanna take it on the chin, there is pride in being utilitarian and value in seeing the fruit of your mod labor

 

[prism]

if you need intel compatibility, and/or don't wanna take it on the chin, there is pride in being utilitarian and value in seeing the fruit of your mod labor

It’s actually straight forward ROI which, in this case is substantial enough to make the effort. And yes, X86 compatibility, dual monitor support and maybe at some point plugging to an eGPU are enough reasons for me to not jump ship yet.
i think when the MXX MBPs are released with a new chassis, 4 ports, no Touch Bar etc, i will bite the bullet.

 

[darngooddesign]

The additional gains in performance in the M1 from modding are so modest that I wouldn't bother.
In the case of the i5 in my MBA, to get a 1000 point jump in the Geekbench multi score makes the effort worthwhile.

A couple of people have added thermal pads to connect the heatsink to the bottom case; they have reported it keeps the M1 Air cool enough to where it doesn't hit 93C and throttle under sustained loads.

 

[prism]

A couple of people have added thermal pads to connect the heatsink to the bottom case; they have reported it keeps the M1 Air cool enough to where it doesn't hit 93C and throttle under sustained loads.

Yes but even if you can get rid of the throttling it’s not like the performance gain you can achieve with the intel chips.

 

[Jack Neill]

The additional gains in performance in the M1 from modding are so modest that I wouldn't bother.
In the case of the i5 in my MBA, to get a 1000 point jump in the Geekbench multi score makes the effort worthwhile.

I experienced this too, I did just a thermal pad and got a huge bump in GB5. I quite enjoyed using the i5/8/512 2020 Air. I have a M1 now but I'll be keeping both.

 

[darngooddesign]

The additional gains in performance in the M1 from modding are so modest that I wouldn't bother.
In the case of the i5 in my MBA, to get a 1000 point jump in the Geekbench multi score makes the effort worthwhile.

While it won't necessarily make a single task faster, what it will do is make render times, for example, shorter because it's that kind of sustained load which causes the Air to heat up and throttle. Based on my comparison of doing the same render on both an M1 MBA and M1 MBP, the difference can be several minutes and the Air won't have loud fan noise like the Pro does. Admittedly, I was running Intel software, but I doubt a native version would make a big difference.

 

[prism]

While it won't necessarily make a single task faster, what it will do is make render times, for example, shorter because it's that kind of sustained load which causes the Air to heat up and throttle. Based on my comparison of doing the same render on both an M1 MBA and M1 MBP, the difference can be several minutes and the Air won't have loud fan noise like the Pro does. Admittedly, I was running Intel software, but I doubt a native version would make a big difference.

So what you are saying is that achieving M1 MBP performances does not require active cooling? I would mean that MBP owners are getting short changed if you consider the Touch Bar to be a drawback (which I do!). So about the only discernable advantage is the extra 100 nits? wow, what a rip off!

 

[darngooddesign]

So what you are saying is that achieving M1 MBP performances does not require active cooling?

If you are doing regular work then you do not need active cooling, but if you are doing heavier lifting like processing a lot of LR photos, 3D rendering, etc. then you will not get the MBP's performance from your Air.

I would mean that MBP owners are getting short changed if you consider the Touch Bar to be a drawback (which I do!). So about the only discernable advantage is the extra 100 nits? wow, what a rip off!

No one who wants the improvements is getting shortchanged. For $250 MBP owners get:

Better screen (Brighter, better, contrast, and blacker blacks)
Longer battery life
Slightly better speakers
Active cooling for better sustained performance.

The MBP objectively has $250 worth of improvements. Someone not valuing those improvements does not mean the MBP is a ripoff, just that they should buy the Air instead.

PS> I didn't mention the touchbar as an extra since that has subjective appeal.

 

[playtech1]

The M1 MBA is definitely superior to the Intel version, but it's also true that the Intel Air (and really all of Apple's recent lineup) remains a perfectly good laptop that will be more than enough for many users and given many years of service.

I flit between an M1 MBA and a 12 inch MacBook on a daily basis and although the latter is a little less responsive in use, the Netflix show I'm watching or the webpage I'm browsing look and sound exactly the same* on both machines!

*Screen size apart

 

[playtech1]

For $250 MBP owners get:

Better screen (better brightness, contrast, blacker blacks)
Longer battery life
Slightly better speakers
Active cooling for better sustained performance (so some people can get the same performance while others can't).

The MBP objectively has $250 worth of improvements. Someone not valuing those improvements does not mean the MBP is a ripoff, just that they should buy the Air instead.

PS> I didn't mention the touchbar as an extra since that has subjective appeal.

All that you have said is true - and I agree it can be worth $250 for certain people - but the differences are quite marginal.

10% longer battery
100 nits of screen brightness
a fan that only really kicks in on very heavy stuff (pro and a slight con, in that fanless has some benefits)
the speakers are technically better - but it's a bit subjective to the ear

I was very grateful the differences were so slight as it meant I had was able ditch the touch bar with an MBA without sacrificing much elsewhere.

 

[darngooddesign]

The screen has better contrast and blacker blacks in addition to the increased brightness, and its 10% of a 16 hour batter not 10% of an 8 hour battery.

My point was that $250 for those improvements seems fair enough to me, unlike Apple's RAM and SSD prices , so its not really a ripoff, but rather just the upgrades may not be necessary to you.

 

[MBAir2010]

Orig poster,
have you used any ipad apps on the macbook air M1 yet?
that feature i read a out early last year and was wondering how that aspect is functioning.
thanx