Thinking of a base model 2020 Air

[teksurv]

I'm thinking about getting a 2020 base Air, adding ram to 16gb. My use case will be Office, Zoom, general browsing, nothing taxing. I have a 16" MBP and a 6 core 2018 mini for heavy duty. The dual core i3 doesn't worry me for what I want to use it for, my concern is whether future versions of MacOS will tax a dual core.

For those with the i3, how is Catalina and your use cases?

 

[3SQ Machine]

I've got a 2019 that is my work laptop. It also has the butterfly keyboard, which I dislike.

I actually think this is terrible for videoconferencing because the camera is horrific--grainy and boxy. I would absolutely want to be sure that they've upgraded the FaceTime camera if that's part of your use case. The fans also get surprisingly loud doing a zoom conferences while running a 4K monitor.

Check the specs to see what's upgraded over the 19. At the very least, put it through its paces while in the return period.

Overall, I thought the '15 MacBook Air was a better machine--minus the low-res screen.

 

[erasr]

My MBP gets ridiculously loud during video calls...

Are we sure were not going over the top with this MBA fan issue??

 

[mtneer]

I'm thinking about getting a 2020 base Air, adding ram to 16gb. My use case will be Office, Zoom, general browsing, nothing taxing. I have a 16" MBP and a 6 core 2018 mini for heavy duty. The dual core i3 doesn't worry me for what I want to use it for, my concern is whether future versions of MacOS will tax a dual core.

For those with the i3, how is Catalina and your use cases?

Unless your needs escalate dramatically in the future, then the base Air will do its job for a long period of time. More likely you may encounter issues with your battery or other physical damage before your computer will be taxed to do what you are doing. I have a 2012 machine that can do office, zoom, browsing and videos without breaking a sweat.

 

[IngerMan]

My MBP gets ridiculously loud during video calls...

Are we sure were not going over the top with this MBA fan issue??

I just read in another post on this forum that there is a software reason for this and a fix is coming on the future update. Several models have this issue not just the air.

well that was quoted for the 13” MacBook Pro, so maybe not. My bad.

 

[teksurv]

I think I'm going to go ahead with the i3. Thanks for the feedback.

 

[Scarpad]

I got the base I3 with 8gb, and it’s fine for the very light use I’m using it for

 

[Daino92]

I just read in another post on this forum that there is a software reason for this and a fix is coming on the future update. Several models have this issue not just the air.

well that was quoted for the 13” MacBook Pro, so maybe not. My bad.

Can you point me to the mention that there is a software update coming for this?
Thanks!

 

[IngerMan]

Can you point me to the mention that there is a software update coming for this?
Thanks!

It was on another thread and I am not sure what thread. Some people have no issues with Zoom or Skype and others it maxes the fan. This happens on some MBP's as well I read.

I ran TeamCenter yesterday on my 15" 2017 MBP with over 100 participants. I was not sharing my screen and the temps was fine.

The next software update is 10.15.5, Beta 4 is out now. Hopefully it can address some issues if there are issues.

 

[Seanm87]

I have a 2019 base model. My use case is pretty much the same as yours and it never breaks a sweat.

It gets warm during zoom calls but not enough to hear the fan. For context my iPhone XR gets hot during video calls so its normal.

 

[oilers780]

For a $1000 USD system, an i5 should really be included. I wouldn't invest that amount of $ and settle for a dual core i3. But that's just my opinion.