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nyli2

macrumors member
Original poster
Sep 22, 2012
36
5
Lol kind of wrote the whole question in the title. But I am not a computer person. However I am curious to know if the new air with the better keyboard will be slower than what I already have.
 
Geekbench 5 results:

Macbook pro 2017 i5 dual core
646 Single-Core Score
1402 Multicore Score

Macbook Air 2020 i3 dual core
1068 Single-Core Score
2367 Multicore Score
 
I'd check out the other threads re thermals and fans, geek bench is just one metric.
 
I guess the base model dual core i3 in comparison to my 2017 dual core i5
Since it is only $100 more I’d recommend the quad-core i5. Even with the thermal limits of the processor it should still be faster than the 2017 base MacBook Pro. That said, the screen on your 2017 will be a bit better (wider color gamut and higher maximum brightness).
 
It does depend what you're doing but in general it should be slightly faster. Graphics performance in particular should be much better (driving external displays, etc.).

Unless you get the quad core though it won't be a major jump and personally if I was in your position (and your current machine is still working fine) I'd be holding out a little longer to see what the new Pro brings to the table.
 
Since it is only $100 more I’d recommend the quad-core i5. Even with the thermal limits of the processor it should still be faster than the 2017 base MacBook Pro. That said, the screen on your 2017 will be a bit better (wider color gamut and higher maximum brightness).
I think it's only faster for short-bursts not for sustained work.
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Lol kind of wrote the whole question in the title. But I am not a computer person. However I am curious to know if the new air with the better keyboard will be slower than what I already have.
I think I am in a good place to answer this.
I have a 2017 MBP 6-core i7.
Just purchased for partner 2020 MBA i3 (base model)

The MBA is faster in launching every app I have tried so far.
The MBP is faster at exporting photos and exporting longer videos (but not noticeably faster for short videos).
The MBA is quieter with no fan noise or uncomfortable heating of the case when doing video conference calls.
The MBP runs it's fans on jet plane mode on video conferencing after about 20-30 minutes

* video conferencing includes Zoom, Facebook, and Skype for business (virtual), and Teams
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Since it is only $100 more I’d recommend the quad-core i5. Even with the thermal limits of the processor it should still be faster than the 2017 base MacBook Pro. That said, the screen on your 2017 will be a bit better (wider color gamut and higher maximum brightness).
Depending on your requirements I would not recommend the i5. It runs hotter, is less silent, and has worse battery life of around 10% than the i3.
If those things are not a concern, then by all means the quad core might be a better choice.
 
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It depends on your usage, if you are just using it for light use then it will be faster, but if you are using your laptop where sustained power is important, such as photo/movie editing, then the MacBook Pro will be faster overall as it has better thermals and so it can maintain higher clock speeds over a longer period of time.
 
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