Yet another MBA 2020 i5 vs i7 question

[Muyfa666]

Yes, I am getting a MBA 2020. The config will be a 16gb ram/512gb ssd, but I can't really decide on the CPU.

As I understand it, both the i5 and the i7 runs at TDP 10W, so they will both throttle when we reach that limit, but with that said, which one would run hotter? In my mind, the throttle of the i7 should still have it run cooler than the i5 due to the higher capacity sort to speak, or am I wrong?

I know i5's usually run cooler, but I don't think that's the case when comparing at the same TDP?

And no, to wait for the new MBP Pro is not an option. Not that I cannot wait, but for the reason I actually want the MBA for it's lovely form factor.

This new MBA have more or less everything I ever wanted in a Macbook.

 

[Saturn007]

Great questions! Count me in among those who will be follow this thread.

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By the way, is there any way for a MacRumors user to turn off the display of other people's avatars? That skull is really creepy and distracting. Lots of people love that stuff — de gustibus non est disputandum — but it turns off others, so an option to hide avatars, entirely or selectively would be welcome!

 

[kitenski]

What workloads do you anticipate doing on the device?

 

[desvdp]

Well, with the TDP being 10W for both, they will run equally hot when running in throttled mode.
The bigger question is how much lifting they can do before getting throttled. I'm guessing the i7 will be capable of handling the same load in shorter burst of power; resulting in more cycles before hitting the throttle point, or likewise I expect it to run cooler under te same load when executed over the same timespan.
As this is almost impossible to test, I too am anxiously waiting for a benchmark... to make the same choice.

 

[Muyfa666]

Great questions! Count me in among those who will be follow this thread.

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By the way, is there any way for a MacRumors user to turn off the display of other people's avatars? That skull is really creepy and distracting. Lots of people love that stuff — de gustibus non est disputandum — but it turns off others, so an option to hide avatars, entirely or selectively would be welcome!

OT: If a comic book skull offends you, I'd say the internet as a whole is a place where you will get offended ALOT, no offense!

That said, avatar changed.

 

[Muyfa666]

What workloads do you anticipate doing on the device?

For me, it's very simple. I'll surf the web, listen to music, watch some videos, some light gaming like ScummVM, Cave Story, Monkey Island. I will run dual boot via Boot Camp thou.

 

[mick2]

For me, it's very simple. I'll surf the web, listen to music, watch some videos, some light gaming like ScummVM, Cave Story, Monkey Island. I will run dual boot via Boot Camp thou.

Ok man, but c'mon , that username?? Muyfa666 - isn't that, like, the number of the beast or something?!?

Gives me chills, just looking at it.

After a period of careful thought and reflection about it, I think I'm offended.

 

[desvdp]

I'd agree with your 16GB/512GB choice, both the i5 and i7 would do Ok I guess. One could expect an i7 to do better in multiprocessing apps due to its larger cache, but it will all depend on specific cases...

btw: is it just me or is no-one ordering (or receiving) i7's yet: on Geekbench5 I found 33 benchmarks for the i3 and 44 for the i5 but so far 0 for the i7 (if you want to repeat the search: look for MacBookAir9,1 )

 

[kitenski]

For me, it's very simple. I'll surf the web, listen to music, watch some videos, some light gaming like ScummVM, Cave Story, Monkey Island. I will run dual boot via Boot Camp thou.

I'd say i5 will be absolutely fine, this was posted on another thread:

The boost from going i5 to i7 is nearly negligible. 10% improvement theoretically, but in practice, it's not going to matter that much, since the system is so thermally constrained. If you use either CPU for more than a brief burst, they'll both throttle/downclock to the same speed of 1.5-1.7 ghz per what I'm seeing from reviews. I have not seen a single reviewer who actually recommended the i7, it's just nice to have if you have the cash for it just to have the "best."

On the other hand, you can always use more RAM. Outside of the joke of saying "what if they want to have more than one Chrome tab open?" - let's put it this way. My Mac has more than 8 GB of RAM in use right now. Apps that I'm running are quite run of the mill: Microsoft Word and Excel, Chrome, Safari, News, Podcasts, Music, Messages, Mail. That's enough to already saturate 8 GB RAM. Imagine if your kid chooses to add more to that, maybe a simple game, maybe Photoshop or something like that. It will really ease up the pressure on the system, prevent virtual RAM paging, prevent memory compression, etc.

And that's the thing, you can't even predict right now what apps they'll want to use, or what their memory needs will be. So giving a lot of headroom there is always better for longevity than very minor CPU differences.

 

[Muyfa666]

Ok man, but c'mon , that username?? Muyfa666 - isn't that, like, the number of the beast or something?!?

Gives me chills, just looking at it.

After a period of careful thought and reflection about it, I think I'm offended.

I feel a bit offended that you are offended...
[automerge]1585143938[/automerge]

I'd say i5 will be absolutely fine, this was posted on another thread:

I read this too, but the very reason I even bother to ask is that the price up to i7 from i5 is not very big at all, and seeing as the MBA will be my main computer I might as well spec it high. I just don't want the CPU that's most likely to throttle early on.

 

[desvdp]

For reference: the first Geekbench i7 results are in, https://browser.geekbench.com/v5/cpu/search?utf8=✓&q=MacBookAir9,1+i7

very much alike i5 imho

 

[Muyfa666]

For reference: the first Geekbench i7 results are in, https://browser.geekbench.com/v5/cpu/search?utf8=✓&q=MacBookAir9,1+i7

very much alike i5 imho

Nice! The heat/throttle question remains thou. Which one runs cooler/better overall.

 

[motm95]

Are there any battery life differences?

 

[Muyfa666]

Are there any battery life differences?

Not likely.

 

[johnnybeagle]

For reference: the first Geekbench i7 results are in, https://browser.geekbench.com/v5/cpu/search?utf8=✓&q=MacBookAir9,1+i7

very much alike i5 imho

looks like those machines are still indexing

 

[RotaryP7]

If you can afford the difference, just go for the i7. Even if the performance isn't as much, it's still worth it in the long run; especially if you're going to use keep the MBA for some time. Then again, the i5 is completely OK for most people.

 

[CrashKC]

If you can afford the difference, just go for the i7. Even if the performance isn't as much, it's still worth it in the long run; especially if you're going to use keep the MBA for some time. Then again, the i5 is completely OK for most people.

I am keeping my I7 order. While complete I7 versus I5 has not been posted, this guy convinced me to stay I7....

 

[B.A.T]

Can you sum that video up for us. One look at that dork and there's no way I'm going watch a video of him.

 

[ksmith80209]

Can you sum that video up for us. One look at that dork and there's no way I'm going watch a video of him.

He says that the i7 is faster and the same temp under all scenarios. Note, he uses two Dell's as the test beds.

 

[CrashKC]

Can you sum that video up for us. One look at that dork and there's no way I'm going watch a video of him.

Ha ha… yeah. But this one is worth watching if you are interested in I7 versus I5. He does a great job. The caveats are: Not yet tested on Macbook (tested on Dell XPS.. and only one each), U vs Y processors.


No need to test on bigger laptops with more powerful chips and better heat solutions… answer is obvious. So the
Question is how I7 versus I5 performs on small mobile laptops like Macbook, Dell XPS etc.

These are the ones with the most thermal throttling, expected result is I5 would be cooler, better battery life, about the same speed

Summary:

I7 superior, no reason to buy I5 instead except for price

Speed… I7 wins… substantially faster

Temperatures… tie… similar

Fan noise… I7 wins (fans noise the same, but I7 finishes faster and quiets down quicker

Battery life… I7 Wins

Like I said, well worth watching the video for his methodology and charts. This result might not hold up on the Macbook, but for the extra $150 I would expect that Apple would be smart enough to force this to be true. (yeah, maybe not the best assumption)

 

[Muyfa666]

Sounds like i7 may be the way to go. Still waiting a bit more for real reviews.

 

[Howard2k]

That was a great video. All the same, at CAD$230+tax on the new Air, it’s not a slam dunk for me. But it’s certainly not in the “absurd purchase” category either. CAD$150 i would do it. That‘s a much easier decision.

 

[PrestoMovie]

This makes me feel better about ordering the i7

 

[Muyfa666]

I have not followed the reports closely lately. What's the word on the i7 vs the i5 now? I know the i5 is considered the price sweet spot, but if money is no issue, is i7 better heat-wise even for easier tasks?

 

[magbarn]

I have not followed the reports closely lately. What's the word on the i7 vs the i5 now? I know the i5 is considered the price sweet spot, but if money is no issue, is i7 better heat-wise even for easier tasks?

Waste of money, keep the i5 as power/heat limits the i7 to within i5 speeds, Geekbench looks like a big gap, but in sustained performance it's about 7% improvement at best. Well short of the $150 price... NOT WORTH IT...
It's a replay of the MacBook 12 i7/m7 upgrade which also was power/heat constrained and gave it minimal performance improvement over the i5.