Yet another MBA 2020 i5 vs i7 question

[desvdp]

I ended up buying the i7, it's in use for over a week now and I'm quite happy with it. The i7 is only an 80euro upgrade in Europe; so it was kind of like a no-brainer. (don't get too exited: the base model is 1199eur over here )
My initial concern was the heat, but so far no complaints ...

 

[Muyfa666]

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.

I am aware of this, but as I said, money is not the issue. I'm thinking heat - will the i7 be better in the long run or will it generate more heat so to speak?

 

[magbarn]

As both the i5 and i7 have the same power & heat constraints, they’re both going to run just as hot and basically use the same amount of battery/power. If you like giving Apple/Intel an extra $150 just for fun, then go for it. They have the same GPU and 6-7% difference in performance is not going to make a difference if you’re going to be running a program or not today or 5 years from now. Focus more on the RAM/storage if that’s important to you.
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I am keeping my I7 order. While complete I7 versus I5 has not been posted, this guy convinced me to stay I7....

That video is useless for the 2020 MBA.
1. Dell uses an i5 ice lake CPU with a much weaker GPU - Apple's CPU choices have both CPU's using the SAME GPU.
2. The dell is using 15 Watt ice lake CPU, not the 10 watt versions that we have that have 50% less power to work with. BIG difference.

I fell for the same mistake when I thought the MBA i5/i7 CPU’s were not working properly compared to the Windows competition. They’re working as designed as Apple/Intel gave them less power to work with. So the difference between the i5/i7 is much less with the limited power available

 

[keeper]

I would think if you want the power and cores of an i7 then you want something better than a MBA.

Mine will be a lap machine to supplement my iPad Pro, it will do nothing more the surf the net, bit of spreadsheet work, more importantly will give me access to desktop apps and the file system to handle music files etc to my NAS. I went i5.

If your going to need to perform intensive processing get a pro or a good laptop/desktop.

 

[Muyfa666]

I ordered a space gray MBA2020 i7/16gb/1tb. It’s gonna co-exist with a iPad Pro 11 with the new keyboard.

 

[BoneHead001]

I ordered a space gray MBA2020 i7/16gb/1tb. It’s gonna co-exist with a iPad Pro 11 with the new keyboard.

I’d consider the i7, but after watching the attached video, it appears that the i5/i7 difference is marginal — 7%. I’m not sure if that’s worth paying the extra money.

 

[deeddawg]

I’d consider the i7, but after watching the attached video, it appears that the i5/i7 difference is marginal — 7%. I’m not sure if that’s worth paying the extra money.

Knowing that the Air is not built for sustained CPU loads, I wouldn't expect the difference to be substantial.

Honestly I think Apple sometimes (often) offers a higher end CPU just because they know a bunch of people (and media) would have a whine-fest if they didn't offer the option. Oh and to collect more money from folks who are willing to pay for that little bit of extra performance even if it isn't a good ROI for folks like me who have another Mac to use for heavy workloads.

 

[Philpug]

I am debating the 1.0Tb HD...I have a 14 MBP that i am replacing and have 175GB free on my 500GB...and I hope to keep this one another 6-7 years too. I am not going to pull the trigger here until I hear is Apple will or will not come out with the 14" MBP.

 

[BoneHead001]

I am debating the 1.0Tb HD...I have a 14 MBP that i am replacing and have 175GB free on my 500GB...and I hope to keep this one another 6-7 years too. I am not going to pull the trigger here until I hear is Apple will or will not come out with the 14" MBP.

That’s kind of where I am right now. I’d like to see what the refreshed 2020 13" MBP offers first before I make the purchase. If the 13" MBP’s specs are similar to the 2020 MBA’s specs, I’d choose MBP with a better cooling system.

 

[magbarn]

I’d consider the i7, but after watching the attached video, it appears that the i5/i7 difference is marginal — 7%. I’m not sure if that’s worth paying the extra money.

Well the OP did say that money was no object!
I’m returning mine. Just initiated the return. I was hoping for 2015 MBA i7 upgrade which was significant back then which brought 2015 MBA up to what was considered mbp performance back then. Instead it’s about as feckless as the m7/i7 upgrade that was offered to the 12 inch MacBook users from 2015-2017.

 

[BoneHead001]

Well the OP did say that money was no object!
I’m returning mine. Just initiated the return. I was hoping for 2015 MBA i7 upgrade which was significant back then which brought 2015 MBA up to what was considered mbp performance back then. Instead it’s about as feckless as the m7/i7 upgrade that was offered to the 12 inch MacBook users from 2015-2017.

What are you going to do next after the i7 MBA return? Will you order an i5?

 

[Spectrum]

That’s kind of where I am right now. I’d like to see what the refreshed 2020 13" MBP offers first before I make the purchase. If the 13" MBP’s specs are similar to the 2020 MBA’s specs, I’d choose MBP with a better cooling system.

At the moment the 13 inch MBPros with better thermals are so much more expensive than the MBAir:
256GB/8GB 1.1/3.5Ghz i5 MBAir = $1099 (single fan 10W CPU)
256GB/8GB 1.4/3.9Ghz i5 MBPro = $1499 (single fan 15W CPU) +$400
256GB/8GB 2.4/4.1Ghz i5 MBpro = $1799 (dual fan 25W CPU) +$700
Pricing is bonkers. And I really don't want that touchbar.

Given that I want 16GB and a 1TB disk, the pricing of the 13 inch MBPro gets even crazier.
1TB/16GB 1.2/3.8Ghz i7 MBAir = $1849
1TB/16GB 1.7/4.5Ghz i7 MBPro = $2399 (+$550)!!
1TB/16GB 2.8/4.7Ghz i7 MBPro = $2699 (+$850)!!

That last model is my favoured specification (except for touchbar), but at $2699 it is more expensive than a 16" MBPro!
1TB/16GB 2.6/4.5Ghz i7 6-core MBPro = $2599

The big question in my mind is: "Will the i5 or i7 MBAir be good enough now, and in 4-5 years?"

 

[BoneHead001]

At the moment the 13 inch MBPros with better thermals are so much more expensive than the MBAir:
256GB/8GB 1.1/3.5Ghz i5 MBAir = $1099 (single fan 10W CPU)
256GB/8GB 1.4/3.9Ghz i5 MBPro = $1499 (single fan 15W CPU) +$400
256GB/8GB 2.4/4.1Ghz i5 MBpro = $1799 (dual fan 25W CPU) +$700
Pricing is bonkers. And I really don't want that touchbar.

Given that I want 16GB and a 1TB disk, the pricing of the 13 inch MBPro gets even crazier.
1TB/16GB 1.2/3.8Ghz i7 MBAir = $1849
1TB/16GB 1.7/4.5Ghz i7 MBPro = $2399 (+$550)!!
1TB/16GB 2.8/4.7Ghz i7 MBPro = $2699 (+$850)!!

That last model is my favoured specification (except for touchbar), but at $2699 it is more expensive than a 16" MBPro!
1TB/16GB 2.6/4.5Ghz i7 6-core MBPro = $2599

The big question in my mind is: "Will the i5 or i7 MBAir be good enough now, and in 4-5 years?"

You are comparing specs of 2020 MBA against 2019 MBP 13". We don’t know what the specs/pricing will be for 2020 MBP 13" refresh.

 

[insu]

.

 

[magbarn]

What are you going to do next after the i7 MBA return? Will you order an i5?

I’m going to wait n see approach as the others here. I can live with the performance of the current mba but I would prefer more mbp speeds. I’m upgrading from a 2016 MB 12 that is struggling with Lightroom so the 2020 mba is faster but I’m spending $2000 after taxes for the i7 mba so I’m wanting a bit more performance. If the mbp 13/14 2020 update has the lowered pricing that the 2020 mba got and they don’t add too much weight to it I’ll get the mbp 2020 refresh. Otherwise I’ll reorder the 2020 mba in i5 version for sure and just put the savings into 2tb storage.
I have the i7/16/1tb version right now

 

[unoporfavor]

I’m going to wait n see approach as the others here. I can live with the performance of the current mba but I would prefer more mbp speeds. I’m upgrading from a 2016 MB 12 that is struggling with Lightroom so the 2020 mba is faster but I’m spending $2000 after taxes for the i7 mba so I’m wanting a bit more performance. If the mbp 13/14 2020 update has the lowered pricing that the 2020 mba got and they don’t add too much weight to it I’ll get the mbp 2020 refresh. Otherwise I’ll reorder the 2020 mba in i5 version for sure and just put the savings into 2tb storage.
I have the i7/16/1tb version right now

I had the MacBook 12 with m5 - sold last month. Recently upgraded to the 2020 MBA i3 (yes base model). It is significantly faster in everything it does than the MB 12 - PhotoShop, lightroom. So if you want something portable with good battery life, that is near silent, then the 2020 MBA i3 I can recommend. There's a few reviews that have been critical of the temperature and fan speed - and they were all i5 or i7. I have a 2017 MBP 6-core i7 MBP and for many apps the MBA i3 is faster (short video exports, and picture processing). I guess the new faster memory, and storage speed that helps, but either way. It sounds like your requirements were similar to mine and I've been more than happy with the performance.
Also the keyboard for me was worth the upgrade alone!

 

[magbarn]

I had the MacBook 12 with m5 - sold last month. Recently upgraded to the 2020 MBA i3 (yes base model). It is significantly faster in everything it does than the MB 12 - PhotoShop, lightroom. So if you want something portable with good battery life, that is near silent, then the 2020 MBA i3 I can recommend. There's a few reviews that have been critical of the temperature and fan speed - and they were all i5 or i7. I have a 2017 MBP 6-core i7 MBP and for many apps the MBA i3 is faster (short video exports, and picture processing). I guess the new faster memory, and storage speed that helps, but either way. It sounds like your requirements were similar to mine and I've been more than happy with the performance.
Also the keyboard for me was worth the upgrade alone!

What are you using for picture processing? My 2019 MBP 16 (albeit octacore) and my partners 2017 MBP 15 i7 blow away the 2020 MBA i7 in Lightroom as they should. I'm not sure how your hexacore MBP is being outpaced by the 2020 MBA with just dual core...

 

[throAU]

I've got the i7.

I wouldn't even bother looking at the clock speeds as like you say they will both be power limited, are both quad cores with the high end G7 GPU, etc.

The significant difference is CPU cache.

The i7 has more. Which may help performance of certain apps under certain scenarios. May multitask a bit better, etc. But...cache has diminishing returns. It will help a little bit, but it won't be a huge difference.

I bought the i7 because at the time it wasn't clear the i5 and i7 would have the same GPU and I wanted to make sure I got the higher spec integrated graphics.

If I was to buy again, I'd seriously consider the i5 instead, because the reality is outside of benchmarks, I don't think you'll see a difference in day to day use.
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I'm thinking heat - will the i7 be better in the long run or will it generate more heat so to speak?

I don't think you'll see much/any difference between i5/i7 in heat. They'll both be thermally limited, but the i7 does perform a little better due to the cpu cache which may mean depending on workload it may get things done before it gets hot.

You're splitting hairs at that point though.

As per someone else above, it wasn't a huge extra spend in terms of total laptop cost vs. the i5, and I wanted to make sure I got the top spec GPU, so I went with the i7 myself.

 

[unoporfavor]

What are you using for picture processing? My 2019 MBP 16 (albeit octacore) and my partners 2017 MBP 15 i7 blow away the 2020 MBA i7 in Lightroom as they should. I'm not sure how your hexacore MBP is being outpaced by the 2020 MBA with just dual core...

I use PhotoShop. As I said, for anything that takes a bit of time, my MBP i7 is faster. The i3 is faster at launching most applications. It's a lot faster than the MacBook 12 is my main point.
Trying to get MBP performance out of a MBA doesn't really make sense though...

 

[magbarn]

I use PhotoShop. As I said, for anything that takes a bit of time, my MBP i7 is faster. The i3 is faster at launching most applications. It's a lot faster than the MacBook 12 is my main point.
Trying to get MBP performance out of a MBA doesn't really make sense though...

.... I have a 2017 MBP 6-core i7 MBP and for many apps the MBA i3 is faster (short video exports, and picture processing).....

Maybe you meant to put MacBook 12 instead of the mbp? Yeah it’s a given, the 2020 is much faster than all MacBook 12 models.

EDIT: I got what you meant, you mean it loads apps faster than your MBP. That's weird, you may have a bum 2017 MBP as our 2017 is faster in every metric than my 2020 air, but the 2020 air makes the 2016 MacBook 12 look glacial...

 

[unoporfavor]

Maybe you meant to put MacBook 12 instead of the mbp? Yeah it’s a given, the 2020 is much faster than all MacBook 12 models.

EDIT: I got what you meant, you mean it loads apps faster than your MBP. That's weird, you may have a bum 2017 MBP as our 2017 is faster in every metric than my 2020 air, but the 2020 air makes the 2016 MacBook 12 look glacial...

Very short tasks, the Air out-performs the i7.
That is my point.
I doubt that it's a 'bum MBP' as it is much faster once you start doing anything intensive, and I have used it in a workplace with literally 100's of Macs and they all perform like this one. So my sample size is pretty large. More than 1.
Perhaps you got a 'bum air'?
Referring to the MacBook 12 as 'glacial' made me laugh! Absolutely not wrong there. It was fantastic for my partner to take whilst at uni, and the battery life is phenomenal. But it was starting to show it's limitations this year.
I had at one time all 3 machines so felt was in a good place to comment on them all respectively. Anyone who says they get 11-12 hours out of their 2020 MBA I suspect is either (a) overly-optimistic (b) not actually using it for 11-12 hours
The MacBook 12 is the only one that performed like in my experience and that was off a 5w processor.

Hey just sharing my experience hoping it helps. The 2020 Air has been super impressive for me I guess is my take home. Others may have a different view, and that's fair. I really don't care what other people spend their money on but thought I could help any fence-sitters. Cheers for taking the time to engage.
✌ out

EDIT: I would add, attempting to get MacBook Pro performance out of a MacBook air still doesn't make sense. It's all about use-cases and requirements and by the sound of it, you bought the wrong tool for the job. It happens! For example the butterfly keyboard still kills me and I wish I hadn't ever got this gen of MBP. Cannot wait for the next release (i have the 15" and it's too big so waiting for smaller update). Good luck bud

 

[Philpug]

I am really starting to lean to a MBA just looking at the current pricing difference between that and the MBP 13...which is roughly $400 apples to apples (pun intended)..I cannot imagine the 14" will be less than an outgoing 13"...if it ineed comes.

 

[deeddawg]

I am really starting to lean to a MBA just looking at the current pricing difference between that and the MBP 13...which is roughly $400 apples to apples (pun intended)..I cannot imagine the 14" will be less than an outgoing 13"...if it ineed comes.

If you don’t need to buy now and think there’s a chance a MBP would be a better fit to your needs, wait for the next release. Decide when you have an informed choice.

don’t take that as a negative to the MBA- I’m very happy with mine so far. Just the reality that different folks need different things.

 

[kreasonos]

In my humble opinion, if you're gonna go i5 you may as well go i7. Thermals will be the same and you'll get closer speed to a MBP. So really the question should be, i3 or i7 in my book.

 

[magbarn]

I am really starting to lean to a MBA just looking at the current pricing difference between that and the MBP 13...which is roughly $400 apples to apples (pun intended)..I cannot imagine the 14" will be less than an outgoing 13"...if it ineed comes.

Don't forget the 2020 MBA is cheaper than the 2019 due to drop in memory/storage costs. The MBP 13/14 should drop in price as the MBP 16 also dropped in price vs the MBP 15

In my humble opinion, if you're gonna go i5 you may as well go i7. Thermals will be the same and you'll get closer speed to a MBP. So really the question should be, i3 or i7 in my book.

The lowest 2 port MBP 13 is already 50% faster than the MBA i5. The measly 6-7% boost you get with the i7 "upgrade" isn't getting you much closer... The i5 is the best bang for the buck by far.