Buy THIS MacBook instead of the 10 Core! ➡ geni.us/qYardlV The BEST Thermal Pad to FIX Fast Throttling for $15 ➡ geni.us/RMoQL iFixit Pro Toolkit ➡ geni.us/8qkP
And I’m really confused right now u pined my channel name and gave emoji of rockets what does that mean just curious . And also i had email from you guys it says could not find delivery address or something like that . I hope u choose me please
thank you for putting together this useful test. I need to purchase, potentially, dozens of MBAir for my company and am undecided if the extra $100 justifies the extra GPU performance. This helps me a lot in making a decision, even though there is no gaming and no heavy video editing involved for my user case. Question: what software is that on the taskbar, showing CPU and GPU loads?
The 10-core does make a significant difference in graphics-intensive tasks, as seen with Blender GPU compute, but thermal throttling renders those extra 2 cores virtually unused in sustained tasks.
@@gk18813 This isn't really true, as illustrated in the video. There are brief yet graphics-intensive tasks like Blender GPU compute, which greatly benefit from the extra cores.
They wouldn't have caught me on this one... but the SSD speed, oh boy! Since I need at least 1.5TB of media storage for my files I was ready to stick a SSD Unit to the back of it. Had I placed a blind order at sales opening I'd be here trying to cancel my order now.
@@The_MEMEphis agree. If you’re looking to add specs to an Air (and truly need the performance for your software and/or multitasking) then just buy a full blown 14”. I’ve had the 14” since November and been super happy with it.
Thanks for the continued great content. You showed us in these launch week videos that specs and marketing don’t add up sometimes in real world use. Keep up the great work!
Seriously the amount of topics and info that you guys are providing is priceless and super helpful! Glad to have you guys around. This was another one of my thoughts as to how the 8core vs 10core works.
I have been thinking of getting M2 Air, I am confused if I should spend $150 on GPU upgrade or get the apple care+ I can only pick one... Anyone got any suggestions? I will be basically using the lapto for like google chrome 10-20 tabs open at the same time, discord, spotify, slack etc open in the background. I will be adding the RAM uograde as well. Any suggestions will be appreciated
I would go for the apple care +. My 2018 mac pro just died on me right after my apple care expired. They want me to pay $900 for repair, so instead imma just buy a new laptop.
@@FlyeKitesJay yeah they have to replace the logic board and finger print sensor. I’m assuming this problem was caused by another repair they did earlier on the Touch Bar (which cost $600 but was covered). Apparently you can opt in for extended apple care after three years, but I didn’t know it existed at the time.
I agree, although I really do appreciate the extra graphics performance on the M2 chip. Im really wondering how performance will be on the M2 Pro / Max chips since they could be based on the 3nm process, hopefully it’ll be an actual worthy upgrade over its predecessors.
Sincerely, I wasn't expecting much more, it's obvious the M2 would be an evolution of the M1, not a whole new level. The problem is Apple making ridiculous decisions, pairing the silicon with kinda slow SSD and lame thermal cooling.
@@AlejandroLZuvic The SSD is very unfortunate, but on the other hand, the base model is probably meant for content consumers/light users, namely watching youtube and movies, surfing the web, email, taking notes... and the SSD won't pose a problem for them. Concerning the thermal cooling, it's a "fan-less" design, which sets the laptop apart from the pro devices. It's completely normal that it throttles under continued heavy loads and perfectly fine for casual video editors.
It’s so smart but so bogus to us customers at the same time. It makes us feel like we need to upgrade from the base model but then at that point you might as well spend that extra $ upgrading to a whole new laptop like the m1 pro 14” as its only a bit extra than the m2air with 16gb ram and 512gb ssd… but then u could also do the better value and get the m1 air with 16gb ram but won’t have to upgrade to 512gb ssd as the m1 has 2 128gb chips while the m2 has only 1 256gb chip making it much slower. Ughhhhh why is apple so frustrating with their prices
For my usage the 8c gpu is more than enough. I wouldn't feel any slowness in the export times since I'm currently using a 2017 MacBook Air dual core i5 that takes almost 5 minutes to export a few photos from Lightroom. For people that are considering the 10c gpu I think it is better to spend more and get the 14in MacBook Pro.
It's really a head-scratcher who the target audience is for the 10-core gpu. I guess it's there if you want it, but as the evidence is coming in it's becoming clear it doesn't make much of a difference for the air.
The performance difference is too crazy between product variations. Thanks Vadim and the whole team for brining such in depth performance analysis and comparison for people to use their budgets smartly and to curb the expectations. I myself will wait and see what the M2 Pro and Max have to offer.
To be honest, although I'd hoped for more, I think the difference between the two is decent enough to warrant the $100 price gap. Perhaps apple could further optimize the M2 further down the road with software? Idk. Great job on the vid though, very insightful
A few days back I was thinking maybe a MacOS upgrade could change the power levels to the GPU on the 10-core to increase the advantage. Now that I see real-world results with the paltry passive cooling, I can no longer see this as feasible. Unless I see better results comparison between both these machines with a thermal pad mod, the 10-core M2 Air is no longer in the running for me. At this point, I think my next MacBook is likely a 16GB Ram, 1TB SSD M2 13" MacBook Pro or an M1 Pro 14" MacBook Pro. If you want to see #MaxTech redo this comparison with thermal pads, please directly comment to the video with: "Thermal Pad Mod DO OVER"
@@Enconscienator Erm... I don't think it's necessary to redo it with the thermal pad tbh, there are plenty of vids out there demonstrating the capability of thermal pads, even maxtech's own video was insightful enough. I do agree with you that the increase in advantage is kinda measly but for some slightly more GPU intensive stuff, that improvement is very much welcomed.
@@benjisjs1535 You might be right. Still, between Max Tech and Luke Miani, I've only seen thermal pad mods on M2 Airs with 8-core GPUs. I'm curious how many more minutes -- or less minutes --a modded 10-core might prove beneficial before there's too much heat in the machine.
@@Enconscienator Since it's integrated, I hope the improvement is scalable based on the results from the 8 core GPU? But that's just wishful thinking if I'm being honest. I doubt it'll make that big of a difference
Thank you once again for the amazing content and the awesome job. Thermal throttling in these machines it is so disappointing... I would rather get something with an active cooling system in it (MBP 14'' or 16'') rather than this, and I would love to see how the new M2 will perform on those.
Thank you Max and the team. I think only after 2 or 3 years we can notice the diference between the number of cores. For now only with this heavy tests it's possible to see some differences.
Apple had me so stoked with the 1st gen M1’s and now there isn’t much to be excited about in the M2 lineup. I wonder if this same thinking will permeate into the 16” pro line?
Almost guaranteed IMO. The reality is cpu tech is not advancing quickly enough to justify near annual upgrade cycles. The only way the M2 Pro and M2 Max will be significantly faster is if Apple sacrifices the efficiency of the M1. The base M2 tells me Apple is willing to do just that, which is disappointing. I don't want quiet, cool to the touch laptops that run all day to be a temporary anomaly, I want them to be the new normal for Apple.
Great review as always! Thanks to your M2 MacBook Air tests, I decided to pass on this long-awaited laptop and instead bought the 14-inch Macbook Pro M1 Pro in the base configuration. This clearly has the best price-performance ratio! Keep up the good work! You‘re the best!
You guys are awesome! I love how many different configurations you test. I would be interested to see the GPU performance differences with the thermal pads. Maybe the thermal pads would make the 10-core version worth it. There's an idea if you want to do more testing. ;)
Waited for this video for a long time! It’s crazy to see such small performance differences on some tasks like exporting. If this is a thermal issue, you guys should try the thermal pad experiment on both machines and see how it turns out! Keep up the great work!
Would still love to see a $1700 M2 MBA vs $1450 M1 MBA comparison, both with 16GB RAM, 512 SSD and un-binned chips. Would the "full sauce" M1 machine actually end up being better?
Great analysis! Indeed, it is better to think about upgrading RAM or SSD. In fact, SSD upgrade is a must for performance and more RAM is also important for anything other than basic use.
Thank you for this test guys! Very informative indeed. What I can say as a film editor, is that if you make a movie for cinema, you’re always going to want to transcode your footage into a format optimised for your nle software and machine before you start editing. You will link back to the native format before sending it to the color grading. It is impressive that these portable machines can now playback without hiccups native footage of many different cameras, but no professional editor that I know, working for cinema, would ever start editing the native footage, unless the native footage is ProRes or Blackmagic RAW already. From your test with the Canon footage, it seems like the 10 core throttled so much that there was almost no advantage over the 8 core. I think it was weird that the CPU on the 10 core was used more than on the 8 core. That must be some kind of software opimisation issue. The more extreme thermal throttling was most likely caused by maxed out GPU + higher voltage on the CPU, which made the 10 core hotter than the 8 core. Anyway, again, regardless of whether they will fix that or not, the problem doesn’t seem to exist with ProRes and Blackmagic RAW. So, all considered, for my specific use case, the 10 core version still has an advantage over the 8 core version. I don’t know how it is for RUclipsrs, but the documentary filmmakers and film editors that I know, all have the proxy workflow or work with native ProRes..
The MacBook Air M2 is just amazing. Great design and great performance especially the 512gb ssd version. 👍🏻 Just the price should have been under $999 for base model.
Let’s be honest, software optimization on this new platforms require time, I don’t see any reason to NOT spend 6% more and buy the faster M2 that will ensure more longevity to the product. The only exception would be a “basic” user that only use the Mac for Office tasks and web browsing.
They should have made 2 of the 8 or 10 cores efficiency cores, so battery would last longer while idling and you would get a significant performance boost with the 10 core model. That wpuld also reduce thermal throttling since 2 of the 10 cores are efficiency cores. I guess they didnt do that because if they did, the M1 MacBooks would beat M2 and reviewers would trash it so hard that it would actually hurt sales
@@stephaniecurry45Non ça ne serait pas meilleur car le SSD 256 gb de la puce M2 n'est pas 2x128 gb contrairement au 256 de la puce M1 (il est donc plus lent). Le SSD 512 gb est lui divisé en 2 SSD de 2x256 donc il est plus rapide en plus d'avoir une capacité de stockage plus importante et la RAM est 2 fois plus importante que 8gb. Il ne faut pas acheter la version de base du macbook air en 256 gb à cause de ça même avec le GPU 10 coeurs. Il vaut mieux prendre cette configuration SSD 512 gb/8 ou 16 gb de RAM l'idéal étant 16 gb de RAM comme la version de cette vidéo.
I love watching these GPU tests, but as a software dev that relies on CPU and Disk speed, these are only a passing interest for me. I would still love to see Speed tests for these MBAs sitting on a cheap laptop fan from Amazon. I bet they get longer better performance than with just heat pads.
I've been an Apple user and I'm considering replacing my 9 year old MBP, so I appreciate the detailed side by side testing between the different configurations. This will be helpful if I decide to bite the bullet and know what upgrades are worth getting. Thanks for your great work! 👍
@@leighwaine1578 Why not last? Btw I too have a 10 year old MBP (late 2013, 8GB ram, core i5) i plan to replace it with M2 air 16GB ram… i see no reason that it won’t last as much my old MacBook
I feel like base M1 Air was the way to go two years ago. That or upgrade all the way to the 14” M1 Pro. These in between M2 just seem so comprised for the prices.
The new upgrades to the m2 air are honestly impressive even though the base models are messed up but the way they degraded the ssds worries me if apple will keep on degrading everything thats not on paper [like they did with ports and butterfly keyboard} every year so that people will consider upgrading to the next to be released macs
I think the price was worth it for the 10 core 512Gb SSD. I didn’t bother with the memory as i had to limit spend somewhere. I think its more than enough for my needs so far. I’m loving this machine!
Curious to know the configuration of your m2.. I’m getting a deal in my country with the 10 core gpu and 512 gb ssd, 8 gb ram .. wondering should I pay extra or go for the basic entry level model
@@sulognoÀ votre place je prendrais plutôt 16 go de RAM/512 go de SSD et GPU 8 coeurs. La RAM de 16go sera plus utile a long termes que le GPU 10 coeurs vu la différence de performances avec le GPU 8 coeurs. C'est mon avis😉
I love all the testing this channel does, it’s crazy how detailed and informative these videos are. Thank you for making it easy to know what we’re getting ourselves into with these MacBook Air’s.
Putting a machine under the conditions it wasn’t designed for (and no one will use for) to prove extra 6% of money gives you extra 6% of performance is the kind of test we deserve. Well done, Max Tech.
Thanks for doing this comparison. After seeing GregsGadgets' comparison I was hoping another reviewer would give their own analysis on the issue to better inform my decision on which one to get.
I just got the 13.6 inch M2 MacBook Air with 16 gigs of ram memory, and 512 SSD storage. I kept the 8 core GPU, because of this video, thanks. I've had my Silver 13.6 M2 Air now for 5 weeks, and love it, very user friendly. After Mac class at Soho Apple Store, I put the Air in my crossbody laptop briefcase, and was able to walk around NYC without any strain on my shoulders. One question, should I put Photoshop or Photoshop Elements on my Air? Or should I just use the photo program that comes with the Air?
So it seems that paying for 2 extra GPU cores makes no sense. The only problem is that I think in my country the only option with 8 GPU cores will be base model (8/256) and all other models will come with 10 GPU.
Me buying laptop 5 years ago: oh I like that color and it looks good. vs. now: let me watch Max Tech’s review. 5 videos later….. MBA, Starlight, 16GB CPU, 512GB it is.
Seems that the 10c will perform better when there's only heavy load on GPU. If there are heavy loads on both CPU and GPU, the performances are pretty much the same between 8c and 10c due to thermal throttling. However, if you're willing to adding thermal pads to your M2 MacBook Air, I think the 10c version is still a reasonable choice to you.
Apple made complex the process of buy a new laptop. We need to make a spreadshet with data from multiple videos and articles and analyze which is the best one.
Gonna order one today i want a 16gb 512gb machine just not sure about the size. This will be my first mac but i love my iPhone and a MacBook air should make a good companion for it. I just want it for surfing the web and light video and photo editing. I have more powerful machines for heavier workloads 7950x3d 4090, 13900hx 4070, 7800x3d 7900xtx, 5800x3d 3080ti. I just want something that has great battery life i can use in my bed and on my lap without a laptop cooler. And it’s nice to get the same performance on battery something my other laptops could only dream of.
I found the 10 core gpu being 50 dollars cheaper as a refurbished apple certified over a new education discount 8 core gpu for macbook M2 air. Would you recommend paying more to get the 8 core instead LOL? The only game I play is dota 2.
Please compare with 24GB RAM vs 16GB RAM with 512GB SSD. Is the 24GB RAM really worth it for someone who surfs with 50+ Chrome tabs open or does the unified RAM with 16GB RAM and 512 GB SSD with two NAND chips(vs one NAND chip for 250 GB SSD) do the job? You did a GREAT job of detailing in this video how the 10-core GPU is only worth it for a VERY VERY small segment of the market. Please would you detail whether that is the case for the 24 gb ram. Thanks
Somebody please correct me if I am wrong, PLEASE! It keeps crossing my mind as I watch numerous M2 reviews on this channel that APPLE is engineering into these M2 chips slowdowns, heat issues, to prevent out scoring the M1 series PRO models as they have not sold enough and have a huge backlog and that is by reason of the APPLE TAX ALONE! Quality suffers by reason of profits through creative engineering holding down performance because they rushed M2 out with M3 soon to be released and do expect M3 to suffer creative engineering restrictions again because of APPLE TAX. WE THE CONSUMER ARE BEING PLAYED FOR SUCKERS. That unfortunately is my gut feeling and why I never did buy any Intel Apple Mac's or MacBooks before the M1 Mac mini 16GB and 1TB ssd with which I am writing this to you. I have given away to family my Intel based video processing and photo editing and Pro camera's with me reaching 74 years of age and health issues and now am unable to go into the field, camp and shoot photos and video. That is life breaks as you all know. BUT APPLE TAX continues and they through creative engineering modify effectively restricting performance and play us for suckers for their profits, first. This video proves this to me. There is no other understanding except this: The one 8-core product performed above its class average product level while the 10-core was an inferior release of its class product. PROFITS RULE.
Everyone commenting on the quality of the video, which was great, but I comment for the giveaway. The Barbie doll’s full name is Barbara Millicent Roberts, from Willows, Wisconsin. Her birthday is March 9, 1959, when she was first displayed at the New York Toy Fair.
WOW! thank you so much for this demonstration! I am not very savvy, so very helpful to know what to look for and look at my needs, and make the best decision for ME! I Love apple products!!!!
Buy THIS MacBook instead of the 10 Core! ➡ geni.us/qYardlV
The BEST Thermal Pad to FIX Fast Throttling for $15 ➡ geni.us/RMoQL
iFixit Pro Toolkit ➡ geni.us/8qkP
Hello can you tell me what happened who won the giveaway.
I need MacBook Air m2 with 16 gm ram 10 core gpu
And I’m really confused right now u pined my channel name and gave emoji of rockets what does that mean just curious . And also i had email from you guys it says could not find delivery address or something like that . I hope u choose me please
Your videos are cool
Hi can please please please choose me i beg u max tech
The sweet spot for the m2 macbook air is the 8 core gpu, 512 ssd and 16gb of ram. Which, by the way, should be the base model.
That is what I was thinking.
does lower SSD slow down the computer
? I am finding so much conflicting info on this. Most of my storage is on icloud anyway
@@bigbootyboy420 If you're the intended audience of the MBA, the speed difference will not impact you.
Ty
16 GB or more on a fan-less machine is pointless!
You’re the MVP for saving us $100, when we can spend that on a 50 piece chicken mcnuggets.
That’s a huge performance differences.
This is very informative for educators for sure!
thanks for this thorough video!
thank you for putting together this useful test. I need to purchase, potentially, dozens of MBAir for my company and am undecided if the extra $100 justifies the extra GPU performance. This helps me a lot in making a decision, even though there is no gaming and no heavy video editing involved for my user case.
Question: what software is that on the taskbar, showing CPU and GPU loads?
Thank you! So glad I found this video xx
Like that MBA with M2!🙃
The new MacBook Air looks amazing!!!
Nice video!
The amount of testing this channel does is incredible and makes choosing a new laptop much more informative. Thank you! 👍
I really do watch them before I buy something....
You will find much better and honest reviews than this channel.
@@Octabust This is not polite. And if there are channels you like more, what are you doing here?
Oh yes - great comparison - I am definetly surprised about the results…
5:26 is between two 8cs not the 10 C . Check it out
The best configuration seems like MPA with 8c GPU, 512 GB SSD, 16 GB RAM so far
Thanks for saving us $100. It’s crazy that the 10 core doesn’t help on many GPU intensive tasks.
The 10-core does make a significant difference in graphics-intensive tasks, as seen with Blender GPU compute, but thermal throttling renders those extra 2 cores virtually unused in sustained tasks.
That’s the point man. If it can’t sustain the 10 cores for 5 mins it’s of no use.
@@gk18813 This isn't really true, as illustrated in the video. There are brief yet graphics-intensive tasks like Blender GPU compute, which greatly benefit from the extra cores.
They wouldn't have caught me on this one... but the SSD speed, oh boy! Since I need at least 1.5TB of media storage for my files I was ready to stick a SSD Unit to the back of it. Had I placed a blind order at sales opening I'd be here trying to cancel my order now.
@@The_MEMEphis agree. If you’re looking to add specs to an Air (and truly need the performance for your software and/or multitasking) then just buy a full blown 14”. I’ve had the 14” since November and been super happy with it.
Thanks for the continued great content. You showed us in these launch week videos that specs and marketing don’t add up sometimes in real world use. Keep up the great work!
Seriously the amount of topics and info that you guys are providing is priceless and super helpful! Glad to have you guys around. This was another one of my thoughts as to how the 8core vs 10core works.
5:26 tests are between two 8c MBA . Check it out
@@stevengeorge197 a mistake
I wonder how different this test would be like if you added the thermal pad mod for both models
Yes. I hope that they do this test with the thermal pads with the 10-core gpu
That will be the next video 😂
@@Ed-78 PhD students be like: squeezing their material to get as many experiments/papers as possible. lol
I’d love to see you compare the 8 core with thermal mod compared to the 10 core model
I have been thinking of getting M2 Air, I am confused if I should spend $150 on GPU upgrade or get the apple care+ I can only pick one... Anyone got any suggestions? I will be basically using the lapto for like google chrome 10-20 tabs open at the same time, discord, spotify, slack etc open in the background. I will be adding the RAM uograde as well. Any suggestions will be appreciated
I would go for the apple care +. My 2018 mac pro just died on me right after my apple care expired. They want me to pay $900 for repair, so instead imma just buy a new laptop.
@@vashistpatel oh wow that sucks! Did they tell you what’s wrong with it? Maybe just a batter change would fix?
@@FlyeKitesJay yeah they have to replace the logic board and finger print sensor. I’m assuming this problem was caused by another repair they did earlier on the Touch Bar (which cost $600 but was covered). Apparently you can opt in for extended apple care after three years, but I didn’t know it existed at the time.
@@vashistpatel interesting. Thanks for the insight! Appreciate it
Amazing content as always.
It seemed like it has been proven that the M2 is something only an M1.5 in terms of performance.
Exactly, it’s a beefed up M1. It’s still a great chip. The M3 will be more impressive I believe.
I agree, although I really do appreciate the extra graphics performance on the M2 chip. Im really wondering how performance will be on the M2 Pro / Max chips since they could be based on the 3nm process, hopefully it’ll be an actual worthy upgrade over its predecessors.
Sincerely, I wasn't expecting much more, it's obvious the M2 would be an evolution of the M1, not a whole new level.
The problem is Apple making ridiculous decisions, pairing the silicon with kinda slow SSD and lame thermal cooling.
@@AlejandroLZuvic The SSD is very unfortunate, but on the other hand, the base model is probably meant for content consumers/light users, namely watching youtube and movies, surfing the web, email, taking notes... and the SSD won't pose a problem for them. Concerning the thermal cooling, it's a "fan-less" design, which sets the laptop apart from the pro devices. It's completely normal that it throttles under continued heavy loads and perfectly fine for casual video editors.
@@williamwallace410 For that though, it makes far more sense to just get the base M1 Air for nearly 35% less money.
I'm increasingly confused by Apple's pricing and performance strategy with the new M2 models. Thanks for the ongoing insights!
It’s so smart but so bogus to us customers at the same time. It makes us feel like we need to upgrade from the base model but then at that point you might as well spend that extra $ upgrading to a whole new laptop like the m1 pro 14” as its only a bit extra than the m2air with 16gb ram and 512gb ssd… but then u could also do the better value and get the m1 air with 16gb ram but won’t have to upgrade to 512gb ssd as the m1 has 2 128gb chips while the m2 has only 1 256gb chip making it much slower. Ughhhhh why is apple so frustrating with their prices
For my usage the 8c gpu is more than enough. I wouldn't feel any slowness in the export times since I'm currently using a 2017 MacBook Air dual core i5 that takes almost 5 minutes to export a few photos from Lightroom. For people that are considering the 10c gpu I think it is better to spend more and get the 14in MacBook Pro.
That's exactly what Apple wants you to do.
Sneaky sneaky Apple.
It's really a head-scratcher who the target audience is for the 10-core gpu. I guess it's there if you want it, but as the evidence is coming in it's becoming clear it doesn't make much of a difference for the air.
The performance difference is too crazy between product variations. Thanks Vadim and the whole team for brining such in depth performance analysis and comparison for people to use their budgets smartly and to curb the expectations. I myself will wait and see what the M2 Pro and Max have to offer.
I’ve watched this channel for about a year, and I’ve never heard him say his name. I was just about to ask the chat!
I wait an M2 Ultra
To be honest, although I'd hoped for more, I think the difference between the two is decent enough to warrant the $100 price gap. Perhaps apple could further optimize the M2 further down the road with software? Idk. Great job on the vid though, very insightful
A few days back I was thinking maybe a MacOS upgrade could change the power levels to the GPU on the 10-core to increase the advantage. Now that I see real-world results with the paltry passive cooling, I can no longer see this as feasible. Unless I see better results comparison between both these machines with a thermal pad mod, the 10-core M2 Air is no longer in the running for me. At this point, I think my next MacBook is likely a 16GB Ram, 1TB SSD M2 13" MacBook Pro or an M1 Pro 14" MacBook Pro. If you want to see #MaxTech redo this comparison with thermal pads, please directly comment to the video with: "Thermal Pad Mod DO OVER"
@@Enconscienator Erm... I don't think it's necessary to redo it with the thermal pad tbh, there are plenty of vids out there demonstrating the capability of thermal pads, even maxtech's own video was insightful enough. I do agree with you that the increase in advantage is kinda measly but for some slightly more GPU intensive stuff, that improvement is very much welcomed.
@@benjisjs1535 You might be right. Still, between Max Tech and Luke Miani, I've only seen thermal pad mods on M2 Airs with 8-core GPUs. I'm curious how many more minutes -- or less minutes --a modded 10-core might prove beneficial before there's too much heat in the machine.
@@Enconscienator Since it's integrated, I hope the improvement is scalable based on the results from the 8 core GPU? But that's just wishful thinking if I'm being honest. I doubt it'll make that big of a difference
Thank you once again for the amazing content and the awesome job.
Thermal throttling in these machines it is so disappointing... I would rather get something with an active cooling system in it (MBP 14'' or 16'') rather than this, and I would love to see how the new M2 will perform on those.
Thank you Max and the team. I think only after 2 or 3 years we can notice the diference between the number of cores. For now only with this heavy tests it's possible to see some differences.
Would like to see both machines perform after the thermal mods installed
Apple had me so stoked with the 1st gen M1’s and now there isn’t much to be excited about in the M2 lineup. I wonder if this same thinking will permeate into the 16” pro line?
Almost guaranteed IMO. The reality is cpu tech is not advancing quickly enough to justify near annual upgrade cycles. The only way the M2 Pro and M2 Max will be significantly faster is if Apple sacrifices the efficiency of the M1. The base M2 tells me Apple is willing to do just that, which is disappointing. I don't want quiet, cool to the touch laptops that run all day to be a temporary anomaly, I want them to be the new normal for Apple.
Great review as always! Thanks to your M2 MacBook Air tests, I decided to pass on this long-awaited laptop and instead bought the 14-inch Macbook Pro M1 Pro in the base configuration. This clearly has the best price-performance ratio! Keep up the good work! You‘re the best!
You guys are awesome! I love how many different configurations you test. I would be interested to see the GPU performance differences with the thermal pads. Maybe the thermal pads would make the 10-core version worth it. There's an idea if you want to do more testing. ;)
It would be great to see a comparison between different thermal pads (up to $100) to fix thermal throttling on 8-core M2 MBA
Directly comment to the video: "Thermal Pad Mod DO OVER" if you want them to re-do this with thermal pads
Waited for this video for a long time! It’s crazy to see such small performance differences on some tasks like exporting. If this is a thermal issue, you guys should try the thermal pad experiment on both machines and see how it turns out! Keep up the great work!
It‘s crazy how much testing you guys do on this channel! High quality stuff right here and very helpful!
You test these machines like no other channel. Kudos to the entire Max Tech team!
Would still love to see a $1700 M2 MBA vs $1450 M1 MBA comparison, both with 16GB RAM, 512 SSD and un-binned chips. Would the "full sauce" M1 machine actually end up being better?
No
M2 is better
This channel is unbelievably productive over such a short course of time by uploading so frequently yet keeping the content so high in quality.
Love ❤️ could you make a video comparison between macbook air m2 16gb 512gb vs macbook air m1 16gb 512gb
Great analysis! Indeed, it is better to think about upgrading RAM or SSD. In fact, SSD upgrade is a must for performance and more RAM is also important for anything other than basic use.
I think for $100 more the 10core is the better choice here just because of that extra storage space.
Can’t believe an upgrade could result in less performance! Great video
Well, as the base model M2 MBA, 10 core GPU model also makes no sense at all in real world situations. Too close to spend extra.
Thank you for this test guys! Very informative indeed. What I can say as a film editor, is that if you make a movie for cinema, you’re always going to want to transcode your footage into a format optimised for your nle software and machine before you start editing. You will link back to the native format before sending it to the color grading. It is impressive that these portable machines can now playback without hiccups native footage of many different cameras, but no professional editor that I know, working for cinema, would ever start editing the native footage, unless the native footage is ProRes or Blackmagic RAW already.
From your test with the Canon footage, it seems like the 10 core throttled so much that there was almost no advantage over the 8 core. I think it was weird that the CPU on the 10 core was used more than on the 8 core. That must be some kind of software opimisation issue. The more extreme thermal throttling was most likely caused by maxed out GPU + higher voltage on the CPU, which made the 10 core hotter than the 8 core. Anyway, again, regardless of whether they will fix that or not, the problem doesn’t seem to exist with ProRes and Blackmagic RAW.
So, all considered, for my specific use case, the 10 core version still has an advantage over the 8 core version. I don’t know how it is for RUclipsrs, but the documentary filmmakers and film editors that I know, all have the proxy workflow or work with native ProRes..
The MacBook Air M2 is just amazing. Great design and great performance especially the 512gb ssd version. 👍🏻 Just the price should have been under $999 for base model.
Let’s be honest, software optimization on this new platforms require time, I don’t see any reason to NOT spend 6% more and buy the faster M2 that will ensure more longevity to the product. The only exception would be a “basic” user that only use the Mac for Office tasks and web browsing.
Exactly! Wanna see a re-do of this test with thermal pad mods on both 8 & 10-core? Comment directly to the video with "Thermal Pad Mod DO OVER"
They should have made 2 of the 8 or 10 cores efficiency cores, so battery would last longer while idling and you would get a significant performance boost with the 10 core model. That wpuld also reduce thermal throttling since 2 of the 10 cores are efficiency cores. I guess they didnt do that because if they did, the M1 MacBooks would beat M2 and reviewers would trash it so hard that it would actually hurt sales
Do you know if 10 GPU cores would be better if you have the 256GB SSD and 8GB ram
@@stephaniecurry45Non ça ne serait pas meilleur car le SSD 256 gb de la puce M2 n'est pas 2x128 gb contrairement au 256 de la puce M1 (il est donc plus lent). Le SSD 512 gb est lui divisé en 2 SSD de 2x256 donc il est plus rapide en plus d'avoir une capacité de stockage plus importante et la RAM est 2 fois plus importante que 8gb. Il ne faut pas acheter la version de base du macbook air en 256 gb à cause de ça même avec le GPU 10 coeurs. Il vaut mieux prendre cette configuration SSD 512 gb/8 ou 16 gb de RAM l'idéal étant 16 gb de RAM comme la version de cette vidéo.
May god bless me with this MacBook Air 😂 really need this as i am a student.
Would love to see the thermal mod applied to the 10 core and compare those benchmarks to these.
I love watching these GPU tests, but as a software dev that relies on CPU and Disk speed, these are only a passing interest for me. I would still love to see Speed tests for these MBAs sitting on a cheap laptop fan from Amazon. I bet they get longer better performance than with just heat pads.
Should be interesting to see the same tests done with those machines modded with the thermal pad
I've been an Apple user and I'm considering replacing my 9 year old MBP, so I appreciate the detailed side by side testing between the different configurations. This will be helpful if I decide to bite the bullet and know what upgrades are worth getting. Thanks for your great work! 👍
i have a 10 year on MBP what a great unit they are for lasting so well I don't think the M2 air will last so long
@@leighwaine1578 Why not last? Btw I too have a 10 year old MBP (late 2013, 8GB ram, core i5) i plan to replace it with M2 air 16GB ram… i see no reason that it won’t last as much my old MacBook
I feel like base M1 Air was the way to go two years ago. That or upgrade all the way to the 14” M1 Pro.
These in between M2 just seem so comprised for the prices.
The new upgrades to the m2 air are honestly impressive even though the base models are messed up but the way they degraded the ssds worries me if apple will keep on degrading everything thats not on paper [like they did with ports and butterfly keyboard} every year so that people will consider upgrading to the next to be released macs
Thank you, Im feeling lucky!!
I think the price was worth it for the 10 core 512Gb SSD. I didn’t bother with the memory as i had to limit spend somewhere. I think its more than enough for my needs so far. I’m loving this machine!
Curious to know the configuration of your m2.. I’m getting a deal in my country with the 10 core gpu and 512 gb ssd, 8 gb ram .. wondering should I pay extra or go for the basic entry level model
@@sulognoÀ votre place je prendrais plutôt 16 go de RAM/512 go de SSD et GPU 8 coeurs. La RAM de 16go sera plus utile a long termes que le GPU 10 coeurs vu la différence de performances avec le GPU 8 coeurs. C'est mon avis😉
I love the attention to keeping other variables constant while testing these things
I love all the testing this channel does, it’s crazy how detailed and informative these videos are. Thank you for making it easy to know what we’re getting ourselves into with these MacBook Air’s.
TLDR; Final Judgement at 17:00
Putting a machine under the conditions it wasn’t designed for (and no one will use for) to prove extra 6% of money gives you extra 6% of performance is the kind of test we deserve. Well done, Max Tech.
This was really helpful, it seems like the best value setup will be 8core with 16GB RAM and 512GB SSD
👆👆Thanks for watching and commenting, Hit me up 👆 giveaway awaiting for you🎀...
Why no ACTUAL game tests?
Yup, not getting the 10 core GPU, for my use-cases just not worth it.
👆Hit me up special package👆 awaiting for you
Excelent video as always!
I was blown away when he busted out his thermo camera! nice!!!
This answered all of my questions! Awesome video!!
Great testing work …. Cant change my order now 🤣😂
👆👆Thanks for watching and commenting, Hit me up 👆 giveaway awaiting for you🎀...
Thanks for doing this comparison. After seeing GregsGadgets' comparison I was hoping another reviewer would give their own analysis on the issue to better inform my decision on which one to get.
I was going to spec only with 512 SSD but after the long wait I just take the 10 core 512SSD!!
Great Video, answered my questions over the actual benefits of the 8 Core vs. 10 Core GPU. I’m buying the 8 and adding RAM
Good info, thanks!
Thanks Its really helpfull to me, thanks a lot guys
I just noticed that my box says 8gb RAM, 512gb SSD, 8-core CPU and 10-core GPU. So, I guess I have the 10-core model.
I just got the 13.6 inch M2 MacBook Air with 16 gigs of ram memory, and 512 SSD storage. I kept the 8 core GPU, because of this video, thanks. I've had my Silver 13.6 M2 Air now for 5 weeks, and love it, very user friendly. After Mac class at Soho Apple Store, I put the Air in my crossbody laptop briefcase, and was able to walk around NYC without any strain on my shoulders. One question, should I put Photoshop or Photoshop Elements on my Air? Or should I just use the photo program that comes with the Air?
Would be a blessing to win a MacBook air for our ministry!
which one is better for mac 13? m2 air ,m2 pro , m1 pro, m1 air?
So it seems that paying for 2 extra GPU cores makes no sense. The only problem is that I think in my country the only option with 8 GPU cores will be base model (8/256) and all other models will come with 10 GPU.
Thanks for effort you guys put into the tests and comparisons.. watching all the videos you guys made the 8core 16GB 512SSD MBA is the way to go ...
Me buying laptop 5 years ago: oh I like that color and it looks good.
vs.
now: let me watch Max Tech’s review.
5 videos later….. MBA, Starlight, 16GB CPU, 512GB it is.
Thank you guys, this is exactly what I needed
I want M2 Macbook
Seems that the 10c will perform better when there's only heavy load on GPU. If there are heavy loads on both CPU and GPU, the performances are pretty much the same between 8c and 10c due to thermal throttling. However, if you're willing to adding thermal pads to your M2 MacBook Air, I think the 10c version is still a reasonable choice to you.
What thermal pad do you recommend
This is exactly what I needed to know before my final purchase. Thanks so much guys!
thank you for this video. buying a new macbook today... SO MANY OPTIONS!!!!
You guys have the best videos. Hands down, get the big picture and small picture from these. It’s nice to be informed before you buy.
Apple made complex the process of buy a new laptop. We need to make a spreadshet with data from multiple videos and articles and analyze which is the best one.
M2 w/8C CPU & 8C GPU, 24GB, 1TB,30W OR M2 w/8C CPU & 8C GPU, 24GB, 1TB,30W, which one would you recommend? Thank you
Can you do the same video between M3 with 8 and 10 cores GPU? Like iMac M3
M2 512GB 16GB is clearly the way to go.
WoAw ! Amazing ! Thanks a lot for your videos! Very helpful!
From Paris 🇫🇷!
Gonna order one today i want a 16gb 512gb machine just not sure about the size. This will be my first mac but i love my iPhone and a MacBook air should make a good companion for it. I just want it for surfing the web and light video and photo editing. I have more powerful machines for heavier workloads 7950x3d 4090, 13900hx 4070, 7800x3d 7900xtx, 5800x3d 3080ti. I just want something that has great battery life i can use in my bed and on my lap without a laptop cooler. And it’s nice to get the same performance on battery something my other laptops could only dream of.
that's impressive when u get the exact 512g ssd and 16g ram, professional
I found the 10 core gpu being 50 dollars cheaper as a refurbished apple certified over a new education discount 8 core gpu for macbook M2 air. Would you recommend paying more to get the 8 core instead LOL? The only game I play is dota 2.
I’d be interested to see how the 10c performs if u had a laptop cooler underneath to prevent so much throttling
Get the 10 GPU with 512 SSD today or upgrade and get it many weeks later.
Approaching 2K for a speced up M2 MBA... Hmmm... I'd go for the 14 inch MBP instead.
Please compare with 24GB RAM vs 16GB RAM with 512GB SSD. Is the 24GB RAM really worth it for someone who surfs with 50+ Chrome tabs open or does the unified RAM with 16GB RAM and 512 GB SSD with two NAND chips(vs one NAND chip for 250 GB SSD) do the job? You did a GREAT job of detailing in this video how the 10-core GPU is only worth it for a VERY VERY small segment of the market. Please would you detail whether that is the case for the 24 gb ram. Thanks
Somebody please correct me if I am wrong, PLEASE! It keeps crossing my mind as I watch numerous M2 reviews on this channel that APPLE is engineering into these M2 chips slowdowns, heat issues, to prevent out scoring the M1 series PRO models as they have not sold enough and have a huge backlog and that is by reason of the APPLE TAX ALONE! Quality suffers by reason of profits through creative engineering holding down performance because they rushed M2 out with M3 soon to be released and do expect M3 to suffer creative engineering restrictions again because of APPLE TAX. WE THE CONSUMER ARE BEING PLAYED FOR SUCKERS. That unfortunately is my gut feeling and why I never did buy any Intel Apple Mac's or MacBooks before the M1 Mac mini 16GB and 1TB ssd with which I am writing this to you. I have given away to family my Intel based video processing and photo editing and Pro camera's with me reaching 74 years of age and health issues and now am unable to go into the field, camp and shoot photos and video. That is life breaks as you all know. BUT APPLE TAX continues and they through creative engineering modify effectively restricting performance and play us for suckers for their profits, first. This video proves this to me. There is no other understanding except this: The one 8-core product performed above its class average product level while the 10-core was an inferior release of its class product. PROFITS RULE.
Everyone commenting on the quality of the video, which was great, but I comment for the giveaway.
The Barbie doll’s full name is Barbara Millicent Roberts, from Willows, Wisconsin. Her birthday is March 9, 1959, when she was first displayed at the New York Toy Fair.
Fair results on the test. At least it's beating all the 8core one while throttling.
WOW! thank you so much for this demonstration! I am not very savvy, so very helpful to know what to look for and look at my needs, and make the best decision for ME!
I Love apple products!!!!
Love them