Insane performance and efficiency without fans - Apple MacBook Air 13 M5 Entry Review

[Redaktion]

The new MacBook Air 13 gets the blazing fast M5-SoC, twice the storage as well as Wi-Fi 7 for $1,099. We review the entry-level model with the 8-core GPU, 16 GB RAM and 512 GB storage, which is the best choice for most users.

https://www.notebookcheck.net/Insane-performance-and-efficiency-without-fans-Apple-MacBook-Air-13-M5-Entry-Review.1242707.0.html

[good-iGPU could be faster]

I'm not an APPLE user (yet?), but on fan is nice. Tho it looks like the performance throttles to 1/3 (-66%) when stress-tested.

Compared to Air 13 M4 Entry in the table. the M5's pixel response times are much better.

If the Air was 0.44 lb lighter, it would deserve its Air name much more.

Nice display color coverage, 550 nits and clear, color-punchy pixels, nothing to complain.

Nice speakers is good to hear.

Wish the iGPU was faster:
Steel Nomad (Vulkan):

• Radeon 890M: Average score: 753
  
  • (89.6 GB/s = 128-bit * 5600 MT/s / 1000 / 8)
• Apple MacBook Air 13 M5: 941
• (153.6 GB/s = 128-bit * 9600 MT/s / 1000 / 8)
  
• 4050 Laptop: Average score: 1789

[good-iGPU could be faster]

Assuming the Radeon 890M' average 753 score is (closely) based on 5600 MT/s.

[Assple]

The good thing, Apple is predictable.

Pro:
 - M5

Cons:
 - everything else

[Frugal when gaming]

Wish the iGPU was faster

I want you to do something for me. Look at the power it takes when running Cyberpunk 2077 at ultra. It's around 19 watts. Then look at the average 890m laptop when running same game, it's around 60 watts (lunar lake does 45watts). Now look at a low power rtx 4050 laptop, that will take 60w alone just for the dgpu, not including CPU, ram and the rest of the other stuff. So total power on an rtx 4050 laptop will be much significantly higher.

While this GPU may not be the fastest, it is incredibly efficient and takes very little power. It kind of reminds me of switch 2 SoC vibes which only takes something like 8w except this has a much faster CPU.

What's somewhat odd, is if you look at the MBP w/ teh same M5 igpu, it seems to take much more wattage under same Cyberpunk test. Not sure what that could be about. Perhaps combination of spinning fans for cooling, high refresh 120 Hz miniled display, higher sustained clocks/wattage - or a combination of all of the above.

[dumb_oems]

There is not a single Windows laptop that comes even close to this level of performance while being completely silent.

In fact, there are no recent Windows laptops that are completely silent, period.

It is not even funny how much better than the competition this device is in most areas, and funnily enough even the price department.

[abufrejoval]

There is not a single Windows laptop that comes even close to this level of performance while being completely silent.

In fact, there are no recent Windows laptops that are completely silent, period.

It is not even funny how much better than the competition this device is in most areas, and funnily enough even the price department.

Okay, you're a fan of no fan, and so am I, except that's I'd much rather buy the laptop much cheaper and have the ability to chose the OS myself.

Fanless laptops could be made, even with x86 APUs, certainly with a lot of the Snapdragon stuff available as Android phones and tablets testify. Neither Windows nor Linux are necessarily the reason why fanless laptops aren't made for them, there is no magic ingredient in any of these operating systems.

Let's grant Apple is a generation ahead in terms of hardware efficency just to avoid a shouting match, but last generation performance levels arent so bad, only fans can make them acceptable.

You can configure Windows/Linux laptops to run on passive cooling and lots of times that's what I do if silence is more important than speed. Actually that's what most laptops even do automatically, intervention is only required e.g. if you want still want quiet even while you render. And most of the time even if the fans run their "noise" most of the time isn't even noticeable, mostly I don't like dust accumlating or a coffee spill causing damage, so I find a sealed chassis just better.

So why aren't such laptops offered outside of the Fruity Cult? I can only guess, but too much of the other camp seems to prefer the flexibility to decide over the reduced weight or additional battery time, to make such a fanless product viable. Many current Windows/Linux laptops will last an extended working day on battery, while power sockets aren't disappearing like phone sockets for those modems: more battery time has become too little value to remain a decisive factor for the vast majority of buyers. The ability to get max sustained performance when they want or need it, seems more valuable than extra time on battery or a thinner device.

Very passive Androids with very nearly the same Oryon hardware prove it's not a technical impediment, no current OS is totally incompetent so market demand remains the most plausible reason.

Their laptops offer much lower prices mostly because they are produced at much larger scales. Evidently their market research simply doesn't seem to indicate a significantly big enough group of buyers for fanless, perhaps even less inclination to pay premium for leaving out the fans.

Personally I'd probably fall for a laptop that is the very same as the OnePlus Pad 3 tablet I just bought for €500 at 16GB RAM and 512GB SSD, except with a convertible clamshell design. I'd think is pretty near the same speed as that "Neo-Oldie", also using a last gen SoC, but with twice the RAM and SSD and a great tochscreen and pen, which I like to have, even when I do most of my input via a keyboard: I actually prefer a convertible over tablet + keyboard cover, unless they make the detach really bullet proof.

I'd probably run a Linux desktop, potentially Windows for ARM on it or even an Android that's more desktop oriented as they keep promising. And I certainly wouldn't mind it also being able to run MacOS or iPadOS, as long as I don't have to bend the knee, sacrifice a kidney, or be forced to use it.

I don't need nor want "insane", but I like flexibility, choice, either expandability or an affordable capacity margin at a reasonable price. Apple could deliver on SoC performance, but fails on everything else. The other camp could to better, I agree.