One of the major differences between the MacBook Air and MacBook Pro is that the Air lacks cooling fans. This means that Air will slow down its performance if the task at hand causes the computer to generate excessive heat. This has always been the case with the Airs, but apparently it’s taken to a new extreme with the MacBook Air M3.
Max Tech conducted extensive benchmarking with the M3 MacBook Air and found that when using the M3 Air in clamshell mode with dual external displays, one of the laptop’s major new features, the laptop slows down so much that performance could be cut in half. Max Tech was able to achieve this by running the 3D Mark Wildlife Extreme benchmark for 20 minutes. After the sixth minute, performance begins to decline and continues to do so until approximately 50% of performance is lost.
We’ve mentioned (and experienced) the MacBook Air’s limitation with previous models, and we even saw some of it when testing the new M3 MacBook Air with the laptop open. Clamshell mode (where the Air is closed when connected to external displays) shows a more drastic drop than we’ve seen with previous Air models due to the laptop’s lack of a fan.
It can be argued that the situation causing the drop is an outlier, but that is not the case: 3DMark Wild Life Extreme is a 3D graphics test that performs tasks commonly used in high-end games, and Apple pitches the Air as a capable gaming laptop. . Furthermore, the limitation is not only for this benchmark test. Max Tech saw a similar drop in Cinebench 2024 and with an Adobe Lightroom Classic image import.
How to maintain MacBook Air M3 performance in clamshell mode
Max Tech tried different things to stop the MacBook Air M3 from slowing down. First, they used a Svalt cooling pad, which is a laptop stand that doubles as a heat sink, channeling heat away from the bottom of the case. Next, they used the Svalt cooling block with a Svalt Fx cooling fan. Both methods reduced the amount of throttling, with the Block/Fan configuration being better than using the Block alone.
Finally, they cracked the Air’s case, installed thermal pads, and placed the Air on top of the block with a fan. This configuration was the most successful, showing little to no throttling or performance loss. In fact, in some tests, the Air slightly outperformed the M3 MacBook Pro.
Using the Svalt cooling block with the Fx cooling fan is a simple method to solve the problem, but it is expensive: the block costs $279 and the fan costs $49. Add that to the price of the $1,699 15-inch MacBook Air used in Max Tech’s testing, and you’re paying $2,023, or $24 more than the soon-to-be-updated $1,999 14-inch MacBook Pro M3 to support two flip displays. fashion like Air. Cheaper mounts equipped with cooling fans are available, but it is unclear how effective they are for this purpose. Adding thermal pads is also relatively simple, but not everyone feels comfortable with the idea of opening a MacBook to access the inner workings.
Why doesn’t the MacBook Air have fans? So Apple can make it as thin and light as possible. However, there is technology that allows Apple to place fans in the air without making the laptop larger. A few months ago, I saw a demonstration of a hacked MacBook Air equipped with Frore’s AirJet, which Frore calls a “solid-state active cooling chip.” These are fans a little larger than the size of an SD card. The AirJet carried heat away from the Air’s processor, allowing it to maintain performance. AirJet is not a product that consumers can purchase, but it could be an option as processors become more powerful and basic needs become more demanding.
Apple has not commented on Max Tech’s findings, but Apple has always positioned the MacBook Air as a consumer laptop capable of performing the heavy casual tasks typically done with a pro-level application. If you regularly do demanding work, a MacBook Pro (equipped with cooling fans) is more suitable.
While the ability to run dual monitors with the lid closed is a new feature, there are some workarounds that allow you to run dual monitors with the screen open. To learn more about the MacBook Air, check out our M3 MacBook Air superguide.
Macbook Air M3 13-inch (2024)
Price when reviewed:
$1299
