We just reviewed the new Apple MacBook Air 13 in the base configuration with the M5 SoC. Contrary to the 15-inch model of the MacBook Air or the MacBook Pro 14 M5, the base model of the Air 13 is equipped with a slightly slower M5 SoC, which only offers 8 instead of 10 GPU cores. The performance is still very good and we were particularly surprised about the efficiency during our gaming tests, where the SoC only consumed between 7-8 Watts. 

The Air is a passively cooled device, which means the performance is throttled under sustained workloads and the M5 SoC will quickly level off at around 8 Watts under combined workloads. You might say that the processor also quickly stabilizes at this level (7-8W) while gaming, but this is not the case. While playing Cyberpunk 2077, for example, the SoC consumption is just 6.9-7.2 Watts, so still below the possible value of 8 Watts. This is sufficient to reach 19.6 fps in 1080p with ultra graphics settings, and this result does not change even after one hour. If you reduce the details slightly and also use MetalFX upscaling, it means you can enjoy smooth gameplay in demanding titles like Cyberpunkt 2077 or Baldur’s Gate 3 (consumption between 7.5-7.8 Watts) on the MacBook Air without throttling.

* … smaller is better

This makes the small MacBook Air the most efficient laptop in our database by quite a margin without unplayable frame rates. We measure just 19 Watts for the whole system including the display, which is once again very efficient. The M5 SoC with 10 GPU cores inside the actively cooled MacBook Pro 14 is not as efficient, but also offers more gaming performance in return.

Please see our in-depth review of the Apple MacBook Air 13 M5 for more details.

Editor of the original article: Andreas Osthoff – Managing Editor Business Laptops – 2063 articles published on Notebookcheck since 2013

I grew up with modern consumer electronics and my first computer was a Commodore C64, which encouraged my interest in building my own systems. I started working as a review editor for Notebookcheck during my dual studies at Siemens. Currently, I am mainly responsible for dealing with business laptops and mobile workstations. It’s a great experience to be able to review the latest devices and technologies and then compare them with each other.