Explained & Solved: Exaggerated thermal issues with the MacBook Air 2020 i5

The MBA with the i5 has to throttle and run its fans loudly to cool itself under load.

CPU Temp under Load Average Fan Noise under Load CPU Speed under Load
MBA 2020 i5 99c 45.5 dBA
MBP 2019 Entry 87c 31.1 dBA

The i3 might be a better option. Unlike the i5, the i3 MBA does not thermal throttle. Even though they share the same cooling system, the i3 consumes less power, so the cooling system has to dissipate less heat.

/r/laptops Thread