Apple has released the 13-inch and 15-inch M4 MacBook Air models in major markets, sparking curiosity among users who are now experimenting with the new machines. A notable difference between the M3 and M4 models is their behavior when running taxing workloads. According to YouTuber Vadim Yuryev, Apple has altered the way these MacBook Air models operate by utilizing only the six efficiency cores instead of the four performance cores.
This change leads to multiple benefits, including cooler temperatures and potentially reduced throttling. When testing Lightroom Classic for image editing, Vadim discovered that the M4 MacBook Air uses only its efficiency cores, while the performance cores are barely utilized. This behavior is surprising given that Adobe’s software is extremely CPU-intensive.
It is unclear why Apple chose to use just the efficiency cores, but this approach may have been intended to balance performance and user experience. With limited information available from Vadim, it’s difficult to assess how well Lightroom Classic runs on the efficiency cores alone. However, assuming optimal performance, this method would benefit battery life and temperatures.
Given that the M4 MacBook Air relies on a single large heatsink for cooling, transferring processing load to the six efficiency cores might have been deliberate. Further investigation is needed to determine if this behavior holds true when running other intensive applications. For now, buyers can snag an attractive deal on Amazon with a $50 discount coupon available for 13-inch and 15-inch M4 MacBook Air models.
Source: https://wccftech.com/m4-macbook-pro-uses-all-efficiency-cores-instead-of-performance-ones-to-save-battery