Adding AirJet Mini Cooling System to MacBook Air M2: Boost Your Performance by 400 MHz and 5%

Apple is known for its product design, not just the exterior appearance, as the interior is entirely customized. This allows them to design their devices around the components used, but one downside is that Apple will always sacrifice cooling for a smaller size. A laptop like the MacBook Air relies on passive cooling and reaches very high temperatures, but thanks to the AirJet Mini, it is now possible to improve cooling.

You may not have heard of them, but about a year ago, we discussed Frore Systems and their innovative solid-state cooling system. This cooling system has the unique ability to move air without using a fan, which seems impossible. The idea is based on an ultrasonic vibration system in its internal fins, allowing it to draw in and expel air without the need for a traditional fan.

The MacBook Air M2 with three AirJet Minis manages to maintain a frequency of 3.2 GHz during the 30-minute Cinebench test

As we saw at the end of last year, Frore Systems had prepared two AirJets, both the AirJet Mini and the AirJet Pro. While the AirJet Pro is larger, weighing 22 grams and capable of dissipating up to 10.5W, the AirJet Mini cools around 5W with a weight of 11 grams anda smaller size. This latter option can be employed in various devices, even Apple’s MacBook Air, which would allow the addition of a better cooling system. To test this, a standard 15-inch MacBook Air M2 and another M2 Air were tested, with the latter modified with three AirJet Minis inside, along with a copper plate as a heat sink.

When comparing the performance of both laptops, although the Air M2 performs optimally at the beginning, it only takes a few minutes before it loses performance. In contrast, with the Air M2 modified with AirJet Minis, performance remains stable during the 30-minute test. Using the Cinebench R23 stability test, the MacBook Air M2 with AirJet kept a stable frequency of 3.2 GHz and consumed around 20W. Meanwhile, the original Air M2 fell to 2.8 GHz after 30 minutes with a chip consumption of about 13W.

The AirJet prevents thermal throttling issues and significant FPS drops in games

After completing the Cinebench R23 test, the MacBook Air M2 with AirJet Mini scored 8,775 points, while the original finished with 8,380 points. Although it’s not a massive difference, the system maintained stability without thermal throttling and ensured a stable speed. Another test involved playing Shadow of the Tomb Raider, where the FPS went from 28 to 29 – a virtually nonexistent improvement. As in Cinebench, significant differences began to emerge as the MacBook Air struggled with high temperatures.

The MacBook Air M2 dropped to 22 FPS, while the AirJet version maintained 27 FPS. Additionally, after 40 minutes of gameplay, the original’s passive cooling was insufficient, causing stuttering, which the modified version did not experience. In the Xcore benchmark, the AirJet-fitted Air completed the test in 172.7 seconds compared to the 178.2 seconds without the AirJet. Lastly, a comparison was made between the 15-inch MacBook Air M2 with AirJet and the 13-inch MacBook Pro with active cooling. Their performances were almost identical, demonstrating the efficiency of this innovative cooling system. Frore Systems believes it is possible to create ultra-thin laptops with just 9.5 mm thickness using AirJets, something we might see in the near future with thinner OLED keyboards and screens.