I think I am finally ready to upgrade to Apple silicon. Is spending the $400 to upgrade the ram a good idea for a user that doesn’t do anything hugely intensive but is going for longevity of the machine?
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2019 Intel owner ready to buy the 16 M3 pro - 18gb or 36gb ram?
- Thread starter KevinRightWing
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I would do exactly what F23 advised you if you are not sure BUT if you are not doing anything quite demanding like heavy photoshop editing or video montage, gaming, or virtual machine stuff, I can tell you that 18 GB is more than enough.
What will be your main usage of the machine ? Professional or personal ? Which softwares do you usually use ?
What will be your main usage of the machine ? Professional or personal ? Which softwares do you usually use ?
I have a 14" M1 pro 16gb. I've only run out of RAM during heavy video editing in 4K (3-4 streams and colorgrading applied). I've done pretty straight forward editing of RED 8K footage without problems as well though. So I really thing you will be fine with 18GB
I'd go slightly different to others here and say that, if you want the option to keep the machine for 5+ years, I'd spring for the 36GB. It gives you room to "grow into" the machine if you end up wanting to do more in future years. You'll also be able to sell it for more money when the time comes to upgrade.
Tbh I think with yearly upgrades to MBPs the upgrade/resale value is going to tank. With the influencer economy asking everyone to upgrade frequently it’s going to be tough to get a good chunk back if you upgrade less than 3-4 years. Any custom configuration is not going to fetch more money. If you keep it beyond 4 years then you will get your money’s worth in usage. Just my 2c
I was coming from the same machine as you and ultimately decided on 36. Future proof and plan to hold on to this for a while.