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8GB RAM in M3 MacBook Pro Proves the Bottleneck in Real-World Tests

boak said:
Not really. It's a way to force the SSD upgrade, improving the ASP.
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Well, I'm also thinking about third party retailers, which usually don't stock as many of the upgraded models as they do the base models. By virtue of simply having more stock available, the base models are usually the ones that go on deeper sales, and they're also the ones that are the easiest to buy on the second hand market.

Upgrading the base spec does make good machines more accessible to people who can't afford to buy them new. My very first Mac was a used Mac (my 2012), and I would have never been introduced to the ecosystem if the only option I had as a student going into college was going brand new. That's part of why I pay attention to the second hand market I suppose, it's what ended up introducing me to the Mac world of things (and I'm glad it did, I haven't looked back since).
 
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Agincourt said:
In 2017, this would have been absolutely correct... or did you mean a 16 GB version going for $1,599 today? Please point me to this theoretical computer that I probably wouldn't know the difference, because we ARE noticing.
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In a theoretical world if they had the base model as 16gb at $1,799 you wouldn’t bat an eye at the price. Personally i think it’s good that they give you the option to buy a version with 8GB of RAM for $200. I think this machine is great for someone who needs a MacBook Air, but wants the better display and speakers of the pro.

And if you dont this that is worthy of the upgrade from the air, I‘m gonna disagree with you because the speakers and display are REALLY good on this machine. Like REALLY GOOD. They aint lying when they say it’s the best display on a laptop. That’s worth the price difference between the air and the pro alone.
 
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tpr007 said:
I bought a cheap £400 lenovo laptop 4 years ago that had an SSD and 8GB RAM. This is beyond a joke, even for Apple
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Want to post the Geekbench score for this power house of a machine? Does this machine run Windows 11? Want to post the DiskBench score for that SSD?
 
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ArkSingularity said:
This is a discussion about RAM on a $1600 machine, not about Windows 11 or SSD benchmarks. Nobody is arguing that a $400 machine will have SSD or CPU benchmarks that can compete.
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The poster used the £400 machine as a comparison, insinuating that the value of $1600 for the new MBP is somehow bad. Lets see the scores to compare how much faster the MBP is than that £400 Lenovo.
 
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boak said:
I wasn't even defending anything in that post. Was just trying to figure out how the magic $1599 number was arrived at.
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Stop being disingenuous. Anybody who spends 1600 bucks on a laptop which pretends to be a "Pro" (whatever that even means) needs headroom to grow and expand. Tim Apple doesn't understand the penalty of squeezing profits from buyers in the short term erodes goodwill in the long term.
 
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ender78 said:
The poster used the £400 machine as a comparison, insinuating that the value of $1600 for the new MBP is somehow bad. Lets see the scores to compare how much faster the MBP is than that £400 Lenovo.
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The poster is pointing out a garbage 400 quid laptop has 8GB so it's insulting to Apple buyers to have the same in a 1600$ laptop. It's quite simple.
 
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ender78 said:
The poster used the £400 machine as a comparison, insinuating that the value of $1600 for the new MBP is somehow bad. Lets see the scores to compare how much faster the MBP is than that £400 Lenovo.
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"But the other specs are better" is a weak retort to the criticism that this spec is poor.
 
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boak said:
15-inch M2 MBA with 8GB/2TB is $1699. Poor value too? Discuss.
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No, it's $2,099. And yes, that's a poor value. BTO options are always very pricey; that's neither a new phenomenon, nor is it Apple-specific.

I would strongly recommend upgrading the RAM first, then the SSD; you can always get an external SSD. (2 TB can be had for around $100 total.)
 
randywolf244 said:
In a theoretical world if they had the base model as 16gb at $1,799 you wouldn’t bat an eye at the price. Personally i think it’s good that they give you the option to buy a version with 8GB of RAM for $200. I think this machine is great for someone who needs a MacBook Air, but wants the better display and speakers of the pro.

And if you dont this that is worthy of the upgrade from the air, I‘m gonna disagree with you because the speakers and display are REALLY good on this machine. Like REALLY GOOD. They aint lying when they say it’s the best display on a laptop. That’s worth the price difference between the air and the pro alone.
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You didn't read my comment. What you stated was exactly right... 5 YEARS AGO.

Since then every other PC maker has kept up while Apple stayed stagnant, unless you pay a premium to get a reasonable configuration. The correct thing for Apple to have done was simply make the base specs 16 GB WITHOUT adding $200. So it would be a $1599 machine with 16 GB RAM.

$1599 for 16 GB RAM is what we'd not be arguing about
 
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boak said:
15-inch M2 MBA with 8GB/2TB is $1699. Poor value too? Discuss.
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I certainly wouldn't buy one, but I definitely need more RAM for my workflow. Also, passive cooling is also something I can't get away with. (I had an M1 MBA with 16G of RAM, worst computer buy I ever made!!) I know people that have loved them, so I know my experience is atypical.

That said, I think it's a little high $$ for such a small performance level machine, but if you've got the money, and want quite over performance, it's a good value.
 
Timo_Existencia said:
Most people in the West have a completley skewed understanding of personal economics.

The "professionals" on this forum are arguing that $200 is TOO MUCH for 8 gb more of ram. On a machine that they'll use for many hours each day. On a machine that earns them their living.

...and then they'll end their work day getting into a car that they'll use for 1-2 hours per day, and for which they paid $50k or more for. In which they upgraded the seats to leather for $1000 or more. ;)
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$200 from 8 to 16 is too much because upgrading any other brand computer would cost you between $50 up to $100 worst case scenario.
 
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Timo_Existencia said:
All of this back/forth over a $200 upgrade.

I've made this point before on MR, and I understand that nobody gets my point. But in the US, at least, the average cost of a new car is $48,000. And, have you checked the price of "upgrades" on a car lately? And on average, consumers change cars every 3 or so years.

One commenter suggested that when you buy a computer, you should plan on having it for 7 years. This same commenter was lamenting that $200 for 8 gb more of RAM was too much. Over those 7 years, that $200 upgrade would cost $2.38/month.

The fact remains that for many, many (most) buyers, the M-series chips at 8 gb provide a great computer experience. And if you need more, you can buy more.

I can only imagine that the majority of people on here complaining about a $200/upgrade on ram are spending thousands and thousands of "extra" on cars for very little benefit, if we are simply talking "specs" in the way that they are endlessly talking about specs here on this thread.

I simply don't understand the economic priorities of most Westerners. :)

(not to mention people complaining that they have to wait a few seconds more for a process to complete with less ram, but then spend 2 hours commuting each day) :)
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Exactly, if you’re planning on using a computer for 7 years, a $200 upgrade is negligible. And if Apple wouldn’t have introduced a cheaper base spec for the MacBook Pro with 8GB of RAM, I’m sure a lot of these people wouldn’t be here complaining. I certainly didn’t see big long-winded articles and threads like this complaining about the base spec 14” 16GB M1 Pro, or for that matter, the base spec 14” 16GB M2 Pro… But when Apple introduces a new cheaper option to bridge the divide between the high end Pro models professional YouTubers will gravitate to and the MacBook Air, all of a sudden everyone’s whipped into a frenzy. 🙄. The 8GB M3 base spec is literally a new option for buyers who want to get the MacBook Pro cheaper, the base spec for the M3 Pro and M3 Max is still there for those who were happy with the prior gen 14” MacBook Pros…
 
Timo_Existencia said:
(not to mention people complaining that they have to wait a few seconds more for a process to complete with less ram, but then spend 2 hours commuting each day) :)
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I can understand your thoughts. The 2 secs is more of a frustration problem, if we're less frustrated, we work better. I hate the commute myself, but I don't have to expend energy thinking, so it's almost free, and definitely non-working time. I've had a 50 minute commute each way for the last 28 years, and I listen to audiobooks during that time. It's actually not that bad. :)
 
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I think apple should also offer 4gb ram and 128 gb ssd as well for its pro series. After all more options the merrier.
 
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