it's running pretty good, since I put an ssd in it, I mainly use it as a glorified TV in the bedroom.
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8GB RAM is a disappointment?
- Thread starter MacBH928
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I too want to know specifics. Compilation shouldn't need much RAM. Linking an extraordinarily large project might run into problems, but they would almost never be "doesn't work at all", they would be "links slowly because the system is swapping".
You're looking at the first step in a multi-step process and making yourself mad because Apple decided the first step would be low-end Macs, and designed a chip tailored to fit that role. If they'd tried to make M1 all things to all people, it would end up being mediocre at everything rather than great at one thing.
Look at it this way instead: Apple's moved the bar on what a low-end computer looks like. Imagine what software developers are going to do with M1-level compute as a baseline assumption, and have a little patience while Apple works their way up the stack.
I will be surprised if there is anything magic about M1's memory usage. The only architectural difference I can think of is that ARM machine code typically results in about a 5% larger code size, because x86 has better instruction density. But actual machine code is a very small portion of RAM usage.
Unified memory is also not magic. An Intel processor with integrated graphics also uses the main system RAM for GPU resources.
I would be surprised if Big Sur running on Apple Silicon has massively different memory usage to the same OS and same apps running on Intel, but I could be wrong.
The one advantage Apple does have is its extreme vertical integration. With absolute control over both the chip and the software running on it, they can write their drivers and OS to be as efficient as possible. Metal running on Apple Silicon may well avoid some copies, because M1's GPU doesn't need to pretend to be a discrete GPU and can expose the unified memory to the app.
Saying all that, 8GB still sounds a lot of memory to me. I remember when computers had a megabyte, or less!
If apps chew through that much RAM (unless they are actually dealing with massive datasets) then they need to be optimised. It really sucks how every time we get hardware improvements basic everyday apps (and websites) become less efficient in turn and expand to suck up the available resources.
I gave in and ordered 16GB because I always over-buy and am thinking I might want to run a VM or two, but honestly my current 5 year old Mac with 8GB is still fast and capable as anything. People worrying about 8GB not being enough for word processing or web browsing or photo editing are worrying for nothing, IMO.
Unified memory is also not magic. An Intel processor with integrated graphics also uses the main system RAM for GPU resources.
I would be surprised if Big Sur running on Apple Silicon has massively different memory usage to the same OS and same apps running on Intel, but I could be wrong.
The one advantage Apple does have is its extreme vertical integration. With absolute control over both the chip and the software running on it, they can write their drivers and OS to be as efficient as possible. Metal running on Apple Silicon may well avoid some copies, because M1's GPU doesn't need to pretend to be a discrete GPU and can expose the unified memory to the app.
Saying all that, 8GB still sounds a lot of memory to me. I remember when computers had a megabyte, or less!
If apps chew through that much RAM (unless they are actually dealing with massive datasets) then they need to be optimised. It really sucks how every time we get hardware improvements basic everyday apps (and websites) become less efficient in turn and expand to suck up the available resources.
I gave in and ordered 16GB because I always over-buy and am thinking I might want to run a VM or two, but honestly my current 5 year old Mac with 8GB is still fast and capable as anything. People worrying about 8GB not being enough for word processing or web browsing or photo editing are worrying for nothing, IMO.
I'm having memory pressure probs with 8gb. Seems like web browsing is more of the issue than having many other apps open. Tabs will take a second to pop back in relatively often with only 10-12 tabs open. Some tabs showing over a gig in memory. Also I'm showing ~6gb of swap being used.
It's possible my SSD is slower than average and I notice the swap quickly populate a tab after clicking back onto it -- I have done some black magic tests and my SSD is showing to be ~25-30% slower than what I've seen others post here. It's still really fast though, but it makes me wonder if Big Sur is using the swap file more aggressively and that is why I notice the slight delay in tabs at times.
I always thought I was a relatively light user, and this isn't really a problem, it isn't that noticeable but I still ordered a 16gb because this is a perfect laptop to me that I can see holding onto for many years.
It's possible my SSD is slower than average and I notice the swap quickly populate a tab after clicking back onto it -- I have done some black magic tests and my SSD is showing to be ~25-30% slower than what I've seen others post here. It's still really fast though, but it makes me wonder if Big Sur is using the swap file more aggressively and that is why I notice the slight delay in tabs at times.
I always thought I was a relatively light user, and this isn't really a problem, it isn't that noticeable but I still ordered a 16gb because this is a perfect laptop to me that I can see holding onto for many years.
What model/configuration of M1 Mac are you using? The type of web browser you use could affect things. Is it Safari, Chrome, Opera, Brave, etc.? Is it M1-optimized or running in Rosetta 2 translation? Being VERY specific as to which apps you're running (M1 Native (M1N) or Rosetta 2 Translated (R2T)) will help as well. The M1 Macs are new territory to us (especially me... I don't even have one yet!), so more information, vs. vagueness will help people diagnose what you can/should do to make your usage go smoother.
This, plus it would be useful to know which sites, if you're able to share publicly.
Base air. I'm only using safari. It is crazy fast though, I just notice the pop-in and such and minor stutters. I have opened maybe 10 apps and browsed the web, it is still smooth. It's just browsing I notice my tabs taking up a lot of memory and doing that pop-in, so I am bumping to 16gb.
Right now I just have mail, messages, and books open right now. And 10-12 tabs. One I am watching a football game in, the others are message boards, youtube, sleeper.app, reddit, REI, apple. Getting 6.62gb of 8 used, high green memory pressure (it only dips into yellow here and there), and about 5.5gig swap.
Any help would be appreciated, I'd prefer to just keep this model, and I could certainly put up with the tab thing, but I just don't really want to. I like having 10-15 tabs open at a time. It comforts me in a weird way =)
Let me know if you want me to try anything else
I said 8GB, but yeah I guess I was wrong, it’s 16. That would not compile ‘by default’. Compilation will fail, and you’ll need to adjust settings in order for it to succeed again. As a developer compiling various libraries, you’ll run into this occasionally, because it’s assumed developers have more ram. A better example would be doing dev work using VMs since it’s more purely functional rather than quality of life fiddling with annoying settings, but my point is simply:
These are very fast machines. Fast enough to be usable for higher-end professional tasks. The rest of the system supports that well, except for the RAM. Even though there’s enough for my use case, I find it justified some folks are frustrated because it’s exactly the machine they could use, at maybe half the price, but then only the RAM is not enough. I think it’s ok for them to be frustrated, they’re not being unreasonable.
What is a "Base Air"? Apple doesn't sell a "Base Air". They sell a MacBook Air M1 in different configurations. What is your specific configuration? How much RAM, how much SSD, how many graphics cores (as it's the only model that is actually sold with one less graphics core than the other configurations of the Air and the other M1 Macs)? I'm assuming these details will help. If anyone else thinks otherwise, my apologies for trying to be so thorough for everyone's benefit.
The base Air would be the $999 7core GPU, 8GB RAM, 256 GB SSD.What is a "Base Air"? Apple doesn't sell a "Base Air". They sell a MacBook Air M1 in different configurations. What is your specific configuration? How much RAM, how much SSD, how many graphics cores (as it's the only model that is actually sold with one less graphics core than the other configurations of the Air and the other M1 Macs)? I'm assuming these details will help. If anyone else thinks otherwise, my apologies for trying to be so thorough for everyone's benefit.
Base. Bottom. Lowest config option. it is, in fact, the most popular model.What is a "Base Air"? Apple doesn't sell a "Base Air". They sell a MacBook Air M1 in different configurations. What is your specific configuration? How much RAM, how much SSD, how many graphics cores (as it's the only model that is actually sold with one less graphics core than the other configurations of the Air and the other M1 Macs)? I'm assuming these details will help. If anyone else thinks otherwise, my apologies for trying to be so thorough for everyone's benefit.
Other places you may see this term, base model of a car, or anything that is the base of which allows multiple configurations.
I try to make someone nail down the specifics of their system and others gotta come in and act like I'm a clueless rube. *I* know what the base model of the Macbook Air M1 is... I was trying to get the poster to be more specific. As an A+ Certified Computer Tech, having a customer coming in and saying, "My computer doesn't work", is the opitome of vagueness! So, saying you have a "Base Air" is... well... is it a "Base Air" of the Intel design? (and, if so, what year)? The M1? Yes, it can be ASSUMED (logically, based on the fact they are posting in the "Silicon Mac" forum) that they're talking about the M1, but they haven't given enough specifics to KNOW that for 100%. And, I never like to assume anything... some people will stick a question for their system, even in the wrong forum or group or whatever, just based on the likelihood of getting an answer from anyone.Base. Bottom. Lowest config option. it is, in fact, the most popular model.
Other places you may see this term, base model of a car, or anything that is the base of which allows multiple configurations.
And, not saying this is the case (which I sincerely believe it isn't)... some people feign innocence... just to cause trouble. I'm sure Mac Rumors forums have had their fair share of "trolls" in the past, no? I think we have some even now... griping about how horrible the graphics performance is/will be, or how little RAM the M1's come with and couldn't possibly be good enough for serious work. You can't get rid of them permanantly... but you can be dilligent and weed them out, with careful questions.
So, my desire for the poster to be as specific as possible about their system, was meant to help set a bottom line for everyone to be able to work with, instead of guessing at anything.
I knew that... but there might be some that don't. Being specific about your specs helps weed out any possible question as to what the individual is using. And "Base Air" is not a common term, that I'm aware of. And if it is a commonly used term, does it mean the M1 or the Intel series of systems? And, if the Intel series, what year? Yes, the poster posted in the M1 Mac forum... but... that doesn't mean it IS an M1 Mac! It can only be assumed. And assumptions often lead to bad outcomes.
Buddy, no need to get worked up, I'm just sharing my experience. I think you may be in the minority in being confused about what I meant by base air though. Not sure what it was about my post discussing memory pressure and swap that made you think I had no clue what laptop I just purchased, where I am or what I'm talking about.
I understand your position. However, I approach every situation from the same vantage point. If I'm to help someone, I need to know exactly what hardware I'm dealing with (and, though I'm of little help at this time (enthusiasm is not the same as ownership)), I was simply trying to make sure you conveyed that same information to everyone else for their benefit, so they can help most effectively and efficiently.
I got a M1 MBP with 16gb just cause I could, not cause I cared ... Traded in my 2016 MBP and paid just north of $1k for this device ... well worth it in my opinion ... and I will likely upgrade to a newer Mac in 1yr when newer more powerful ones are released ...
I still think they're not looking at the whole picture - specifically that we've seen the first stage of a multistage rollout. The M1 MBA and MBP models have the same memory limitations that existed on the two-port Intel models which they replaced. On Monday Nov 10th you could not buy a greater-than-16GB-RAM two-port Intel MBP13 or MBA. That remains true now with the two-port M1 MBP & MBA.
The four-port MBP models with larger RAM configuration capability have not yet been transitioned, and thus frustration at the two-port models not being the same as the four-port models seems misplaced.
With the mini, it appears what was a single variant has now now been split into a lower-tier (fewer ports) and upper-tier (more ports) - with the lower-tier having made the transition to ARM while the upper-tier has not yet transitioned. Presumably (speculation) the lower vs upper tier minis will follow a similar CPU / expandability pattern as I anticipate we will see with the two-port vs four-port MBPs.
Hello,
I'm looking at buying my son a Mac book Air for homework and he has started to learn coding and uses unity .
I'm from the pc world ( ducks down ) Is the 8gig base Mac book Air going to last him a 5 years or so ? Or would i be best putting 16Gig in the machine ?
Pc wise it's always more ram the better but reading here i;m unsure wit the Mac book Air . And also is the 7‑Core GPU compared to the 8‑Core GPU noticeable for standard things ?
Thank you
I'm looking at buying my son a Mac book Air for homework and he has started to learn coding and uses unity .
I'm from the pc world ( ducks down ) Is the 8gig base Mac book Air going to last him a 5 years or so ? Or would i be best putting 16Gig in the machine ?
Pc wise it's always more ram the better but reading here i;m unsure wit the Mac book Air . And also is the 7‑Core GPU compared to the 8‑Core GPU noticeable for standard things ?
Thank you
Yes, they are. A 2GB video file consumes 2GB regardless of whether it's being processed by an Intel or ARM based system.
The saga of the days old question on 8GB vs 16GB continues... maybe this video will help some of us decide. ?