I reckon you could do just fine with 16gb (as could most users here).
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Buyer’s remorse for 64gb ram?
- Thread starter miroki
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I am still on fence for 32 to 64. I do want to do more AE & trapcode suite (normal use now is some AE with rare use of trapcode, heavy photoshop, 4k video editing, recording. I usually keep my macs for as long as is painfully possible so trying to future proof.
Still have my 2011 imac - which is mainly used as an external monitor for the 2015 13" provided by work). (actually still have my 2006 17" macbook pro somewhere in a closet - and wish I had kept the original 1984 macinstosh!)
AE does eat RAM - but it seems to be the only program that will take advantage of anything over 32gb
Still have my 2011 imac - which is mainly used as an external monitor for the 2015 13" provided by work). (actually still have my 2006 17" macbook pro somewhere in a closet - and wish I had kept the original 1984 macinstosh!)
AE does eat RAM - but it seems to be the only program that will take advantage of anything over 32gb
Actually, the new RAM options are an amazing marketing move from Apple. First, they shut up the critics who complain that it’s not “pro enough”. Second, they make tons of money from people who just buy these upgrades to “future proof”.
I'm good with 32GB, but if you are keeping the laptop for a long time and think you'll need 64 it makes sense IMO. I mean, if you sell 2 years from now that's what at least 40-50% depreciation on the machine. Then having to pay at least another $2200 assuming you go with the next base model. The cost of going from 32->64 isn't that much compared to that.
How important RAM is depends how you're using it too. Hitting swap space can be fine if you're just juggling different programs but if your VMs hit swap - forget it
How important RAM is depends how you're using it too. Hitting swap space can be fine if you're just juggling different programs but if your VMs hit swap - forget it
An helpful question would be... For those that have 64gb, why do you need it? That way people who aren't sure can compare what they do. Rather than someone saying they have no remorse for buying 64gb.
I got 32gig and it's enough for offline film editing. I rarely update software or change workflows.
In terms of future proofing, I upgraded my last MBP not because of the ram. It was because I had enough of a small screen, could do with a faster CPU, internal GPU was taxing and a preference for a larger internal. So it's not just the ram that makes me upgrade every 4-5 years.
I got 32gig and it's enough for offline film editing. I rarely update software or change workflows.
In terms of future proofing, I upgraded my last MBP not because of the ram. It was because I had enough of a small screen, could do with a faster CPU, internal GPU was taxing and a preference for a larger internal. So it's not just the ram that makes me upgrade every 4-5 years.
I do a lot of work with (mostly headless, Linux based) VMs: often up to a dozen at a time, simulating a production cluster for a customer site, locally; or building batches of new base images for e.g. vagrant.
Apart from the memory actually allocated to those VMs, it also means having a heap of memory available for the OS to cache files - memory is still a lot faster than even the fastest SSDs.
Some dev tools get quite memory hungry too (IDEA Ultimate is currently using 3GB, with one project open, with 2 files open in that).
Or you might want 64GB just to open two tabs in Chrome if that's what you use
I do a lot of work with (mostly headless, Linux based) VMs: often up to a dozen at a time, simulating a production cluster for a customer site, locally; or building batches of new base images for e.g. vagrant.
Apart from the memory actually allocated to those VMs, it also means having a heap of memory available for the OS to cache files - memory is still a lot faster than even the fastest SSDs.
Some dev tools get quite memory hungry too (IDEA Ultimate is currently using 3GB, with one project open, with 2 files open in that).
Or you might want 64GB just to open two tabs in Chrome if that's what you use
Okay so some super pro stuff. I understood about 3 things.
My opinion is that if you can not articulate exactly why your workflow requires more than 32GB of RAM, then you absolutely positively do not need more than that.
The idea of buying more RAM to future proof the machine is outdated and does not apply to machines that start with 32GB RAM. The only way 32 will become outdated within the lifespan of the machine is if your needs for that machine change.
Heck, for “Normal” use, 8GB is still fine for a lot of folks - that’s why Apple still uses that as the base case for the 13” models. And people on this forum have been saying 8GB would be out dated “in 2-3 years” since 2012.
So, if you don’t do any “heavy” computing (i.e. video editing, running VMs) then 16GB will fine for a long time. If you think you might use the machine that way over it’s lifetime, then 32 makes sense as an upgrade. But unless you need it now, 64 is overkill and a waste of money.
The idea of buying more RAM to future proof the machine is outdated and does not apply to machines that start with 32GB RAM. The only way 32 will become outdated within the lifespan of the machine is if your needs for that machine change.
Heck, for “Normal” use, 8GB is still fine for a lot of folks - that’s why Apple still uses that as the base case for the 13” models. And people on this forum have been saying 8GB would be out dated “in 2-3 years” since 2012.
So, if you don’t do any “heavy” computing (i.e. video editing, running VMs) then 16GB will fine for a long time. If you think you might use the machine that way over it’s lifetime, then 32 makes sense as an upgrade. But unless you need it now, 64 is overkill and a waste of money.
Computational design form exploration. I create algorithms that result in a lot of 3D geometry, often using physics solvers. My portable Windows box at work has Xeon, 64 GB, Nvidia Quadro RTX. I hate Windows.
for me it is building test VM Windows servers. Domain controller, SQL, various SharePoint boxes, Exhange and so on. I need to do this less and less given everyone is moving to the cloud but it‘s still useful for hybrid scenarios and given it‘s for work the overall additional cost is actually fairly small. Running multi server scenarios in Azure gets expensive quickly. Plus mobile signals on trains still aren’t amazing so having the capability locally can be quite nice.
Right but if your VMs are small with low memory requirements that’s great. Mine aren’t.
64GB RAM: MORE POWER!!!
just kidding, I suppose consumer workflows haven’t scaled up that much where 16GB of RAM is as much of a limiter as 64MB of RAM was back in the day. I’m still using my 16GB RAM MBP from 2013 and it feels reasonably fast even today.
just kidding, I suppose consumer workflows haven’t scaled up that much where 16GB of RAM is as much of a limiter as 64MB of RAM was back in the day. I’m still using my 16GB RAM MBP from 2013 and it feels reasonably fast even today.
I recall reading similar threads 3 years ago when the max RAM in a a MacBook Pro was 16GB. Most people said “you’ll never need it”.
And now it can be easily exceeded just by having 20-30 Safari windows open.
If you plan to keep the laptop 3+ years, get all the RAM you can. It’s one of the least expensive and most needed, resources.
Your experience is atypical, so please stop telling people they need 64GB. You know you need more RAM. As a general rule, someone who has to inquire on a forum about it does not.
I'm not opposed to installing "unsupported" versions of MacOS to get around planned obsolescence tactics. That being said, getting a Mac with 64 GB now is like getting one with 16 GB in 2011 or 2012. 8 GB is still perfectly usable on MacOS Catalina, and the 2011 / 2012 Macs are showing their age in ways not related to the RAM - mainly the GPU, which I'd max-out on the 16" given the prices for doing so are actually reasonable for the first time in a while.