Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

Buying a 2020 MBA - RAM Question w/ Fast User Switching

T

Thisismattwade

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Oct 27, 2020
279
323
Hi all,

For my family's particular use-case, do you think we should opt for 16GB of RAM?

For the 2020 MBA, I'm debating whether to get the base model ($899 with educator discount), or upgrade the RAM for $150. My wife and I have separate photo albums (Family Sharing, 2TB account) so it helps to be able to quickly switch between the two accounts if one of us is sitting down for a photo-editing session.

I'm currently using a 2020 MBA I purchased from Best Buy. It's the $1299 version: i5 with 8GB RAM and 512GB storage. I like the machine and we're not experiencing any heat issues after 48 hours of use. We're not power users: web browsing, remote work through MS Edge browser, photo/video editing (only through the Photos app), podcasts/Books/Netflix consumption. Upgrading the RAM for $150 wouldn't break our bank, but I'm kicking myself for not just getting the base model at Best Buy and giving it a test run. Of course this one we're using now is faster than a base model would be. (I do plan to return this model to the store using BB's extended Holiday return period, and buy one from Apple with the above-mentioned educator discount. I'm really just using this time to get re-associated with the Mac environment since we got rid of our beloved 2013 MBA.)

Of course, all of this is with the idea in my head of an Apple Silicone Mac right around the corner. That's another reason to make use of BB's return policy while awaiting the rumored Apple event in November.

Thanks for any insight you can provide!
 
Thisismattwade said:
Of course, all of this is with the idea in my head of an Apple Silicone Mac right around the corner. That's another reason to make use of BB's return policy while awaiting the rumored Apple event in November.
Click to expand...

We all think there will be this Mac event in November but there is the possibility that the first Apple Silicon Macs will ship only in December. No one knows but there could be some weeks between returning your current MBA and getting a new one that maybe isn‘t even a MBA but an ultraportable 12 inch.

Thisismattwade said:
I like the machine and we're not experiencing any heat issues after 48 hours of use.
Click to expand...

I wonder if keeping the machine could be an option. Or does your wife not like it?

In general, the base model should match your needs, but more RAM never hurts. Maybe there are four options (ignoring Apple Silicon here) around?
  1. MBA base model 8 GB
  2. MBA base model 16 GB
  3. MBA i5 8 GB or
  4. MBA i5 (or i7) 16 GB?
I just wanted to throw in option 4 because, if money is not the main point, you could get yourself a machine slightly above your needs.
 
nothingtoseehere said:
We all think there will be this Mac event in November but there is the possibility that the first Apple Silicon Macs will ship only in December. No one knows but there could be some weeks between returning your current MBA and getting a new one that maybe isn‘t even a MBA but an ultraportable 12 inch.



I wonder if keeping the machine could be an option. Or does your wife not like it?

In general, the base model should match your needs, but more RAM never hurts. Maybe there are four options (ignoring Apple Silicon here) around?
  1. MBA base model 8 GB
  2. MBA base model 16 GB
  3. MBA i5 8 GB or
  4. MBA i5 (or i7) 16 GB?
I just wanted to throw in option 4 because, if money is not the main point, you could get yourself a machine slightly above your needs.
Click to expand...
Hi,

Thanks for the reply. Per Best Buy policy (website and chat) I can return this MBA until 01/16/2020. I imagine the landscape for Apple Silicon (i)Macs being a little more clear at that point. I shouldn't have been so blithe about money not being an issue. I certainly don't want to spend $150 in an upgrade that's not necessary in our use case. I've been really digging into some great posts on this site (and the links provided) to see if the i3 MBA could actually suffice for our family.

My wife likes it just fine. She likes our 11" iPad Pro just fine, too. She also likes her iPhone XS just fine, too. Honestly, she doesn't really care much. We did visit BB the other day and she fell in love with the 27" iMac. I tend to believe a 24" iMac (a sweet spot for us because the only desktop we currently have is a 21.5" PC) is a great fit for our family, so I'm trying to hold out on fulfilling her wish with that.

Long story short, MBA 8GB or 16GB is really my call. Without knowing the price of the whenever-they're-released new iMacs, I might opt to go with the base MBA and roll the little bit of cash saved into a future desktop upgrade.
 
OK now I understand better. And yes, with the return window until January 2021 (not 2020 I suppose), you indeed have the option to wait for Apple Silicon news!
 
My Mother needed a new computer a while back. She wanted a MBA or MBP so she asked me which one I think she should get. I asked her a few questions on what she will use the computer for and how. It was pretty easy for her since she didn't need a lot of CPU power I told her to get the i3 model with 16GB of ram. I also told her the i5 wouldn't hurt if she wanted to spend the money just in case she did need it. I recommended 16GB of ram either way. She ended up getting the base model MBA with the i5, 16gb of ram and 256gb ssd for $1299. She doesn't have need for a large amount of storage but just in case I helped her setup a 1TB external drive just for that computer so she is covered either way. Also don't forget to look at the MacBook Pro 13" as well. Never hurts to have more machine than you need.
 
I know no one cares, but the entry level MBA M1 seems perfect for my use case. I’ll report back with more info if I can! :)
 
I'd like to hear about your experience after using the M1 Mini for a while please. If you would open two or three user accounts at the same time, leaving a bunch of apps and webpages open, and then activate fast user switching. Change users once or twice a day and continue sharing it that way for a week then let us know how it performs. Because that's what my wife and kids do and the M1 Mini seems like a possible replacement for an old Mac Pro that has topped out at Yosemite but still performs acceptably with SSD and 32GB RAM.
 
Will do. I’ve got the BASE MBA ($899 with homeschool pricing!) ready for store pickup tomorrow. I’m very excited to try this machine out, and I’m glad I returned the Intel MBA I had picked up from BB in anticipation of this. :)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back