Buying a MBA, will the base configuration be enough for me?

[Allen_Wentz]

You are making assumptions about how the person will use it. Whereas the person is already said they’re planning to use it for light use over the life of the Mac. Hypothetical other uses are irrelevant based on the OP’s posts.

Sure I made assumptions about how the person will use it. Including with the light usages described, by 2025 a typical user will be exceeding 8 GB RAM and moving into sub-optimal swap. How far into swap mostly depends on what apps and on how much multi-tasking the user attempts.

We all agree the Mac OS will force 8 GB to work for light usage, but [based on 40 years of consistent Mac/RAM behavior] operation will become increasingly less optimal over time.

 

[Allen_Wentz]

Why is it every week these types of lame threads blow up? There’s so much better stuff to talk about that hasn’t been said a thousand time, can we ban these and the “is 8GB enough for me” crowds?

Where’s a Reddit moderator when you need one ha.

Just skip the thread. Easy.

 

[Allen_Wentz]

If that is all you will do with it then it will work just fine for years. If it starts to slow down, sell it and buy the next base model current macbook

Short life cycle is a reasonable purchase routine. Just not for me; I prefer a stronger box that lasts longer.

 

[raythompsontn]

can we ban these and the “is 8GB enough for me” crowds?

The same posts will arrive when 12 Gig or 16 Gig becomes standard. People will be asking if 12 Gig (or 16 Gig) is enough. With others arguing for 24 Gig (or 32 Gig) while complains about Apple’s pricing.

 

[ThailandToo]

I keep looking at the base configuration for a 15" MBA with 8gb/256gb. This computer will strictly be a "sitting on the couch surfing the internet while watching tv" type computer. I will be looking up sports scores, posting on forums, shopping on Amazon, random google searches, Youtube videos, and reading the occasional email (gmail). I use Safari for my browser fyi. Normally I do this stuff on my Iphone 15 Plus but it would be nicer to do it on a laptop with a 15" display and with a real keyboard to type on.

I will probably install Adobe Reader to look at the occasional PDF. I may or may not install MS Office for Word, but this won't be a work machine at all.

I will never use it for anything more than what I listed. With that said, is the base configuration enough for me and should last me 5 or more years? I have been reading on the topic of RAM and so many people are saying "you need 16GB of RAM, you never know what you will want to do on the machine in the future, and you need 16gb for this and that, etc". All the stuff people mention doing, video stuff etc I will never do.

I just want a laptop that I can have at most 5 tabs of Safari open and that's pretty much it, and the computer run smoothly.

With that said, should I spend the extra money for 16gb of RAM for the sake of Safari web browsing, or in my situation is that literally a waste of money?

Spend the money on the RAM. I wouldn’t buy any Mac with 8GB of RAM, as it’s all ready too little. So in five years it will not function and do the thinks like the iPhone 15 non-pro models wouldn’t do AI - and the same will be how Apple forces upgrades (very soon) to all the 8GB RAM under-specd Macs that have been sold forever. Apple will definitely change the requirements and minimum RAM will probably be 12GB then 16GB of RAM - if Apple really cheapens out and makes 12GB the base in the next model update.

 

[ThomasJL]

I'll counter the crowd here since you yourself are thinking about the future not only about right now. You are correct in doing so because when you buy a Silicon Mac, you are not buying for 2024 needs but for up to 2032 or so needs too. Unlike Intel Macs where we often had an ability to add some RAM or more storage later, what you buy in this Mac is all it can EVER be internally. If 4 years from now, you absolutely need more RAM, there's no adding it then.

So, I agree with all posts for what you've described you need right now, base specs will be fine.

I'll disagree with all by then asking: "what will you need it to do in 2028? 2030? 2033?" Or are you ready to buy a whole replacement Mac in those years... because that's the answer when needs evolve: replace the entire thing instead of only evolve the one you already own with more RAM or more SSD inside.

This crowd around here always pushes what Apple has for sale now. It's like it's some kind of rule to "help" the richest company in the world sell more of what is for sale now. "We" also are quick to put down anything & everything Apple does NOT have for sale right now... but then flip flop as soon as Apple launches whatever it is. In other words, "we" are quite the biased bunch with regards to helping Apple sell what they want people to buy now.

My best advice is to do your best mental time traveling and ask yourself what you need from this computer in at least 2029 (only 5 years from now, when you'll likely still have whatever Mac you buy in 2024). Will base specs do THAT well? If not, buy the 2029 specs you need and they'll probably be overkill for your 2024 needs but then be there for you when you get to what 2029 needs your Mac to do.

Find one of them perfectly healthy 70-year-old smokers of "3 packs a day" and ask him if smoking is bad for you. He'll probably laugh at the concept and offer himself up as evidence. A biased crowd always answers questions with their biases. Apple fans are fans of Apple. If Apple believes base specs are enough... they are enough.

There are strong rumors that the very next generation of Macs is going to raise base specs to 12GB (possibly 16GB). That M4 iPad just released has 12GB of RAM inside of it with half of it disabled. As soon as Apple bails on 8GB as base specs, "we" will then put down 8GB RAM in support of the great need for at least 12GB (must help Apple drive all of them Mac upgrades from under-powered 8GB Macs).

See iPhones when 4" was the "perfect" screen size and phablets were collectively deemed "abominations"... until Apple embraced phablet sizes and some of the very same people then referred to the old "perfection" as "how did we ever get by with those puny screens?" Soon that will be "how did we ever get buy with a puny 8GB of RAM?" When will that be? As soon as Apple evolves base specs... possibly- maybe probably- with M4 Macs about to be launched.

"Think different" and buy wisely.

And one more thing: with such simple 2024 needs, if money is driving your thinking here, consider a PC or Chromebook or similar. They can easily do what you need and will cost a fraction of a MBair. Kick the can for a few years and when your needs get beyond such basics, maybe buy yourself an M7 Mac with specs that can last for the life of the device.

Well said.

So many Apple fans have a Tim Cook-can-do-no-wrong view.

 

[Manzanito]

For that type of use maybe get the cheapest iPad you can find?

Otherwise, yeah, the base config would be more than enough, but maybe in time the then current OS will demand more RAM to run smoothly.

 

[cwwilson]

Get whatever you think will work for you, it's your money in the end. The 15" MBA is an outstanding computer I love mine!

With that said, in my own personal opinion, I am not a huge fan of the base spec but there are a lot of people who buy them and if they're happy with them then so be it. If we were chatting face to face and you asked me what to buy I would recommend a 16GB/512GB but we're talking $400 in upgrades and if you're very sure you'll never need all that then by all means go base. I am of the mindset that it's better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it 😊

 

[ForkHandles]

I have a small base spec 2016 12” MacBook

It never has had an issue doing any of the tasks you listed. It’s still my goto take around the world for making 4K holiday movies in the pre-installed iMovie.

For your use case not only is the base spec too much, you could save a fortune and buy a second hand M1 16” machine. And still expect to keep it for 6-8 years trouble free.

 

[TechnoMonk]

I get a chuckle when I see primitive statements like “RAM is RAM”. If it was the case RAM would work same way for windows/mac/linux. AS has very different memory management than Intel. Apple GitHub has the kernel code, and it’s clear how different AS and Intel Macs manage memory, how they freeze apps among other tasks.
Linux is more interesting to put the RAM is RAM myth to bed. Linux lets you control how RAM is managed by swapiness parameter, default is 60, which means it will proactively move some memory pages to Swap, so it isn’t offloading memory when system needs more. Zero swapiness will put a lot of stress when os needs more ram. Over aggressive swapiness value of 80% is gonna swap heavy, probably not great for SSD.

 

[MasterHowl]

It’s more than enough.

I have a bass M1 and use it on the road for admin, giving presentations, and editing raw files in Pixelmator. Works like a dream.

 

[chmania]

That was what the OP said. "I will never use it for anything more than what I listed."
Other than the clairvoyants out there, is 8GB RAM M chip enough for the OP today?

 

[Ctrlos]

I keep looking at the base configuration for a 15" MBA with 8gb/256gb. This computer will strictly be a "sitting on the couch surfing the internet while watching tv" type computer. I will be looking up sports scores, posting on forums, shopping on Amazon, random google searches, Youtube videos, and reading the occasional email (gmail). I use Safari for my browser fyi. Normally I do this stuff on my Iphone 15 Plus but it would be nicer to do it on a laptop with a 15" display and with a real keyboard to type on.

I will probably install Adobe Reader to look at the occasional PDF. I may or may not install MS Office for Word, but this won't be a work machine at all.

I will never use it for anything more than what I listed. With that said, is the base configuration enough for me and should last me 5 or more years? I have been reading on the topic of RAM and so many people are saying "you need 16GB of RAM, you never know what you will want to do on the machine in the future, and you need 16gb for this and that, etc". All the stuff people mention doing, video stuff etc I will never do.

I just want a laptop that I can have at most 5 tabs of Safari open and that's pretty much it, and the computer run smoothly.

With that said, should I spend the extra money for 16gb of RAM for the sake of Safari web browsing, or in my situation is that literally a waste of money?

Genuine question: is there any reason you wouldn't consider an iPad? Its only $800 for the 13" iPad Air which would be more than enough for your use case. You can always add a detachable keyboard if you want typing; Logitech make some lovely alternatives to Apple's overpriced one.

I'm not trying to trash the MBA. Its a lovely computer and if you hate tablets then I can see why you'd go full laptop!

 

[jlc1978]

Sure I made assumptions about how the person will use it. Including with the light usages described, by 2025 a typical user will be exceeding 8 GB RAM and moving into sub-optimal swap.

Software that runs fine in 2024 doesn't magically get more demeanding in 2025. You're caught up in the idea people will keep running more demanding programs when tha is not every use case.

How far into swap mostly depends on what apps and on how much multi-tasking the user attempts.

And most light use doesn't involve heavy multitasking.

We all agree the Mac OS will force 8 GB to work for light usage,

No we don't. It works just fine.

but [based on 40 years of consistent Mac/RAM behavior] operation will become increasingly less optimal over time.

It depends on what you do over time. Not everyone's needs grow over time, many are just fine with a light workload.

That was what the OP said. "I will never use it for anything more than what I listed."
Other than the clairvoyants out there, is 8GB RAM M chip enough for the OP today?

Yes. I'd even suggest considering the M1 Air from Walmart for $649. It's a great machine at a great price, I have one and it works just fine and I use it for more than what the OP does.

 

[Ctrlos]

View attachment 2403624

That was what the OP said. "I will never use it for anything more than what I listed."
Other than the clairvoyants out there, is 8GB RAM M chip enough for the OP today?

Well, yeah.

I picked up a 2011 11" MBA the other week because I needed a small laptop and Apple don't make one. I got it for £50 and this was after the owner fitted a new battery too so I get 3 hours off-mains.

I use it for the exact same things I did with my old Mac in 2011: Aperture, typing articles on Bean and writing HTML on Coda.

 

[mjs916]

I keep looking at the base configuration for a 15" MBA with 8gb/256gb. This computer will strictly be a "sitting on the couch surfing the internet while watching tv" type computer. I will be looking up sports scores, posting on forums, shopping on Amazon, random google searches, Youtube videos, and reading the occasional email (gmail). I use Safari for my browser fyi. Normally I do this stuff on my Iphone 15 Plus but it would be nicer to do it on a laptop with a 15" display and with a real keyboard to type on.

I will probably install Adobe Reader to look at the occasional PDF. I may or may not install MS Office for Word, but this won't be a work machine at all.

I will never use it for anything more than what I listed. With that said, is the base configuration enough for me and should last me 5 or more years? I have been reading on the topic of RAM and so many people are saying "you need 16GB of RAM, you never know what you will want to do on the machine in the future, and you need 16gb for this and that, etc". All the stuff people mention doing, video stuff etc I will never do.

I just want a laptop that I can have at most 5 tabs of Safari open and that's pretty much it, and the computer run smoothly.

With that said, should I spend the extra money for 16gb of RAM for the sake of Safari web browsing, or in my situation is that literally a waste of money?

The base config is great for what you describe.

I have a feeling that RAM in an Intel Mac is somewhat different to RAM in a silicon Mac. I am not sure, and as you are an IT guy, hope you can explain. I am using a 15" Intel 2018 (made in April 2019), and it is still doing well after 5+ years. Sure, it has 16GB Ram, but with an older 8th gen i7. I'm doing more than what the OP has mentioned he'd do, and that MBP is running about 15 hours a day. The memory pressure never been to yellow. The MBP gets heated up, only when an OS update is going on, and after that it cools down, sometimes the palm rests are too cold. At that time, this MBP was manufactured, there were no silicon Macs. Of course, it was supposed to be quite high-end then.

Anyway, one day, I'd have to buy a silicon Mac. Not because this Intel MBP would die, but because of curiosity, just to try one out. Let's say, if I buy one in 2025, I'd be still doing the same work, and leisure use of that machine. I find the 16GB RAM Intel MBP is still too much for what I do with it. Because it has 16GB RAM, sometimes macOS would use ~12GB of that. If I do the same work on a Windows 11 laptop with 8GB RAM, that Windows laptop won't use even 6GB of it. I have 2 of them, a Lenovo and a Dell, which has 10gen and 11gen intel processors. When I use Linux on those laptops, they work even better.

I don't do any video editing ever. Some image editing, either with Preview or GIMP. I use Excel, Word and Skype, which maybe the biggest memory hoggers, not being native macOS. So, would 15" MBA with the M2/M3 chip 8GB RAM would be enough? Would the RAM on a silicon chip works differently than RAM with an Intel chip?

If your use case never changes, you’ll be fine with 8 GB. I have an 8 GB M1 MacBook Pro that runs perfectly, but I would have purchased 16 GB, just because, had it been an option during the particular sale.

I try to think about features being added to the OS that may use more RAM, like the upcoming Apple Intelligence.

Or maybe down the line you’ll want to install a virtual machine to run Windows. You can’t add more RAM for that to run more efficiently so you’ll just have to deal with the lesser amount (this is my situation).

If you can’t afford the extra RAM don’t feel pressure to buy it. And don’t worry about the base config not being adequate for what you mentioned.

 

[ab2c4]

Genuine question: is there any reason you wouldn't consider an iPad? Its only $800 for the 13" iPad Air which would be more than enough for your use case. You can always add a detachable keyboard if you want typing; Logitech make some lovely alternatives to Apple's overpriced one.

I'm not trying to trash the MBA. Its a lovely computer and if you hate tablets then I can see why you'd go full laptop!

I have had two Ipads over the years and to be honest I never enjoyed using them and greatly prefer a laptop.

 

[ab2c4]

My wife and I are going back and forth on which laptop to buy. We are going to see if we can go to the Apple store on Saturday. We were talking about it this morning and we realize we have three choices:

1. Buy a base spec Air.
2. Buy an Air with 16gb.
3. Buy another upgraded MB Pro.

With option #3, my wife currently has a MB Pro that she bought 2.5 years ago, it is the 14" M1 Pro 16GB/512GB model. If we go with option #3 I will take her MB Pro and she will buy for herself a new 14" MB Pro with the M3 Pro 18GB/512GB model. Money really isn't an option, we just don't like to spend more money if we don't think we have to. I understand the argument regarding more RAM and longevity though.

 

[raythompsontn]

Including with the light usages described, by 2025 a typical user will be exceeding 8 GB RAM and moving into sub-optimal swap

I seriously doubt the usage for almost anyone will change that much within a year's timeframe.

I have owned a MacBook for three years and in those three years the workload is exactly the same. I have owned PCs for dozens of years. My workload has not changed in the last 20 years. In fact, it is less because I found better ways to accomplish the tasks. My last upgrade to my PC was to get M.2 SSD support, not because the system did not meet my requirements and workload.

If a person's workload were to increase by 25% in five years, that is a lot. Any Mac with 8GB that is working fine now, will still be working fine even with a 25% increase in workload. Mapping that out to 20 years, where each five years is a 25% increase in workload, by the end of 20 years that is an increase of 245% above the original load. That is never going to happen unless the person was doing little to nothing to begin with.

For most people only a modest workload increase might occur, if any. Any Mac working now, will support that workload even with a 50% increase in five years. What I was doing ten years ago on a computer is the same I am doing today. That is probably true for most people. I don't type any faster, I don't read emails any faster, I don't read webpages any faster. Having my spreadsheets calculate in 0.3 seconds rather than 0.1 seconds is not going to affect what I accomplish. I have some very complicated multiple page spreadsheets calculate almost as fast I can press a key.

If the OS needs increase such that the computer will not support the OS, then don't upgrade the OS. The system will still function, doing what the user has been doing in the past.

A typical user will not be doubling their workload on a Mac, ever.

 

[HobeSoundDarryl]

With money not really driving your decision, buy more RAM (and SSD if you can anticipate needing more INSIDE).

This is not a short-term use purchase. You/She will probably be using this Mac for 5+ years. Look at your own post #118: her 2.5 year old M1 is going to become your Mac for how many more years from now? I have to believe at least another 2.5 years if not longer. This is how it goes with computer purchases. I stretched a MBpro for TWELVE years. Fortunately, I did NOT choose base specs when I bought it or it would have never made it 12.

Hop into threads about the OCLP thing and you'll see posts by Mac people hanging onto and continuing to use Macs from the 2000s.

This is not like this year's fashions or groceries or anything else used up in a short amount of time. Obviously, you and your wife are on at least 5 year timetables (of Mac use). Since you hate to waste money, you are likely candidates to "stretch" usage as long as you can, which probably makes even that M1 still trying to be used in 2029 a probable possibility. Since it has 16GB of RAM, that's fairly reasonable to assume it will still work pretty well in 2029 (9+ years of use).

Obviously, if me, I'd go with #2 or #3... because none of us can absolutely predict our future computing needs years in advance and this purchase- like that M1 Mac- has NO internal upgrade options at all if you need "more" next year, 2 years from now, 4 years from now. Spending $200 (I believe that's $180 in the Edu store) on a little overkill for known 2024 needs means that you would be ready for evolving needs in 2026, 2028, etc. And if they don't evolve, even 2024 needs will generally work better with extra RAM.

Again, it is strongly believed that base specs in Macs is about to hop on to at least 12GB (just a few weeks from now)... per what is inside that M4 iPad. In an earlier thread, I dared anyone to call Apple stupid for including "more RAM than most people need." So far, not one of these people have dared to do so. I still dare anyone to do so.

And as soon as Apple embraces 12GB as "base specs" this passionate crowd about 8GB will "turn"... exactly as the passionate crowd about the perfection of 4" iPhone screens flipped overnight as soon as Apple adopted what the crowd had formally called "abominations!" (phablet) screens.

"Think different" and buy wisely. You can't change your choices later with Silicon without shelling out much more than the cost of some added RAM to buy an entirely new Mac to meet unanticipated future needs.

ONE more suggestion: Rather than buy "this weekend" you might want to stretch the timing to the deadline of the promotion during which time rumors about new Macs will gain steam and you'll get to see increasing confidence that the new base will be 12GB (or perhaps 16GB) and watch the comments about 8GB start evolving in the face of it:"finally!" and "about time" and similar... then ridiculing 8GB as being too little... exactly like passionate defenders of 4" screens soon were slinging "how did we ever get by with such puny screens!"

"We're" as consistent as possible about flipping very passionate stances right with Apple moves that then alter the stance. See 4" iPhones. See 1080p resolution while Apple clung to 720p and then 4K resolution while Apple clung to 1080p. Once Apple rolled out 2 new iPad models- one with Retina and the other without. "We" passionately argued the absolute need to upgrade for retina AND argued how retina was NOT necessary in the latter... until the next year when it too went retina and then we argued how everyone must upgrade to get retina in that one. iPad 1 had no selfie camera and we passionately argued how stupid it would be if it had one... and then completely flipped with model 2 when Apple introduced the iSight camera for iPad 2 and it was the headline reason to upgrade.

Buy wisely.

 

[The Apple Bitch]

I keep looking at the base configuration for a 15" MBA with 8gb/256gb. This computer will strictly be a "sitting on the couch surfing the internet while watching tv" type computer. I will be looking up sports scores, posting on forums, shopping on Amazon, random google searches, Youtube videos, and reading the occasional email (gmail). I use Safari for my browser fyi. Normally I do this stuff on my Iphone 15 Plus but it would be nicer to do it on a laptop with a 15" display and with a real keyboard to type on.

I will probably install Adobe Reader to look at the occasional PDF. I may or may not install MS Office for Word, but this won't be a work machine at all.

I will never use it for anything more than what I listed. With that said, is the base configuration enough for me and should last me 5 or more years? I have been reading on the topic of RAM and so many people are saying "you need 16GB of RAM, you never know what you will want to do on the machine in the future, and you need 16gb for this and that, etc". All the stuff people mention doing, video stuff etc I will never do.

I just want a laptop that I can have at most 5 tabs of Safari open and that's pretty much it, and the computer run smoothly.

With that said, should I spend the extra money for 16gb of RAM for the sake of Safari web browsing, or in my situation is that literally a waste of money?

Save yourself some money and buy one with the M1 chip even. It will still have more than enough power with the base specs.

 

[jlc1978]

And as soon as Apple embraces 12GB as "base specs" this passionate crowd about 8GB will "turn"...

And the 8 isn’t enough crowd will lambast Apple for crippling the machine and claim you need at least double the ram, because, well.

 

[ab2c4]

Save yourself some money and buy one with the M1 chip even. It will still have more than enough power with the base specs.

I think it is due to my "thriftyness" but believe me I have looked long at hard at that deal. I know it is a base model M1, the problem is it is the 13.3 inch screen and I worry that is too small (I'm in my 50's and my eye sight isn't getting any better lol), but that $650 price tag through Walmart is sooooooo tempting.

 

[chmania]

With option #3, my wife currently has a MB Pro that she bought 2.5 years ago, it is the 14" M1 Pro 16GB/512GB model. If we go with option #3 I will take her MB Pro and she will buy for herself a new 14" MB Pro with the M3 Pro 18GB/512GB model. Money really isn't an option, we just don't like to spend more money if we don't think we have to. I understand the argument regarding more RAM and longevity though.

If money is not a problem, there's nothing much to talk about. Best give the wife a present, buying her the new 14" M3 Pro 18GB/512GB, or even a higher one. You can use her "old" 14" M1 Pro 16GB/512GB, and it'd live for the next decade. 😊

 

[HobeSoundDarryl]

And the 8 isn’t enough crowd will lambast Apple for crippling the machine and claim you need at least double the ram, because, well.

I appreciate you lumping me in with those who always argue "buy Apple stuff at any price" but I'm not that type either. In fact- and I'll do it again right here- I think Apple upgrades of commodity items like RAM & SSD are exploitive robbery- priced at 3X to 5X market because they have a 100% lock now on where one can get RAM & SSD for Macs.

I've been a mostly Apple guy for 20+ years and I'm also facing needing to replace a MB soon and I'm seriously considering going PC over this exact issue. I don't like to waste money either and this beyond-the-classic-"Apple Premium" pricing tarnishes the halo badly for me.

However, I also made recommendations for OPs simple needs being met with much less expensive PC, Chromebooks and iPads in earlier posts. OP wants a MB and only a MB. If I wanted a MB and only a MB, I'd begrudgingly cough up the ripoff upgrade money for more than base spec RAM & SSD, knowing I will almost certainly need more over life of device... instead of pretending that it is perfectly fine and then being told by the crowd to "buy a new Mac" in a few years when those specs prove not to be enough to do (well) whatever I want my computer to do then... exactly as one can see now in countless threads where base spec buyers of about 2018-20 Macs realizing their Macs are not keeping up in 2024 are being advised now. Ripoff $200 upgrade is much cheaper than whole new Mac pricing to fix the problem in a few years.