Heavy multitasker - stick with 2018 i7 32GB RAM or upgrade to 2020 M1 16GB RAM?

[jks2403]

I currently run a 2018 i7 Mac Mini, 32GB RAM, 256GB SSD and use it as a daily driver for work, where I use tons (like upwards 20) of programs at the same time. Usually I'm running all Office programs with numerous documents open for each, 20-40 browser tabs, Adobe Acrobat, Parallels Desktop, and a myriad of other basic programs (nothing super intensive by itself except maybe Adobe).

Given I could sell my 2018 and only have to spend a few bucks for the 2020 16GB version, should I? I'm wondering if my usage wouldn't take advantage of the M1 chip as much as I might miss having that extra 16GB of RAM.

Thanks.

 

[Ritsuka]

I would wait for a 32GB M1x or M2 version.

 

[nothingtoseehere]

The M1 mini is a very capable machine, I like it very much and have a similar workload (a little bit less in every regard). Concerning Parallels, I didn't try it yet, see https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/parallels-and-windows-10-for-arm.2306205/

But as your current device seems to handle your workload, you could wait for the next iteration of the Mac mini. I think the odds are good that in 2022 at the latest, there will be a more powerful Mac mini, replacing the still offered Intel machine.

 

[gilby101]

Parallels Desktop

You would need to be certain Parallels on an M1 processor can meet your needs.

 

[Mousse]

If you multitask, moar RAM. The moar stuff you want running at the same time the moar RAM you want. Memory is always faster than SSD/HD. So if you're constantly page swapping, that fancy processor is sitting idle most of the time. Moar memory = less page swapping = faster and less wear and tear on the SSD/HD.

Stick with the machine with the most memory, in this case the i7.

 

[jks2403]

Thanks for the input thus far - much appreciated and insightful.

 

[smirking]

I currently run a 2018 i7 Mac Mini, 32GB RAM, 256GB SSD and use it as a daily driver for work, where I use tons (like upwards 20) of programs at the same time. Usually I'm running all Office programs with numerous documents open for each, 20-40 browser tabs, Adobe Acrobat, Parallels Desktop, and a myriad of other basic programs (nothing super intensive by itself except maybe Adobe).

Given I could sell my 2018 and only have to spend a few bucks for the 2020 16GB version, should I? I'm wondering if my usage wouldn't take advantage of the M1 chip as much as I might miss having that extra 16GB of RAM.

Thanks.

Here's what I was running on an 8GB M1 MBP that I was taking for a test drive. I eventually returned it, but even the 8GB machine was pretty good.

Capture One Pro
Parallels Pro with Windows for ARM Preview
OS X Mail
PHPStorm
MAMP PRO Web Server with 2GB of memory
Chrome
Safari
Firefox
Photoshop
PDF Expert
Evernote
Quickbooks for Mac
and a bunch of other odds and ends.

Believe it or not. All this ran fine... on 8GB!

I intentionally took my test drive with less RAM than I would normally have wanted. I kept hearing that the M1's can work off of less memory so I put that idea to the test. My 2018 32GB i7 was getting a battery replacement and I used that as an opportunity to take an M1 for a test drive. I wasn't expecting to have a hard time deciding whether to return it or sell my 2018.

Ultimately the reason why I returned it was because my very heavy use case was hammering the SSD with very heavy writes. I was averaging over .5TB/day. I'm pretty sure it was mostly due to my Web development virtual servers that need to run large databases. The Web apps and sites I develop are very memory hungry.

I think you'll be OK with only 16GB or RAM. You're not actually going to be using all of those programs at the same time after all. I was doing all of this while letting Windows on ARM perform Windows Update. There were some occasional stutters, especially in Windows, but for the most part I would not have suspected I was only working on 8GB of RAM.

 

[jks2403]

Here's what I was running on an 8GB M1 MBP that I was taking for a test drive. I eventually returned it, but even the 8GB machine was pretty good.

Capture One Pro
Parallels Pro with Windows for ARM Preview
OS X Mail
PHPStorm
MAMP PRO Web Server with 2GB of memory
Chrome
Safari
Firefox
Photoshop
PDF Expert
Evernote
Quickbooks for Mac
and a bunch of other odds and ends.

Believe it or not. All this ran fine... on 8GB!

I intentionally took my test drive with less RAM than I would normally have wanted. I kept hearing that the M1's can work off of less memory so I put that idea to the test. My 2018 32GB i7 was getting a battery replacement and I used that as an opportunity to take an M1 for a test drive. I wasn't expecting to have a hard time deciding whether to return it or sell my 2018.

Ultimately the reason why I returned it was because my very heavy use case was hammering the SSD with very heavy writes. I was averaging over .5TB/day. I'm pretty sure it was mostly due to my Web development virtual servers that need to run large databases. The Web apps and sites I develop are very memory hungry.

I think you'll be OK with only 16GB or RAM. You're not actually going to be using all of those programs at the same time after all. I was doing all of this while letting Windows on ARM perform Windows Update. There were some occasional stutters, especially in Windows, but for the most part I would not have suspected I was only working on 8GB of RAM.

Thanks, Smirking. I took your advice and bought the 16GB to test drive it....and I'm stunned by its performance compared to my i7 w/ 36GB RAM. In theory the M1 shouldn't be able to handle opening 40+ programs at once, 40 browser tabs (not refreshing when clicking on them), and multiple Office docs and Acrobat pdfs open. But it handled that without even a stutter. All with zero fan noise and staying completely cool to the touch. Putting my i7 on eBay tomorrow!

 

[MarkC426]

But if you look at Activity Monitor, there will be a big difference in memory pressure/swap/compressed between the two machines. I imagine the i7 with 32gb would be next to none in those fields compared to the M1.

 

[magbarn]

Thanks, Smirking. I took your advice and bought the 16GB to test drive it....and I'm stunned by its performance compared to my i7 w/ 36GB RAM. In theory the M1 shouldn't be able to handle opening 40+ programs at once, 40 browser tabs (not refreshing when clicking on them), and multiple Office docs and Acrobat pdfs open. But it handled that without even a stutter. All with zero fan noise and staying completely cool to the touch. Putting my i7 on eBay tomorrow!

I'd wait until a 32gb version comes up. My 16gb M1 Mac Mini has written terabytes to it's SSD due to constant swapping. I'm a heavy multitasker and have PS/Lightroom classic with multiple web pages open. My 32gb MBP13 hardly ever swapped whilst my 16gb M1 Mac Mini and M1 MBA swap heavily with the same workload. The M1 Macs feel fast for the paltry amount of memory, part of the reason is that they're able to swap much faster to a quicker SSD. It's fine unless you care about longevity as I doubt Apple is using durable MLC SSDs.

 

[smirking]

Thanks, Smirking. I took your advice and bought the 16GB to test drive it....and I'm stunned by its performance compared to my i7 w/ 36GB RAM... All with zero fan noise and staying completely cool to the touch. Putting my i7 on eBay tomorrow!

Awesome! I'm eagerly awaiting for when the 14/16" M1's drop so I can sell my i7 as well. One of the subtle things I appreciated about the M1 more than anything else was not having a hot laptop all the time. It's so uncomfortable to have sweaty palms all the time because your laptop is always so warm.

I'm sure I'll miss this "feature" in the dead of winter, but right now? Not so much.

 

[JustAnExpat]

My opinion: Keep your current setup for now. Parallels just came out with a M1 version, and I do not know if it's possible to run the normal version of Windows 10 on Parallels. Make sure it meets your needs.

 

[jks2403]

Parallels

Awesome! I'm eagerly awaiting for when the 14/16" M1's drop so I can sell my i7 as well. One of the subtle things I appreciated about the M1 more than anything else was not having a hot laptop all the time. It's so uncomfortable to have sweaty palms all the time because your laptop is always so warm.

I'm sure I'll miss this "feature" in the dead of winter, but right now? Not so much.

I might need to invest in a sound machine in my office now, too! The silence is deafening.

 

[jks2403]

My opinion: Keep your current setup for now. Parallels just came out with a M1 version, and I do not know if it's possible to run the normal version of Windows 10 on Parallels. Make sure it meets your needs.

I have Parallels running on the M1 Mac Mini now and it's super smooth, fast. With the i7, just opening Parallels made the fan go high and loud. Felt like a battle to get my Windows task finished and close out as soon as I could. Coherence mode works amazingly well on the M1, too.

I hear everyone's advice, but the experience with this M1 i'm trying out so far is too good to go back to the old way, even if the old way is better on paper!

 

[smirking]

I have Parallels running on the M1 Mac Mini now and it's super smooth, fast. With the i7, just opening Parallels made the fan go high and loud. Felt like a battle to get my Windows task finished and close out as soon as I could. Coherence mode works amazingly well on the M1, too.

I think the concern is that there is no confirmed Windows support on the M1. You're able to install a preview edition of Windows 10 on ARM, but it's not official. Presumably, if a preview edition exists, a real licensed edition should follow eventually, but there's always a chance that something scuttles it or pushes the date of an official release way out into the future.

That wouldn't hold me back. I have other laptops to run Windows on should it come down to it.