how much memory do i need?

[chl0e]

hello! i am interested in buying the new macbook air 2020 but was wondering whether to upgrade the memory size. at the moment i am using a macbook pro 2014 with 16 gb of memory but it would be much cheaper if i bought the laptop with the basic 8 gb.

i am usually running a lot of basic things at a time. let's say 6 chrome tabs with netflix playing and a word document open.

i was also wondering if i only had 8 gb of memory would that lead to the laptop fans working harder more often, and if the two were connected.

thank you to anyone who is able to help

 

[ruka.snow]

I would go for 16 GB for resale and because you never know what you're going to be doing with it tomorrow. Personally I find 16 GB way to restrictive and 8 GB to be awful.

 

[chl0e]

I would go for 16 GB for resale and because you never know what you're going to be doing with it tomorrow. Personally I find 16 GB way to restrictive and 8 GB to be awful.

okay thank you so much for replying!!

 

[throAU]

My rule of thumb has always been to take Apple's base memory and double it.

Typically the OS tends to consume around half of the base memory their entry machines ship with, so doubling that gives you roughly 4x the actual usable memory for your applications.

 

[lagisibuk]

hello! i am interested in buying the new macbook air 2020 but was wondering whether to upgrade the memory size. at the moment i am using a macbook pro 2014 with 16 gb of memory but it would be much cheaper if i bought the laptop with the basic 8 gb.

i am usually running a lot of basic things at a time. let's say 6 chrome tabs with netflix playing and a word document open.

i was also wondering if i only had 8 gb of memory would that lead to the laptop fans working harder more often, and if the two were connected.

thank you to anyone who is able to help

i think 8gb will fine for you
but prepare for 16 if you can afford it, will be better for handling many tabs and task.

 

[BrianBaughn]

My rule of thumb has always been to take Apple's base memory and double it.

Typically the OS tends to consume around half of the base memory their entry machines ship with, so doubling that gives you roughly 4x the actual usable memory for your applications.

I agree with this. More than double the base memory would be for those who use RAM-intensive specific apps such as a DAW, film editing, and the rest of that list that I don't know.

 

[KALLT]

I think 8 GB is fine for this kind of laptop and for the intended usage you mentioned. Consider also that it has fast RAM and a fast SSD to begin with. I would consider opting for a faster CPU instead if you are thinking of the entry model and have more money to spend.