Yep. Same with Windows. I have a Windows system with 256 GB RAM that is using 40 GB just on a fresh boot due to Superfetch. Doesn’t mean Windows requires 40 GB of RAM.
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I am really torn between 8GB vs. 16GB RAM
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Hell, even swap isn't that big a deal in many situations. SSDs are pretty fast, and unless you're repeatedly moving a bunch of active stuff in and out of RAM, paging something that hasn't been used in days (and probably won't be used for several more) out to disk has a negligible impact on user experience.
superfetch you didnt need one lol stop nonsense service.you can even disable the swap drive
I got my mom’s MBA configured with 16GB. Her previous (2012 MBA) lasted almost a decade and I’d argue this was due to it being configured with 8GB instead of the standard 4. She’s a light user but hates swapping out old tech until it’s absolutely necessary.
I think it's fair to say that more RAM is always better. Right now 8GB might fly but imagine 4 to 6 years from now and you still use it and macOS has gotten chunkier, updated apps use a little more each time for an increased number of features. It's clever future proofing and heck if the cost right now is pushing it a little, remember that if you're in gainful employment you'll always make that money back.
Uh superfetch is still beneficial by pre caching in RAM. The system has SATA SSDs.
In 4 to 6 years, if you are still employed, better get the new model which might come already with 16GB of base. $200 saved today is worth $300 in 5 years, which is 30% of your new Mac Air paid. If one wants only to do browsing next 5 years, then 8 GB would be fine.
Insofar as "Apple Silicon" for Macs is concerned:
"16 is the new 8" ...
"16 is the new 8" ...
unsure, the old time , we think just for pendrive superboost/readyboost the low ram pc/laptop. We never enable the service superfetch .
Yeah, we are at the same position now like we were when apple did stop release mbps with 4gb of ram.
My guess is that within 3 years apple will stop sell computers with 8gb of ram.
But until then, 8gb are good enough for browsing and writing some documents etc.
Its a massive improvement even with a fast NVME drive and 64GB of RAM system. Adobe programs launch about 5 times faster than all four of my M1/M1 Max Apple systems with the Arm native Photoshop due to superfetch. I know this because once I disabled super fetch things launched at the same speed as on my Mac.
I also have 8GB of RAM on my MacBook Air and haven't ran into any issues so far. I even do iOS development and use Unity. So far I haven't had any issues.
I guess I'm not "pro" enough.
Memory usage depends on the data you work with rather than the software you use. If you only work with limited amounts of data or access the data in nice sequential patterns, you don't need much memory. Video editing is a good example of a task that can be computationally intensive but often works well with limited RAM. When the access patterns are not so nice, 1 GB may be enough for you one day, and the next day you will need hundreds of gigabytes for the same task with different data.
I guess web browsing is the task that drives memory requirements for most people. As CPU speeds, download speeds, and display resolutions keep increasing, websites use more and more data to provide the same services as before.
Fast forward to today, I did end up putting off buying a 13" Pro and waited for a 14" Pro and I am glad that I did. I think it is appropriate that 16GB is now the base for a device with the Pro moniker. For the Air, 8GB should be fine for the next couple of years.