Please be aware of swap/TBW. Not much you can do, though, but perhaps in time you can upgrade without the SSD being too degraded for selling on second hand.
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I refuse to buy an Apple Silicon Mac with only 8 GB RAM!
- Thread starter AlixSPQR
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What would be useful is if one of the standard models came with 16GB – even if you were paying the same premium. That way, getting 16GB wouldn't entail a special order from Apple, so it would mean you could pick one up from other retailers and that might help when there are sales on etc.
Well said. This has to be one of the lamest rehashed non-issues of the recent years. But people like to post so here we are.
This whole thing about 8GB being enough vs not enough has been done to death. Not just this thread, but countless other threads about this.
Most people commenting on this thread are probably americans who have no understanding of the global market. Here's my take on this subject, from a country in Europe:
It's a tragedy that no Air version comes with 16GB preinstalled. In my country, if you custom build a Mac, the following happens:
- you cannot return it (at all)
- you pay upfront and cannot cancel the order
- it takes 10-12 weeks to arrive
- you lose any discount the model might have any time during its lifetime
So you see, the Air is simply not an option, if you do any kind of work that warrants more than 8GB (now or a few years down the line). Not to even mention the fact the new Air configured with 16/512 is actually more expensive that the Pro (in my country). And the Pro is too bulky/heavy for a lot of people who prefer a lighter computer, like my wife, for example.
Apple really should have made a version with 16GB, even if it would have been more expensive. Something like 1599$ but with 16/512. That would have made so much more sense.
It's a tragedy that no Air version comes with 16GB preinstalled. In my country, if you custom build a Mac, the following happens:
- you cannot return it (at all)
- you pay upfront and cannot cancel the order
- it takes 10-12 weeks to arrive
- you lose any discount the model might have any time during its lifetime
So you see, the Air is simply not an option, if you do any kind of work that warrants more than 8GB (now or a few years down the line). Not to even mention the fact the new Air configured with 16/512 is actually more expensive that the Pro (in my country). And the Pro is too bulky/heavy for a lot of people who prefer a lighter computer, like my wife, for example.
Apple really should have made a version with 16GB, even if it would have been more expensive. Something like 1599$ but with 16/512. That would have made so much more sense.
I think that your headline was a bit inflammatory but your actual post was well thought out and a reasonable reason for buying what you decided to get. I tend to be someone who also buys something with the thought of keeping it as a useful device for a long time, and memory has traditionally been a bottleneck for computers. It’s why many people have bought “more than they need “ when buying computer memory. “Too much memory” buys you an extended useful computer life and has for a long time.
100% my colleagues and I issues. They are opting for the 14" base model because there is no SKU available in the retailers with 16GB of RAM.
Plus the 14" base has been around 1899-1935€ in most retailers in Europe this last couple of weeks.
Lol good if u refuse but who really cares if u wana buy it or not?
Most sensible contribution in this thread to date
it has always irked me certain combos immediately imply BTO (and associated waiting times)A discussion, I believe. In which case, very successfully, it appears
You said it at the beginning. 8GB of RAM fits most peoples needs and will likely do so for some time because power users are not the target audience for the MBA. Apple is going to charge more for 16gb because 16gb of memory costs more than 8. Why do you want to force people to spend more than they need to? Should a student who just needs internet and word processing be forced into 1TB SSD drives because you think that should be standard also?
By the time 16gb is standard, inflation will have cancelled out any savings you think you are getting by waiting. And at that point, you will be complaining that 32gb isn't standard.
Alright, i concede, you win. Gonna have to be more careful , next time (i`ll buy a laptop).
Yeah I agree for a premium price tag like the MacBook Air M2, they should have gone with at least the 512GB model have 16GB as a store SKU.
Just non-sense really.
Just non-sense really.
It indeed depends on the user. For someone who just wants to use a MacBook Air for web browsing, email, instant messaging, light video watching, etc. then 8 GB of RAM should be suitable enough.
And yes, when ordering my M1 MacBook Air last spring, I configured it to come with 16 GB of RAM, because I do a lot of digital media work. And unlike its' Intel predecessors, the M1 MacBook Air (at least with 8-core graphics) comes very close in speed and power to an M1 13" MacBook Pro with the same specs. This is exactly why I ended up springing for an M1 Air with the 8-core graphics, 512 GB SSD, and of course 16 GB of RAM, and I couldn't be happier.
Though once I get my first Apple Silicon desktop (either a Mac Studio or a higher-end Mac Mini with M2 Pro chip, if that ever comes out), I'm going to configure it with 32 GB of RAM, as with the kind of multitasking and audiovisual production I do, I doubt I'll ever really need more than 32 GB.
And yes, when ordering my M1 MacBook Air last spring, I configured it to come with 16 GB of RAM, because I do a lot of digital media work. And unlike its' Intel predecessors, the M1 MacBook Air (at least with 8-core graphics) comes very close in speed and power to an M1 13" MacBook Pro with the same specs. This is exactly why I ended up springing for an M1 Air with the 8-core graphics, 512 GB SSD, and of course 16 GB of RAM, and I couldn't be happier.
Though once I get my first Apple Silicon desktop (either a Mac Studio or a higher-end Mac Mini with M2 Pro chip, if that ever comes out), I'm going to configure it with 32 GB of RAM, as with the kind of multitasking and audiovisual production I do, I doubt I'll ever really need more than 32 GB.
8GB RAM on a Apple M1 needs to be considered differently than a Intel Mac or a windows computer. Because of its architecture its capable to do alot more with 8 GB than windows can do with alot more. I use a Mac mini for work, I run Safari, Messages, Photos, Notes, Pixelmator Pro, Twitter, Brave, Joplin, 2 VNC Apps, and at times a windows 11 virtual machine. It handles all that with no problem. I was shocked when I saw pretty much all these apps running at the same time.
Giving advice on how to prolong the life of your SSD is FUD? Okay...
wow 15 pages on this. No one will agree with anyone since everyone’s needs are different. People whose needs fit within 8gb, 8gb is fine. Those who need more than 8gb know it and they dont need 8gb’ers telling them 8gb is enough.
If they dont, checking swap used on activity monitor is a good start. If it’s constantly multi gb, it can interfere with SSD longivity and MAY pose an issue if they plan to keep the machine for a decade. Otherwise it’ll be fine. Even 256gb SSD’s from 2011s could write up to 2000 TB before dying
that being said, apple products, especially earlier ones have had problems with low RAM (e.g. tabs refreshing) that could have been allieviated with a little more of it. Apple has been historically stingy with RAM but its competitors have now copied that and start at 8/256 too
If they dont, checking swap used on activity monitor is a good start. If it’s constantly multi gb, it can interfere with SSD longivity and MAY pose an issue if they plan to keep the machine for a decade. Otherwise it’ll be fine. Even 256gb SSD’s from 2011s could write up to 2000 TB before dying
that being said, apple products, especially earlier ones have had problems with low RAM (e.g. tabs refreshing) that could have been allieviated with a little more of it. Apple has been historically stingy with RAM but its competitors have now copied that and start at 8/256 too
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Yes it is. There’s no practical reason to do it in most cases, it degrades the experience and has multiple downsides (especially for a laptop) and by suggesting it, he only gives the idea that this is somehow necessary. It’s not. Just use your laptop normally.
I've been a developer for roughly twenty years. Mostly React stuff, but I dabble in SwiftUI.
Last year I decided that my 2016 16" MBP had reached the end of the line, but the 16" M1 MBP wasn't ready yet. I decided to get the cheapest M1 Mac I could get my hands on (Macbook Air, 8gb, refurb)
It was fabulous, much faster than than my 16" MBP in every respect. I use multiple virtual machines, complex coding environments, multiple recompiles per hour… no problem. In fact, the M1 MBP I'm on right now isn't even perceptibly faster, it's mostly just a bigger nicer screen.
I suspect that the Apple silicon processors deal with RAM much more efficiently than Intel chips, and are designed around the way Darwin constructs "retain/release cycles."
I do recommend to people who use an abundance of tabs and "desktop web apps" (Slack, Discord) to go high on RAM. Personally, I'm disciplined: I've got an editor, a RAM-efficent browser (Safari), and not much else running. 8gb was plenty.
I’ll be getting 16GB of RAM in my new Mac, but I still don’t know which model yet. My use case isn’t the same as everyone else, so to say 16GB is a minimum for everyone (including consumers who just surf the internet, check email and light work) is a bit ridiculous.
My parents wouldn’t need more than the base RAM. They’re currently running a 21-inch iMac 2019 with Intel Core i3, but it’s doing fine after I did some clean up. The Core i3 is complete trash. When they go to the iMac 24”, they’ll need a 512GB hard drive at least, but no more than 8GB of RAM.
Hell, my Mac mini has 32GB of RAM, it took an eGPU to make it perform better afterwards. The late 2018 mini needed a few extras for two monitors for solid performance. The iMac would’ve been a better buy at the time.
My parents wouldn’t need more than the base RAM. They’re currently running a 21-inch iMac 2019 with Intel Core i3, but it’s doing fine after I did some clean up. The Core i3 is complete trash. When they go to the iMac 24”, they’ll need a 512GB hard drive at least, but no more than 8GB of RAM.
Hell, my Mac mini has 32GB of RAM, it took an eGPU to make it perform better afterwards. The late 2018 mini needed a few extras for two monitors for solid performance. The iMac would’ve been a better buy at the time.
Yes that’s the main issue people have.
50 tabs
Photoshop, After Effects, Illustrator, Final Cut Pro, Logic ALL open at the same time.
I’m like you. I don’t have much active at once on my computer. And when I get to 10 tabs I start getting confused since the tabs can get so small I don’t know what I’m clicking. It’s faster for me to bookmark and close it. When I’m working I try to limit to 5 tabs and the main app I’m working on at the time. It’s not the old HDD days. It doesn’t take Photoshop a minute to open for me anymore.
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