Is 24GB/1TB configuration a sensible choice for the 15" M2 MacBook Air?

[david.h]

I currently own a 2019 Intel iMac with 32GB RAM and a 1TB SSD, as well as a 2020 M1 MacBook Air with 8GB RAM and a 256GB SSD. While I'm generally satisfied with the overall performance of my MacBook Air, I'm contemplating upgrading it due to memory pressure and limited storage capacity.

The main memory-intensive applications I use are Devonthink 3 (consuming around 4-6GB) and Logos Bible Software (taking up approximately 1.5GB). My MacBook Air consistently shows yellow memory pressure. Furthermore, the storage shortage prevents me from utilizing all of my DT3 databases, which I can access on my iMac. In contrast, my iMac typically utilizes around 23-24GB out of its 32GB RAM, and I am currently using 400GB out of the 1TB storage space.

Based on my iMac's usage patterns, I have decided to opt for a 15" M2 MacBook Air configuration with 24GB RAM and a 1TB SSD (512GB would have only around 100GB free space, so I thought 1TB would be a wiser choice). I briefly considered the 16" M1 Pro MacBook Pro, which falls within a similar price range, but since I don't engage in heavy-duty tasks, I believe the M2 MacBook Air would adequately meet my needs. In addition, in my office setup, I use an external monitor and headphones which makes MacBook Pro's promotion display and superior speakers less appealing to me. Although I may occasionally miss the ability to use multiple external displays that the Pro offers, the Air fulfills my requirements adequately.

However, I have come across numerous posts discouraging the selection of 24GB RAM for the MacBook Air. Some individuals suggest that if one desires 24GB RAM, it would be more prudent to consider the 14" MacBook Pro instead. Others argue that having 24GB RAM doesn't make sense for the MacBook Air at all.

I would appreciate your opinion on this matter.

 

[brig2221]

My take, it only makes financial sense to upgrade one component of the MBA (RAM or SSD) from the base configuration. If you're looking to upgrade multiple components, the MBP is really what you should be targeting, and if you're patient, you will eventually find a Base Model MBP in the range of $200-$300 off, which would probably be the same price as the upgraded MBA.

Only caveat to all of that is if you are really prioritizing the thin size and weight of the MBA and money/value isn't a big priority, at which point upgrade the MBA to whatever specs you want and call it a day.

 

[david.h]

My take, it only makes financial sense to upgrade one component of the MBA (RAM or SSD) from the base configuration. If you're looking to upgrade multiple components, the MBP is really what you should be targeting, and if you're patient, you will eventually find a Base Model MBP in the range of $200-$300 off, which would probably be the same price as the upgraded MBA.

Only caveat to all of that is if you are really prioritizing the thin size and weight of the MBA and money/value isn't a big priority, at which point upgrade the MBA to whatever specs you want and call it a day.

Yes, that makes sense. But based on my usage patterns, 16GB RAM and 512GB SSD of a base model MBP may be quite limiting. Upgrading to the model with 32GB/1TB is significantly more expensive.

 

[KPOM]

16GB/1TB should be sufficient for what you describe.

 

[Beancamel]

honestly idk why 256 is even an option this day in age. I know Apple wants to upsell us but 256 is just awful.

 

[Mareest]

M2 15" MacBook Air with 24GB ram and 1/2TO SSD is absolutely not a good deal but nevertheless a wonderful machine. It is that simple. Moneywise, the good deals are the base Macbook pro 14" and the maxed out 16" Macbook pro.

But usage wise, it is totally relevant to have 24GB ram in a Macbook Air if you are a dev who wants a fanless light machine with comfortable screen real estate that runs many VMs for example. And you can find a ton of different usages where one would be more happy with a maxed out Macbook Air than a Macbook Pro.

If you are planing to keep it for 5+ years, think "usage" and not "money". The maxed out Macbook Air is a $cam but if it fits your needs and your workflow, do not buy a macbook pro just because it is a better deal.

 

[Zest28]

Makes no sense at all. The MacBook Air is only reasonably priced if you keep them at or close to base spec. Else the MacBook Pro is the best buy.

And I hear people saying all the time ...."I don't need the power". Even if you don't need the power currently, the MacBook Pro will last alot longer than MacBook Air while paying almost the same price.

But ofcourse, if you are in the situation where you have so much money, you don't know what to do with it ... a very high spec'ed M2 MacBook Air is doable I guess.

 

[boswald]

I'd grab any of them except the 256GB model. The difference in speed may not be noticeable to some, but why do that yourself if you don't have to? I went with the 16/1TB for the 13" and don't regret it at all.

 

[daavee80]

Makes no sense at all. The MacBook Air is only reasonably priced if you keep them at or close to base spec. Else the MacBook Pro is the best buy.

And I hear people saying all the time ...."I don't need the power". Even if you don't need the power currently, the MacBook Pro will last alot longer than MacBook Air while paying almost the same price.

But ofcourse, if you are in the situation where you have so much money, you don't know what to do with it ... a very high spec'ed M2 MacBook Air is doable I guess.

It fully depends on one’s needs, but the 15 Air is cheaper, lighter and completely silent. Compared to the 16 Pro it’s much cheaper and much lighter. Against the 14 it’s only slightly lighter but has a bigger screen. And it’s still much cheaper for a similar spec (although the upgraded Pro’s have 32GB vs 24GB.) If one sticks with the base Pro’s an upgraded Air will have more RAM and more storage.

And computing requirements aren’t likely to change so much between now and the time the latest MacOS is not compatible with these machines that the M2 will somehow become ‘slow’ and the couple of extra CPU cores and extra GPU cores in the M2 Pro will somehow negate this. They will have the same lifespan as they will very likely all be deprecated at the same time, regardless of flavour of M2 SoC. If it fit’s your needs now it will in the future. Remember that Apple now sells Mac’s more than ever as iPhone-esque commodities and they will be ruthlessly EOL’d even if they’re still powerful enough to run the latest software.

Yes, the Pro’s have a lot more processing grunt and if you’re a professional who needs such power then the Air’s will always be a compromise, but otherwise the value proposition for everyone else is the Air’s, not the Pro’s. The Air’s are always cheaper for similar or more RAM and storage space, they are both much lighter for a similar screen size (never forget these are portable computers) and are completely silent at all times, while running no hotter than the fan-cooled Pro’s. Yes they don’t have 120hz Mini-LED displays, have fewer ports with fewer external monitors supported and the 13 has notably inferior speakers, but if one can live with these trade offs and the M2 (which is faster than the most powerful i9 16 Intel MacBook from only a few years ago) is sufficient then they are more than worth it regardless of how they are configured.

 

[JamesMay82]

I get what the people are saying it fully specced one cancels out it’s purpose of a cheap Air.. For me i want 24 gigs of ram and 2TB ssd.. in the UK thats £2,599 and for the same spec 16 inches its a grand more so the air is a no brainier!

 

[theorist9]

I think those who are making blanket statements that "24 GB does't make sense for the Air" are doing a knee-jerk oversimplification, and haven't thought deeply about your specific needs.

If you've done careful testing and know that you do need 24 GB, and that you would not benefit from the additional CPU cores/GPU power/external display support/ports of the MBP, and you like the Air's lighter weight and larger screen size, then saving ~$500 (or whatever the equivalent is where you are) vs. a 32 GB 14" MBP makes sense.

OTOH, if you can get by with 16 GB, then you might find a 1 TB/16 GB 14" MBP that is, because of discounts, at a lower price than a 1 TB/24 GB Air.

If your Intel iMac has 4 x 8 GB RAM, one way to test this for sure would be to remove one pair of RAM, reducing it to 16 GB, and checking the memory pressure during normal use. But be sure to remove the right sticks; otherwise you slow down the memory speed. If you want to do this, LMK, and I can check my own notes. IIRC, you want to have a single pair of RAM in slots 1&3 or 2&4.

 

[FreakinEurekan]

honestly idk why 256 is even an option this day in age. I know Apple wants to upsell us but 256 is just awful.

256GB is perfectly fine, for a lot of people - particularly with iCloud. I have a MacBook with 256GB and if it's ever crossed 50% of storage in use, it was transient. Typically I'm using only around 100GB of it.

Of course, there's a 70GB Photos library - on iCloud. And a 25GB Messages library - on iCloud. And 10GB or so of Documents - on iCloud. All of that chews up a combined 10GB or so on the Mac.

And yes, it's all safe. My Mac mini is set to "Sync Everything" and it backs up to Time Machine, and to another Cloud service.

 

[HiVolt]

honestly idk why 256 is even an option this day in age. I know Apple wants to upsell us but 256 is just awful.

8GB ram / 256GB ssd would be fine if it was upgradeable. But they are not. These machines will not stand the test of time 5 years down the road. But that's why Apple is a 3T company. we the sheep just keep buying this crap.

 

[Isamilis]

I currently own a 2019 Intel iMac with 32GB RAM and a 1TB SSD, as well as a 2020 M1 MacBook Air with 8GB RAM and a 256GB SSD. While I'm generally satisfied with the overall performance of my MacBook Air, I'm contemplating upgrading it due to memory pressure and limited storage capacity.

The main memory-intensive applications I use are Devonthink 3 (consuming around 4-6GB) and Logos Bible Software (taking up approximately 1.5GB). My MacBook Air consistently shows yellow memory pressure. Furthermore, the storage shortage prevents me from utilizing all of my DT3 databases, which I can access on my iMac. In contrast, my iMac typically utilizes around 23-24GB out of its 32GB RAM, and I am currently using 400GB out of the 1TB storage space.

Based on my iMac's usage patterns, I have decided to opt for a 15" M2 MacBook Air configuration with 24GB RAM and a 1TB SSD (512GB would have only around 100GB free space, so I thought 1TB would be a wiser choice). I briefly considered the 16" M1 Pro MacBook Pro, which falls within a similar price range, but since I don't engage in heavy-duty tasks, I believe the M2 MacBook Air would adequately meet my needs. In addition, in my office setup, I use an external monitor and headphones which makes MacBook Pro's promotion display and superior speakers less appealing to me. Although I may occasionally miss the ability to use multiple external displays that the Pro offers, the Air fulfills my requirements adequately.

However, I have come across numerous posts discouraging the selection of 24GB RAM for the MacBook Air. Some individuals suggest that if one desires 24GB RAM, it would be more prudent to consider the 14" MacBook Pro instead. Others argue that having 24GB RAM doesn't make sense for the MacBook Air at all.

I would appreciate your opinion on this matter.

16/512. Why isn’t possible to use cloud drive? Or external disk. If you previously work on iMac, docking MBA with external disk shouldn’t be an issue.
If possible, I would buy 16/512, and return for upgrade if it’s not sufficient for your work.

 

[Shirasaki]

8GB ram / 256GB ssd would be fine if it was upgradeable. But they are not. These machines will not stand the test of time 5 years down the road. But that's why Apple is a 3T company. we the sheep just keep buying this crap.

Yeah, complacent customer base tolerating such practice, plus so so many people on youtube bashing how insane deal 8GB/256GB is. Good Thing is gaming is not what mac is for, otherwise I can’t imagine how dumb down those games have to be to fit in 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage.

 

[david.h]

I think those who are making blanket statements that "24 GB does't make sense for the Air" are doing a knee-jerk oversimplification, and haven't thought deeply about your specific needs.

If you've done careful testing and know that you do need 24 GB, and that you would not benefit from the additional CPU cores/GPU power/external display support/ports of the MBP, and you like the Air's lighter weight and larger screen size, then saving ~$500 (or whatever the equivalent is where you are) vs. a 32 GB 14" MBP makes sense.

OTOH, if you can get by with 16 GB, then you might find a 1 TB/16 GB 14" MBP that is, because of discounts, at a lower price than a 1 TB/24 GB Air.

If your Intel iMac has 4 x 8 GB RAM, one way to test this for sure would be to remove one pair of RAM, reducing it to 16 GB, and checking the memory pressure during normal use. But be sure to remove the right sticks; otherwise you slow down the memory speed. If you want to do this, LMK, and I can check my own notes. IIRC, you want to have a single pair of RAM in slots 1&3 or 2&4.

1TB/16GB 14" MBP sounds very appealing to me. I should give it a thought.
Unfortunately, my iMac has 2 X 16GB RAM, so I can't test how 16GB would work.

I just watched this video: 16GB vs 24GB RAM M2 MacBook Air & Pro - Were We ...YouTube · Max Tech15분 22초2022. 8. 2.
which makes me feel that 24GB RAM is not necessary for M2 Air.
But at the same time, my workflow heavily relies on Devonthink, which seems to benefit a lot from larger RAMs.

 

[david.h]

256GB is perfectly fine, for a lot of people - particularly with iCloud. I have a MacBook with 256GB and if it's ever crossed 50% of storage in use, it was transient. Typically I'm using only around 100GB of it.

Of course, there's a 70GB Photos library - on iCloud. And a 25GB Messages library - on iCloud. And 10GB or so of Documents - on iCloud. All of that chews up a combined 10GB or so on the Mac.

And yes, it's all safe. My Mac mini is set to "Sync Everything" and it backs up to Time Machine, and to another Cloud service.

My workflow relies heavily on Devonthink, which requires that databases be stored locally. That's why my M1 MBA with 256 SSD is not enough.

 

[tk111]

.

I currently own a 2019 Intel iMac with 32GB RAM and a 1TB SSD, as well as a 2020 M1 MacBook Air with 8GB RAM and a 256GB SSD. While I'm generally satisfied with the overall performance of my MacBook Air, I'm contemplating upgrading it due to memory pressure and limited storage capacity.

The main memory-intensive applications I use are Devonthink 3 (consuming around 4-6GB) and Logos Bible Software (taking up approximately 1.5GB). My MacBook Air consistently shows yellow memory pressure. Furthermore, the storage shortage prevents me from utilizing all of my DT3 databases, which I can access on my iMac. In contrast, my iMac typically utilizes around 23-24GB out of its 32GB RAM, and I am currently using 400GB out of the 1TB storage space.

Based on my iMac's usage patterns, I have decided to opt for a 15" M2 MacBook Air configuration with 24GB RAM and a 1TB SSD (512GB would have only around 100GB free space, so I thought 1TB would be a wiser choice). I briefly considered the 16" M1 Pro MacBook Pro, which falls within a similar price range, but since I don't engage in heavy-duty tasks, I believe the M2 MacBook Air would adequately meet my needs. In addition, in my office setup, I use an external monitor and headphones which makes MacBook Pro's promotion display and superior speakers less appealing to me. Although I may occasionally miss the ability to use multiple external displays that the Pro offers, the Air fulfills my requirements adequately.

However, I have come across numerous posts discouraging the selection of 24GB RAM for the MacBook Air. Some individuals suggest that if one desires 24GB RAM, it would be more prudent to consider the 14" MacBook Pro instead. Others argue that having 24GB RAM doesn't make sense for the MacBook Air at all.

I would appreciate your opinion on this matter.

Pro would be a better choice, IMO. Pros: 1) Better performance. 2) Much better screen, a lot! 3) Better speakers. Cons: 1) Bulkier. 2) Heavier. For a $2099 Air price tag, there are plenty of Pro deals out there. 14" Apple Refurbished 32GB RAM is at $2039.

 

[ddsforlife]

You mentioned using an external monitor . . . how much are you using this out and about? Like mobile? If you are mainly using in clamshell, I'd totally learn towards the MB Pro. If you can swing it, I would go for it. Just looked at Macbook Pro 14" M2 with 1TB and 32GB RAM and it's only $500 more than the M2 Macbook Air 15" on BH Photo (https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1746549-REG/apple_mbp_14_m2_07_mbp_14_m2p_10c_cpu_16c.html). I'd say that over several years, you will be much happier with the MB Pro. Just my $0.02.

 

[Allen_Wentz]

16GB/1TB should be sufficient for what you describe.

We disagree. IMO 16 GB would be a seriously wrong choice. 24 GB is an absolute minimum, and only a choice because someone wants to spend less and compromise with the lower end, lighter MBA. 32 GB (or better 64 GB) will allow less constrained future operation.

We buy computers to do work. Arbitrarily limiting performance with lesser RAM is a bad choice - - even if Apple's excellent memory management lets under-spec'd boxes still work.

Note also one should choose adequate RAM for the 3-6 year life cycle of a new box. Not what one did last year.

Also you are right about minimum 1 TB SSD. A good rule of thumb is that SSD size should be about double what you may put on it.

 

[Flav]

I currently own a 2019 Intel iMac with 32GB RAM and a 1TB SSD, as well as a 2020 M1 MacBook Air with 8GB RAM and a 256GB SSD. While I'm generally satisfied with the overall performance of my MacBook Air, I'm contemplating upgrading it due to memory pressure and limited storage capacity.

The main memory-intensive applications I use are Devonthink 3 (consuming around 4-6GB) and Logos Bible Software (taking up approximately 1.5GB). My MacBook Air consistently shows yellow memory pressure. Furthermore, the storage shortage prevents me from utilizing all of my DT3 databases, which I can access on my iMac. In contrast, my iMac typically utilizes around 23-24GB out of its 32GB RAM, and I am currently using 400GB out of the 1TB storage space.

Based on my iMac's usage patterns, I have decided to opt for a 15" M2 MacBook Air configuration with 24GB RAM and a 1TB SSD (512GB would have only around 100GB free space, so I thought 1TB would be a wiser choice). I briefly considered the 16" M1 Pro MacBook Pro, which falls within a similar price range, but since I don't engage in heavy-duty tasks, I believe the M2 MacBook Air would adequately meet my needs. In addition, in my office setup, I use an external monitor and headphones which makes MacBook Pro's promotion display and superior speakers less appealing to me. Although I may occasionally miss the ability to use multiple external displays that the Pro offers, the Air fulfills my requirements adequately.

However, I have come across numerous posts discouraging the selection of 24GB RAM for the MacBook Air. Some individuals suggest that if one desires 24GB RAM, it would be more prudent to consider the 14" MacBook Pro instead. Others argue that having 24GB RAM doesn't make sense for the MacBook Air at all.

I would appreciate your opinion on this matter.

MBA 15" 24GB/1TB makes total sense for what you describe. Actually that is the exact config I would have bought if this was available an year ago, now I'm using a MBP 16" and I can barely load the CPU but I appreciate the memory and storage.

 

[Miicat_47]

I can barely load the CPU

What kind of work do you do?

I’m planning to get Air for programming, but I’m not sure if it’s fast enough

 

[Shirasaki]

What kind of work do you do?

I’m planning to get Air for programming, but I’m not sure if it’s fast enough

Processing power is not really the issue. The issue is the sustained performance vs passive cooling.

 

[Bug-Creator]

8GB ram / 256GB ssd would be fine if it was upgradeable. But they are not. These machines will not stand the test of time 5 years down the road.

Maybe, maybe not. What is for sure that people were predicting the same thing for 8/256 5 years ago, or 4/128 back when that was the base.
If used within their use case these Mac remained o.k. for about as long as OS support was (and a bit longer) or as long as the HW lasted.

 

[daavee80]

What kind of work do you do?

I’m planning to get Air for programming, but I’m not sure if it’s fast enough

I’d advise you to go and do some research on more tech-savvy, programming orientated forums and watch some YouTube videos on the matter. The M2 Air’s are mostly sufficient for reasonably heavy programming workloads regardless of them thermal throttling but the Pro’s are substantially more powerful, as well as being able to support more than one external display. It really depends on your needs.