Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Is 24GB/1TB configuration a sensible choice for the 15" M2 MacBook Air?
- Thread starter david.h
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
Why not? That is what the 14 day return policy is to provide. Time to try the product and see if the individual likes the product. I myself bought a new iPad, used it for 10 days, decided it was not a worthwhile upgrade from my existing iPad, and returned the new iPad.
Had the same with the iPhone 14 Pro. Used it for a week and decided it wasn't for me.
The return policy is not only great for those who want to try out a product. It's what actually leads to devices available in the refurbished store which can save a lot of money for anyone else.
That's one of the good things about the internet I guess. The anonymity to not be embarrassed about being one of these type of people.
I am absolutely not embarrassed that I returned the iPhone 14 Pro and also told that to people in real life. It was actually the first time in at least 5 years that I returned something "used".
In fact that was right after the release last year. I could actually have sold that iPhone for more money than it cost me at the time. THAT is something I would have been seriously embarrassed about. But not returning something when I realise it just does not work for me.
Of course it's a totally different story if someone abuses the return policies and switches to new devices every month. But those people usually get their accounts locked anyway.
Why else would Apple have a 14 day return policy? I see no other reason other than to let people try and decide. Some decide “no” and have been for years. There is nothing wrong with a person returning something a person does not like or is not worth the upgrade cost.
There's truth to this but I still configured mine with 24GB/1TB.
For the apps YouTubers routinely demonstrate, exporting out 50 RAW images or a video, then 24GB RAM will be of little benefit. But clearly there are situations that justify 32GB, 64GB, or even more RAM. It depends on your use case and I definitely use my laptop differently than a typical YouTuber.
In addition to photo and video editing, I'll also do some mobile app development, run some Docker containers, and a Win11 VM occasionally. On my previous M1 MBA, 16GB/512GB was great for 2.5 years but the memory pressure was often in the yellow. While the M1 MBA was a great performer, I've opted to beef up the MBA 15 with some additional breathing room for the next few years.
Some will say I should go with a MBP at this price point but, no, that's not what I want. I already returned a MBP 16 and MBP 14. The MBA 15 is the keeper for me.
Do what makes you happy! If you have the money go for it!! The air is so light, I wouldn't want to own a Pro no matter what!!There's truth to this but I still configured mine with 24GB/1TB.
For the apps YouTubers routinely demonstrate, exporting out 50 RAW images or a video, then 24GB RAM will be of little benefit. But clearly there are situations that justify 32GB, 64GB, or even more RAM. It depends on your use case and I definitely use my laptop differently than a typical YouTuber.
In addition to photo and video editing, I'll also do some mobile app development, run some Docker containers, and a Win11 VM occasionally. On my previous M1 MBA, 16GB/512GB was great for 2.5 years but the memory pressure was often in the yellow. While the M1 MBA was a great performer, I've opted to beef up the MBA 15 with some additional breathing room for the next few years.
Some will say I should go with a MBP at this price point but, no, that's not what I want. I already returned a MBP 16 and MBP 14. The MBA 15 is the keeper for me.
It's so heavy.Just ordered a 15" MBA M2 512GB w 24GB RAM. Coming from a 2018 intel MBP 15" 6core 2.6ghz 512 16GB ram. I am a tab monster and have a very messy desktop. I am very excited to have 8gb extra ram as well as a much newer AS chip. My only qualm is that they dont have 32 GB. I am truly a monster and keep 30-40 windows open usually hidden. I dont do actual processsor intensive stuff but I use a load of swap memory all the time because of my poor window hygiene. However I enjoy having everything up that i want and excited to see what the new machine can do.
I've got to ask... what are these 30-40 tabs! I maybe do 10 at most and that's just articles on a news site.. I'll the stories I want to read in the different tabs.. same with this site.. I'll open any new threads in the tabs and then I close them after I've read them.
The 24gb/1tb 15 air handles my tabmonster habits sooo much better than my 16/1tb lg gram, and I would venture to say the 16tb/1tb air might too. Also SessionBuddy and Quicktabs are your friend!
The improved 24 GB RAM combined with the fast UMA of the M2 chip will make you very happy. Enjoy! I went through a similar change 2016 16 GB MBP to 2023 M2 MBP with more RAM and absolutely love the M2.
So excited.Cant wait for the shipment. I wish they just had these configs in a warehouse in America. Gonna be 2 long weeks counting down the days
Do you think any of these "cooling mats" with fans may help w inevetabke throtling when im doing things like researching with multiple 100pg PDFs open and such?
Do you think any of these "cooling mats" with fans may help w inevetabke throtling when im doing things like researching with multiple 100pg PDFs open and such?
Multiple PDFs open will not stress the CPU. Rendering video, mass correcting 500 images in Lightroom will stress the CPU. I have been throttled multiple times. The decrease in CPU speed is not a major issue. Neither is the case getting warm. I don’t think you need a cooling mat.
Got it. From what i gather by my use case i will be fine. Its just fun looking into things . I had a 2011 MBA 13 i7 that I was using in 2017 to finish my undergrad unofficial thesis that was 70 pages and had hundreds of sources open and it was absolutely crawling. I could not afford to upgrade at the timer so I know how it goes living with what after 7 years of having was a very limiting machine. Makes me thankful for this opportunity now
. I had a 2011 MBA 13 i7 that I was using in 2017 to finish my undergrad unofficial thesis that was 70 pages and had hundreds of sources open and it was absolutely crawling. I could not afford to upgrade at the timer so I know how it goes living with what after 7 years of having was a very limiting machine. Makes me thankful for this opportunity now You may find you don't need external cooling. But if you do, cooling mats don't work with Apple laptops, because their vents are in the back instead of on the bottom.
If you need additional cooling, I'd recommend buying a cheap stand-alone comptuer fan, switching it to its lowest setting, and pointing it at the back of the Air. That was sufficient to cure my overheating 2014 MBP. The fan's not not silent, but is the quietest solution I've found:
AC Infinity MULTIFAN S3, Quiet 120mm USB Fan, UL-Certified for Receiver DVR Playstation Xbox Computer Cabinet Cooling
Ultra-quiet UL-certified USB fan designed to cool various electronics and components. Features a multi-speed controller to set the fan’s speed to optimal noise and airflow levels. Dual-ball bearings have a lifespan of 67,000 hours and allows the fans to be laid flat or stand upright. USB plug can...
www.amazon.com
These machines under heavy use last 1.5 years and then the flash wears out and Tim Cook comes around demanding another $1200-$1500 bucks!
We've had 8GB Apple silicon since 2020 and, if what you say is true, there would be an epidemic of drive failures. This simply hasn't happened.
Many Youtubers know nothing about computers. To say that 16 GB is the best and if you need more than that you'd want a Pro anyway is wrong.
A standard M-chip is plenty fast for many tasks.
Of course there are use cases when you need a lot of memory but really not anything else of what a "Pro device" with a Pro or Max chip, 120 Hz Pro-motion, ports and what not has to offer.
Did apple ever made a difference between ram sizes when dropping support? I am afraid the 24GB will get no longer MacOS support than the 8GB version.
1.5+ years of heavy use on my machine. Lots of Lightroom with heavy disk access. Spreadsheets, Word Documents, email, internet, etc. No issues at all.