Is 8GB of RAM Enough for a Mac in 2024?

[Chuckeee]

MacBook Air yes . MacBook Pro NO!

I understand the 8GB arguments, and while I might not agree with them all, they are at least rational and are trying to address real issues.

What is totally irrational is when people get all hung up over the Pro marketing term. Pro is just an advertising marketing term, this applies particularly to how Apple throws the term Pro around. If you see Pro on an Apple product it is just a meaningless nameplate, Apple could just as easily use supercalifragilisticexpialidocious and it would be the same exact thing. The only thing that the Pro label on an Apple product means is you have better bragging right at Starbucks or Panera bread.

So if 8GB is insufficient, Then it’s insufficient for all Mac products whether they have a Pro label on them or not

 

[Fuzzball84]

While I have never had 8 GB of in an ARM Mac to speak to real world experiences, I do have a M1 13" MBP with 16 GB of RAM.

16 GB of ram was more than what I needed in 2020 for 75% of my tasks and sufficient for everything else. In 2024 I'm finding more and more scenarios everyday where it isn't enough for me. So with that said, 8gb of RAM would be a nonstarter for me. I wouldn't even buy a 16GB config today knowing while it will run okay today and have some limitation, it for sure won't get me through 3 to 7 years of my needs.

I did buy an 21.5 iMac with 8GB of Ram back in 2013. And I did upgrade it to 16gb of RAM and an SSD myself (even though it was technically not user upgradable, it could be user upgraded). The same can't be said for ARM Macs. You can't buy third party parts, you can't replace/upgrade just the memory or SSD.

One thing that hasn't been mentioned much here, is in 2020 there was a silent boost in base memory. 16 GB in my M1 MacBook Pro went a lot further than it did in my i5 iMac thanks to how ARM works.


I'm looking to buy a M3 Mac Studio later this year as a desktop, and keep my M1 MacBook Pro as a mobile device. Use it as an actual laptop and not my workhorse.


Edit: Also forgot to include. I don't think you can make a case for 8gb isn't enough. As there will always be some people where it is. But as time progresses, it's not enough for more and more people. Not to mention, doesn't make sense at the $1,000+ price point.

The problem with Macs and the situation they have since transitioning to Apple Silicon... is that everything is soldered onto the same board... less and less is repairable. So you could buy a Mac with more RAM than you need, thinking of the future.. but then the SSD or some other component fails and you're screwed because its a few days after your device was vintaged and you can no longer get official servicing.

So while it may sound like a good idea to future proof RAM... there are many factors to consider for longevity.

 

[halledise]

there is another thread about this very issue.
perhaps the mods should merge them both?
to 8GB or not to 8GB? that is the question …

 

[Mainsail]

Or buy a Chromebook instead if all you need to do is open a browser and use gmail, right?

Is there something in between "open a browser and use gmail" and Pro level video editing? I am thinking about what a huge number of users do with their computers...... like mail, messages and productivity apps that make up the lion share of college, office, and home users.

 

[Howard2k]

Should I turn off the WiFi and complain about internet connectivity too?

Turn off the processor - then see how long it takes to compile code!

 

[UK-MacAddict]

Should I turn off the WiFi and complain about internet connectivity too?

This could be the most stupid thing I’ve read today.

Apple is actually using disc swapping to mask the inadequacy of 8GB. Your point is totally out of context and proves nothing.

 

[LeeW]

Should I turn off the WiFi and complain about internet connectivity too?

If you could just turn off your internet, it would be appreciated.

 

[JonathanX64]

An observation: In this thread there are broadly two types of posts: "I would never {buy, use, recommend} 8 GB" and "I use 8 GB and it's great." What's missing -- and if your assertion here had merit, I'd expect it -- are complaints about having a base model and it feeling slow.

I do have a complaint

Tried M1 Mac mini 8/256 back in 2021, was absolutely not satisfied with how laggy it felt when you accidentally open a long-forgotten tab that's been swapped, or an app that you haven't used for an hour.

Annoyed me to the point that I've sold it, found a good deal on a 27" iMac 2017 with slightly cracked display, bought it, upgraded it with 32 gigs and NVMe storage, and felt much much much happier.


Oh, and speaking of average users — my mom simply does not understand the concept of getting rid of stuff on the computer once she's done with it. She has tons of tabs and Excel spreadsheets open, literally tens of open windows. She uses Surface Laptop with i7/16gb and it feels quite okay. I'm pretty sure any computer with 8 gigs would never handle her very casual workload well.

 

[Howard2k]

This could be the most stupid thing I’ve read today.

Apple is actually using disc swapping to mask the inadequacy of 8GB. Your point is totally out of context and proves nothing.

I don't know, I think yours was up there.

The OS uses swap. Yes, without swap it would be a much different story, but swap is there.

 

[RenegadfeMonste]

The problem with Macs and the situation they have since transitioning to Apple Silicon... is that everything is soldered onto the same board... less and less is repairable. So you could buy a Mac with more RAM than you need, thinking of the future.. but then the SSD or some other component fails and you're screwed because its a few days after your device was vintaged and you can no longer get official servicing.

So while it may sound like a good idea to future proof RAM... there are many factors to consider for longevity.

While that is something to consider, it's not really a concern to me ore most. I keep my Macs about 5 to 7 years. They have never been classified as vintage or have been dropped for OS support while I own / use them.

Future proofing is a must if you intend to keep a Mac that long, especially when it's not user upgradable. If you replace every couple years sure, why not, buy for what you need now.

Before the M1, my next Intel Mac would have had 32 GB of ram, not 16. But 16 was the max I could get in the 13" M1 MacBook Pro back in 2020 when the M1 first launch. At first I thought it didn't really matter, and was like 32 GB of RAM in an Intel Mac because of how efficiently and smoothly it ran. But 3 1/2 years later it's not enough to meet my needs.

Sure it get's the job done. But it's painfully at times for me under load, and I know it work could be much improved and more efficient with just double the RAM.

 

[robvalentine]

Been posting this for a few years:

With the m-series Macs,
16gb is "the new 8" ...

You know this is Apple marketing BS right? do some research on the internet. If your ram allows it.

 

[JonathanX64]

Or buy a Chromebook instead if all you need to do is open a browser and use gmail, right?

If only any company would make a nice Chromebook. Most of them are too cheap, with garbage Full HD screens, subpar build quality, bad speakers, etc. There are good reasons to "step up" to MacBook, and it indeed does feel like a step up.

If only Google released a successor to Pixelbook Go...

 

[lindros2]

is 1GB of RAM enough?
I looked high and low for a MBA with 16GB that wasn't a Z-spec. Thanks go to Best Buy for having them.

 

[Ameer_1]

How many people actually know what ram is?

 

[RenegadfeMonste]

How many people actually know what ram is?

At Mac Rumors? "Ramblings about Macs" is more likely what ram is.

 

[Fuzzball84]

While that is something to consider, it's not really a concern to me ore most. I keep my Macs about 5 to 7 years. They have never been classified as vintage or have been dropped for OS support while I own / use them.

Future proofing is a must if you intend to keep a Mac that long, especially when it's not user upgradable. If you replace every couple years sure, why not, buy for what you need now.

Before the M1, my next Intel Mac would have had 32 GB of ram, not 16. But 16 was the max I could get in the 13" M1 MacBook Pro back in 2020 when the M1 first launch. At first I thought it didn't really matter, and was like 32 GB of RAM in an Intel Mac because of how efficiently and smoothly it ran. But 3 1/2 years later it's not enough to meet my needs.

Sure it get's the job done. But it's painfully at times for me under load, and I know it work could be much improved and more efficient with just double the RAM.

Yes there is efficiency as Apple design the hardware and software.... but there is no magic happening making 16 GB run the same as 32 GB on PC.

That it took 3 and a half years to figure it wasn't the right spec is unusual.. unless your workload really changed, or something catastrophic happened to the software you're running. If you knew you needed 32 GB of RAM... and if you then went to half that, because AS is more efficient... is flying too close to the sun for comfort.

It's not something to be embarrassed about to have a vintage Mac. Loads of people use them... they bought the right spec, at a good price and it becomes a huge value proposition if you get many many years out of it.

I think most apple users keep their hardware into vintage territory... Apple hardware is generally designed to last (physically anyhow) as, mostly, they use high quality construction and materials. However, if a fault does occur... the integrated and non upgradable nature is a drawback for sure. Not much room at all fr self repair.

 

[Heat_Fan89]

• Daily Tasks and Light Usage: For basic tasks like web browsing, document editing, and media consumption, 8GB of RAM generally suffices. Modern Macs use features like memory compression and intelligent allocation, which help macOS run smoothly even during multitasking.

I have NO problems with the base configuration of 8GB. My M2 Mini that I purchased for $465 has never seen yellow memory pressure. I'm in the daily task/light usage category as I am retired and no longer require my PC's to do intensive tasks.

 

[Oscar_440]

No, of course not.

We all know this is about Apple maximizing profit. It would cost Apple pennies to increase the amount of RAM with little manufacturing complications (obviously, otherwise the on-die RAM chips wouldn't be as scalable as they already are). RAM is cheap, and so is Apple.

People are buying it, so why should they increase any specs?
What people (we) should do is stop purchasing those overpriced stuff. Instead, we should buy an upgraded ""old"" M1 Mac.

 

[Mousse]

How many people actually know what ram is?

It's either a full sized truck, a male sheep or an NFL team. Seeing that ram is not capitalized, I deduce it's male sheep in this context.

 

[Motorola68000]

The simple answer is YES, unless you know that you need more - those users know

The problem is many users do not know how 8Gb reacts. They might know now, based on the software they are using now, but that same software may require higher RAM in a very short space of time and indeed OS requirements may increase, and Apple should have a duty of care to customers, especially by not making false statements inferring 8Gb is equivalent to 16Gb on PC which is not borne out by independent tests.

So those suggesting it is enough for their light needs now, should really take a five year view as to whether that 8Gb will even drive existing software, and whether swapping reduces their SSD longevity.

Far better for Apple to bite the bullet and make the baseline 16Gb which costs them next to nothing, and may even be zero cost, as they will have a larger production run of 16Gb and no need to keep the 8Gb set up.

With Apple continuing to develop aiming at games market, 8GB will not be enough and I can foresee a large class action forthcoming at some time in the near future, if those who bought 8Gb machines, find they do not even operate software upgrades, let alone gaming.

Independent tests show that the 8Gb base shows a significant performance decrease even with increased swapping if put under load, and as software develops, the RAM demand will grow.

Having 16Gb base won't adversely affect anyone who would otherwise have thought they could survive on 8Gb. whereas sticking to 8Gb will inevitably mean more SSD swapping and the distinct prospect of premature obsolescence as software enhancements take place or where customers decide to embrace games, or heavier workloads.

 

[RenegadfeMonste]

Yes there is efficiency as Apple design the hardware and software.... but there is no magic happening making 16 GB run the same as 32 GB on PC.

That it took 3 and a half years to figure it wasn't the right spec is unusual.. unless your workload really changed, or something catastrophic happened to the software you're running. If you knew you needed 32 GB of RAM... and if you then went to half that, because AS is more efficient... is flying too close to the sun for comfort.

It's not something to be embarrassed about to have a vintage Mac. Loads of people use them... they bought the right spec, at a good price and it becomes a huge value proposition if you get many many years out of it.

I think most apple users keep their hardware into vintage territory... Apple hardware is generally designed to last (physically anyhow) as, mostly, they use high quality construction and materials. However, if a fault does occur... the integrated and non upgradable nature is a drawback for sure. Not much room at all fr self repair.

I wouldn't say I'm surprised. I expected I would be upgrading to a higher end Mac sooner this cycle.

The power supply on my iMac was failing and I figured a 13" M1 MacBook Pro with 16GB of RAM was the way to go when the bench marks were pretty much the same as the high end intel version offered at the time.

The main things that changed for me in my workflow was buying a Mac Studio Display. Having a 5K display eats up more of that shared unified memory as RAM is shared with the video memory these days.. MacOS upgrades also use up more RAM than before. So must running a Nuxt 3 project in WebStore today is causing lag where it didn't in 2020. Throw a docker container on headless CMS development and boom. Now even your mouse and keyboard strokes can have lag now and then.

I usually keep WebStorm in fullscreen mode, and when I swipe back to my desktop it often gets stuck at half transition for several seconds as well which is annoying.

 

[hans1972]

No, it is not enough and it is embarrassing Apple sells macs that only have 8 GB.

It's enough for a large part of Apple's user base.

The 8Gb M3 MBA is probably going to be the best selling Mac in 2024!

 

[EugW]

Again, even if you think base RAM should be increased, there's nothing wrong with starting at 12 GB. 16 GB is not some magic number, and IMO is overkill for the low end.

It's enough for a large part of Apple's user base.

The 8Gb M3 MBA is probably going to be the best selling Mac in 2024!

Probably, but part of the reason the 8 GB MacBook Air always sold so much (besides lower cost) was because the 16 GB model wasn't available off the shelf in most stores. That has changed in 2024 though, since now 16 GB is now considered a standard model MacBook Air available at retail.

For example, here in Canada, if you look at the M2 MacBook Air on the BestBuy.ca website, only 8 GB models exist (with varying amounts of storage). With the M3 MacBook Air, both 8 GB and 16 GB are listed.

 

[Motorola68000]

Yes and anyone who says otherwise hasn’t actually tested it. I’ve tested it. I can easily code and edit 4k video in Final Cut on the m2 air with 8 gigs if ram.

Yes, perhaps you can at present, albeit Final Cut makes this comment(16GB recommended for third-party effects and plug-ins. However the likelihood is all software RAM requirements will increase as its rare developments are not made, or new functions.

Likewise if you can easily edit 4K video with 8Gb, have you checked on how much swapping is taking place?

 

[hans1972]

8gb "works", but I mean jesus, the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max have 8gb ram. Shouldn't the laptops have at least 12gb?

No, a MacBook should have enough memory to do the task you want at an acceptable performance.
If that's not possible, you shouldn't buy a MacBook.