Is it worth upgrading RAM on new 24” iMac?

[herb666]

I want to play World of Warcraft classic on the Mac. In this case, does it make a lot of difference to use 16 GB of memory instead of 8 GB because of the shared memory?

The upgrade to 16 GB RAM would cost me 539 € more in this case because I could get the standard model with 8 GB at a discount, but not the BTO :-(

 

[SsSsSsSsSnake]

With these new M1 Macs and their unified memory architecture you only get one chance to upgrade the RAM. That's at the BTO/order stage. That's why I ordered the 16GB option. For $200 it seemed like a no-brainer even if I don't need it. i kicked in another $200 for the 1TB SSD.

only $200 xtra to get the 1 TB?

 

[DanTSX]

Yes for future proofing.

 

[DanTSX]

Don't even buy this machine. Wait for a better one.

This IS the better one.... it’s been years in the making.

 

[KeithJenner]

only $200 xtra to get the 1 TB?

I'm assuming they used the 512gb version as their base model and configured from there.

 

[SsSsSsSsSnake]

I'm assuming they used the 512gb version as their base model and configured from there.

yes,i read it again and he meant i assume $200 like he spent on the ram *plus* $200 he threw in on top, cheers

 

[rambo47]

only $200 xtra to get the 1 TB?

Yes, I used the $1699 model as my base for a BTO configuration. An extra $200 from that price for the 512GB-->1TB upgrade.

 

[nieks]

I am currently still working on a Macbook Pro with an external display, and the macbook is from 2014. Thats a whopping 7 years, and it is still going strong. Big Sur is a step too far, I've noticed. So it's back to Catalina.

However, after all those years it's time to say goodbye to the Macbook Pro.

Together with the external 27" 1440 display it'll be replaced with a 24" iMac. I've ordered the 512 GB model and added the 16 gb of RAM. This is in response to many stories (true or not, impactful or not) about high swap usage, the fact that I'm planning on using it for many years, and planning on sharing it with my partner as our home computer (so 2 users). It'll be used for working from home, doing some mild photo editing, drawing and publishing work (all in Affinity Designer, Photo and Publisher).

The first steps i have already taken, are replacing my Adobe workflow with the Affinity workflow. All i need to do now, is wait. Somewhere halfway into June my 24" iMac will arrive 🥰 . I've ordered the blue one.

On a side note: here in the Netherlands, the configuration i've selected comes to a whopping €2205,-. In dollars, that translates to 2644 dollars... 😭 (VAT included ofcourse). It will be worth it though, expecting a 7+ years of service, that comes down to 86 eurocents a day, or 1.03 dollars a day.

 

[BlaineL]

I think most people working on photos and a few other things will need 16gb. including if you do any development. I'm already over 10GB without doing anything intensive.

 

[Realityck]

I recommend the 16GB of RAM based on many years of past experience. That being said, I do not know enough about the M1 chip to be rock-solid in this recommendation. But, were I buying this right now, I would definitely pay for the 16GB.

Agreed! Get the 16 GB option.

Why, because consumers aren't informed about how much of the 8GB unified memory is used by the system versus what available to applications? The bigger MacOS gets with future releases, the smaller the amount of unified memory will be available for everything else.

 

[BlaineL]

Agreed!
Also - I ran out of application memory today with just Photoshop and Xcode opened on a Mac Mini M1 with 16GB ram.

 

[Nimoy]

Normally I max out the RAM, but I‘m wondering if you don’t get the same bang for buck on extra RAM with the M1 chip.