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Is Stock 2 GB Ram Enough?
- Thread starter gostan
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Got the 2GB stock version this afternoon and have been doing exactly what you are after....and so far so good.
Can play youtube videos well, surf the net easily without lag on heavy content pages etc.
Can play youtube videos well, surf the net easily without lag on heavy content pages etc.
I just purchased stock 13.3 at Natick Collection in MA. The salesperson (who is knowledgeable and whom I have dealt with previously) stated unequivocably that there will be a 2GB upgrade of the stock models available in store within a week or so.
He claims that only the 2GB is soldered to the motherboard and that there is a slot capacity for the 2GB upgrade. I guess time will tell.
But, in any case, the base machine with 2Gb appears to be fine for email and surfing, etc. Personally, I found the 11.6 to be a toy/gimmick that is not for me. I suspect that the lack of screen height for web surfing is going to be an issue in real use.
He claims that only the 2GB is soldered to the motherboard and that there is a slot capacity for the 2GB upgrade. I guess time will tell.
But, in any case, the base machine with 2Gb appears to be fine for email and surfing, etc. Personally, I found the 11.6 to be a toy/gimmick that is not for me. I suspect that the lack of screen height for web surfing is going to be an issue in real use.
I just purchased stock 13.3 at Natick Collection in MA. The salesperson (who is knowledgeable and whom I have dealt with previously) stated unequivocably that there will be a 2GB upgrade of the stock models available in store within a week or so.
He claims that only the 2GB is soldered to the motherboard and that there is a slot capacity for the 2GB upgrade. I guess time will tell.
But, in any case, the base machine with 2Gb appears to be fine for email and surfing, etc. Personally, I found the 11.6 to be a toy/gimmick that is not for me. I suspect that the lack of screen height for web surfing is going to be an issue in real use.
Really?
He'd better be right.
That would be great as some of us don't really need 4Gb, but are afraid of being strapped to a configuration.
I just purchased stock 13.3 at Natick Collection in MA. The salesperson (who is knowledgeable and whom I have dealt with previously) stated unequivocably that there will be a 2GB upgrade of the stock models available in store within a week or so.
He claims that only the 2GB is soldered to the motherboard and that there is a slot capacity for the 2GB upgrade. I guess time will tell.
But, in any case, the base machine with 2Gb appears to be fine for email and surfing, etc. Personally, I found the 11.6 to be a toy/gimmick that is not for me. I suspect that the lack of screen height for web surfing is going to be an issue in real use.
Scroll down 60% of the page here: http://www.apple.com/macbookair/design.html
There's picture of the inside. There's no slot there for anything that I can see. Every place I've looked said the RAM can't be upgraded. I strongly think your sales person is wrong.
Really?
He'd better be right.
That would be great as some of us don't really need 4Gb, but are afraid of being strapped to a configuration.
My local Apple Store said the opposite...only way to get 4GB is to order with 4GB from the online store.
Same here. Just watched a 1080P video on youtube and 1080P movie trailer; didn't skip a beat. Guess I'm ok with 2gb.
The teardown of the 11" model showed that the SSD is physically replaceable (although using a custom interface and form factor,) but that the RAM is soldered down, with no apparent means for upgrade.
The SSD and the WiFi card are the *ONLY* removable parts, and you need a special screwdriver to even get that far.
There *IS* a small connector next to the fan, but it looks more like the prior generation's diagnostic port than anything that could possibly contain enough pins for a RAM socket.
Oh, and 2 GB has been just fine for me on my first-generation MacBook Pro, even doing things such as running Windows through Parallels, DVD ripping with Handbrake, and movie editing in iMovie.
The SSD and the WiFi card are the *ONLY* removable parts, and you need a special screwdriver to even get that far.
There *IS* a small connector next to the fan, but it looks more like the prior generation's diagnostic port than anything that could possibly contain enough pins for a RAM socket.
Oh, and 2 GB has been just fine for me on my first-generation MacBook Pro, even doing things such as running Windows through Parallels, DVD ripping with Handbrake, and movie editing in iMovie.
Yes, all the reports from people who have actually used the thing seem to suggest its adequate and the SSD makes it feel pretty quick. More demanding users would perhaps be better of upgrading to 4GB, but for most people 2GB will be fine and represents better value for money considering how expensive the upgrade is relative to what RAM actually costs.
Have also been 2 or 3 threads mentioning the possibility of Apple doing instore upgrades, but only time will tell if this is true.
Have also been 2 or 3 threads mentioning the possibility of Apple doing instore upgrades, but only time will tell if this is true.
There is certainly not much room in the 11" model for much, is there? Although as I look at the pictures, doesn't it look like you might be able to insert a second ram card into the higher slot on the left above the soldered memory module?
So far the 2GB in my 13.3 is handling everything that I throw at it. Some Lightroom action over the weekend will be a more challenging test.
After a trip to my local Apple store, three workers - including a manager - told me that there would be no way they could upgrade the RAM in-store. If you want 4GB ever, buy online. Sucks because I went hoping to buy a 4GB 11" today!
No, it doesn't look like more ram can be added. There is no ram (DIMM or SIMM) slot, period. It's directly on the motherboard.
Oh well. My viewpoint is still the same, its only the people who haven't used one that seem to insist it needs 4GB. Everyone who has one and has posted about it seems to say the 2GB Air is quick enough and offers good performance. Its also the best value laptop Apple currently sell IMO.
I went as far as removing half the RAM from my 08 MacBook today and using it for a few hours just on 2GB, in all honestly I could hardly tell the difference both in OS X and Windows 7.
Not interested in future-proofing/ long term, doesn't interest me, I don't keep laptops very long. I'm buying according to my needs and budget today.
I went as far as removing half the RAM from my 08 MacBook today and using it for a few hours just on 2GB, in all honestly I could hardly tell the difference both in OS X and Windows 7.
Not interested in future-proofing/ long term, doesn't interest me, I don't keep laptops very long. I'm buying according to my needs and budget today.
The instant on and SSD provides great speed for opening apps and stuff. Unless you're gonna run 10 apps and 20 tabs open, 2GB is great.
The fact remains that even with normal use you fill up that 2GB pretty quickly. Your browser alone can easily take up 1/3 or even half that. You'll probably notice it less because when you run out of memory, swapping to the SSD is pretty fast. That doesn't mean you're not running out of RAM though.
That's fine, of course. But "the people who haven't used one that seem to insist it needs 4GB" only indicate it's better to go for the 4GB upgrade because you can't replace it yourself afterwards. It's also a better for your resell value. And not everyone buys a new laptop after a short period. Many people invest in something like this for the upcoming 2-3-4 years. And we can be sure of one thing: applications will need more memory eventually. So even if you don't need those extra 2GBs now, it's still a safe bet to go for the 4GB if you're planning on keeping your new MBA for a couple of years and don't want the RAM to become the machine's bottle neck after a while.
Imho that's still "light use". When you're researching something online you easily open up 20-30 tabs, and your browser RAM usage starts to spike. Having 10+ apps open isn't that hard either. Unless you're constantly closing everything you don't need anymore, but most people don't want to worry about that and just click and click and click
Assuming you're talking about the pictures in step 15, I don't know which "slot" you're talking about.
In the pictures in step 15 in that link, the RAM chips are highlighted in yellow. they aren't a "module", they are the individual chips soldered directly to the board. To the immediate left is the (vertical) SSD connector. Immediately above the SSD connector - and perpendicular to it - is the WiFi card connector. Immediately next to that is the battery connector. And immediately beyond the battery connector is the keyboard/mouse connector. At the upper-left, at an angle, is the display connector. To the right of the RAM chips is the power connector that goes to the daughterboard that contains the power and USB ports. Immediately above that is the data connection to the same daughterboard.
There is only one unaccounted-for connector on the board, that is at the "top" of the board, just to the left of the WiFi card position. it is too small to have enough pins for RAM; and is likely a "diagnostic" connector. (With any luck, it has USB pins, and can be hacked in to.)