Despite all the things I said before about “futureproofing”, getting 32GB off RAM isn’ta bad idea for someone looking to keep their machine 7-10 years. ??♂️
The people I was replying to earlier are looking to make sure their machine is still adequate in 3-4 years for spreadsheets and photo and basic video editing, and I’m like, “Huh????” ??♂️??♂️
RAM is probably the main reason you would long for an upgrade in 7 years and look to upgrade. May as well extend the life of your machine. ???
There's a good argument against this. If you're someone who has disposable income, and plan to maintain it, futureproofing doesn't really make sense unless you're lazy or you expect mac to go through another 2016-2019, imo. Every 5 years max is when you start to see enough little "quality of life" enhancements on new things, which is faster than the rate at which applications start to use more RAM than you have.
Imagine "futureproofing" your car. Do you want to be driving a 2011 car in 2021?
If you want to save money in the future, futureproof maybe. If you are someone buying a MBP now, and you expect to have commparable income in the future, I don't see why futureproofing makes sense, besides maybe resale value, which is speculative.
There is a point here which I find important.
There should be a balance when future-proofing a computer. Buying a computer to last for 3-5 years sounds reasonable, and, if it lasts more than that, the better. I would not buy a laptop thinking in keeping it for 10 years.
If 8 GB RAM falls short now or is too close to the limit, then it makes sense to opt for 16 GB when buying a new laptop, but I would consider 32 GB only if it were too cheap. A 1 TB SSD is worth considering if I already have 300 GB of storage occupied, but 2 TB would only be worth it if cheap enough. In 3-5 years from now, memory and storage will be far cheaper, and I would be able to buy another computer paying much less for these features.
In 3-5 years from now, my current computer may have some signs of wear, it may have some dents, the battery may need replacement, and warranty will be long gone. Some components will get old no matter what, and Apple will support a laptop only for so long.
A new computer, on the other hand, apart from being brand new, will feature new technology unavailable at the current time. In 3-5 years from now, we may have faster processors, memory and storage, OLED screens in many laptops, different ports, more advanced connectivity, better batteries, and who knows what else.
Just look at how laptops have evolved in the last 10 years. A MacBook Pro from 2011 had an Intel Sandy Bridge processor (2nd generation) with no Retina display and Bluetooth 2.1. Would it be worth keeping it until 2021?
I think it is better to pay $2500 now and another $2500 in 5 years for a good laptop than pay $4000 for a laptop expecting it to be replaced in 8 years.
