If only there is a "disagree" button.......
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PSA: you probably don’t need 32 or 64Gb RAM unless you know you need it.
- Thread starter aevan
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It's funny the length and effort ppl will go to prevent a random persons feelings from getting butt-hurt...we live in such a sheltered life.
a tip for anyone dealing with a sluggish computer with lot of tabs open
check activity monitor. each tab is a separate app with custom code. some are written badly and eat up your cpu. you can have more ram than my fat mother-in-law has cellulite, but its not gonna help w/ sluggishness in this case
the more tabs you have open, the greater your chances of a badly acting web app w/ an attention deficit disorder vying for your cpu's attention.
w/ that said, go big if it still makes you sleep at night (no shade)
edit: for example LOL
View attachment 1902470
check activity monitor. each tab is a separate app with custom code. some are written badly and eat up your cpu. you can have more ram than my fat mother-in-law has cellulite, but its not gonna help w/ sluggishness in this case
the more tabs you have open, the greater your chances of a badly acting web app w/ an attention deficit disorder vying for your cpu's attention.
w/ that said, go big if it still makes you sleep at night (no shade)
edit: for example LOL
View attachment 1902470
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Folks who read this site will buy with the rationalization of “future-proofing.”
Then buy the new model that comes out next year.
Then buy the new model that comes out next year.
Awesome post and video here. I’m going from a 2020 MBP with 8gb ram to 16gb ram 14 inch MBP M1 Pro and it’s legit like day and night for me. The average consumer will only need 16gb ram. The most I do is edit high quality pics and sometimes 4K videos. Smooth as ever.
I have owned 3 Apple based computers since 2008, a 24 inch iMac when 24 inch was the largest screen for an iMac, a 2013 MacBook Pro, and a 2015 27” iMac-actually purchased in 2016. I still have all 3, and the MacBook Pro was being used, although not frequently, in 2020. I usually buy as much computer as I can afford , but I didn’t max out the memory for the 27 inch iMac, and ended up buying additional memory because photo editing was a bit slow. I went from 16 GB to 24, so it still could be upgraded.
My point is I don’t tend to buy a computer then replace it in a year or two. I also have run into a situation where I didn’t originally buy enough memory and the performance hit became noticeable when I bought Affinity Photo. But I knew that I COULD upgrade memory fairly easily so I got a larger hard drive and the best graphic card instead of memory for my 27 inch iMac computer.
I can’t do any of that after the fact with a new M1 based Apple. Can’t upgrade graphics, hard drive or memory. The M1 is getting good reviews for fast and efficient memory usage and the processor is definitely fast, but one of the reasons is the SOC architecture and you can’t upgrade memory, graphics or CPU. You have to buy another computer to “upgrade”. I’m not actually looking to buy a MacBook Pro, I’m holding out for whatever iMac is announced next year. But the limitations on graphics/memory/CPU will still be there for those computers as well. So I’m looking for solid information on what really is “enough “.
It's weird the way RAM is managed. I have a 64GB Macbook Pro 16 inch and a 16GB version (work supplied). They have all the same software installed and I opened up the exact same amount of apps.
The 16GB version used 11GB of Ram while the 64GB used 30GB. For the same apps. Yet he disk cache sizes were the same on both, relatively small. I'm not really sure how MacOS manages RAM.
The 16GB version used 11GB of Ram while the 64GB used 30GB. For the same apps. Yet he disk cache sizes were the same on both, relatively small. I'm not really sure how MacOS manages RAM.
RAM is a transient working memory used for scratch space. I.e., the operating system uses it as a cache. The OS will fill up this cache to reduce reading from the slower disk to improve performance. Strategies like compressing the data in the memory can be used to reduce using virtual memory (this is when data in memory is temporarily off-loaded to the disk to make room for more "real" memory). Hence, the more memory you have, the more of it can be filled up.
Will never need
. Of course not .@Rafterman
The 16 gb and 32 gb version were using the same amount of ram. The difference was the speed. The 16 gb was very slow while usint 12-13 gb of ram + 1.3 gb reserved.
That is an OK thing for Mac - it will "use" every amount you give it. The reason here is to not fall into fallacy of believing in more RAM.
Simple analogy from life:
I do have a friend who is a retiree. He obviously has more savings than i do. We are foodies at some point so i suggest him interesting picks and he does as well.
So we bought "canned meat" from Keystone for purpose of having fast meal when we don't have enough time. The difference here is that I always carry only 2 cans for the sake of using from time to time and replenish back those 2 cans.
My friend bought 10-15 cans to store - because he has savings to do so, cause he has a place to store it, he keeps it for situations like Texas freezing, zombies and etc and fast dinner.
You can think of us like me being 16Gb of RAM and he is 64Gb of Ram. We are both covered for quick dinner solution, but if the situation goes beyond that, he looks more prepared for that.
I used to browse internet on a Sony T310 and T610, and then a BlackBerry Bold 9700. Can’t do that anymore.
Could browse the internet on 256 MB RAM. Then couldn’t and needed 512. Then 2 GB. Then 4 GB. Currently have 8 GB.
Clearly, it must be the end user (who has to spend money to buy more RAM) that’s the one doing everything wrong here.
Excellent analogy and I now have another reason to get more RAM when I purchase my next computer.
Zombies!
I personally think it is knowing what you use, and what you can afford.
I know I regularly get close to 32gb in use these days [multiple 3D apps / adobe suite + the usual stuff] so opt for 64gb.
I get 64gb as I know I my projects grow in size, and also to allow my MBP the v ram it needs for visualisation.
Plus I can afford it......
it is a little mind-blowing to me what people are buying to do basic tasks, especially if bought for personal use.
I know I regularly get close to 32gb in use these days [multiple 3D apps / adobe suite + the usual stuff] so opt for 64gb.
I get 64gb as I know I my projects grow in size, and also to allow my MBP the v ram it needs for visualisation.
Plus I can afford it......
it is a little mind-blowing to me what people are buying to do basic tasks, especially if bought for personal use.
Excellent post. It's hard to know just how much technology we need. I'd noticed with the MBA and 13" M1 Pro that comparisons of 8gb vs 16gb didn't seem to show dramatic differences in most cases. And I watched some of the Max Tech comparisons; while the 16gb machine was showing more memory pressure and using a swap file, the real world differences in performance between 16 and 32gb versions of MBPs was pretty trivial. No doubt there are users who would benefit, but I've come to the conclusion that the M1 in the MBA, even with 8gb, is capable of meeting the needs of the vast majority of users. I know I don't need more than 16gb for my uses.
Yes, browsing is becoming more and more demanding. Today, you need around 4Gb of RAM to browse comfortably on an iOS device, maybe 8 on a Mac. In 10 years from now, you'll might need 16Gb to browse comfortably on a Mac.
So - I don't really get the point you're trying to make. Yes, things are getting more and more resource intensive. No, that doesn't mean you need 32Gb to browse the Internet today and you won't need it in the next 10 years, either. One day these MBPs will be outdated, and it won't be because of RAM, it will be because of everything. But even a base MBP model should be enough for the majority of users for a long time.
I totally agree with this. Besides, how many users upgrade on the basis of "need" vs "want?" I am sure the next models will include some special features besides spec bumps that will make it lucrative for people to upgrade their machines...
Thing is. Now you might get away with 16GB (while I personally can't: clearly on Mac Mini M1 with 16GB it feels quite better comparing to what I had with MBP 15 2015 with 16GB, due to faster swap, but still is not enough for me), but macs usually have a long life. 2 years from now 16GB will mean nothing, thanks to JS/NodeJS developers, web-apps developers and electron.
I'd say, if you are not going to sell laptop in a year, get 32GB.
I'd say, if you are not going to sell laptop in a year, get 32GB.
Yep, i thought the same, but i was already alarmed when it slows down because it nearly reached the maximum amount of ram (16 gb) and was slow. This device is too expensive for selling it in a year.
I bought this 16 gb version only because it's my first mac, i really trusted the Apple users who were telling 16 gb ram are enough because this so efficient os. For me it has the same behaviour like Windows. It's consuming very much ram. But for Windows you can simple buy more ram for a few bucks. The macbook has soldered ram, so you can only sell it.
I bought this 16 gb version only because it's my first mac, i really trusted the Apple users who were telling 16 gb ram are enough because this so efficient os. For me it has the same behaviour like Windows. It's consuming very much ram. But for Windows you can simple buy more ram for a few bucks. The macbook has soldered ram, so you can only sell it.
I can't get the point. Are we talking about a professional or a consumer machine?
For browsing people don't need an M1 Pro, neither they need 32gb of ram.
This use case shouldn't be investigated here.
Changes are that if a workflow needs raw power it would benefit also from more ram.
Is wrong to say "you absolutely need more ram" but is also wrong "you absolutely don't need more ram".
right. an ipad is enough for browsing the web.
"you don't need it unless you do" is like saying the sun is hot or that my mother-in-law is fat.
a baseline target demographic needs to be defined.
the target audience for the pro and max trim levels are for professionals who are able to eat the premium cost to increase productivity. by treating people who are looking at the pro and max like they are children who need a psa is pretty disrespectful. imagine excitedly doing research and excitedly buying 32/64gb versions because you believe you fall into this category (whether real or imaginary), only to see people say you wasted your money. buzz kill.
that's why this thread has all these responses. not cause there is anything wrong with the technical analysis.
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