🔥 curiositystream.com/reneritchie/ NO ADS + Bonus Videos! Get CuriosityStream + Nebula bundle for less than $15 a YEAR! 🚀 More on M2: ruclips.net/p/PL3XJJi5sAjD3TTKy3ix9NhdcSZLC5InQk 🤔 Are you getting 8GB, 16GB, or 24GB on your M2 Mac?
I have watched your videos for many years and have always loved your straight to the point reviews. I am going to buy an M2 Mac Mini with 16gb ram and 512 gb ssd to free up my M1 Air from my desk. Also, the main reason for the M2 Mac Mini is to run dual external 4K monitors, which would have forced me to buy adapters otherwise.
I have both a 8GB and a 16GB M1 Mac. My workload is simple consisting of just office apps and browsers (with lots of tabs). The 8GB suffers lots of frequent latency stutters due to frequent RAM/SSD swapping with this mix of apps but the 16GB computer is always buttery smooth. I would never get a 8GB version again.
For Mac mini, do not upgrade storage beyond a total of 512 GB internal. For $200, you can get a superfast 2TB external SSD and are unlikely to notice difference in transfer speeds.
Even though I agree with the idea of getting more memory. (I have 16GB myself) For most users I think you are marking it sound worse than it actually is. Almost like 8GB should never be an option for buyers. For some people the base macbook is the limit of their budget. Yes 8GB is barely enough from a technical standpoint, but mac swaps between the disk so well you generally can’t tell unless you do something intensive or that it specifically demands ALL of the memory at once. Tasks like web browsing and general use don’t require that, and hence the performance difference between 8GB and 16GB is little to none. I think a better advice would be moreso in the lines of longevity. If you intend to use your mac longer than 4 years, then it is better to get more memory. Otherwise assuming your doing day to day tasks i really don’t see what’s wrong with the 8GB model.
I agree with most of what you said. 8GB is more than enough for a lot of light users, especially those buying a MBA. My MacBook Pro from 2016 has 8GB and I use around 5-6 GB on average. More than enough. Memory is there to be used, your computer isn't going to run faster by having 2 extra GB free of RAM. And especially considering the swap function, I think if people are going to upgrade, upgrade the SSD to 512, especially with the M2. It really comes down to what you use and how you use it.
These machines can last many years as noted by Rene and not upgrading to 16GB now could force you to upgrade earlier in the future. Think about longevity. I wish I upgraded my 2014 Macbook Air 11 to 8GB instead of sticking with the 4GB base model.
The problem is that 16GB at this day in age for the price of this laptop and how cheap RAM is should be standard period. RAM absolutely extends the lifetime of a laptop by years and lack of RAM overtime definitely reduces. Especially with how aggressive swap is on these macs and no ability to replace storage. So nah, he's right. They overcharge massively for upgrades and built it this way to try and take advantage of folks. This price point make 16GB standard instead excuses to be real.
I bought an M1 8x8 core 16GB RAM 512GB storage MacBook Air last year and love the thing. I chose to upgrade the RAM because I'm one of those that doesn't replace tech until it's either irreparably broken or will no longer perform my tasks. The M1 Air is so good I will probably keep it until Apple no longer supports it or it dies outside of my AppleCare term. It's such a high performance machine I could see myself keeping it for several years to come. I really think the 16GB of RAM was worth it because I very rarely see it use swap space at all, and the times I have, it's never been more than a few hundred megabytes. Astoundingly good machine for the price.
It's not a bad thing to use swap... If your machine is not performing well because of ram then thats an issue, but swap is not inherently bad thats a very useful technic.
Something that no one is mentioning is that you actually get less RAM than you think because the RAM in an Apple Silicon Mac is also used for video memory. And each display reduces the available RAM in aggregate.
The exact same thought in my head!!! They fact that RAM is now a shared resource means that to replace a 16GB RAM 4GB VRAM, a 24GB combined RAM would be more appropriate.
and all the "memory tests" the youtubers have made are with like 1 app open at a time... "see you can run this videoeditor with just 8GB perfectly fine" but I dunno about everyone else but I OFTEN have 20+ tabs open in browsers + 2-3 other apps when doing stuff.
@@brysongrayy I just need a laptop for editing and idk if I should get the m1 or m2 the biggest concern for me is the storage, I have a pc with 2tb and I’ve used more than half of it can y’all lmk I’m new to the laptop gang
I had an 8/256 M1 MBA for 11 months. Last month I sold it and upgraded to 16/512 M1 Pro MBP 14. Halfway through my ownage of the MBA, my job changed and it started to require more graphics power and more RAM. I got through 5 months with a Windows machine, but I just love how powerful and how efficient Apple Silicone is, I couldn’t stop myself from upgrading. The Windows work laptop is more powerful, but also takes off with a click of a button, so loud. And I can’t even put it to sleep without it overheating for no reason. With the Mac, I don’t even worry about running out of battery life when I go out to do my work at a cafe for several hours. I did get into big debt for it, but it was worth it for my job.
16GBs is the spot for me for the last 10 years for everything including music production. I've never needed more. Most of the time I'm not using all of the 16GBs. 8GBs isn't bad for daily use. My dad has a PC with 8GBs in dual channel 2x 4GBs. And it's really smooth still. It's interesting that iPhone uses 4GB RAM. I was under the impression that wasn't useful for 64bit. But smart-phones are managed very differently. And the nerd in me loves the tight optimisation and efficiency of iPhones which is something that would be difficult for Android with all the different handsets. My philosophy with storage, has always been, small SSD, large external HDD. For me, all the things I need speed for can be on a 250GB SSD, which is mostly the apps themselves. But all the things I store are nothing that requires storage speed and I'm happy for them to stay on external HDDs.
why would 4GB not be useful for 64bit? guess you misunderstand the difference on 32bit vs 64bit... 32bit could not address ABOVE 4GB... so putting in 8GB would not make a difference since the system could only see 4GB 64bit can address 16EB (Exabytes) or 16.000.000.000GB but for now they have much lower limit since noone is anywhere near that limit so 4-6TB of RAM can be seen on servers. A 64bit system can still see/use/benefit from just 4GB if it doesn't need anymore to run.
@@LiLBitsDK From what I understand, 64bit OS and applications also takes up more ram space than 32bit os and applications. So 64bit in 4GBs isn't as much space as 32bit in 4GBs. I remember on my 4GB iMac, first the OS was 32bit, then 32/64 hybrid, then 64bit and OSX used up more and more RAM. Eventually including RAM compression in OSX Lion. Helped, but wasn't as good as the 32bit OSs really.
10 years ago people were saying the same thing. "Buy 16gb to future proof". Here we are today and 8gb is still enough for most people. Not to mention the fact that most people that care enough to watch these videos upgrade to the next best thing sooner than later. If you are going to upgrade to the newest MacBook Air in 2 years future proofing is irrelevant.
DAMMIT. I have been trying to justify getting the 8GB/256ssd combo but in the back of my head knew I wouldn't be future-proofing myself and now I know for sure I have to upgrade both as yes, it's a lot of money, but +400 over the course of the life of the computer is clearly more than worth it. Great video as always my guy.
LOL ikr. I bought mine 16gb/256GB thinking of getting external storage... I am glad I picked bigger ram...and storage, you can get away with accessories. It won't be the same. LOL
I agree, get as much RAM as you can afford. Also, knowing that the OS by itself uses 5gbs just to run idle. I'd rather spend money than waste time. Everyone has to choose which is more important to them. As always a great video Rene!
5GB? that's not true. If anything the wired memory which is the OS is about 1.10GB and if you open activity manager right when you boot up the machine it uses around 3.50GB
Saying the OS uses 5GB isn't quite right. Memory usage is a mostly useless metric in macOS because of how memory compression, prefetching, and caching works. The computer stores files in memory that would normally be on disk just in case you need them and doesn't instantly remove elements from memory when you're done with them if you have memory to spare. It also won't bother to do memory compression.
16GB upgrade for M1 Air for economy and 14" base for any other sounds much more reasonable product. M2 seems to be a confusing product for a confused user who either felt 14" was too expensive or M1 Air 8GB was too restrictive. Had they launched M2 pro 13 with just a16GB base variant, I think the tables would have completely turned against M2 air.
Agreed - although they probably would have had to keep the 256GB composed of two 128GB NAND Flash drives to keep the performance respectable (a single NAND Flash of 256GB in the M2 makes a storage upgrade an essential cost sadly - with 2 NAND Drives, you could justify going for lower storage still...)
Got the 24gb/1tb m2 MBA. Splurged for max RAM because I run VMs on my MBA. I went with 1TB because I’ve never actually been able to fill that up under my usual use cases, however I can easily fill up 512GB.
Also got the 24gb ram version and didn't regret it a second. Average memory usage is 16gb right now, mainly used for web development, multitasked with daily usage. It's the perfect amount. And... zero swap usage, so no excessive wear of the ssd, I hope the machine will last for many many years to come...
Good video…… for professionals . These RUclipsrs forget about a lot of the customers who are students who just want a reliable laptop, if you don’t content create or make money of your laptop, then get the base model. Average student only needs base model .
With the much slower SSDs in the M2 2022 models, I would just go for the 16 GB of RAM, more for longevity than anything else. If you keep your machines for a long time, than 8 GB is NOT going to cut it anymore…
The base model M2 has a single 256GB NAND chip that Max Tech have shown runs slower than the M1 base model! Usually base models are good but not in this case. Don't upgrade the M2 MBP either as then you might as well get the 14 inch pro Max.
Or 24gb of ram with using cheaper external add storage. Practically the same speed. And the difference of 265 to 512gb is not large enough to justify 200€ extra imo. Ram however is
Another way of looking at it is that 16 GB extends the useful lifetime of the computer by years, which eventually *lowers* your yearly cost of having a computer.
Not necessarily, resell value of a computer is another factor which is usually lower for older computers.Consider the duration and resell value at the same time, and then make a better decision.
@@pouriakhanbolouki3855 Resale value is also greatly improved with more RAM. Unless you want to buy are new every 1-2 years and sell as almost new, in which case it becomes really expensive. My wife has an 8-years old Air, which is limping along due to insufficient RAM - and the storage being stuffed with iPhoto. The processor is slow, but that's not the issue. RAM and storage are the 'problems'.
@@thomaspaaruppedersen6781 Based on this argument, one should waste a ton of money on 24GB of RAM just so in 6 years you can sell your computer? I have a Macbook Pro from 2016 with 8 GB RAM and have zero issues. Of course, I can't say this would be the case for everyone since I don't do use many high memory apps, but my point is more that giving people some general advice to always upgrade the RAM, regardless of how they use the computer, is just irresponsible advice. For me, personally, I just ordered a MBA M2 8GB/512 GB SSD. I upgraded the SSD for many reasons, but find it worth the money, more so than upgrading the RAM.
It was true when you could have upgrade ram, hdd or ssd drive. Now its all gone. Base modells amortization value will be extremely high, eg their price on the second hand market just will fall, because nobody going to buy it. Except if there will be an affordable way to solder new bga chips on it, but i doubt it. Its not the tech what missing today either, its about the cost of labour/time.
Yeah, I have the same setup and it is pretty much bulletproof. The only thing that EVER resulted in spinning beach ball was a weird macro on an 3rd party excel file.
I really really agree with you, dongles will steal from the portable experience and also form the speed and convenience of getting a Macbook. I went 16G RAM and 1TB SSD on my MBP 14 unit, and it removes that fear of running out of space and speed. Mac's are a long term purchase so be prepared for the unexpected
@rene I think what people are complaining about is that the options Apple offers are soo expensive yet greatly needed. Since we can't upgrade the RAM or storage after the fact and we can't get third party cheaper options, we are forced to pay hundreds if not over a thousand more in reasonable options. Just to do a 16GB RAM upgrade and a 1TB storage option because the whole point of a laptop is meant to hold your data in a mobile fashion without needing to carry extra external storage. Apple has soo many SKUs with these costly crazy options and it confuses and compounds the line up for the customer to choose from!
Yes I also have thought that 16 / 512 should be the base level as well. I’m glad I got 16 1TB on my M1 iMac. Even on a desktop you don’t want a bunch of unnecessary dongles and things connected to the back of the computer all the time. I financed mine because, 0% from Apple and it was like $170 a month for a year and now its all behind me. I have a very nice machine that I’m not disappointed with that will last for years.
Apple has always had that business model, a cheaper priced (for Apple) base model and then make its margins with higher config choices. This is not new and MS does it as well on their ARM machines (ARM by nature have soldered RAM and NAND).
RAM. Unless you go Windows/Linux laptop with upgradeable parts, RAM is more important in terms of creating more flexibility of usage in the future for most MacOS laptops these days. You can use external storage to store your files later if you really need it. Or cloud storage if you prefer easy access
So the two Mac notebooks which make sense to buy… Are the M1 MacBook Air for education at $750, less if you have an Intel Mac to trade in, and the base model 14” MacBook Pro. I’m the super nerd with the 16” M1 Max, but the 14” at $1700-$1800 is really the machine to beat.
If operating system doesn’t matter to you much because you use cross-platform tools, there are a ton of really good options in the 13” thin and light category this year. The fact that you can’t dual boot OS easily on Macs now has me seriously considering other options, especially given the price hike this year. The latest storage speed nerf on the 2022 13” MBP is just another reminder that upgradable parts are a good thing.
which thin and light machine will give huge battery life and performance at $999 sale price point of macbook air (you can get M1 macbook air at $799 on sale easily) without any slowdown just like windows machines usually struggle for at that price point? People use macbooks for a long time because it lasts way longer than Windows laptops. The SSD benchmark is a moot point. Most people are not transferring bluray movie on their laptops every 5 mins. This is just like my 1 GBps fibre internet speed. 99% of the time I dont use that speed on my laptops or phones and then if I use it, then it is for my Xbox console downloading games.
@@Fear.of.the.Dark., what do u think is the better option for student: 1) MBA M1 16+256gb for 1150 dollars(+80$ delivery from the US and 100$ taxes) 2) MBA M2 8+512 for 1400 dollars(same for delivery and taxes) 3) MBP 14 base model, 1600 dollars(again, i gotta overpay around 200$ for all these things) I’m sooo confused
Solid advice. I ordered 16gb 512gb M2 Air. Yes, RAM DOES bloat over time. I did 512gb to err on the side of safety if Apple does 1x256gb SSD vs 2x128gb like the M2 Pro. Anything more than that, yup just get a pro.
My 2013 MBP 13” had 8/256 and I still use it. I bought the M1 8/256 7 months and I will likely buy the M2 8/256. The only application I run that stresses my system is Thinkorswim and only when I have multiple other apps open/running along with 2-3 desktops using safari with multiple tabs open with YT videos. I really shouldn’t and don’t need all that open at the same time, so I close them and the system runs just fine. 8/256 has been ok for almost 10 year and I think it will be ok for another 2 years. After that, maybe a M4 with 16/512. After having issues with the 2013 MBP, I’ve decided to never keep a laptop longer than 2 years. The people I give my laptop to have no need for more than 8/256.
I think what these videos are showing is that the M2-with only a single NAND chip for the 256GB SSD-is bottlenecking the SOC. So either get 16GB of RAM or 512GB of SSD if you get an M2 laptop. The base spec is a step backward because of the single chip SSD.
@@SkylineFinesse Did you even read my comment properly?? Where on earth did I say less RAM is better. The fact that you were not aware that several youtubers (including some big ones) have been spreading the misinformation that 8GB of unified memory is equivalent to 16GB of non unified RAM does not make it any less real...
@@_Digitalguy why i need to be aware of what bullshit some clowns on youtube are spewing is beyond me. It makes no difference to what I already knew to be the case. Thank you so much “digital guy” did you know analog computer were actually more accurate lmfao
If possible, please test the 8/512 version of the M2 MBP vs the 8/256. There’s a good chance the slow ssd in this model is the culprit. There’s really zero reason to get the M2 MBP if you spec up to 16/512. Just get the 14”. The 8/256 of the M1 was amazing so people should not be told that 16/512 is the minimum.
@@janon8329 Yeah. I personally think internal ssd is way more important for the casual user as opposed to more RAM. If you run out of SSD space, macOS starts to feel noticeably slower.
I have always needed to upgrade the RAM on every computer I have had over its life, except for my Raspberry Pi. A 4KB TRS-80 Model I went up to 16 KB. My Atari 600 went from 16 KB to 64 KB. My 486 PC went from 4 MB to 8 MB. My 16 MB Pentium went to 80 MB, while the Pentium III went from 256 MB to 768 MB. From the early things I heard about Apple Silicon run, it seems like the code uses a larger footprint than Intel does (CISC vs RISC instruction sets) which is why swapping on the 8 GB models with lower SSD sizes was an issue around the M1 MacBook Airs and 13” Pros. To me, it disqualified 8 GB for anyone doing much more than a minimum of tasks and closes apps out when switching to something else. 16 GB as a minimum for Macs would be sensible and I had hoped that the M2 would have come as 16 GB and 32 GB, the M2 Pro as 32 GB and 64 GB, Max at 64 GB and 128 GB, and Ultra as 128 GB and 256 GB. Maybe that will be the basis for the M3, and maybe that is massive overkill for iPad Pro and iPad Air. I do agree that with the lifespan of typical Apple computers, buyers should anticipate that equipment should be bought based on minimum usability needs five years from the date of purchase rather than what will “just do the job” at the time of purchase. I “may have” implemented preemptive multitasking on my 64 KB Atari 600, but that wasn’t useful for anything more than basic tasks. My 8 GB desktop PC running Linux works okay as my email server and various other tasks, but add in a breadth of productivity and maybe a game, and nah, it is no longer powerful enough. Same with 8 GB on a MacOS platform.
I disagree on the recommendation to just go to Mx Pro chipset when choosing 24GB. The price is still much higher on Mx Pro since when trying to have an a close RAM config(32GB), it will be more expensive. 24GB M2 Air is the budget option.
Would like to see someone do interviews and then analysis of real world industries that use the products you analyze and review (other than video content creators), as a means to see actual workflow issues, bottlenecks, how they solve tech issues. Like how writers use Apple computers is entirely different than Mac based architects doing CAD and 3D rendering - which is arguably closer to heavy commercial movie studio editing type computing. So those set ups, problems and solutions for architects would be interesting to see vs people who are on Twitch gaming or live streaming something else.
I like the statement: 'If you know what memory pressure is, you pretty much just selected into the 16GB of ram group by default'. Made that easy for me!
Rene all of that said. My advise like yours is that everyone should purchase as a minimum for memory should be 16 GB of memory with the M series Apple SOC processors. Also Apple should not make a laptop/desktop device with less than 512 GB of SSD storage. You call it storage creep. A person I use to work with would always say.... "Crap will always expand to the space available on a hard drive ( i.e. in todays world any data storage device )".
8GB is for browsing the web. 24GB gives you the option to actually do some work in programs like Photoshop. I don't find Photoshop to be nerdy. 16GB does not cut it for Adobe Creative Cloud.
I just hate how all the big box stores that have holiday discounts only stock the 8GB model, with no option to upgrade the RAM. Curiously enough though, you can get a version with the higher 10 core GPU and 512 GB SSD, but still only 8 GB RAM. 🤨
Very well said, sir. It is likely that they will test those machines with software that few are using and that most of us have never heard of let alone used. When the M3 comes out, I would personally like it to have 24GB/1TB of storage.
As someone who isn’t considered a prosumer do not get 8GB of RAM. I’ve encountering more and more events where it just feels sluggish and a powering down and back up solves it
16/256 RAM/SSD is the best choice for most M2 Macbook Air users. It isn't for professional midway through their careers. It is for college students and entry-level work in the digital arts (photography, video editing, DJs, and front-end website developers). Anything more for RAM/SSD users are better off with the M1/M2 MacBook Pro.
The Swap memory in the M1 chipset uses the SSD and Ram together to swap and give the user the best overall performance possible. 8GB is enough. It's just that simple.
My 24gb m2 uses 7 GB of ram (5 GB app memory and 2 GB resident memory) with ONLY the activity monitor open. No browser, no program, nothing else. If I open ONE RUclips tab in Safari it gets to over 9.5 GB usage. I feel that something is wrong?
I just want to say if you are a programmer and often have Chrome and IntelliJ and Docker open at the same time, please go with as much RAM as possible.
but is it worth paying 40% more for a small to medium performance boost (16gb/512gb) on very specific tasks? If you say yes, then you should be buying a Pro and not an Air to begin with...
Your recommendations are on point, which is why the starting price of macs is really misleading. The Mac config most folks beyond super light users really should get is the 16 gb RAM/512 GB SSD, which starts at $1,600 plus tax. The markups Apple have for RAM and storage really are extortionate. Yes, I get they use very high quality RAM and drives, but still.... Macs have become truly premium devices and unattainable for vast majority of consumers.
Yes, Apple does charge more for RAM and storage upgrades than some, eg Dell, that charges £100 to upgrade from 256gb to 512gb and 8gb to 16gb RAM. Not for everyone and why they only have a relatively small market share.
Came across your video today and it was pretty informative. I am stuck with the same question as I am planning to buy my first macbook. Macbook air m1 8gb and 256 gigs is what is available in the stores nearby my place. My use cases are - 1. Ms office and apples office suite 2. Spreadsheets 3. Research 4. Articles 5. Browsing 6. Content consumption 7. Music creation as a hobby 8. Occasional video and photo editing - nothing big time. But I do do it sometimes Have been doing all of these in my phones from the last few years and now I am planning to get my first macbook. What would you suggest- To get an M1 or M2. And will 8gb suffice or do I need to jump and go for 16gb Ram If I purchase it now I will be using it for the next 5-6 years. What would be the best bet???
If you are a BASIC user who just browses pages, does occasional work and fun use...8gb is FINE. The overwhelming majority of you would NEVER notice a difference with 2 laptops running 8gb vs 16gb unless you are doing video 4k editing etc...this is all just marketing right now.
Just purchased an M2 MacBook Air. I had enough cash for one upgrade of the base model so i chose to upgrade the memory to 16GB. I am not a creator, and my MacBook is used far more for productivity and web based tasks. I used iCloud based storage for almost everything where i have a TB. My M2 Air will be plugged into a Studio Display when i am not travelling with it. Permanently plugged into that Studio Display is a T7 Sumsung external SSD. Internal HD space nor the read/write performance will ever be an issue with my workflow as the only thing i use the internal SSD for is Apps. Sure u would love it had the base minimum storage option was 512 GB. However, i doubt I’d ever come close to using that amount of internal storage in my setup.
In Canada you have pretty much just said get the 14” MBP. It is still a bit more, but for the additional cost you get a better display, more ports, and dual display support.
The problem is price. The difference from 8 gb to 16 gb is HUGE. Apple incentives you to buy the 8 gb version, only to find out very soon that it's not enough, then you try to upgrade, and you can't. Most users have no idea that the memory on M2 cannot be upgraded.
A lot of good points here. I have an old iMac with 32 GB of RAM and I just run office stuff on it and the system swaps. It's possible that it's an OS memory leak and it takes about 10 days of uptime to get it swapping but Monterey was notorious for memory leaks when it launched and have 32 GB meant that you had more time to use your computer before rebooting to clear the leaks. The thing is that the 32 GB of RAM on the old iMac was only $100 so it was an easy decision. RAM is a lot more expensive on Apple Silicon Macs. I got 32 GB on my 2021 MacBook Pro and that was the right decision for me.
Yes Apple has not fixed the memory leak bug on Monterey yet, or it is a new one. Best to restart once a week to give it a clear out. I have to do that with my S22U as it also slows down without a reboot once a week (when new had to do it daily), but Samsung has improved that bug.
In 2022, no one should have/buy ANY computer with less than 16GB of RAM. I have a 2018 Mac Mini, 6-core i5 (Intel with Integrated GPU, so kinda the same-sharing system RAM) & so glad I spent the extra money to get more RAM. I occasionally edit 1080p video, some graphic design & various audio stuff, and may have several browser tabs open, and switch between 3-4 related apps. It ain't Apple Silicon but, the adage remains the same, and true: Get as much RAM as you can.
I’ve seen a video which compared a 8gb 256 vs 16gb 512 macbook pro and the difference is HUGE, i mean extremely big, where the 8gb wasn’t usable anymore(after 10 chrome tabs and photoshop with a couple of photo’s open) the 16gb worked perfectly fine
I’m confused, you seem to underestimate the effective of SSD memory swap. From all the testing I’ve seen with the M1 lineup almost in all use cases the benchmarks had negligible differences between equally matched machines with 8, 16GB, or 16, 32GB of unified memory capacity. Seem like you’re towing the old paradigm adage with Intel Macs that memory is where you should spend your extra cash on. That’s just not true anymore more most use cases.
Spending the $200 going from one bank of 256GB NAND storage to 512GB will make a significant increase in read/write times. That’s by far where the value of spending the extra money pays off.
@@jumboshirmp Totally agree! This and the fact that people have different needs + the fact that SSD's don't die out just like that. I made some research and it can take up to 10 years for an SSD to die even with memory swap... I strongly encourage people to see different opinions and try to find their sweet spot.
you nailed it. They keep talking l,e this is an i tel machine. Actually as software catches up the idea of future proffing is basically not even a factor. The m2 mba is basically a mbp on a diet.
Macs are long lasting? 4 years? 5 years? Until a few years ago I was still using my 233Mhz Rev. b Bondi blue iMac running 10.2 as a music server in my house!
I think for even the average user, 16GB should be the minimum. I have seen so many folks with hundred’s of chrome tabs open (exaggeration but you get the point) which destroys your available memory. also not being upgradable should always make you avoid the low spec’d model.
Hi Rene, music producer here, thinking buy Mac Mini M2 Pro. Do you think, in my case 16gb is enough or should I consider extra $400 and get 32gb. I dont want to waste money, unless is necessary.
Looking at the SAME machine and the SAME option on the video editing side. I may get back into Logic Pro as well. Quite a price bump on top of an bumping up the HD. What size drive are you looking at?
I traded a 8/256 m1 Air for a 16/256 just in five days after getting it. I lost $150 or so on it, because some MAXimally uncompetent TECH reviewers said that 8 gb of unified memory is like 16 gb of ram on a Windows laptop. Such a BS... A year later, I realize that 24 gb would work even better, but m1 Air didn't have this option. My advice - buy a version with 24 gb, modern apps are very memory hungry. PS. I work with a lot of cloud-based apps like Salesforce, Office 365, sales and marketing automation tools, Teams, Outlook, and many more. A lot of tabs, windows, apps opened at the same time. External screen. PPS. I couldn't return that 8/256 Mac because my colleague bought it for me in the USA and carried Ukraine without a retail box.
@@mariotrancon1286 16/256 is fine since I store all my files in cloud and don't work with media. If you do, 256 might not be enough... On my Mac, the system and apps alone take 120 GB. I'm talking about an M1 MBA.. for M2 MBA 256 is not an option at all
You said that 8GB, on apple silicon, isn’t magically the same as 16GB. But is that compared to other macs, or pcs as well ? Because if I’m not mistaken, macs are more optimised compared to pcs
1. You can only optimize so much. RAM is still RAM, and with the slower SSDs on the new M2 models for swap it’s now a MUST to upgrade. 2. Technically, if you want an “optimized system, then go with Linux and a Window manager. Those windows managers and the XFCE and LXQt desktop environments can run on machines with as little as 2 GB and make even higher RAM configurations feel even snappier than a Mac. But of course you’d need a different machine right now; Apple Silicon Macs currently don’t have great Linux support.
I still use my 2012 Mac Mini. I put a 1TB SSD and bumped it up to 16 GB of RAM. Runs great but in know I’ll have to get the M chip by the end of this year.
Most of your advice is based and guided towards MacBooks, but what about Mac Mini, I mean when you don't need compactness or portability? What about RAM/ROM configuration then?
I'd still 100% upgrade RAM, as that will improve performance and multitasking every time you use the computer. In a non-mobile Mac Mini, I would probably stick with low internal storage (256 GB), then buy a fast external SSD and have it always plugged in. You can even add a little sticker or velcro to keep it in place lol. It costs $740 to add the 2TB upgrade from Apple, whereas a 2TB Samsung T7 SSD is only $219. There is an inherent speed difference (internal is faster) but I think most users wouldn't notice or care.
Is it still worth it to upgrade the ram from 8gb to 16gb for $350? There's no official apple store in my country and for upgrading the ram I need to spend more than the actual price on apple website
I got the 8GB m1 macbook air... I regret it everyday. Once you have a couple of apps open, and multiple tabs, it crawls so bad. Seems like it was ok when first got it, but after one year its become a real PITA
I'm all for maxing out the ram, I have a M1 Max w/ 64GB of ram, but storage isn't as big of a consideration when we have cloud, NAS and external options. As a game dev, the amount of storage on I would need on device would be debilitatingly expensive.
"Macs are supremely well build"... Is that so? The ones 2015 and older maybe. 2016-2018 have so many issues from breaking display cables to keyboards to getting water damage from moist air. 2019-2020 are still working fine but are also pretty new. They appear to be reliable, but they are also the last in their design. And we are hoping that the newer macs are now more reliable but: they have a new design. That's usually not a good sign.
So hard. I don’t need the pro love the lightness of the current and new air. Thinking of the new air (my current one is 7 years old). 16 gig and 512 he put $200 short of the MacBook Pro. Don’t want the extra weight but tough decision to move up more. Thanks.
16 GB of ram and 512 GB story range really should be the base but Apple is unaffordable and not worth the money , windows laptops with those specs are much better alternatives
24 GB option is perfect for many devs, especially web. We care most of single core + RAM. It's too rare when a program will use more than 4 cores at 100%. M2 Air 24 GB 10 GPU 1 TB is $2099 M1 Pro 32 GB 8 CPU 14 GPU 1 TB is $2599 Why pay more and get less single core? Repeat: almost never will I user 4 CPU cores at 100%
In case of buying MacBook Air M2 with 24 GB of RAM, will we need to choose the 512 GB for a webservice programmer or 256 GB is enough fast for transfer speed for java development? Remark:I have seen my tester complain a half speed decrease for MacBook Pro M2 256GB.
@@rapeepunruntakij8683 512 ssd is a must! I have the M1 16 GB RAM and 256 GB SSD and it's just too little. And on top of that, the new 256 in M2 is indeed half the speed of the previous version.
- 00:00 🛠️ Deciding between 8GB, 16GB, or 24GB of RAM for M2 Macs depends heavily on your workload and future needs. - 01:17 💻 Light tasks can manage with less RAM, but heavier workloads like multiple apps or intensive tasks require more. - 01:28 💡 Recommendation: If affordable, 16GB of RAM should be your baseline to future-proof your Mac. - 02:03 💼 Consider 24GB of RAM only if you need it for intense tasks on an ultra-portable machine, otherwise, consider a Pro model. - 02:25 💸 Investing in 16GB of RAM upfront can save you stress and limitations down the road. - 02:50 ❗ Unified memory architecture doesn’t double your RAM's capacity; what you see is what you get. - 03:30 🚀 Advanced memory management techniques help, but they don’t replace the need for more physical RAM. - 04:23 🧠 If you understand memory pressure, you likely need at least 16GB of RAM. - 04:26 🗄️ Also, consider upgrading from the baseline 256GB of storage to avoid future limitations. - 05:02 🛑 Get 512GB storage if possible; it provides better performance and avoids the inconvenience of external drives. - 05:54 🎯 Choose a configuration that not only meets your current needs but also supports future demands.
That’s a very great analysis! However i think several things need to be highlight: 1. The fact that you recommend users to up until 16/512 for every model would make the option for the users decrease. Like the only good option would be m1 pro base model 14” and base model 8/256 for avarage user. This is due to the reason that up to 16/256 for even air and pro m1/m2 have lesser gap with 14” base model. So its really confusing at this point. 2. Even when someone want to burn their money to upgrade until 16/512, its only worth for m1 model. Based on your suggestion in the video, m2 basically have no place of worth when we upgrade it to 16/512 as it near the m1 pro base model. At the end, sometimes users not only buy a laptop because it specs. I think m2 air would still ok with the base model for the avarage user. I just want to highlight that your video might be useful for someone that put specs as the 1st priority in the decision making, while some of them are not.
@@andrewcairnsmrkiplin I mean both base model from m1/m2 MBA should be ok for general/avarage user. I just want to highlight that sometimes users does not put specs as their 1st priority.
@@andrewcairnsmrkiplin ....Much better to focus on what YOU want/need it for. I take reviews with a gain of salt, and although correct, they look out for everyone.... Not the individual, and its the individual who is using the machine.
For what it's worth, I got the base M1 MacBook Air with 8GB/256GB almost exactly a year ago and I've had no problems with it. I do normal web browsing, office productivity apps, and light web development. Because it's the base model, and base models go on sale, I got mine for $850. If I opted for more memory and more storage, it would be $1400, and would likely not go on sale, so it would be an extra $550, and not really worth it.
You want to make a bet that with each iteration of MacOS ... Apple will be thinking about all the recently purchased 8gb base models out there, and how to get their sucker owners to upgrade their 1-2 year old m1/2 macbooks for more memory models?
I do agree, but when I upgrade the M2 air in The Netherlands with 16gb RAM and 512gb SSD its almost as expensive as the M1 pro 14 inch.. which has some other benefits. Besides size and weight that is but..
Yes sound advice. Not all of us can afford to add extra RAM and storage, around $400 extra but it is a good investment and if you can afford it, its a no-brainer. If you can only afford one, get the 16GB of RAM as that is the main bottleneck for heavier (pro) workflows. Of course, prosumers should just get the MB Pro 14/16. For those that can only afford the 8GB version you have to understand the limitations, so if you are rendering a video (example), make sure you close all other apps and just give all resources to the current task, if time is important. Otherwise expect slowing down and increased rendering times. As with everything, common sense applies, and if a MB Pro 14 with 16GB/512GB is pushed to its limits doing 8K RAW renders then expect an 8GB/264GB machine to struggle and slow and lag especially if you are drowning the RAM with other tasks.
Got an M1 Pro instead. Better performance, longer battery life, more ports, better display, 16 GB/512 GB standard; which you can get for like 1800 or less atm. The M2 Air is just a rip off.
@@active285 unless the weight difference is very important to you. It is to me, and it's actually so important that I am skipping both and waiting for the rumored 12in, hoping it will come in a pro variant too, as some rumors say. Until then I'll make do with a 950gr cellular Thinkpad Nano...
@@_Digitalguy Yes, the MB Pro 13 is a bit hefty especially if like me you stick a case on for drop protection. I have been using an LG Gram so I can agree that lightweight devices are def a plus.
@@active285 very true. You have to either enjoy buying the latest and greatest OR I am not even sure why. The m1 mbp pro base is a no brainer as you will almost pay the same. My guess os the m2 mbp will go up in price. To me as far as valur goes the m1 mba on the apple refurb store for 1079 with 16gb of ram is the best value. M2 is not really buying you much other than saying I have midnight blue which is going to be a fingerprint funhouse.
So I'm a vet student and I also game. I completely used up the 8gb memory on my '18 MBP. Idk what to choose now. I do a lot of power points, essays, videos, gaming, etc. I also have a lot of things running on the background and have to download apps for our courses. Which one would be worth it for me? Would 16gb & 1tb be enough? Should I do MacBook Air or MacBook Pro? Any input is much appreciated 😭😭. I need a new laptop asap.
If Apple priced the extra RAM appropriately, they'd never need to release an 8GB model. This is one of the biggest issues I have with the Apple Silicon series - the way, way, way overpriced RAM (not to mention SSD) upgrades.
I have had 8GB MB Pro 13 for 18 months and it is def enough for me. Why should I have to pay extra for 16GB as base, as there is no way Apple would keep the price the same as it would inflkuence sales of their more expensive lineup and would be a dumb business choice. All OEMs have 8GB base models, from MS to Dell and Samsung so not sure what your beef is with Apple, as it is across the board?
The problem is here is that I should NOT have to upgrade to the normal, baseline of 16GB on a "premium" MacBook. Especially not at the prices they're asking for, this is highway robbery.
you should always get the most RAM you can afford because it is shared with screens , reduces swapping to ssd, and you can never upgrade in future and ssd should be >= 1TB to increase ssd life
🔥 curiositystream.com/reneritchie/ NO ADS + Bonus Videos! Get CuriosityStream + Nebula bundle for less than $15 a YEAR!
🚀 More on M2: ruclips.net/p/PL3XJJi5sAjD3TTKy3ix9NhdcSZLC5InQk
🤔 Are you getting 8GB, 16GB, or 24GB on your M2 Mac?
I dont plan on buying, but if i was to buy i would be buying 16GB.
@@xtilr7017 which config? 8CPU/8GPU? and whats the storage?
I have watched your videos for many years and have always loved your straight to the point reviews. I am going to buy an M2 Mac Mini with 16gb ram and 512 gb ssd to free up my M1 Air from my desk. Also, the main reason for the M2 Mac Mini is to run dual external 4K monitors, which would have forced me to buy adapters otherwise.
200 bucks more for 16Gb. I paid 30 bucks for 16gb for my PC. APPLE RIPOFF
I have both a 8GB and a 16GB M1 Mac. My workload is simple consisting of just office apps and browsers (with lots of tabs). The 8GB suffers lots of frequent latency stutters due to frequent RAM/SSD swapping with this mix of apps but the 16GB computer is always buttery smooth. I would never get a 8GB version again.
How many browsers and tabs at a time?
I agree with you.
or you stop using chrome :)
Thank you
Dam I have the 8gb
For Mac mini, do not upgrade storage beyond a total of 512 GB internal. For $200, you can get a superfast 2TB external SSD and are unlikely to notice difference in transfer speeds.
I bought M1 Pro base model, 16Gb ram and 512 Gb SSD as soon as it was released.. To be frank am soo happy about this purchase
Good choice
Me too!!
happy 'about' not happy 'for'
@@pauljazzman408 Thanks for the correction mate 🙌
Me too! :)
Even though I agree with the idea of getting more memory. (I have 16GB myself) For most users I think you are marking it sound worse than it actually is. Almost like 8GB should never be an option for buyers. For some people the base macbook is the limit of their budget.
Yes 8GB is barely enough from a technical standpoint, but mac swaps between the disk so well you generally can’t tell unless you do something intensive or that it specifically demands ALL of the memory at once. Tasks like web browsing and general use don’t require that, and hence the performance difference between 8GB and 16GB is little to none.
I think a better advice would be moreso in the lines of longevity. If you intend to use your mac longer than 4 years, then it is better to get more memory. Otherwise assuming your doing day to day tasks i really don’t see what’s wrong with the 8GB model.
I agree with most of what you said. 8GB is more than enough for a lot of light users, especially those buying a MBA. My MacBook Pro from 2016 has 8GB and I use around 5-6 GB on average. More than enough. Memory is there to be used, your computer isn't going to run faster by having 2 extra GB free of RAM. And especially considering the swap function, I think if people are going to upgrade, upgrade the SSD to 512, especially with the M2.
It really comes down to what you use and how you use it.
These machines can last many years as noted by Rene and not upgrading to 16GB now could force you to upgrade earlier in the future. Think about longevity. I wish I upgraded my 2014 Macbook Air 11 to 8GB instead of sticking with the 4GB base model.
@@theoneonly5368 Depends on the person. I plan to use this for at least 8 years. Lots of people keep Macs for 7-10 years.
The problem is that 16GB at this day in age for the price of this laptop and how cheap RAM is should be standard period.
RAM absolutely extends the lifetime of a laptop by years and lack of RAM overtime definitely reduces. Especially with how aggressive swap is on these macs and no ability to replace storage. So nah, he's right. They overcharge massively for upgrades and built it this way to try and take advantage of folks. This price point make 16GB standard instead excuses to be real.
I bought an M1 8x8 core 16GB RAM 512GB storage MacBook Air last year and love the thing. I chose to upgrade the RAM because I'm one of those that doesn't replace tech until it's either irreparably broken or will no longer perform my tasks. The M1 Air is so good I will probably keep it until Apple no longer supports it or it dies outside of my AppleCare term. It's such a high performance machine I could see myself keeping it for several years to come. I really think the 16GB of RAM was worth it because I very rarely see it use swap space at all, and the times I have, it's never been more than a few hundred megabytes. Astoundingly good machine for the price.
It's not a bad thing to use swap... If your machine is not performing well because of ram then thats an issue, but swap is not inherently bad thats a very useful technic.
or consider repairing it if it dies instead of upgrading
Something that no one is mentioning is that you actually get less RAM than you think because the RAM in an Apple Silicon Mac is also used for video memory. And each display reduces the available RAM in aggregate.
The exact same thought in my head!!! They fact that RAM is now a shared resource means that to replace a 16GB RAM 4GB VRAM, a 24GB combined RAM would be more appropriate.
and all the "memory tests" the youtubers have made are with like 1 app open at a time... "see you can run this videoeditor with just 8GB perfectly fine" but I dunno about everyone else but I OFTEN have 20+ tabs open in browsers + 2-3 other apps when doing stuff.
@@LiLBitsDK there’s a max tech video where they go absolutely overboard with 25 tabs and 4 pro apps
@@brysongrayy I just need a laptop for editing and idk if I should get the m1 or m2 the biggest concern for me is the storage, I have a pc with 2tb and I’ve used more than half of it can y’all lmk I’m new to the laptop gang
@@brysongrayy because he is one of the only ones doing proper testing... and not just "see it's shiny" like the others
I had an 8/256 M1 MBA for 11 months. Last month I sold it and upgraded to 16/512 M1 Pro MBP 14. Halfway through my ownage of the MBA, my job changed and it started to require more graphics power and more RAM. I got through 5 months with a Windows machine, but I just love how powerful and how efficient Apple Silicone is, I couldn’t stop myself from upgrading. The Windows work laptop is more powerful, but also takes off with a click of a button, so loud. And I can’t even put it to sleep without it overheating for no reason. With the Mac, I don’t even worry about running out of battery life when I go out to do my work at a cafe for several hours. I did get into big debt for it, but it was worth it for my job.
Are you still enjoying your machine?
Do you edit both video and photo’s?
How is your swap usage?
I am also looking at the base MBP 14
Mental illness
Apple SILICONE lol.
Additional bonus with 16GB/24GB of RAM, less disk swapping on the SSD meaning less wear on the SSD.
lol. Do you even understand how the SSD works? We're talking SSD here, not HDD
@@growingmelancholy8374 SSD wear is 100% a thing. It's why manufacturers use metrics like TBW and DWPD to predict SSD lifespan
@@growingmelancholy8374 Sounds like you don't understand either..
16GBs is the spot for me for the last 10 years for everything including music production. I've never needed more. Most of the time I'm not using all of the 16GBs. 8GBs isn't bad for daily use. My dad has a PC with 8GBs in dual channel 2x 4GBs. And it's really smooth still.
It's interesting that iPhone uses 4GB RAM. I was under the impression that wasn't useful for 64bit. But smart-phones are managed very differently. And the nerd in me loves the tight optimisation and efficiency of iPhones which is something that would be difficult for Android with all the different handsets.
My philosophy with storage, has always been, small SSD, large external HDD. For me, all the things I need speed for can be on a 250GB SSD, which is mostly the apps themselves. But all the things I store are nothing that requires storage speed and I'm happy for them to stay on external HDDs.
why would 4GB not be useful for 64bit? guess you misunderstand the difference on 32bit vs 64bit...
32bit could not address ABOVE 4GB... so putting in 8GB would not make a difference since the system could only see 4GB
64bit can address 16EB (Exabytes) or 16.000.000.000GB but for now they have much lower limit since noone is anywhere near that limit so 4-6TB of RAM can be seen on servers.
A 64bit system can still see/use/benefit from just 4GB if it doesn't need anymore to run.
@@LiLBitsDK From what I understand, 64bit OS and applications also takes up more ram space than 32bit os and applications. So 64bit in 4GBs isn't as much space as 32bit in 4GBs.
I remember on my 4GB iMac, first the OS was 32bit, then 32/64 hybrid, then 64bit and OSX used up more and more RAM. Eventually including RAM compression in OSX Lion. Helped, but wasn't as good as the 32bit OSs really.
10 years ago people were saying the same thing. "Buy 16gb to future proof". Here we are today and 8gb is still enough for most people. Not to mention the fact that most people that care enough to watch these videos upgrade to the next best thing sooner than later. If you are going to upgrade to the newest MacBook Air in 2 years future proofing is irrelevant.
DAMMIT. I have been trying to justify getting the 8GB/256ssd combo but in the back of my head knew I wouldn't be future-proofing myself and now I know for sure I have to upgrade both as yes, it's a lot of money, but +400 over the course of the life of the computer is clearly more than worth it. Great video as always my guy.
LOL ikr. I bought mine 16gb/256GB thinking of getting external storage... I am glad I picked bigger ram...and storage, you can get away with accessories. It won't be the same. LOL
@@ryjk8865 you are still out of luck because MB M2 biggest problem is single chip 256 SSD.
@@2-da3333 yeah that's another reason that I am waiting for the mb pro. ;)
@@2-da3333 Yeah, but people don't undertannd this. They keep acting like you MUST pair the 512GB SSD with 16 GB.
....and you'll upgrade again before the future comes so your extra outlay is pointless.
I agree, get as much RAM as you can afford. Also, knowing that the OS by itself uses 5gbs just to run idle. I'd rather spend money than waste time. Everyone has to choose which is more important to them. As always a great video Rene!
5GB? that's not true. If anything the wired memory which is the OS is about 1.10GB and if you open activity manager right when you boot up the machine it uses around 3.50GB
Saying the OS uses 5GB isn't quite right. Memory usage is a mostly useless metric in macOS because of how memory compression, prefetching, and caching works. The computer stores files in memory that would normally be on disk just in case you need them and doesn't instantly remove elements from memory when you're done with them if you have memory to spare. It also won't bother to do memory compression.
16GB upgrade for M1 Air for economy and 14" base for any other sounds much more reasonable product.
M2 seems to be a confusing product for a confused user who either felt 14" was too expensive or M1 Air 8GB was too restrictive.
Had they launched M2 pro 13 with just a16GB base variant, I think the tables would have completely turned against M2 air.
Agreed - although they probably would have had to keep the 256GB composed of two 128GB NAND Flash drives to keep the performance respectable (a single NAND Flash of 256GB in the M2 makes a storage upgrade an essential cost sadly - with 2 NAND Drives, you could justify going for lower storage still...)
Got the 24gb/1tb m2 MBA. Splurged for max RAM because I run VMs on my MBA. I went with 1TB because I’ve never actually been able to fill that up under my usual use cases, however I can easily fill up 512GB.
I am planning to buy the exact same build. So can you give your review how has it been holding till now?
Also got the 24gb ram version and didn't regret it a second. Average memory usage is 16gb right now, mainly used for web development, multitasked with daily usage. It's the perfect amount. And... zero swap usage, so no excessive wear of the ssd, I hope the machine will last for many many years to come...
Good video…… for professionals . These RUclipsrs forget about a lot of the customers who are students who just want a reliable laptop, if you don’t content create or make money of your laptop, then get the base model. Average student only needs base model .
With the much slower SSDs in the M2 2022 models, I would just go for the 16 GB of RAM, more for longevity than anything else. If you keep your machines for a long time, than 8 GB is NOT going to cut it anymore…
The base model M2 has a single 256GB NAND chip that Max Tech have shown runs slower than the M1 base model! Usually base models are good but not in this case. Don't upgrade the M2 MBP either as then you might as well get the 14 inch pro Max.
@@cameronbosch1213 The M1 is still for sale.
If your a software engineer, 16 gig or more, otherwise 16 gig to 8 gig is fine.
If you’re a student you should just get a windows pc not an inferior base model.
Spend the extra cash and get 16GB and 512GB. This is a laptop you can easily get a great five years out of. The resale value will be higher as well.
Or 24gb of ram with using cheaper external add storage. Practically the same speed. And the difference of 265 to 512gb is not large enough to justify 200€ extra imo. Ram however is
Another way of looking at it is that 16 GB extends the useful lifetime of the computer by years, which eventually *lowers* your yearly cost of having a computer.
Not necessarily, resell value of a computer is another factor which is usually lower for older computers.Consider the duration and resell value at the same time, and then make a better decision.
@@pouriakhanbolouki3855 Resale value is also greatly improved with more RAM. Unless you want to buy are new every 1-2 years and sell as almost new, in which case it becomes really expensive. My wife has an 8-years old Air, which is limping along due to insufficient RAM - and the storage being stuffed with iPhoto. The processor is slow, but that's not the issue. RAM and storage are the 'problems'.
@@thomaspaaruppedersen6781 Based on this argument, one should waste a ton of money on 24GB of RAM just so in 6 years you can sell your computer? I have a Macbook Pro from 2016 with 8 GB RAM and have zero issues. Of course, I can't say this would be the case for everyone since I don't do use many high memory apps, but my point is more that giving people some general advice to always upgrade the RAM, regardless of how they use the computer, is just irresponsible advice. For me, personally, I just ordered a MBA M2 8GB/512 GB SSD. I upgraded the SSD for many reasons, but find it worth the money, more so than upgrading the RAM.
If you get refurbished or with educational discount, that helps!&
It was true when you could have upgrade ram, hdd or ssd drive. Now its all gone. Base modells amortization value will be extremely high, eg their price on the second hand market just will fall, because nobody going to buy it. Except if there will be an affordable way to solder new bga chips on it, but i doubt it. Its not the tech what missing today either, its about the cost of labour/time.
I’m running 16g of ram because of the os overhead and it was the right choice and with the 1T ssd my M1 MacBook Pro does the job.
I did the same thing basically with just an air. The only time I really feel it is when I try to open multiple photoshop windows at once
Yeah, I have the same setup and it is pretty much bulletproof. The only thing that EVER resulted in spinning beach ball was a weird macro on an 3rd party excel file.
I really really agree with you, dongles will steal from the portable experience and also form the speed and convenience of getting a Macbook. I went 16G RAM and 1TB SSD on my MBP 14 unit, and it removes that fear of running out of space and speed. Mac's are a long term purchase so be prepared for the unexpected
@rene I think what people are complaining about is that the options Apple offers are soo expensive yet greatly needed. Since we can't upgrade the RAM or storage after the fact and we can't get third party cheaper options, we are forced to pay hundreds if not over a thousand more in reasonable options. Just to do a 16GB RAM upgrade and a 1TB storage option because the whole point of a laptop is meant to hold your data in a mobile fashion without needing to carry extra external storage. Apple has soo many SKUs with these costly crazy options and it confuses and compounds the line up for the customer to choose from!
Yes I also have thought that 16 / 512 should be the base level as well. I’m glad I got 16 1TB on my M1 iMac. Even on a desktop you don’t want a bunch of unnecessary dongles and things connected to the back of the computer all the time. I financed mine because, 0% from Apple and it was like $170 a month for a year and now its all behind me. I have a very nice machine that I’m not disappointed with that will last for years.
Apple has always had that business model, a cheaper priced (for Apple) base model and then make its margins with higher config choices. This is not new and MS does it as well on their ARM machines (ARM by nature have soldered RAM and NAND).
If you can only upgrade one either ram or storage which one is better 16 gb ram or 512 ssd?
RAM. Unless you go Windows/Linux laptop with upgradeable parts, RAM is more important in terms of creating more flexibility of usage in the future for most MacOS laptops these days.
You can use external storage to store your files later if you really need it.
Or cloud storage if you prefer easy access
So the two Mac notebooks which make sense to buy…
Are the M1 MacBook Air for education at $750, less if you have an Intel Mac to trade in, and the base model 14” MacBook Pro. I’m the super nerd with the 16” M1 Max, but the 14” at $1700-$1800 is really the machine to beat.
If operating system doesn’t matter to you much because you use cross-platform tools, there are a ton of really good options in the 13” thin and light category this year. The fact that you can’t dual boot OS easily on Macs now has me seriously considering other options, especially given the price hike this year. The latest storage speed nerf on the 2022 13” MBP is just another reminder that upgradable parts are a good thing.
which thin and light machine will give huge battery life and performance at $999 sale price point of macbook air (you can get M1 macbook air at $799 on sale easily) without any slowdown just like windows machines usually struggle for at that price point? People use macbooks for a long time because it lasts way longer than Windows laptops. The SSD benchmark is a moot point. Most people are not transferring bluray movie on their laptops every 5 mins. This is just like my 1 GBps fibre internet speed. 99% of the time I dont use that speed on my laptops or phones and then if I use it, then it is for my Xbox console downloading games.
@@Fear.of.the.Dark., what do u think is the better option for student:
1) MBA M1 16+256gb for 1150 dollars(+80$ delivery from the US and 100$ taxes)
2) MBA M2 8+512 for 1400 dollars(same for delivery and taxes)
3) MBP 14 base model, 1600 dollars(again, i gotta overpay around 200$ for all these things)
I’m sooo confused
M2 Airbook with 512 Storage and 16gb Ram is $2000 in the UK. You can get Windows laptops that have the same specs for $1250.
yeah but..they're windows..lol ..no comparison
porsche costs more than Toyota..clearly.
MAXTECH has a GREAT in-depth, real world comparison of M2 Base vs M2 16GB RAM and 512SSD. Dropped six hours earlier today.
Solid advice. I ordered 16gb 512gb M2 Air. Yes, RAM DOES bloat over time. I did 512gb to err on the side of safety if Apple does 1x256gb SSD vs 2x128gb like the M2 Pro. Anything more than that, yup just get a pro.
Aren't you so very close to the 14 Pro prisewise?
My 2013 MBP 13” had 8/256 and I still use it. I bought the M1 8/256 7 months and I will likely buy the M2 8/256. The only application I run that stresses my system is Thinkorswim and only when I have multiple other apps open/running along with 2-3 desktops using safari with multiple tabs open with YT videos. I really shouldn’t and don’t need all that open at the same time, so I close them and the system runs just fine. 8/256 has been ok for almost 10 year and I think it will be ok for another 2 years. After that, maybe a M4 with 16/512.
After having issues with the 2013 MBP, I’ve decided to never keep a laptop longer than 2 years. The people I give my laptop to have no need for more than 8/256.
I think what these videos are showing is that the M2-with only a single NAND chip for the 256GB SSD-is bottlenecking the SOC. So either get 16GB of RAM or 512GB of SSD if you get an M2 laptop. The base spec is a step backward because of the single chip SSD.
@@joeljrichards If if shows to have single NAND I'll just keep the M1 MBA.
This was extremely well explained, especially the part debunking the myth of 8GB unified memory is equivalent to 16GB of non unified RAM
I don’t recall that ever being a myth or even a thought process
@@SkylineFinesse then your haven't watched enough youtube videos...
@@_Digitalguy I don’t need youtube to know the fundamentals of computers. If you thought less ram was better thats on you
@@SkylineFinesse Did you even read my comment properly?? Where on earth did I say less RAM is better. The fact that you were not aware that several youtubers (including some big ones) have been spreading the misinformation that 8GB of unified memory is equivalent to 16GB of non unified RAM does not make it any less real...
@@_Digitalguy why i need to be aware of what bullshit some clowns on youtube are spewing is beyond me. It makes no difference to what I already knew to be the case. Thank you so much “digital guy” did you know analog computer were actually more accurate lmfao
If possible, please test the 8/512 version of the M2 MBP vs the 8/256. There’s a good chance the slow ssd in this model is the culprit. There’s really zero reason to get the M2 MBP if you spec up to 16/512. Just get the 14”. The 8/256 of the M1 was amazing so people should not be told that 16/512 is the minimum.
Yea this video is a bit of a miss
@@janon8329 Yeah. I personally think internal ssd is way more important for the casual user as opposed to more RAM. If you run out of SSD space, macOS starts to feel noticeably slower.
Other RUclipsrs have shown that single ssd NAND 256Mb chip makes the M2 MBP slower than the M1 MBP!
@@baskorosuryaputra1925 true that, plus the additional storage will be beneficial for swap memory usage.
Just watch Max Tech video on that comparison
I have always needed to upgrade the RAM on every computer I have had over its life, except for my Raspberry Pi. A 4KB TRS-80 Model I went up to 16 KB. My Atari 600 went from 16 KB to 64 KB. My 486 PC went from 4 MB to 8 MB. My 16 MB Pentium went to 80 MB, while the Pentium III went from 256 MB to 768 MB.
From the early things I heard about Apple Silicon run, it seems like the code uses a larger footprint than Intel does (CISC vs RISC instruction sets) which is why swapping on the 8 GB models with lower SSD sizes was an issue around the M1 MacBook Airs and 13” Pros. To me, it disqualified 8 GB for anyone doing much more than a minimum of tasks and closes apps out when switching to something else. 16 GB as a minimum for Macs would be sensible and I had hoped that the M2 would have come as 16 GB and 32 GB, the M2 Pro as 32 GB and 64 GB, Max at 64 GB and 128 GB, and Ultra as 128 GB and 256 GB. Maybe that will be the basis for the M3, and maybe that is massive overkill for iPad Pro and iPad Air.
I do agree that with the lifespan of typical Apple computers, buyers should anticipate that equipment should be bought based on minimum usability needs five years from the date of purchase rather than what will “just do the job” at the time of purchase. I “may have” implemented preemptive multitasking on my 64 KB Atari 600, but that wasn’t useful for anything more than basic tasks. My 8 GB desktop PC running Linux works okay as my email server and various other tasks, but add in a breadth of productivity and maybe a game, and nah, it is no longer powerful enough. Same with 8 GB on a MacOS platform.
16 is starting to be the new minimum too. if u plan to hold it for more then 5 yrs id get as much ram as u can.
I disagree on the recommendation to just go to Mx Pro chipset when choosing 24GB. The price is still much higher on Mx Pro since when trying to have an a close RAM config(32GB), it will be more expensive. 24GB M2 Air is the budget option.
Would like to see someone do interviews and then analysis of real world industries that use the products you analyze and review (other than video content creators), as a means to see actual workflow issues, bottlenecks, how they solve tech issues. Like how writers use Apple computers is entirely different than Mac based architects doing CAD and 3D rendering - which is arguably closer to heavy commercial movie studio editing type computing. So those set ups, problems and solutions for architects would be interesting to see vs people who are on Twitch gaming or live streaming something else.
I like the statement: 'If you know what memory pressure is, you pretty much just selected into the 16GB of ram group by default'. Made that easy for me!
Rene all of that said. My advise like yours is that everyone should purchase as a minimum for memory should be 16 GB of memory with the M series Apple SOC processors. Also Apple should not make a laptop/desktop device with less than 512 GB of SSD storage.
You call it storage creep. A person I use to work with would always say.... "Crap will always expand to the space available on a hard drive ( i.e. in todays world any data storage device )".
8GB is for browsing the web. 24GB gives you the option to actually do some work in programs like Photoshop. I don't find Photoshop to be nerdy. 16GB does not cut it for Adobe Creative Cloud.
I just hate how all the big box stores that have holiday discounts only stock the 8GB model, with no option to upgrade the RAM.
Curiously enough though, you can get a version with the higher 10 core GPU and 512 GB SSD, but still only 8 GB RAM. 🤨
With unified memory, you should think of it as half. When I'm gaming on my 16gb ryzen laptop, the GPU will happily eat 7-8gb of ram.
but who is gaming on macbook air?
Very well said, sir. It is likely that they will test those machines with software that few are using and that most of us have never heard of let alone used. When the M3 comes out, I would personally like it to have 24GB/1TB of storage.
As someone who isn’t considered a prosumer do not get 8GB of RAM.
I’ve encountering more and more events where it just feels sluggish and a powering down and back up solves it
16/256 RAM/SSD is the best choice for most M2 Macbook Air users. It isn't for professional midway through their careers. It is for college students and entry-level work in the digital arts (photography, video editing, DJs, and front-end website developers).
Anything more for RAM/SSD users are better off with the M1/M2 MacBook Pro.
The Swap memory in the M1 chipset uses the SSD and Ram together to swap and give the user the best overall performance possible. 8GB is enough. It's just that simple.
This seems like a response to MAX TECH and their outrage at 256 ssd.
My 24gb m2 uses 7 GB of ram (5 GB app memory and 2 GB resident memory) with ONLY the activity monitor open. No browser, no program, nothing else. If I open ONE RUclips tab in Safari it gets to over 9.5 GB usage. I feel that something is wrong?
Mac os doesn't let any ram go to waste. If it has extra ram - it will use it for caching more data.
Silly. 13" M2 16GB+512GB = $1700. At this price point, it is just $100~200 lower than base 14" depending on discounts and sales.
I just want to say if you are a programmer and often have Chrome and IntelliJ and Docker open at the same time, please go with as much RAM as possible.
but is it worth paying 40% more for a small to medium performance boost (16gb/512gb) on very specific tasks? If you say yes, then you should be buying a Pro and not an Air to begin with...
it's not a "small" boost. it is huge...
I just ordered the Macbook Air M2 with 24GB RAM and 2 TERA Harddrive. Do you know if the 2 Tera have the speed of the 256GB or the speed of the 512GB?
It is criminal that Apple still sells 8GB of RAM in 2022. 16 should be the bare minimum these days.
yes but criminal 256GB SSD NAND chip is the real problem. M2 MBP Slower than M1 MBP!
Your recommendations are on point, which is why the starting price of macs is really misleading. The Mac config most folks beyond super light users really should get is the 16 gb RAM/512 GB SSD, which starts at $1,600 plus tax. The markups Apple have for RAM and storage really are extortionate. Yes, I get they use very high quality RAM and drives, but still.... Macs have become truly premium devices and unattainable for vast majority of consumers.
Yes, Apple does charge more for RAM and storage upgrades than some, eg Dell, that charges £100 to upgrade from 256gb to 512gb and 8gb to 16gb RAM. Not for everyone and why they only have a relatively small market share.
Came across your video today and it was pretty informative. I am stuck with the same question as I am planning to buy my first macbook.
Macbook air m1 8gb and 256 gigs is what is available in the stores nearby my place.
My use cases are -
1. Ms office and apples office suite
2. Spreadsheets
3. Research
4. Articles
5. Browsing
6. Content consumption
7. Music creation as a hobby
8. Occasional video and photo editing - nothing big time. But I do do it sometimes
Have been doing all of these in my phones from the last few years and now I am planning to get my first macbook.
What would you suggest-
To get an M1 or M2.
And will 8gb suffice or do I need to jump and go for 16gb Ram
If I purchase it now
I will be using it for the next 5-6 years.
What would be the best bet???
If you are a BASIC user who just browses pages, does occasional work and fun use...8gb is FINE. The overwhelming majority of you would NEVER notice a difference with 2 laptops running 8gb vs 16gb unless you are doing video 4k editing etc...this is all just marketing right now.
I have 16 on my M1 MBA and 8 on my M1 Mac Mini - honestly can’t see the difference during usage.
I still rock a mid 2012 MacBook Pro with 16GB an ram. Insane that it’s still more ram than the base models offer 12 years later…
Just purchased an M2 MacBook Air. I had enough cash for one upgrade of the base model so i chose to upgrade the memory to 16GB. I am not a creator, and my MacBook is used far more for productivity and web based tasks. I used iCloud based storage for almost everything where i have a TB.
My M2 Air will be plugged into a Studio Display when i am not travelling with it. Permanently plugged into that Studio Display is a T7 Sumsung external SSD. Internal HD space nor the read/write performance will ever be an issue with my workflow as the only thing i use the internal SSD for is Apps.
Sure u would love it had the base minimum storage option was 512 GB. However, i doubt I’d ever come close to using that amount of internal storage in my setup.
In Canada you have pretty much just said get the 14” MBP. It is still a bit more, but for the additional cost you get a better display, more ports, and dual display support.
My 2012 macbook pro still works fine, I wonder if the newer macs are just as reliable.
The problem is price. The difference from 8 gb to 16 gb is HUGE. Apple incentives you to buy the 8 gb version, only to find out very soon that it's not enough, then you try to upgrade, and you can't. Most users have no idea that the memory on M2 cannot be upgraded.
I agree but it’s well know Mac is not the way to go for price to performance
A lot of good points here. I have an old iMac with 32 GB of RAM and I just run office stuff on it and the system swaps. It's possible that it's an OS memory leak and it takes about 10 days of uptime to get it swapping but Monterey was notorious for memory leaks when it launched and have 32 GB meant that you had more time to use your computer before rebooting to clear the leaks. The thing is that the 32 GB of RAM on the old iMac was only $100 so it was an easy decision. RAM is a lot more expensive on Apple Silicon Macs. I got 32 GB on my 2021 MacBook Pro and that was the right decision for me.
Yes Apple has not fixed the memory leak bug on Monterey yet, or it is a new one. Best to restart once a week to give it a clear out. I have to do that with my S22U as it also slows down without a reboot once a week (when new had to do it daily), but Samsung has improved that bug.
In 2022, no one should have/buy ANY computer with less than 16GB of RAM. I have a 2018 Mac Mini, 6-core i5 (Intel with Integrated GPU, so kinda the same-sharing system RAM) & so glad I spent the extra money to get more RAM. I occasionally edit 1080p video, some graphic design & various audio stuff, and may have several browser tabs open, and switch between 3-4 related apps. It ain't Apple Silicon but, the adage remains the same, and true: Get as much RAM as you can.
I’ve seen a video which compared a 8gb 256 vs 16gb 512 macbook pro and the difference is HUGE, i mean extremely big, where the 8gb wasn’t usable anymore(after 10 chrome tabs and photoshop with a couple of photo’s open) the 16gb worked perfectly fine
Max Tech
@@SunsetNova yes
That’s only the M2 MBP 13 as the 256 model has a half speed SSD compared to the M1. Also the M2 runs hotter and burns more power.
That difference has to do with the SSD, not the RAM. People really don't understand how RAM works.
I’m confused, you seem to underestimate the effective of SSD memory swap. From all the testing I’ve seen with the M1 lineup almost in all use cases the benchmarks had negligible differences between equally matched machines with 8, 16GB, or 16, 32GB of unified memory capacity. Seem like you’re towing the old paradigm adage with Intel Macs that memory is where you should spend your extra cash on. That’s just not true anymore more most use cases.
Spending the $200 going from one bank of 256GB NAND storage to 512GB will make a significant increase in read/write times. That’s by far where the value of spending the extra money pays off.
@@jumboshirmp Totally agree! This and the fact that people have different needs + the fact that SSD's don't die out just like that. I made some research and it can take up to 10 years for an SSD to die even with memory swap... I strongly encourage people to see different opinions and try to find their sweet spot.
you nailed it. They keep talking l,e this is an i tel machine. Actually as software catches up the idea of future proffing is basically not even a factor. The m2 mba is basically a mbp on a diet.
My 14 inch max with 32 GB is a beast. To really appreciate an M machine one has to have a bunch of RAM so that it does not become a bottleneck.
not everyone is as rich as you
Macs are long lasting? 4 years? 5 years? Until a few years ago I was still using my 233Mhz Rev. b Bondi blue iMac running 10.2 as a music server in my house!
I think for even the average user, 16GB should be the minimum. I have seen so many folks with hundred’s of chrome tabs open (exaggeration but you get the point) which destroys your available memory. also not being upgradable should always make you avoid the low spec’d model.
is 32 tabs a lot? asking for a friend :)
@@ahamed4152 no
@@ahamed4152 those are rookie numbers. Lol
@@ahamed4152 I had 5 chrome windows, 100 tabs each lol
I have 498 tabs open in Safari on my 256GB iPhone 8.
Hi Rene, music producer here, thinking buy Mac Mini M2 Pro. Do you think, in my case 16gb is enough or should I consider extra $400 and get 32gb. I dont want to waste money, unless is necessary.
Looking at the SAME machine and the SAME option on the video editing side. I may get back into Logic Pro as well. Quite a price bump on top of an bumping up the HD. What size drive are you looking at?
I traded a 8/256 m1 Air for a 16/256 just in five days after getting it. I lost $150 or so on it, because some MAXimally uncompetent TECH reviewers said that 8 gb of unified memory is like 16 gb of ram on a Windows laptop. Such a BS... A year later, I realize that 24 gb would work even better, but m1 Air didn't have this option. My advice - buy a version with 24 gb, modern apps are very memory hungry.
PS. I work with a lot of cloud-based apps like Salesforce, Office 365, sales and marketing automation tools, Teams, Outlook, and many more. A lot of tabs, windows, apps opened at the same time. External screen.
PPS. I couldn't return that 8/256 Mac because my colleague bought it for me in the USA and carried Ukraine without a retail box.
Hi! how is the 16/256 so far? I am thinking is the way to go seen the price of the M2 + the ssd problems
@@mariotrancon1286 16/256 is fine since I store all my files in cloud and don't work with media. If you do, 256 might not be enough... On my Mac, the system and apps alone take 120 GB. I'm talking about an M1 MBA.. for M2 MBA 256 is not an option at all
@@AndriiVozniak Thanks, it sounds reasonable :)
You said that 8GB, on apple silicon, isn’t magically the same as 16GB.
But is that compared to other macs, or pcs as well ? Because if I’m not mistaken, macs are more optimised compared to pcs
1. You can only optimize so much. RAM is still RAM, and with the slower SSDs on the new M2 models for swap it’s now a MUST to upgrade.
2. Technically, if you want an “optimized system, then go with Linux and a Window manager. Those windows managers and the XFCE and LXQt desktop environments can run on machines with as little as 2 GB and make even higher RAM configurations feel even snappier than a Mac. But of course you’d need a different machine right now; Apple Silicon Macs currently don’t have great Linux support.
@@cameronbosch1213 oh okay thank you !!
@@jeanmichelaulas1205 No problem.
I still use my 2012 Mac Mini. I put a 1TB SSD and bumped it up to 16 GB of RAM. Runs great but in know I’ll have to get the M chip by the end of this year.
Most of your advice is based and guided towards MacBooks, but what about Mac Mini, I mean when you don't need compactness or portability? What about RAM/ROM configuration then?
I'd still 100% upgrade RAM, as that will improve performance and multitasking every time you use the computer. In a non-mobile Mac Mini, I would probably stick with low internal storage (256 GB), then buy a fast external SSD and have it always plugged in. You can even add a little sticker or velcro to keep it in place lol.
It costs $740 to add the 2TB upgrade from Apple, whereas a 2TB Samsung T7 SSD is only $219. There is an inherent speed difference (internal is faster) but I think most users wouldn't notice or care.
Is it still worth it to upgrade the ram from 8gb to 16gb for $350?
There's no official apple store in my country and for upgrading the ram I need to spend more than the actual price on apple website
I got the 8GB m1 macbook air... I regret it everyday.
Once you have a couple of apps open, and multiple tabs, it crawls so bad. Seems like it was ok when first got it, but after one year its become a real PITA
I'm all for maxing out the ram, I have a M1 Max w/ 64GB of ram, but storage isn't as big of a consideration when we have cloud, NAS and external options. As a game dev, the amount of storage on I would need on device would be debilitatingly expensive.
"Macs are supremely well build"... Is that so?
The ones 2015 and older maybe.
2016-2018 have so many issues from breaking display cables to keyboards to getting water damage from moist air.
2019-2020 are still working fine but are also pretty new. They appear to be reliable, but they are also the last in their design.
And we are hoping that the newer macs are now more reliable but: they have a new design. That's usually not a good sign.
So hard. I don’t need the pro love the lightness of the current and new air. Thinking of the new air (my current one is 7 years old). 16 gig and 512 he put $200 short of the MacBook Pro. Don’t want the extra weight but tough decision to move up more. Thanks.
16 GB of ram and 512 GB story range really should be the base but Apple is unaffordable and not worth the money , windows laptops with those specs are much better alternatives
serious question,
How does the macbook air 13 inch 16gb 256ssd 2022 m2 compare to Micrsoft surface 2017 16gb ram 500gb ssd??
Should i switch??
this clip made me cancel my 8gb order and reorder a 16gb ram.
24 GB option is perfect for many devs, especially web. We care most of single core + RAM. It's too rare when a program will use more than 4 cores at 100%.
M2 Air 24 GB 10 GPU 1 TB is $2099
M1 Pro 32 GB 8 CPU 14 GPU 1 TB is $2599
Why pay more and get less single core? Repeat: almost never will I user 4 CPU cores at 100%
In case of buying MacBook Air M2 with 24 GB of RAM, will we need to choose the 512 GB for a webservice programmer or 256 GB is enough fast for transfer speed for java development?
Remark:I have seen my tester complain a half speed decrease for MacBook Pro M2 256GB.
@@rapeepunruntakij8683 512 ssd is a must! I have the M1 16 GB RAM and 256 GB SSD and it's just too little. And on top of that, the new 256 in M2 is indeed half the speed of the previous version.
- 00:00 🛠️ Deciding between 8GB, 16GB, or 24GB of RAM for M2 Macs depends heavily on your workload and future needs.
- 01:17 💻 Light tasks can manage with less RAM, but heavier workloads like multiple apps or intensive tasks require more.
- 01:28 💡 Recommendation: If affordable, 16GB of RAM should be your baseline to future-proof your Mac.
- 02:03 💼 Consider 24GB of RAM only if you need it for intense tasks on an ultra-portable machine, otherwise, consider a Pro model.
- 02:25 💸 Investing in 16GB of RAM upfront can save you stress and limitations down the road.
- 02:50 ❗ Unified memory architecture doesn’t double your RAM's capacity; what you see is what you get.
- 03:30 🚀 Advanced memory management techniques help, but they don’t replace the need for more physical RAM.
- 04:23 🧠 If you understand memory pressure, you likely need at least 16GB of RAM.
- 04:26 🗄️ Also, consider upgrading from the baseline 256GB of storage to avoid future limitations.
- 05:02 🛑 Get 512GB storage if possible; it provides better performance and avoids the inconvenience of external drives.
- 05:54 🎯 Choose a configuration that not only meets your current needs but also supports future demands.
That’s a very great analysis! However i think several things need to be highlight:
1. The fact that you recommend users to up until 16/512 for every model would make the option for the users decrease. Like the only good option would be m1 pro base model 14” and base model 8/256 for avarage user. This is due to the reason that up to 16/256 for even air and pro m1/m2 have lesser gap with 14” base model. So its really confusing at this point.
2. Even when someone want to burn their money to upgrade until 16/512, its only worth for m1 model. Based on your suggestion in the video, m2 basically have no place of worth when we upgrade it to 16/512 as it near the m1 pro base model.
At the end, sometimes users not only buy a laptop because it specs. I think m2 air would still ok with the base model for the avarage user. I just want to highlight that your video might be useful for someone that put specs as the 1st priority in the decision making, while some of them are not.
the average user should buy the m1 air for 899 from amazon not a m2
@@andrewcairnsmrkiplin I mean both base model from m1/m2 MBA should be ok for general/avarage user. I just want to highlight that sometimes users does not put specs as their 1st priority.
@@andrewcairnsmrkiplin ....Much better to focus on what YOU want/need it for. I take reviews with a gain of salt, and although correct, they look out for everyone....
Not the individual, and its the individual who is using the machine.
So should I get a M2 Air 24GB or a base M1 pro?
I applaud your eloquence and your mastery of grammar. So refreshing to my old ears! Thanks for a great video!
For what it's worth, I got the base M1 MacBook Air with 8GB/256GB almost exactly a year ago and I've had no problems with it. I do normal web browsing, office productivity apps, and light web development. Because it's the base model, and base models go on sale, I got mine for $850. If I opted for more memory and more storage, it would be $1400, and would likely not go on sale, so it would be an extra $550, and not really worth it.
NIce. I got mine for 750 ;)
@@asianstud7 Nice get. Can't beat that price.
@@dansanger5340 Appreciate it.
You want to make a bet that with each iteration of MacOS ... Apple will be thinking about all the recently purchased 8gb base models out there, and how to get their sucker owners to upgrade their 1-2 year old m1/2 macbooks for more memory models?
I do agree, but when I upgrade the M2 air in The Netherlands with 16gb RAM and 512gb SSD its almost as expensive as the M1 pro 14 inch.. which has some other benefits. Besides size and weight that is but..
yes and im thinking the same.. but that portability.
size .. is a huge deciding factor..
As a 16GB 2TB M1 Pro 16" user who edits 1 to 2 hours audio video, 16gb ram is not enough!
Oh, are you seeing swap issues?
Helpful comment! Thanx for that note!🙏🏻
Please ,which is better a macbook m2 pro with 16 gb or a macbook m2 with 24 gb ram, dj use
This guy makes me feel like I'm out of breath
Yes sound advice. Not all of us can afford to add extra RAM and storage, around $400 extra but it is a good investment and if you can afford it, its a no-brainer. If you can only afford one, get the 16GB of RAM as that is the main bottleneck for heavier (pro) workflows. Of course, prosumers should just get the MB Pro 14/16. For those that can only afford the 8GB version you have to understand the limitations, so if you are rendering a video (example), make sure you close all other apps and just give all resources to the current task, if time is important. Otherwise expect slowing down and increased rendering times.
As with everything, common sense applies, and if a MB Pro 14 with 16GB/512GB is pushed to its limits doing 8K RAW renders then expect an 8GB/264GB machine to struggle and slow and lag especially if you are drowning the RAM with other tasks.
Got an M1 Pro instead. Better performance, longer battery life, more ports, better display, 16 GB/512 GB standard; which you can get for like 1800 or less atm. The M2 Air is just a rip off.
@@active285 unless the weight difference is very important to you. It is to me, and it's actually so important that I am skipping both and waiting for the rumored 12in, hoping it will come in a pro variant too, as some rumors say. Until then I'll make do with a 950gr cellular Thinkpad Nano...
@@active285 I cannot disagree with that.
@@_Digitalguy Yes, the MB Pro 13 is a bit hefty especially if like me you stick a case on for drop protection. I have been using an LG Gram so I can agree that lightweight devices are def a plus.
@@active285 very true. You have to either enjoy buying the latest and greatest OR I am not even sure why. The m1 mbp pro base is a no brainer as you will almost pay the same. My guess os the m2 mbp will go up in price. To me as far as valur goes the m1 mba on the apple refurb store for 1079 with 16gb of ram is the best value. M2 is not really buying you much other than saying I have midnight blue which is going to be a fingerprint funhouse.
Do yall think that the new MBP M4 will come with 16 GB baseline?
I absolutely positively agree with you, I'll take the 16GB midnight
So I'm a vet student and I also game. I completely used up the 8gb memory on my '18 MBP. Idk what to choose now. I do a lot of power points, essays, videos, gaming, etc. I also have a lot of things running on the background and have to download apps for our courses. Which one would be worth it for me? Would 16gb & 1tb be enough? Should I do MacBook Air or MacBook Pro? Any input is much appreciated 😭😭. I need a new laptop asap.
I ordered the 16GB M2 in Midnight, and got offered a polishing cloth for $25...
If Apple priced the extra RAM appropriately, they'd never need to release an 8GB model. This is one of the biggest issues I have with the Apple Silicon series - the way, way, way overpriced RAM (not to mention SSD) upgrades.
That has nothing to do with Apple Silicon. RAM prices haven't changed on the Apple Store from intel days and in either case it wasn't upgradable.
You don’t have to buy Apple do you? You have a choice.
I have had 8GB MB Pro 13 for 18 months and it is def enough for me. Why should I have to pay extra for 16GB as base, as there is no way Apple would keep the price the same as it would inflkuence sales of their more expensive lineup and would be a dumb business choice. All OEMs have 8GB base models, from MS to Dell and Samsung so not sure what your beef is with Apple, as it is across the board?
You should get 16 GB minimum, unless you want to throw out your macbook a few years early, because the SSD is shot.
I need 64GB of RAM to browse the web using Chrome.
The problem is here is that I should NOT have to upgrade to the normal, baseline of 16GB on a "premium" MacBook. Especially not at the prices they're asking for, this is highway robbery.
you should always get the most RAM you can afford because it is shared with screens , reduces swapping to ssd, and you can never upgrade in future and ssd should be >= 1TB to increase ssd life