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4GB RAM now, but should I be future proofing right away?

A

Alkaid

macrumors member
Original poster
Dec 3, 2013
45
0
So, I've had my new Macbook Pro for a little while now and I've getting into a comfort zone with using it (breaking in the battery, getting programs onto it, etc)

It came with 4GB RAM and seems to be alright with the memory pressure from the Activity Monitor. (It seems to show that that almost all of the memory is being used / 3.99 out of the 4GB installed)

I was thinking it may eventually be good to try future-proofing my machine as best as I can and wondered if it's smarter to hit towards either 8GB or 16GB. I don't use a ton of high-powered programs (as they aren't installed yet) but my normal routine will likely be stuff along the lines of an editing program (with audio/video and text editing), video calling (Skype) an IRC program, probably Safari (or another Internet browser) and, very rarely, Photoshop (or another photo editing program)

I have the ability to get either an 8GB or 16GB RAM upgrade and while I seem to be alright for the moment, I figure it's worth it to check and ask to see if this is something I should hop on early or just wait it out for the moment.
 
stiligFox

stiligFox

macrumors 65816
Apr 24, 2009
1,483
1,328
10.0.1.3
4GB now is pushing it - even for basic stuff. 8GB is a nice leeway. For future proofing I would look towards getting 16GB - perhaps you could get 1 stick of 8GB now, and get the second stick later!
 
A

Alkaid

macrumors member
Original poster
Dec 3, 2013
45
0
Yeah, I don't mind getting to 8GB but I was worried that 16GB would be overkill (or go unused or the like) I figure that 16GB is probably the way to go but didn't know if it's smarter to just jump to 8GB and grab 16GB later down the line. (I can afford either jump so it's just feeling out which makes the most sense.)
 
B

bobdamnit

macrumors regular
Mar 26, 2014
139
32
Alkaid said:
Yeah, I don't mind getting to 8GB but I was worried that 16GB would be overkill (or go unused or the like) I figure that 16GB is probably the way to go but didn't know if it's smarter to just jump to 8GB and grab 16GB later down the line. (I can afford either jump so it's just feeling out which makes the most sense.)
Click to expand...
Might as well go for the 16Gb now, then. Why buy RAM for the machine twice? Doesn't make sense.

Plus, lately it seems that older RAM modules are getting to be more expensive than when they were new. I'd hate to see you buy 8Gb of RAM at today's price, then upgrade 4 years later and pay almost triple what you paid for the 8Gb.
 
hallux

hallux

macrumors 68040
Apr 25, 2012
3,437
1,005
What model MBP? If it's an Air or ANY of the Retina models, you're stuck with the 4 GB you have.
 
Altemose

Altemose

macrumors G3
Mar 26, 2013
9,189
487
Elkton, Maryland
Under Mavericks and Yosemite, I would pay more attention to the Memory Pressure rather than RAM used. Unused RAM is wasted RAM. If the pressure ever hits yellow or red you need more RAM. I paid $86.99 for 16 GB for my MacBook Pro two years ago (DDR3 1600 MHz) but you would be lucky to find it anything under $115 today.
 
A

Alkaid

macrumors member
Original poster
Dec 3, 2013
45
0
hallux said:
What model MBP? If it's an Air or ANY of the Retina models, you're stuck with the 4 GB you have.
Click to expand...

Nope, it's the last Macbook Pro model that you can upgrade so I can move to the 16GB if I want to without much trouble.

Altemose said:
Under Mavericks and Yosemite, I would pay more attention to the Memory Pressure rather than RAM used. Unused RAM is wasted RAM. If the pressure ever hits yellow or red you need more RAM. I paid $86.99 for 16 GB for my MacBook Pro two years ago (DDR3 1600 MHz) but you would be lucky to find it anything under $115 today.
Click to expand...

I'd have to check under the audio/video program I use but I've had that crash a couple of times as of late so that was my main impetus to move to upgrade. Yeah, looking at the RAM (as that's the one I need as well) it's going to run me around $150 sadly in stores and about $129 online.
 
Altemose

Altemose

macrumors G3
Mar 26, 2013
9,189
487
Elkton, Maryland
Alkaid said:
I'd have to check under the audio/video program I use but I've had that crash a couple of times as of late so that was my main impetus to move to upgrade. Yeah, looking at the RAM (as that's the one I need as well) it's going to run me around $150 sadly in stores and about $129 online.
Click to expand...

Crashing could be caused by many different factors that you need to investigate. You need to verify that the RAM is indeed the issue.
 
Traverse

Traverse

macrumors 604
Mar 11, 2013
7,688
4,400
Here
Even for OS X essentials (Safari, iTunes, Word processing, iPhoto, etc.), 4GB is pushing it. It IS okay right now, but I wouldn't settle for anything less than 8GB. If you're gonna run Windows as a VM 4GB will be terrible.

Even if you're doing all OS X tasks, apps like Lightroom or iPhoto can quickly gather over a gig of RAM usage. iTunes too also stays between 300 and 800MB. The system will use at least 500-700MB. Web browsers rack up a lot of RAM really fast.
 
I

Isamilis

macrumors 68020
Apr 3, 2012
2,049
956
I would suggest, go with 8GB and spend the remaining $$ for SSD. You will be amazed on how fast the machine.

Alkaid said:
So, I've had my new Macbook Pro for a little while now and I've getting into a comfort zone with using it (breaking in the battery, getting programs onto it, etc)

It came with 4GB RAM and seems to be alright with the memory pressure from the Activity Monitor. (It seems to show that that almost all of the memory is being used / 3.99 out of the 4GB installed)

I was thinking it may eventually be good to try future-proofing my machine as best as I can and wondered if it's smarter to hit towards either 8GB or 16GB. I don't use a ton of high-powered programs (as they aren't installed yet) but my normal routine will likely be stuff along the lines of an editing program (with audio/video and text editing), video calling (Skype) an IRC program, probably Safari (or another Internet browser) and, very rarely, Photoshop (or another photo editing program)

I have the ability to get either an 8GB or 16GB RAM upgrade and while I seem to be alright for the moment, I figure it's worth it to check and ask to see if this is something I should hop on early or just wait it out for the moment.
Click to expand...
 
SlCKB0Y

SlCKB0Y

macrumors 68040
Feb 25, 2012
3,426
555
Sydney, Australia
Traverse said:
Even for OS X essentials (Safari, iTunes, Word processing, iPhoto, etc.), 4GB is pushing it. It IS okay right now, but I wouldn't settle for anything less than 8GB. If you're gonna run Windows as a VM 4GB will be terrible.

Even if you're doing all OS X tasks, apps like Lightroom or iPhoto can quickly gather over a gig of RAM usage. iTunes too also stays between 300 and 800MB. The system will use at least 500-700MB. Web browsers rack up a lot of RAM really fast.
Click to expand...

And how much RAM does your system have? :confused:
 
SlCKB0Y

SlCKB0Y

macrumors 68040
Feb 25, 2012
3,426
555
Sydney, Australia
Traverse said:
Current model 16GB. Previous model had 8GB and it was tight.
Click to expand...

16GB? Right, and so your particular application RAM usage statistics are useless when comparing to a Mac with 4GB of RAM. Given the exact same applications and usage, the machine with a lot more RAM will use a lot more RAM.
 
Traverse

Traverse

macrumors 604
Mar 11, 2013
7,688
4,400
Here
SlCKB0Y said:
16GB? Right, and so your particular application RAM usage statistics are useless when comparing to a Mac with 4GB of RAM. Given the exact same applications and usage, the machine with a lot more RAM will use a lot more RAM.
Click to expand...

I realize that. My 2011 MacBook Pro came with 4GB. iTunes, Safari, and the system could easily use 3GB or more so my system would start to slow down. Mavericks fixed a lot of these issues with inactive memory compression.

For basic usage, you can get by with 4GB, but I highly recomend 8GB.
 
L

Loops

macrumors regular
Oct 5, 2010
104
8
SSD is the most important upgrade. Don't worry about SSD speed ratings. Just buy for capacity and price.

If you're going to upgrade your RAM go for the full 16 GB and get low voltage chips (DDR3L).
 
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