Think the 8GB iMac 2012 is enough?

[Gelite55]

I just bought the 2012 iMac 21.5" 8GB RAM. So far everything is running flawlessly. Even ran Windows 8 in a VM. Wondering with all the pro programs out there like FCP X and Aperture, etc 8GB of RAM is enough.

[iLondoner]

Depends what you do with each of the programs. But 8GB is a lot of memory.

My MacBook Air has just 4GB and runs really well with the help of its SSD. Fusion drive is probably key on the iMac.

[Ryan.Tanner]

Originally Posted by Gelite55

I just bought the 2012 iMac 21.5" 8GB RAM. So far everything is running flawlessly. Even ran Windows 8 in a VM. Wondering with all the pro programs out there like FCP X and Aperture, etc 8GB of RAM is enough.

Right now it is. In 3-5 years it may still be, but it could be borderline.

[Gelite55]

Sweet! So I think I should be good for Pro Apps.

[Hamburger]

Originally Posted by Gelite55

I just bought the 2012 iMac 21.5" 8GB RAM. So far everything is running flawlessly. Even ran Windows 8 in a VM. Wondering with all the pro programs out there like FCP X and Aperture, etc 8GB of RAM is enough.

do you have the base model or higher end with fusion drive?

[Gelite55]

Originally Posted by Hamburger

do you have the base model or higher end with fusion drive?

Base 21.5" Model.

[Gelite55]

So I should be good to run Pro Apps.

[glitch44]

Originally Posted by Gelite55

So I should be good to run Pro Apps.

What are pro apps?

[WilliamG]

Originally Posted by glitch44

What are pro apps?

Apps the pros use.

[glitch44]

Originally Posted by WilliamG

Apps the pros use.

Ohhh. So, like, TextEdit?

[MrMister111]

I hope so! I've got a top end 21.5" with fusion and 8Gb, we're snookered if its not

[Gelite55]

No, Okay guys.
Some examples of Pro Apps are:
FCP X
Aperture
Premier
Photoshop

[Gelite55]

So 8GB is enough.

[WilliamG]

Originally Posted by Gelite55

So 8GB is enough.

8GB will be generally enough. If you do heavy Photoshop/FCP work, 16GB wouldn't go amiss, though.

[apedance]

8gb will be enough for most ppl.

when it comes to pro apps like mentioned above more memory will be good.


i will use colorcorrection software like davinci resolve. this app needs a minimum of 8gb ram

[rcp27]

Originally Posted by glitch44

Ohhh. So, like, TextEdit?

Nah, more like powerpoint and excel.

[Scrapula]

8GB is more than enough. That's all I ordered on mine and won't order extra RAM until the day comes that software is so fat and bloated that I need more.

I currently run Mountain Lion on 4GB and it does fine.

[ctdonath]

Originally Posted by glitch44

Ohhh. So, like, TextEdit?

vi if they're real pros. X11 for high end GUI stuff. And virtual memory so they can make a REALLY BIG RAMdisk.

...coffee...i need coffee...

[classicaliberal]

• 8GB is enough for today - even for most pros.
• Tomorrow (next year, the year after) 16GB might not be enough. It all depends on the apps you use, etc.
• RAM is cheap. Not if you buy it from Apple, but generally RAM is cheap. I just bought a 27" iMac w/ 8GB from Apple, spent another 75 bucks with crucial to get the machine up to 24GB. Do I expect to need 24GB in the next 6 months? No. But after the next OS upgrade, and a few more pro-app upgrades, etc. I'll still be sitting pretty while machines with less RAM will be potentially MUCH slower. If you don't have enough RAM, your machine is essentially worthless... it grinds to a hault for most tasks.
• RAM is seriously the single most cost-effective upgrade you can make to a machine to ensure it lasts for more years using modern software.
• All that being said, since you have the 21.5" version, your decision is kind of already made. Most likely you'll be MORE THAN FINE for the next several years.

[vladfein]

Originally Posted by Scrapula

I currently run Mountain Lion on 4GB and it does fine.

Well, if that is *ALL* you run on it, I am sure 4GB is plenty

[fiorgodx]

I'm wondering this same thing. I want the new 21.5" iMac and was really disappointed to see you can't upgrade the RAM yourself. Anyone out there reading this who has the new iMac with 8GB and runs heavy programs like these:

Xcode
Photoshop
Final Cut
Excel
10 tabs open in Chrome!

Please let me know if 8GB can handle this load. I'm on a 2008 MacBook with 2GB and having two of those things open at once causes some serious slowdowns. If I get the new 21.5" iMac and have lets say Xcode, Photoshop, and a bunch of Chrome tabs open, will the computer still be fast? Or should I look into a hackintosh or some other alternative?

[theSeb]

Originally Posted by Gelite55

No, Okay guys.
Some examples of Pro Apps are:
FCP X
Aperture
Premier
Photoshop

It really depends. It's a weird question to ask. It's like asking if dating two supermodels is enough or should I sleep with four. The cheapest and most effective upgrade in a computer is the RAM. By that I mean when you are able to upgrade it yourself, such as on the 27" model, and not pay Apple's outrageous prices. Having more RAM helps running those apps, but whether you need it really depends on how much you do with them and how intensive it is. Considering that you felt a base-level 21" iMac would be enough for your users, clearly you don't intend to do much and your time isn't very expensive.

Will those apps run with 8GB? Yes.

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Originally Posted by Scrapula

I currently run Mountain Lion on 4GB and it does fine.

Sure, but we all have very different ideas of what "fine" is and we use our computers differently so what is fine to you, will not be fine to another user. I cannot stand when a computer pauses because I am running out of memory and the drive is being used to page out into virtual memory. Considering how cheap RAM is (if you don't buy it from Apple) then it seems insane to me to cheap out on it. Unless you use your computer to write mails and only run two applications at the same time. Your anecdotal evidence does not help in threads like these when the person needs has no idea what RAM is used for.

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Originally Posted by fiorgodx

I'm wondering this same thing. I want the new 21.5" iMac and was really disappointed to see you can't upgrade the RAM yourself. Anyone out there reading this who has the new iMac with 8GB and runs heavy programs like these:

Xcode
Photoshop
Final Cut
Excel
10 tabs open in Chrome!

Please let me know if 8GB can handle this load. I'm on a 2008 MacBook with 2GB and having two of those things open at once causes some serious slowdowns. If I get the new 21.5" iMac and have lets say Xcode, Photoshop, and a bunch of Chrome tabs open, will the computer still be fast? Or should I look into a hackintosh or some other alternative?

Again, it depends. What are you doing in Xcode, Photoshop and Final Cut? Are you writing a "Hello world" app or a real and complex application? Are you editing the photos from your iPhone in Photoshop or working on massive files? Are you planning to use all of them at the same time?

OS X in general loves RAM and caches aggressively. If you give it more RAM, then it will use that too, up to a point. Even Windows loves RAM. I am sitting in Bootcamp right now. Can you guess how much free RAM of my 16 GBs I have right now? 0 MB. Yep, it's using all available RAM to cache and it's running beautifully and smoothly. Not having enough RAM is off sided by having fast storage, since that's what has to be used when the memory manager runs out of RAM. But, even the fastest consumer SSDs are still 10 times slower than 1333 MHz RAM, and 1600 MHz RAM is slightly faster than that. The storage system, even if it's the fastest SSD available, is still basically the slowest component in your computer.

[fiorgodx]

Originally Posted by theSeb

Again, it depends. What are you doing in Xcode, Photoshop and Final Cut? Are you writing a "Hello world" app or a real and complex application? Are you editing the photos from your iPhone in Photoshop or working on massive files? Are you planning to use all of them at the same time?

I'm doing real stuff, not just hello world apps or cropping pictures. I make photoshop files with many layers. I make iPhone apps that do geolocation services and a host of other intensive procedures. These work on my 2GB, albeit slowly sometimes. I'm wondering if I'll be ok on 8GB (especially with the Fusion drive, does that make a big difference?). By 'ok' I don't mean I need everything to snap open instantly but I don't want noticeable annoying lag. Assume I'm a reasonable person, would a reasonable person be ok with the performance?

[Zwhaler]

8GB for pro apps? No. They will run, but your RAM will run out. I did one single RAM preview in After Effects on a 14 second clip with rotoscope and it used nearly all of my 24GB of memory. FCP X commonly uses 20GB+ when in heavy use. I would upgrade to 16GB because it isn't user replaceable. If you are a hobbyist, fine. But if you are doing paid work you will want the extra RAM very quickly because these programs are optimized to use it.

[theSeb]

Originally Posted by fiorgodx

I'm doing real stuff, not just hello world apps or cropping pictures. I make photoshop files with many layers. I make iPhone apps that do geolocation services and a host of other intensive procedures. These work on my 2GB, albeit slowly sometimes. I'm wondering if I'll be ok on 8GB (especially with the Fusion drive, does that make a big difference?). By 'ok' I don't mean I need everything to snap open instantly but I don't want noticeable annoying lag. Assume I'm a reasonable person, would a reasonable person be ok with the performance?

The upgrade from 2 GB will seem like a massive increase already. 8 GB should be fine, but do you want fine or amazing? You can check how much page outs you have right now. Restart the mac at the beginning of the day and then do your normal work stuff. Then check your page outs in activity monitor at the end of the day.