14-inch MacBook M5 Pro 15-Core - 24GB or 48GB?

[bokkestu]

Hi. I have an old 2015 MacBook Pro that has been an excellent workhorse. I am finally biting the bullet and going to get a new one. My research has led me to think an M5 Pro 15-Core. My question is: do I need the 48GB, or will the 24GB suffice? What difference will I experience between the two? I am a medium-level user, but as you can see, I like to keep my MacBook for a while, so 'future ready' is a factor. I appreciate any advice or opinion.

 

[Biro]

Earlier this year, I picked up a 16-inch MacBook Pro with the 18-core M5 Pro chip, 48 GB of RAM and a TB of storage. It’s been a great machine. Good enough, in fact, that if I end up never replacing my M2 Max Mac Studio, the 16-inch MBP could become my main computer.

Having said all that, I don’t take the big, heavy 16-inch machine on the road much. It lives on another floor of my home from the Mac Studio. And the machine I upgraded to the new MBP from was a 14-inch M4 Pro MacBook Pro with 24GB of RAM and 512 GB of storage. I almost wish I didn’t trade in the 14-inch laptop because it was a great, portable set-up.

If I were to buy a 14-inch MBP today - either to replace or augment my 16-incher - I’d be right about where you are now. I’d go with the 15-core M5 Pro because most people don’t need anything more. Heck, a standard M5 chip is probably enough. But even the base Pro chip gives you broader memory bandwidth, which can be very helpful. Also, the MBP with base M5 has only one cooling fan while both M5 Pro versions have two fans.

Yes, a 1 TB SSD (it’s faster with the M5 family than with the M4s) should be fine.

Now… to your real question: 24 or 48 gigs of RAM? I can tell you that, for almost anything you’re likely come up against today, 24 GB will be fine. You don’t sound like a guy who’ll be working with LLMs. But if paying extra for 48 GBs won’t be a burden, I’d say that’s the ticket for a five-to-seven year service outlook... or longer.

If paying for 48 GBs will be too painful, then go with 24 and enjoy. Also, note that even MacBook Pros with the base M5 chip only have WiFi 6E. The M5 Pros - even the 15-core version - have WiFi 7.

Good luck and let us know how it goes.

 

[gilby101]

I have an old 2015 MacBook Pro that has been an excellent workhorse

Tell us about your workhorse? How much RAM does it have? What do you use it for? How do you expect your use to change?

Having asked that, it will always be true that in some way 48GB is "better" than 24GB. But may not be needed.

I take it that you have decided the 14" screen is big enough and on how much disk to get.

Do you make use of the mobility or does it sit in one place all the time? If you make use of mobility, make sure you get a large enough SSD for current and future use - 1TB or more. If it sits in one place consider a Mini plus screen.

What difference will I experience between the two?

If the MBP feels even occasionally slightly slow, you will be blown away by the performance.