Huge shortcomings? These cards are actually competitive and represents the first time you can actually game on a Mac. It’s a modern 7nm AMD chip that competes with a 1060 desktop card.
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16" MacBook Pro RAM: 16GB or 32GB and Why?
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Huge shortcomings? These cards are actually competitive and represents the first time you can actually game on a Mac. It’s a modern 7nm AMD chip that competes with a 1060 desktop card.
Ya, there are totally valid reasons to have 32-64 GB of RAM. I was simply saying doing it for the sake of future proofing is not one of them. Do you use Docker or Kubernetes at all?
It's a modern 7nm AMD chip that competes directly with a Nvidia Geforce GTX 1060 desktop card that was released in July 2016. It's not exactly groundbreaking when you put it that way, lol.
Yes a massive desktop card. This is a thin laptop, not a gaming desktop. Go buy a thick gaming laptop with a 2080 if you are so concerned about GPU performance. For the class of laptop these cards are fantastic. I've been gaming without issues on all modern titles above 60fps locked. Straight up complaining over nothing.
Comparable to 1060 desktop only if it's able to run at full power. As far as I know, the 5500M is supposed to require 85W at full, and I'm not sure 96W MBP adapter is able to handle that. It's finally a decent offering from Apple that somewhat matches what nVidia is offering in the same class of chipset (performance laptop with slim form factor).
I had a PowerBook G4 12" way back when. I remember upgrading the RAM at some point, and seeing a sea change in performance. After that computer was lost/stolen in 2012, I bought a mid-2012 MacBook Pro 13" which i'm typing on right now. After about 6 months of use, I upgraded the RAM from 8 GB to 16GB and was disappointed to see no change in performance whatsoever.
I'm not a business user, though, and I do no video editing or even photoshopping of any kind. I use Safari, iTunes, Photos, etc. I also use Handbrake to convert video to iTunes friendly video. Since the Covid crisis started, I've been working from home and accessing my work computer from home using gotoMyPC, and also doing Zoom video meetings, but none of those programs seem at all super RAM dependent. I'm running a ton of stuff right now and it says my used RAM is 12.86 GB and my memory pressure is in the green.
So, my experience has been that in the last eight years of my normal, consumer computing, RAM has not been an issue at all.
My question to anyone who can answer it is this: In the next 8 yrs. (assuming I buy a new MacBook Pro soon, or in the next year or so, and hold on to it as long as I have my current one) will my consumer-oriented computing require 32 GB of RAM? My guess is I seriously doubt it, unless something develops where programs for average consumer computing require tons of RAM.
I'm not a business user, though, and I do no video editing or even photoshopping of any kind. I use Safari, iTunes, Photos, etc. I also use Handbrake to convert video to iTunes friendly video. Since the Covid crisis started, I've been working from home and accessing my work computer from home using gotoMyPC, and also doing Zoom video meetings, but none of those programs seem at all super RAM dependent. I'm running a ton of stuff right now and it says my used RAM is 12.86 GB and my memory pressure is in the green.
So, my experience has been that in the last eight years of my normal, consumer computing, RAM has not been an issue at all.
My question to anyone who can answer it is this: In the next 8 yrs. (assuming I buy a new MacBook Pro soon, or in the next year or so, and hold on to it as long as I have my current one) will my consumer-oriented computing require 32 GB of RAM? My guess is I seriously doubt it, unless something develops where programs for average consumer computing require tons of RAM.
Howdy 16bitplus,
I just received a CTO 2019 MacBook Pro myself, and opted for the 16 GB version. The only thing I technically customized was the video card, went to the 8 GB model. I don't think I personally need 32 GB of RAM, but if the price wasn't so high, I would have done it. Things might be different if I needed the upgrade. Apple is charging the equivalent of almost double for the RAM upgrade. Good luck!
Rich S.
I just received a CTO 2019 MacBook Pro myself, and opted for the 16 GB version. The only thing I technically customized was the video card, went to the 8 GB model. I don't think I personally need 32 GB of RAM, but if the price wasn't so high, I would have done it. Things might be different if I needed the upgrade. Apple is charging the equivalent of almost double for the RAM upgrade. Good luck!
Rich S.
Your conclusion COMPLETELY depends on how a person will use the computer. If I could upgrade my mid-2012 MacBook Pro 13" from 16 GB of RAM to 32 GB, my performance would remain unchanged and the useful life of the machine would in no way be extended.
I upgraded to 16 GB RAM from 8 GB back in 2013 or so and noticed zero performance boost, and 8 yrs. later my RAM Swap Used, the figure that really counts as far as telling you if you need more, is still negligible when I have several programs running. It's currently at 962 MB--negligible.
I really like Apple products, but they're out to make the most money possible. Not allowing owners to upgrade RAM after purchase, and then offering a 32 GB option, is all designed to make you WANT to buy it whether you need it or not.
Based on my research, only someone into the heaviest video editing of super high resolution files could possibly need 32 GB of RAM.
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Sure. But if you're spending several thousand dollars on a 16" MacBook Pro, the cost increase to go to 32 GB is not as significant as it is in the cheaper models.
You're talking 10% more money or so to get a machine capable of much more.
Unless you're only buying a 15" for the size of the display...
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Or you know... somebody who wants to run even a couple of windows VMs with 8 GB of RAM in them or more.
As soon as you're running a VM with 8 GB of RAM on a 16 GB machine, you're down to only 8 GB for MacOS - and 8 GB for decent Windows performance is not unreasonable in 2020.
If you go with 16 GB you're limiting your options significantly on what is otherwise a very powerful machine. If you don't run VMs, fair enough, but to make that bet that you won't ever need to during the life of the machine is a big bet to save 10% of purchase price.
Yeah, I don't disagree with you. I just happen to be a very basic user of Apple computers. I'm probably an iTunes "power" user, but that's still a consumer and not a professional application. I was reading about virtual machines recently and that's yet another cool thing I'll never have to do.
Right cause everybody uses VMs...
Buying extra ram is pointless and a waste of money.
16GB is plenty for the next few years. By the time a regular person maxes it out, ARM MacBook pros will be a norm if it ever happens.
Also what's the purpose of having more power if you never use it? Ego tripping. Nothing else.
No, but if you ever
* resell the machine
* discover a need to run windows at any point during the machine's life
* start running a new application that needs more resources at any point in the machine's life
You're kinda screwing yourself over if you cheap out for fairly insignificant cost increase vs. the total bill of materials.
Upgrading for resale value doesn't make sense because you'll lose out more money than you make back from the upgrade. Having had Macs for 10 years, I've never noticed a problem selling base models.
You don't need more RAM to run windows unless you really need to run it in a virtual machine. Just load bootcamp, then the extra RAM isn't needed for the sole purpose of running windows.
Sure, it's possible you could develop a drastically different new need for the machine within the next 5 years. It's very difficult to make purchasing decisions based on complete unknowns. £400 for a RAM upgrade is an expensive 'maybe', irrespective of the % of total laptop cost.
I bought refurb and initially bought a 2.4/32GB/2TB/8GB VRAM. I run a lots of VMs and plan to keep the machine for many years and want to dabble with music during that lifetime, among other things. In the end I returned that device for a 2.3/64GB/2TB/8GB VRAM because it was an extra £160. Losing 50 points in geekbench for max memory for £160 was a no-brainer for me.
Again, you have very specific needs that justify the extra cost.
I run a windows rendering machine with 128GB ram and it can get up there.
On the other hand never needed more than 32GB of ram on mac for xcode development among other things. I also have the 16" with 16GB that I recently got and also use it for Xcode dev when I feel couch working or getting out of the house and have no issues what so ever.
If you need more ram you know it.
Majority of people are still using 8GB and don't know any better because it suits them fine so telling them to spend extra $400 or more for something they literally will never use is ignorant.
My desktop is running with 18 GB in use and 1.8 GB paged. This is a trading workstation. Could it run with 16 GB? Sure. But it's nice with 48 GB. Nice thing about a desktop is that it's easy and cheap to add RAM. I really like the model of a desktop with a lot of RAM (as in a Mac Mini where you could put in 32 GB DIMMs) or a Mac Pro where you can go hog-wild. Apple just really slaps you on RAM prices for laptops and there isn't much you can do about it.
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I stopped using Bootcamp a long time ago. Being able to run Windows and macOS at the same time was just too convenient. Who wants to have to reboot to get their other programs, outside of gamers of course?
So you think a Mac technician could fairly easily upgrade the RAM midlife if need be, even though Apple probably won't do it? Just asking. I'm still going with 16 GB on any new machine I get, unless they start giving RAM away.
Honestly I'd go for the 64gb. I got my early 2013 Retina 15" with 16 which seemed crazy at the time but is already starting to feel like a bare minimum these days (I wish they'd make 16gb standard in the Air and Mini, and 32 in everything else). the 16 has lasted me a long time and will make this laptop get me to the standard 10 year mark on a mid to high end Mac.
I have 48 and the max that I've used (outside of a 12 GB spike in Chrome) has been 19 GB. I think that 32 GB is fine if you're on an expandable machine. 48 is great for me right now. Allows a ton of caching.
With parts you can't upgrade yourself later (i.e. most parts these days in Apple devices) always go for the best option you can afford.
You'll never regret getting 32 GB if you can afford it. But if you get 16 GB just to save a relatively small amount now, you can be sure you will regret it later and be forced to get a new machine sooner than you might otherwise want to, which will cost you a lot more money in the long run.
You'll never regret getting 32 GB if you can afford it. But if you get 16 GB just to save a relatively small amount now, you can be sure you will regret it later and be forced to get a new machine sooner than you might otherwise want to, which will cost you a lot more money in the long run.
This is why my next machine will be a Mac Pro. The Mac Pro will allow me to use my 16 GB MacBook Pros as I offload bigger workloads to the Mac Pro. I'm currently using two MacBook Pros if I need more RAM or compute.
Yea find a electronics soldering expert and it's pretty easy, they need to have the schematic for the 16" mbp though to retime the memory with a resistor change
For me, I use XCode for app development and Final Cut Pro X to edit 4K home videos for fun. I have a 2012 Retina Macbook Pro 15" i7 with maxed out RAM of 16GB. The machine is 8 years old and still runs great! Final Cut Pro X is sluggish in rendering 4K for preview while editing but it works. Right now my RAM is always maxed out with less than a gig left in free space (Chrome, cough cough). The 2012 base was 8GB of RAM.
With the base being 8GB, I see myself getting the 32GB upgrade on the 16". RAM is always an issue with old computers and unfortunately, Apple only lets you upgrade at purchase. I would love to get 64GB but it's just too expensive and overkill right now. I plan on upgrading once Apple deems my Mac Obsolete this month as I need to have the latest OS for App Development to keep my apps up to date.
With the base being 8GB, I see myself getting the 32GB upgrade on the 16". RAM is always an issue with old computers and unfortunately, Apple only lets you upgrade at purchase. I would love to get 64GB but it's just too expensive and overkill right now. I plan on upgrading once Apple deems my Mac Obsolete this month as I need to have the latest OS for App Development to keep my apps up to date.
The two brand spanking new 2019 "low end" models of the MacBook Pro 13" don't even offer the 32 GB option, and the MacBook Air doesn't allow for 32 either. So those machines will be obsolete in three to five years? Very unlikely given the use history of past models of these machines. My "low end" mid-2012 MacBook Pro 13" has had 16GB since 2013, and I still don't need that much seven years later.
Outside of esoteric professional applications, I've seen no comment here that tells me that a machine bought for normal or average or even above average consumer use will require 32 GB of RAM within the next 5+ years. All claims made here so far in this direction (get as much RAM as you can possibly afford!) are not, as far as I can see, backed up by real world examples.
Me, I don't need to hand Tim Cook hundreds of extra dollars for no good reason.
Outside of esoteric professional applications, I've seen no comment here that tells me that a machine bought for normal or average or even above average consumer use will require 32 GB of RAM within the next 5+ years. All claims made here so far in this direction (get as much RAM as you can possibly afford!) are not, as far as I can see, backed up by real world examples.
Me, I don't need to hand Tim Cook hundreds of extra dollars for no good reason.
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