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16GB memory or 512 SSD on 13 rMBP?

J

jmwils1

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Jun 16, 2014
24
1
I can replace my current mid-2012 Macbook Pro (non-retina) through work. Currently I have 8GB and a 256 SSD installed. I rarely do some audio or picture editing. No video editing. I'd like more storage. I don't think I run into memory problems but I don't know what the OS will require to run optimally in 2-3 years.

I can spend up to $2k. With employee discount the 512GB SSD and 16GB RAM comes to $2005.83 after tax. So it's one or the other. Which would you choose?
 
jmwils1 said:
I can replace my current mid-2012 Macbook Pro (non-retina) through work. Currently I have 8GB and a 256 SSD installed. I rarely do some audio or picture editing. No video editing. I'd like more storage. I don't think I run into memory problems but I don't know what the OS will require to run optimally in 2-3 years.

I can spend up to $2k. With employee discount the 512GB SSD and 16GB RAM comes to $2005.83 after tax. So it's one or the other. Which would you choose?
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Firstly I'd question whether they can let you pay the extra $5 or waive it as it's so close.

Secondly I'd say, it sounds like storage is way more imporatant to you and that 8Gb of memory will be fine for most use cases for the next 5 years, so if you really can't get both go for the storage.

My guess is that the OSes will actually get better with RAM rather than worse, El Capitan looks much more streamlined and resource efficient than yosemite and so does windows 10 over windows 8.1 so hopefully we'll see a general emphasis on better coding to get the most out of what we have.
 
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I'm with Samuelsan2001... for your described usage 8GB will be fine. Recent OS X updates have actually improved memory management, so I would not be worried about the future.
 
I'd much rather have the 512 GB. My MacBook Air had 4 GB of RAM and it was enough. 8 GB is more than enough and 16 GB is overkill. Only scenario is if you run Windows and Mac OS simultaneously, because... two OS' at once.

But 512 GB of SSD? Definitely! I'm a photographer, and I constantly fill my 256 GB drive, so I have to backup my photos separately, and move them off of my internal SSD drive.
 
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jmwils1 said:
I can replace my current mid-2012 Macbook Pro (non-retina) through work. Currently I have 8GB and a 256 SSD installed. I rarely do some audio or picture editing. No video editing. I'd like more storage. I don't think I run into memory problems but I don't know what the OS will require to run optimally in 2-3 years.

I can spend up to $2k. With employee discount the 512GB SSD and 16GB RAM comes to $2005.83 after tax. So it's one or the other. Which would you choose?
Click to expand...

I wouldn't buy an 8gb system in 2015 if you want to future proof your system for the next 8-10 years. SSD is replaceable but soldered memory is not.
 
dogslobber said:
I wouldn't buy an 8gb system in 2015 if you want to future proof your system for the next 8-10 years. SSD is replaceable but soldered memory is not.
Click to expand...

No one should ever expect a laptop to last more than 5 years, yes they do and often but the compromises in building them mean that you really have to expect about a 5 year life. If you want a long lasting computer for 8-10 years then an upgradeable desktop is the answer. Laptops have a limited shelf life for a wide variety of reasons, wear and tear not being the least.
 
dogslobber said:
I wouldn't buy an 8gb system in 2015 if you want to future proof your system for the next 8-10 years. SSD is replaceable but soldered memory is not.
Click to expand...

The SSD is not replaceable on any economically reasonable basis. Your only alternative for late 2013 and newer rMBPs is to buy a used SSD on the aftermarket, at a very inflated price and with no warranty.
 
Samuelsan2001 said:
No one should ever expect a laptop to last more than 5 years, yes they do and often but the compromises in building them mean that you really have to expect about a 5 year life. If you want a long lasting computer for 8-10 years then an upgradeable desktop is the answer. Laptops have a limited shelf life for a wide variety of reasons, wear and tear not being the least.
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Maybe seven years if you're really stubborn, cheap or impoverished. ;) I agree with five as a reasonable target. Ten is wildly optimistic, unfortunately. I'm speaking as the owner and still user of a 2007 Dell XPS M1330.
 
I went through this for a few months. Finally settled on 512gb/8gb.

I had used my dell 256/4gb/i5 for the past four years and never had an issue.

This MacBook feels like an upgrade in every way. Anything I ran on my dell, does not even cause a hiccup on my new Mac in OS X or windows 10 (boot camp).
 
Samuelsan2001 said:
No one should ever expect a laptop to last more than 5 years, yes they do and often but the compromises in building them mean that you really have to expect about a 5 year life. If you want a long lasting computer for 8-10 years then an upgradeable desktop is the answer. Laptops have a limited shelf life for a wide variety of reasons, wear and tear not being the least.
Click to expand...

Your usage of them might only last 4-5 years but you're only one data point. Laptops are built Ford-tough nowadays.
 
My MBA 2011 with 4GB RAM and 256GB still holds up. At the time 4GB was the only alternative, 8GB from 2012 model.
I've run Logic Pro with 40 audio tracks, no issues (other than CPU when without PSU). So 8GB will give you more than enough RAM for what you describe.
 
DIY_glenn said:
My MBA 2011 with 4GB RAM and 256GB still holds up. At the time 4GB was the only alternative, 8GB from 2012 model.
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Correct. My 2010 MBA is maxed out to 4GB where the thinking back then was 2GB is all that's needed. Now try using a 2GB machine for any length of time! The recommendation of 2015 is 4x what it was back in 2010. As Steve said, don't skate for where the puck is now, skate for where it's gonna be, so get 16GB.
 
dogslobber said:
Your usage of them might only last 4-5 years but you're only one data point. Laptops are built Ford-tough nowadays.
Click to expand...

It's not so much about physical wear and tear as it was when you had non-soldered RAM and hdd's (although dGPU's seem to be particularly susceptible to wear and tear in laptops) it's more about the compromises in performance and heat compared with weight and size that make them more likely to fail than a desktop over time.

More importantly advances in screen technology and rapidly changing graphics needs mean that after 5 years the thing that most needs updating is the graphics card, a practical impossibility in apple (and many other) laptops.

Finally my point wasn't that they couldn't last more than 5 years they clearly can and do in many cases, it was the EXPECTING them to still be viable for general usage after 5 years. That is the issue I had, I work on the very sensible assumption that 5 years is a good age for a laptop and anything more is a bonus to be enjoyed but never counted on.

I also make sure I have the funds to replace mine as soon as the warranty is ended I may not need it for another 2 to 3 years but if what I have fails out of warranty I need to be able to replace it for work and study immediately.
 
dogslobber said:
I can buy a 480GB SSD from an rMBP for 215$ which comes with 3 years warranty. What's your point?
Click to expand...

dogslobber said:
Correct. My 2010 MBA is maxed out to 4GB where the thinking back then was 2GB is all that's needed. Now try using a 2GB machine for any length of time! The recommendation of 2015 is 4x what it was back in 2010. As Steve said, don't skate for where the puck is now, skate for where it's gonna be, so get 16GB.
Click to expand...

dogslobber said:
I wouldn't buy an 8gb system in 2015 if you want to future proof your system for the next 8-10 years. SSD is replaceable but soldered memory is not.
Click to expand...

Read what you wrote ("...buy an 8GB system in 2015...") and read what I wrote. You can't buy an OTS SSD for a late 2013 rMBP on economically sensible terms. Early 2013 and earlier, sure.
 
newellj said:
Read what you wrote ("...buy an 8GB system in 2015...") and read what I wrote. You can't buy an OTS SSD for a late 2013 rMBP on economically sensible terms. Early 2013 and earlier, sure.
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Why would I buy a 3rd party SSD for a MBP that I'd just recently bought? You can still buy NEW 2014 and 2015 MBPs so if you were going to "upgrade" them immediately then you'd do that at source so as to not void your warranty. OWC will no doubt release SSD upgrades for those years MBPs in the next year or two so don't panic.
 
dogslobber said:
OWC will no doubt release SSD upgrades for those years MBPs in the next year or two so don't panic.
Click to expand...

You sure about that? Folks have been hoping for this since the late 2013 rMBP was released with a PCIe SSD and it still hasn't happened.
 
T5BRICK said:
You sure about that? Folks have been hoping for this since the late 2013 rMBP was released with a PCIe SSD and it still hasn't happened.
Click to expand...

dogslobber said:
Sure. It's a FRU so 3rd party will be along shortly. Again, don't panic.
Click to expand...

I guarantee that (1) no one's panicked and (2) it won't be along shortly. As T5BRICK said, this has been a topic here since the late 2013s were introduced. It's almost two years later and - nada.
 
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newellj said:
I guarantee that (1) no one's panicked and (2) it won't be along shortly. As T5BRICK said, this has been a topic here since the late 2013s were introduced. It's almost two years later and - nada.
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It sounds that way. Anyway, 2 years isn't a very long time for new tech to be cloned. If I google then I see one or two companies are already offering upgrades albeit backordered so there is a parts logistic issue by the sounds of it. Again, I wouldn't be concerned enough to choose SSD over soldered ram in the context of the original questions, so don't worry.
 
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