16GB memory or 512 SSD on 13 rMBP?

[T5BRICK]

Sure. It's a FRU so 3rd party will be along shortly. Again, don't panic.

Not panicking here, my 2015 rMBP has plenty of space. Just pointing out that your "it'll be here shortly" comment may not be correct.

 

[newellj]

The real point is that the OP doesn't need the extra 8GB (total 16GB) RAM in any case, and isn't going to during the service life of the machine.

 

[DIY_glenn]

IMHO If you need space, go for space! If you need RAM, go for RAM.
8GB RAM is a minimum on todays setup, but if you don't use any memory hungry software anyways, it's a waste to upgrade to 16GB.

Also, 256GB data is a lot, you can transfer data to an external drive, NAS +++, you'll always have room for data.
You cannot upgrade the RAM - EVER, but you can expand the storage through external devices / cloud etc.

In any case, go for what is needed now and throughout the computers life-span (7-8 years). But if you're not going to run a couple of virtual computers on your Mac, the 8GB is PLENTY!

 

[Wahlstrm]

I have 8GB and it´s quite horrible for my professional needs. I also opted for the 128GB SSD so additional storage is needed for a lot of things. Down the line getting extra storage will be cheap and easy. Fixing the RAM is a no-go 4 ever.. You can put an SDXC card in the reader and have 256GB extra storage for a lot less than what apple charge you for it. And for most files the difference between 150MB/s or 1500MB/s is hardly noticeable when open or saving them.. 150MB/s is still 50x over whats needed to open a typical office document in 1sec anyway..

If you need the machine for a few years then 16GB is the way to go, since that will never be upgradable. Ever.

 

[DIY_glenn]

I have 8GB and it´s quite horrible for my professional needs. I also opted for the 128GB SSD so additional storage is needed for a lot of things. Down the line getting extra storage will be cheap and easy. Fixing the RAM is a no-go 4 ever.. You can put an SDXC card in the reader and have 256GB extra storage for a lot less than what apple charge you for it. And for most files the difference between 150MB/s or 1500MB/s is hardly noticeable when open or saving them.. 150MB/s is still 50x over whats needed to open a typical office document in 1sec anyway..

If you need the machine for a few years then 16GB is the way to go, since that will never be upgradable. Ever.

But OP says:

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.

He'd like more storage, and in his position I don't think he'd ever need more than 4GB of RAM. The OS++ will probably some time in the future consume up to 2GB RAM, probably not more.

 

[Wahlstrm]

But OP says:

He'd like more storage, and in his position I don't think he'd ever need more than 4GB of RAM. The OS++ will probably some time in the future consume up to 2GB RAM, probably not more.

This is my rMBP 2015 with 8GB of ram with basically nothing but a few tabs in Safari open..
If I want to run anything serous I have to quit Safari first to avoid problems.
If I open Bridge or Photoshop then the memory will go into red and the machine will freeze.

Given OP don't use these programs that will not be a problem, but in 2-3 years OS X and Safari might eat 20-30% more and then you basically can't even open lightweight apps w/o trouble..

I also have a 2012 Mini with 16GB and it never runs out of memory no mater what I trow at it..
The mini will probably still run fine in 5 years but my brand new 2015 MBP suck already.. 🙂

 

[Samuelsan2001]

This is my rMBP 2015 with 8GB of ram with basically nothing but a few tabs in Safari open..
If I want to run anything serous I have to quit Safari first to avoid problems.
If I open Bridge or Photoshop then the memory will go into red and the machine will freeze.

Given OP don't use these programs that will not be a problem, but in 2-3 years OS X and Safari might eat 20-30% more and then you basically can't even open lightweight apps w/o trouble..

I also have a 2012 Mini with 16GB and it never runs out of memory no mater what I trow at it..
The mini will probably still run fine in 5 years but my brand new 2015 MBP suck already.. 🙂

What have you got open there?? I have currently nine tabs open in and safari is using 250-300MB of RAM.

True using adblock and click to flash and then seeing how it looks.....

 

[BenTrovato]

This is my rMBP 2015 with 8GB of ram with basically nothing but a few tabs in Safari open..
If I want to run anything serous I have to quit Safari first to avoid problems.
If I open Bridge or Photoshop then the memory will go into red and the machine will freeze.

Given OP don't use these programs that will not be a problem, but in 2-3 years OS X and Safari might eat 20-30% more and then you basically can't even open lightweight apps w/o trouble..

I also have a 2012 Mini with 16GB and it never runs out of memory no mater what I trow at it..
The mini will probably still run fine in 5 years but my brand new 2015 MBP suck already.. 🙂

Memory doesn't really work in the way you describe it. If your memory is going into the red and freezing just by opening bridge or photoshop, you have other problems. I had zero memory issues on a 4gb 2012 MBA but when I had enough apps open, it would slow down. With 8gb of ram on a rMBP, it's really hard to get this system to bog down memory-wise. This is my ram usage with tons of apps open and a youtube video streaming on an external monitor, and time machine is running a backup. No difference in performance between all this and only having one app open.