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8 GB Ram -Will I regret It?

dotzero123

dotzero123

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Sep 3, 2018
528
498
Philadelphia Suburbs
Purchased the 1499 model of the iMac with 8GB ram. I'm not a power user, don't edit videos or photos. Really just want to enjoy a Mac with a decent display without putting out for Mac Studio with ASD. I have read a lot about 8GB ram being more efficient on Mac, and that it could be sufficient for users like me. Planning on keeping my computer at least 5 years.
Any thoughts or recommendations?
 
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I typically feel that 16GB should be minimum, but with the usage you describe it sounds like the iMac with 8GB RAM was designed exactly for someone like you.

It surprises me that not one of the non-BTO stocked iMacs has 16GB RAM, but that leads me to believe that most iMacs will be sold with 8GB RAM, and it is in Apple's best interest to make sure it works perfectly for the typical non power user tasks that you will use it for.
 
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dotzero123 said:
Purchased the 1499 model of the iMac with 8GB ram. I'm not a power user, don't edit videos or photos. Really just want to enjoy a Mac with a decent display without putting out for Mac Studio with ASD. I have read a lot about 8GB ram being more efficient on Mac, and that it could be sufficient for users like me. Planning on keeping my computer at least 5 years.
Any thoughts or recommendations?
Click to expand...
I think you made a mistake. I do not think that it will work well in three years no less five. I think opening large files and or pages will be an issue down the road for you. If you had said for 2-3 years I would think its okay but you said five years.
 
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You might not regret it now, but a few years down the road it probably won't feel quite as snappy, as OS and other software updates take their toll. Many times have I wished I could go back in time and bump up some spec on a Mac I bought a few years ago. Still, your usage sounds quite modest so it might be just fine for 5 years.
 
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I'll probably return the iMac for more ram. As much as I'd like to save 200, I might have different needs in 5 years and hate to feel that I'll be forced to upgrade for to have a normal user experience. So, when Apple announced that 8gb is equivalent to 16gb on a PC, is it just them justifying or is there any logic to this? It was what reassured me in purchasing the 8, but I'm not technical enough to parse out how Apple's faster indexing would affect real world use.
 
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dotzero123 said:
I'll probably return the iMac for more ram. As much as I'd like to save 200, I might have different needs in 5 years and hate to feel that I'll be forced to upgrade for to have a normal user experience. So, when Apple announced that 8gb is equivalent to 16gb on a PC, is it just them justifying or is there any logic to this? It was what reassured me in purchasing the 8, but I'm not technical enough to parse out how Apple's faster indexing would affect real world use.
Click to expand...
Probably a good call in the long run.

Apple's claim of 8 GB being equivalent to 16 GB on PC is highly questionable. Windows does similar memory compression and drive swapping and in my experience actually runs better than macOS on low RAM. Combined with using shared memory with the GPU (which isn't compressed) pushing a very high-res display, whereas most PCs at these prices have dedicated GPUs (their own RAM) and well... it's not a lot of system RAM to work with.

It's probably fine if your use case stays the same, and accept that the SSD (a wearable, non-replaceable component) will be used as memory regularly. Going 16 GB you'd likely have no issue keeping the system considerably longer, assuming Apple supports it for macOS updates.
 
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dotzero123 said:
I'll probably return the iMac for more ram. As much as I'd like to save 200, I might have different needs in 5 years and hate to feel that I'll be forced to upgrade for to have a normal user experience. So, when Apple announced that 8gb is equivalent to 16gb on a PC, is it just them justifying or is there any logic to this? It was what reassured me in purchasing the 8, but I'm not technical enough to parse out how Apple's faster indexing would affect real world use.
Click to expand...

You won't regret getting 16GB RAM.


richmlow
 
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dotzero123 said:
I'll probably return the iMac for more ram. As much as I'd like to save 200, I might have different needs in 5 years and hate to feel that I'll be forced to upgrade for to have a normal user experience. So, when Apple announced that 8gb is equivalent to 16gb on a PC, is it just them justifying or is there any logic to this? It was what reassured me in purchasing the 8, but I'm not technical enough to parse out how Apple's faster indexing would affect real world use.
Click to expand...
That's Apple marketing nonsense. Yes, Macs are more efficient with RAM, but it's not magic.
 
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dotzero123 said:
Purchased the 1499 model of the iMac with 8GB ram. I'm not a power user, don't edit videos or photos. Really just want to enjoy a Mac with a decent display without putting out for Mac Studio with ASD. I have read a lot about 8GB ram being more efficient on Mac, and that it could be sufficient for users like me. Planning on keeping my computer at least 5 years.
Any thoughts or recommendations?
Click to expand...
I have 8GB of ram in my Raspberry Pi.

I have 76GB of ram in my T5500

I have 32GB of ram in my 12,2 iMac

I have 96GB of ram in my MP5,1

I have 48GB of ram in my CWWK i3-n305

I have (I think) 4GB ram in my iPhone 13-mini

I use my 13-mini a lot more than all the others, but my 5,1 comes-in at a close second.

Wired Memory on my 5,1 is pegged at about 4.5GB, and I do not notice any slow-downs.

My iP13-mini is *always* performant* ;)

If my comp. ceiling was 8GB, I'd probably start freaking.

All that being said: just cruisin' websites, and such, will not make you angry ;)
 
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splifingate said:
I have 8GB of ram in my Raspberry Pi.

I have 76GB of ram in my T5500

I have 32GB of ram in my 12,2 iMac

I have 96GB of ram in my MP5,1

I have 48GB of ram in my CWWK i3-n305

I have (I think) 4GB ram in my iPhone 13-mini

I use my 13-mini a lot more than all the others, but my 5,1 comes-in at a close second.

Wired Memory on my 5,1 is pegged at about 4.5GB, and I do not notice any slow-downs.

My iP13-mini is *always* performant* ;)

If my comp. ceiling was 8GB, I'd probably start freaking.

All that being said: just cruisin' websites, and such, will not make you angry ;)
Click to expand...
I think those machines are not comparable with OP question. Which of them has Apple silicone? Which of the has the same usage with OP?
 
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As others have said, the key bit is that you want to keep the machine for 5 years. the upgrade to 16 will help with machine longevity in areas other than RAM. Browsers use quite a bit of RAM and while you might not see slowdowns when memory runs low, the SSD takes a bit of a hit the more the system relies on SWAP.

Had a friend that had a 8gb machine and used it for school papers/research. The machine ran OK performance wise but was swapping out 20gb+. Ran SMART diag on the SSD and it was at 3% health after only 2 years.
 
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dotzero123 said:
Purchased the 1499 model of the iMac with 8GB ram. I'm not a power user, don't edit videos or photos. Really just want to enjoy a Mac with a decent display without putting out for Mac Studio with ASD. I have read a lot about 8GB ram being more efficient on Mac, and that it could be sufficient for users like me. Planning on keeping my computer at least 5 years.
Any thoughts or recommendations?
Click to expand...

8gb is fine if you don’t do much multitasking and don’t run too many web browser tabs. It’s a great TV for Netflix or email.

For anything else, you’ll be waiting a bit. You might not notice the sluggishness until you actually use a machine with properly spec’d ram. It’s a new machine that may feel like a last generation machine.
 
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Isamilis said:
I think those machines are not comparable with OP question. Which of them has Apple silicone? Which of the has the same usage with OP?
Click to expand...

I wrote:

I have 8GB of ram in my Raspberry Pi.

I have 76GB of ram in my T5500

I have 32GB of ram in my 12,2 iMac

I have 96GB of ram in my MP5,1

I have 48GB of ram in my CWWK i3-n305

I have (I think) 4GB ram in my iPhone 13-mini

I use my 13-mini a lot more than all the others, but my 5,1 comes-in at a close second.

Wired Memory on my 5,1 is pegged at about 4.5GB, and I do not notice any slow-downs.
Click to expand...

Maybe you missed the intended importance of my last reference:

My iP13-mini is *always* performant* ;)
Click to expand...

It uses an A15 Bionic, which is not that dissimilar to the 'core' of what the newest iMac relies upon.

I am continually amazed by just how performant AAPL silicon actually is; even when performing tasks which I would have thought improbable (esp. considering the capabilities of the other, aforementioned, tech . . . referenced, above).

I love RAM, and--truly--I could gobble as much of it right-up as I would, given the opportunity.

Biggus-Stickus certainly rallies the troops . . .

The key--I find--is being able to satisfyingly sip one's tea, while enjoying the moment.

Enjoy your lovely iMac, dotzero123 ;)

Regards, splifingate
 
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I have 64GB M1 Max MBP 16 inch for professional use and M2 MBA 8 GB as home computer for family use. my MBA 8GB replaced another 8 year old Mac with 8GB. For genral use 8GB should last you easily 5-6 years. If you can afford it, buy more RAM, but its not a must.
 
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dotzero123 said:
Purchased the 1499 model of the iMac with 8GB ram. I'm not a power user, don't edit videos or photos. Really just want to enjoy a Mac with a decent display without putting out for Mac Studio with ASD. I have read a lot about 8GB ram being more efficient on Mac, and that it could be sufficient for users like me. Planning on keeping my computer at least 5 years.
Any thoughts or recommendations?
Click to expand...
If you’re just browsing the web and opening office docs it’s more than enough. You won’t be able to brag on here but you’ll have $200 extra in your bank account
 
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If you want to keep the cost down one option is to buy a refurbished model with 16GB of RAM. An M1 processor will still be plenty fast for your intended use. And having 16GB of RAM should ensure (as a non power user) that your iMac will function without hiccups for pretty much the entire supported lifetime of the computer. Just make sure to also get enough storage for your needs.
 
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