8 gigs of ram

[EugW]

I never said it was, so apologies if my post came across that way.

I just meant that the MBA as a whole will be fine with 8Gb RAM. Unless you do something requiring heavy CPU & GPU. What I should have added is in which case the MBP should be considered.

Your post is still somewhat misleading.

My point is you don’t need heavy CPU or GPU to use a lot of memory. It really depends on the type of workload. For example some heavy multitasking business app type workloads can be quite RAM hungry without stressing the CPU that much.

It’s even worse with VMs. You can use up half your 8 GB memory and not actually be doing anything, with your CPU near idle.

Meanwhile, some heavy CPU workloads run just fine on 4 GB RAM.

 

[Tsepz]

8GB RAM has been just fine for my MBA, for running Mail, Calendar, iTunes, Google Chrome, MS PowerPoint and MS Excel all at once, at work. Most of my work is done on online platforms so I don't need crazy power.

 

[QCassidy352]

I’ve had 8 GB in my Mac for the past 5 years, and it’s totally fine. That said, I don’t know if I’d go for 8 again on a new 2018 mac that I intended to use for another 5 years.

 

[nutmac]

I got 16GB on my kid’s MBA because it is frequently used by my wife. With Touch ID, it is very easy to switch user and having 16GB helps a great deal with multiple users.

 

[marshallbedsaul]

These machines are disposable and are basically non repairable.. How future proof does a disposable machine need to be? 8GB is fine for your home style usage. If you want a warm and fuzzy - piece of mind feeling then get one with 16GB...

Funny my beat to crap 2011 15” pro still runs like a champ.

 

[fuchsdh]

My 2014 MBP does fine with 8GB, and I'm using it for occasional Adobe CC workloads, editing podcasts when I'm away from my Mac Pro, and surfing/streaming.

The difference between 8 and 16GB of RAM is not the same as 2 to 4GB or 4GB to 8GB. You'll be fine for the foreseeable future (and longer than that if web designers stopped making massive needlessly bloated pages, but that's a topic for another time.)

I'd also add that the importance of memory has declined in part because we've got ultrafast SSDs. If stuff pages to the disk (assuming you have space) you're not taking anywhere near the hit you once were on old machines.)

 

[raqball]

Funny my beat to crap 2011 15” pro still runs like a champ.

Sure but you missed the point.. Your machine is not ready for the dumpster if the drive fails as it can be replaced. You machine is not ready for the dumpster if the RAM fails ect.....

These new machines are unless you want to spend what it would cost to buy a new one to repair it...

 

[ascender]

Is 8 gigs of ram ok for the general users who surfs web, e-mail and does documents? I was surprised the new air came standard with 8 gigs of ram.

Absolutely...

And they can cope with a whole lot more than those apps to be honest.

If you really need 16GB of RAM, you'll know based on the work you do. If you just want 16GB of RAM and aren't on a budget, that's fine too. But 8GB of RAM with these fast SSDs are probably more than powerful enough for most users.

 

[newellj]

8GB RAM has been just fine for my MBA, for running Mail, Calendar, iTunes, Google Chrome, MS PowerPoint and MS Excel all at once, at work. Most of my work is done on online platforms so I don't need crazy power.

I returned my 16gb 512gb rMBA in favor of an 8/512 tb rMBP a few days ago and have been watching memory pressure like a hawk. My typical use is the same as you describe, though I use Safari rather than Chrome. I haven't seen memory pressure outside of green (per Activity Monitor) or above ~50% (per iStat Menus). I have a 16/512 tb rMBP on order but I think I'm going to cancel it.

 

[Amorun]

It’s even worse with VMs. You can use up half your 8 GB memory and not actually be doing anything, with your CPU near idle.

Will new Air's CPU be enough for a VM and Mac simultaneous work, assuming 16 Gigs of RAM?

 

[EugW]

Will new Air's CPU be enough for a VM and Mac simultaneous work, assuming 16 Gigs of RAM?

It really depends on what's happening in the VM. For example, if you have Windows VM you are using to test a website, you will use the CPU while doing the testing of course.

However, when you are not actively using the VM, the VM uses almost no CPU at all, but still eats up lots of RAM.

If you quit the VM, you get your RAM back, but it's a big PITA having to keep exiting and relaunching the VM. It's so much easier just to leave it active all the time in this context. It won't use much CPU sitting in the background, but this is only possible if you have RAM to spare.

 

[Amorun]

It really depends on what's happening in the VM. For example, if you have a test website on Windows in a VM you want to test, you will use the CPU while doing the testing.

However, when you are not actively using the VM, the VM uses almost no CPU at all, but still eats up lots of RAM.

Usually I use only CAT-translation tool MemoQ, MS Word and a remote desktop in VM/Windows, simultaneously I use Safari, with dozens of tabs, Skype, Mail, Adobe Acrobat and some kind of MS Office on the Mac, so is Air's chip OK with this load?

 

[EugW]

Usually I use only CAT-translation tool MemoQ, MS Word and a remote desktop in VM/Windows, simultaneously I use Safari, with dozens of tabs, Skype, Mail, Adobe Acrobat and some kind of MS Office on the Mac, so is Air's chip OK with this load?

Like I suggested, it really depends on how much CPU power you need in the VM. I don't know MemoQ or the remote desktop software you use. Is the usage in the VM only occasional and/or low CPU usage? If so, and if you have allocated sufficient RAM to the VM, it shouldn't be a big deal.

OTOH, I'm curious why you wouldn't just get a MacBook Pro. It's the same footprint, and the Air only weighs 9% less. It also has a nicer screen.

 

[Amorun]

Like I suggested, it really depends on how much CPU power you need in the VM. I don't know MemoQ or the remote desktop software you use. Is the usage in the VM only occasional and/or low CPU usage? If so, and if you have allocated sufficient RAM to the VM, it shouldn't be a big deal.

OTOH, I'm curious why you wouldn't just get a MacBook Pro. It's the same footprint, and the Air only weighs 9% less.

Are you talking about ntMBP 16/256 mid 17? I've heard some unpleasant thoughts on its cooling system being less advanced - and less quiet - than in new Air and TB Pros, also a worse keyboard playing a role. My dream was a 16 Gb tb Pro of 2018, but prices in my region on that specific model (with 256 Gb SSD) are a bit insane.

But it surely would be my Mac for 5 years and counting, considering it's power.

 

[Falcon80]

Are you talking about ntMBP 16/256 mid 17? I've heard some unpleasant thoughts on its cooling system being less advanced - and less quiet - than in new Air and TB Pros, also a worse keyboard playing a role. My dream was a 16 Gb tb Pro of 2018, but prices in my region on that specific model (with 256 Gb SSD) are a bit insane.

But it surely would be my Mac for 5 years and counting, considering it's power.

The ntMBP only has a single fan because it is using a lesser voltage chip compared to other MacBook Pro. The new Air according to reviews heats up pretty fast during the stress test and due to throttling, performance is not that much better than even the 12" Macbook.