8GB Enough?

[supernet33]

Will 8GB be enough 4-5 years from now?
I understand everyones use is different so I am asking for in general.
I got the new rMBP with 8GB of ram however, I can exchange it..

Thanks

 

[lokster]

imo yeah 8gb should be more than enough. 4gb is actually still the market standard, and it doesnt seem like it needs more, unless you do heavy stuff like graphics, rendering or video editing

 

[glenthompson]

The only time I really need more than 8gb is when running Parallels and Windows. When running native OS X apps I never see any significant memory pressure.

So unless you run a lot of memory intensive apps, 8 should be fine.

 

[Meister]

Look here: https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/1756865/

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I understand everyones use is different so I am asking for in general. I got the new rMBP with 8GB of ram however, I can exchange it..

If you know that its different with everyone then why do you ask in general? There is no in general.
Why do you want to exchange your macbook and what for?

They only reason ram requirements go up for basic office tasks is developer laziness.
The theoretical real requirements for apps haven't changed for years.

 

[capathy21]

The answer is yes.

 

[simonsi]

8GB with Mavericks compression can give you 14-15GB with compression so I'd say yes, if you strain 8GB physical then there is still plenty of growth for expansion via compression....and that may get better with further OSX releases.

 

[Cloudsurfer]

From experience I can say that even 4GB is enough for 3-4 1080p timeline tracks in FCPX. My memory pressure stays in the green all the time, even with lots of effects and titles.

So it's not that video editing requires maxed out Ram per definition.

 

[maflynn]

I'd say that 8GB is more then enough for most uses.

 

[brdeveloper]

Will 8GB be enough 4-5 years from now?
I understand everyones use is different so I am asking for in general.
I got the new rMBP with 8GB of ram however, I can exchange it..

Thanks

It depends enough for what. I think most normal usage can be made with just 8GB, but as always, some tools can increase their system requirements with time (like Photoshop, Netbeans, Eclipse + Android SDK, etc).

If you're a lawyer or someone who deals mostly with text, spreadsheets, browsing the web and watching full hd movies, you should be certainly fine for 5 years.

 

[nostresshere]

Will 8GB be enough 4-5 years from now?
I understand everyones use is different so I am asking for in general.
I got the new rMBP with 8GB of ram however, I can exchange it..

Thanks

Sorry, but "in general" can mean different things. If you are editing cable tv specials, in general, you are already in trouble.

If you are browsing the web and running office, you are in fine shape.

 

[Freyqq]

From experience I can say that even 4GB is enough for 3-4 1080p timeline tracks in FCPX. My memory pressure stays in the green all the time, even with lots of effects and titles.

So it's not that video editing requires maxed out Ram per definition.

It gets complicated now that most computers are having integrated GPUs with shared vRAM. Now all the ram has to be shared, so you really have ~3.5gb of usable ram. Add an external monitor, and you're down even more. Since it is a retina display, user interface elements are all high-res, so that uses even more ram.

I don't think I'd go with less than 8gb at this point.

 

[s2mikey]

I'd say that 8GB is more then enough for most uses.

Me too. Honestly, many of us that did go with 8 would have likely found that 4 was also good enough. But, let's face it, most of us are spec nerds so we just HAD to have 8 GB of RAM.

 

[maflynn]

Me too. Honestly, many of us that did go with 8 would have likely found that 4 was also good enough. But, let's face it, most of us are spec nerds so we just HAD to have 8 GB of RAM.

Agreed, even with 4, that would be fine, but because the ram soldered onto the logic board, people are extra wary.