8GB or 16GB on the rMBP to be Futureproof?

[Mirai 11]

Hello,
I'm currently in the market for the 15" rMBP, and even though 512GB is a given for me storage wise, I want to make sure that this can last as long as 5years as my first Mac did.
Would it be better or too much to go to 16GB of Memory to make sure that it will be able to work with the Apps and Games of the future by the time it's 2018?
I'll be using it for everything; Photos, Video Editing, Boot Camp for Steam, Music, Uni work, so just some advice on whether it's the best way to go to upgrade the memory to 16GB for better performance down the line
Thanks!

 

[justperry]

If you can afford it go for it, if not don't.

 

[Jedi]

Yup , the more the better

You might not need it now and you may not need it at all for all app`s.

However , as technology evolves , app`s and op-sys`s will require more ram.

Example:

Getting your new MBP-R with 16 gig`s is a logical thing to do , if you can`t afford it now wait until you can. You have a well made notebook with an SSD , it will most likely last for some time.

If you were going to get MBP with rotating mass storage , then 8 would be fine.

Also when you buy a MBP-R , what you get is what you will have , when it comes to ram.

Bottom line , spend the bucks , it will be worth it tomorrow !

Best of luck

G. 

2010 Mac Mini 4.1 & 2012 MBP-R / 256 / 8 Gb-R

 

[utekineir]

Save the $. Sell it sooner and upgrade.

Futureproofing in the computer world is stupid, getting 5 years out of a piece of hardware means riding it past the steepest parts of its depreciation.


Occasional page outs on a fast ssd aren't exactly painful.

 

[ProfessorJerry]

It depends..

What do you think you will be doing with it? Adobe products like Photoshop and AfterEffects eat RAM like candy. 64-bit 3D programs can also use the extra space for image storage. In short, for Video Editing, animation, or fractal image manipulation, the more RAM the better.

As far as "future proofing" I doubt any of the above listed programs are going to use less RAM in the future...

 

[designs216]

Yeah, go for it. This machine can't be upgraded so max it out now.

 

[iAppl3Fan]

16GB is the way to go.

 

[spatlese44]

I agree with the theory that upgrading more often is the best "future proofing" this may be a case where the upgrade is justified. Even if you did sell in two or three years, I think you would get a substantial part of that $200 back in the higher resale. Given that it's non-upgradable, maybe more than $200. Probably more future value than say a processor upgrade.

 

[utekineir]

I agree with the theory that upgrading more often is the best "future proofing" this may be a case where the upgrade is justified. Even if you did sell in two or three years, I think you would get a substantial part of that $200 back in the higher resale. Given that it's non-upgradable, maybe more than $200. Probably more future value than say a processor upgrade.

with refurb base models being $1780 the difference isn't $200, its more like $600+

if op is ruling out refurb and paying out of his own pocket he isn't thinking right.

 

[marioman38]

Hello,
Make sure that it will be able to work with the Apps and Games of the future by the time it's 2018?

By the time 2018 rolls around you'll need to worry about a lot more than RAM. Your graphics card, graphics dedicated memory, and CPU will all be 5 years old. Laptops are meant to be replaced every ~3 years.

I'd save the $$ and get 8GB. I've had 8GB in my desktop for a year and never use more than 33% with photoshop, lightroom, gaming, web browsing, and movie watching (not all at once obviously). My MBA has only 4GB RAM and I'm using less than 45% typing this and listening to iTunes.

 

[Mirai 11]

with refurb base models being $1780 the difference isn't $200, its more like $600+

if op is ruling out refurb and paying out of his own pocket he isn't thinking right.

Definitely thinking right about a refurb, if it's cheaper for the same specifications I want it for then it'd be no problem for me

I don't use Adobe Apps, mainly iPhoto and Aperture, but I'd use Parallells to either load up my Boot Camp partition or use other virtual machines for Uni work, which takes up a lot of memory i remember, so and with so many games this year requiring 4GB, maybe even the next refresh could have 16GB as standard for the retina models?

 

[ShiggyMiyamoto]

I'm surprised that there aren't any refurbs from last gen with 16 GB, if not being sold for a little more than the 8GB models... I also (as was being discussed in another thread) am in the market for a new rMBP, and I'd love to have 16 GB of RAM, but money is a concern for me, since I'd mostly be using my tax refund, whenever I may get it. When it comes to 'futureproofing', which I do believe in, at that point yeah.... 4-5 years down the line I'd totally just buy a new machine since there'd be nothing I could do with 5 y/o hardware at that point.

 

[Santabean2000]

What is futureproof. Really. Buy what you need and can afford now and then start saving for a new replacement sooner.

 

[paulrbeers]

I don't believe much in "future Proofing" especially when it comes to CPU's. A 2.7ghz quadcore Ivy Bridge will basically be "out dated" just as quickly as a 2.3ghz quad core Ivy Bridge. However, when it comes to RAM, for the most part to me the more the merrier. Now, I do a lot in VM's, so 8GB is bare Minimum and 16GB is a sweet spot. I wouldn't spend 2K on a laptop and not have 16GB. Processing needs don't seem to be increasing, but memory seems to be one place we see more and more need every year. Now, if you are only surfing the internet, word processing, etc. then 8GB will probably be fine for you for years to come, but if you have an urge to do video editing, image editing (outside of basic functions using iphoto), or VM's then you really need to consider 16GB. I find Mt Lion needs almost 2GB itself, and if you do any VM's allocating 2-4GB to a VM means there isn't much left for Apps in OSX.

Edit: I should point out that my 8GB minimum has basically caused my 2011 Macbook Air with only 4GB of RAM to be almost obsolete for my needs. Sad really. If Apple had offered 8GB in 2011 then my Air would be fine for a couple more years. I'm just waiting for the Haswell laptops and will upgrade then. I need more RAM way more than I need more CPU (for anything CPU intensive I VNC into my Mini or my Pro).

 

[utekineir]

I'm surprised that there aren't any refurbs from last gen with 16 GB, if not being sold for a little more than the 8GB models...

Edit: I should point out that my 8GB minimum has basically caused my 2011 Macbook Air with only 4GB of RAM to be almost obsolete for my needs.

Both good points.

Because of only the base model being on the refub store typically the price difference for upgrading the ram isn't 200 going from $2200-$2400, its closer to $650.

The 4gb in the off the shelf mba models is what pointed me toward the rmbp to being with. There was 0 chance 4gb would have been adequate for my needs. 8gb is thin, but workable.

When you think about it though, even now i'd bet the majority of apple machines are sold with 4gb, if thats the case apple won't be making 8gb obsolete for atleast a couple more years, and at that point if you aren't heavily invested to begin with it will make it all the easier to resell and hop in again at the base of the current generations high end.