8gb or 16gb ram for 2014 rMBP 13"?

[TechZeke]

1) lots of word processing
2) web browsing including watching hulu and netflix
3) powerpoint presentation
4) iphoto and some imovie (viewing and editing movies)
5) quicktime movies - I'm a school teacher, and my students use those old flip cameras to record their presentations. I often convert movie files, and it takes time with my current machine.

My mother does this on a 4GB of RAM MacBook Air.

 

[karatekidk]

My mother does this on a 4GB of RAM MacBook Air.

I think that Air has SSD, right? Then that should be quite a bit faster than my MBP with 7200rpm HDD.

 

[TechZeke]

I think that Air has SSD, right? Then that should be quite a bit faster than my MBP with 7200rpm HDD.

Yes, SSD equipped. More RAM won't do anything if you aren't using it. If your memory pressure is in the green, SSD should be the first priority if your Mac is running slow.

Actually, even if you are running low on RAM, SSD will still be a priority upgrade since the SSD can page out faster. The SSD is win-win upgrade regardless, really.

 

[dogslobber]

Hi all. I am considering getting a new laptop as the one I have been using (mid-2010 13" MBP, 4gb ram, 512gb 7200rpm HDD) is showing its' age and lags when multitasking. I have been looking at a refurb 2014 rMBP 13" to save some money, but can't decide between 8gb and 16gb ram even after reading multiple forum threads. I use my computer for:

1) lots of word processing
2) web browsing including watching hulu and netflix
3) powerpoint presentation
4) iphoto and some imovie (viewing and editing movies)
5) quicktime movies - I'm a school teacher, and my students use those old flip cameras to record their presentations. I often convert movie files, and it takes time with my current machine.

Refurb 2014 13" rMBP i5/16gb ram/512 SSD = $1599
Refurb 2014 13" rMBP i5/8gb ram/512 SSD = $1399

I know the 16gb ram model goes pretty quickly... but do you think it's worth it? I'd appreciate your input.

This is the second half of the second decade of the 21st century. 8gb won't cut it anymore, so you want to future proof yourself for what's about to change in OS X.

 

[redheeler]

This is the second half of the second decade of the 21st century. 8gb won't cut it anymore, so you want to future proof yourself for what's about to change in OS X.

For the OP's tasks, I will admit I would definitely shy away from 4 GB RAM in an un-upgradeable laptop, but 8 GB will be fine for years to come.

Also, I would like to thank Apple for making Yosemite more RAM efficient on my 2 GB MacBook Air than Mavericks. This was one of my main concerns when deciding to install it after installing Mavericks. I still have yet to see how well it runs on the SSD.

 

[Hieveryone]

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

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What does "goes pretty quickly" mean.

What you are describing can easily be done with 4gb RAM.

His tasks definitely don't need 16 IMO but he should still get 8 to stay future proof

 

[karatekidk]

This is the second half of the second decade of the 21st century. 8gb won't cut it anymore, so you want to future proof yourself for what's about to change in OS X.

For the OP's tasks, I will admit I would definitely shy away from 4 GB RAM in an un-upgradeable laptop, but 8 GB will be fine for years to come.

Also, I would like to thank Apple for making Yosemite more RAM efficient on my 2 GB MacBook Air than Mavericks. This was one of my main concerns when deciding to install it after installing Mavericks. I still have yet to see how well it runs on the SSD.

His tasks definitely don't need 16 IMO but he should still get 8 to stay future proof

Thank you for sharing your opinions. Well, as I stated in the earlier post, I went with a refurb 2014 rMBP 2.8/16/512 for $1569 - definitely more than I wanted to pay for. However, it's very likely that I will be selling it a year and half from now, so I made a decision hoping it would have a better resale value. That might not have been a wise decision, but that's what I did.