I can read up on it and still basically ram slots under the hood. Unified memory is not new and been used on pc ram slots for decades.
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8GB RAM in M3 MacBook Pro Proves the Bottleneck in Real-World Tests
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I can read up on it and still basically ram slots under the hood. Unified memory is not new and been used on pc ram slots for decades.
Sheesh. Just read up on Unified Memory Architecture so you do not sound ignorant. The RAM is baked on the chip physically closer. Physics.
Like I said, read up instead of reiterating your ignorance. UMA RAM is not "basically ram slots under the hood."
And you can stop looking like a fool repeating Apple marketing lies and ********.
Yes it a little more than ram slots but that is closer to the truth than your repeating the same marketing ******** and you looking like a sucker covering Apple greed.
Problem is, some folks just don't know any better. Very smart people who just don't care to know. And then suffer in silence, nit knowing how life could be with a little more RAM sprinkled in their world.
Come on, there really is no manufacturing-cost reason Apple's RAM should be so much more expensive. The configuration is different, yes. Their memory controllers are on-die, so their RAM modules (which are off-die, but on the same SoC) don't have controllers like conventional RAM. Thus they need to order custom RAM modules. But with Apple's economies of scale, the net cost to Apple should not be that much different from what it would be if it used conventional RAM.
The other thing that gives the lie to the claim that Apple is charging more b/c it's UMA RAM, is that Apple's prices for RAM have always been far more than those of its PC competitors, even during the Intel days when it used conventional RAM. So saying this is because of UMA is simply not credible.
And please stop calling people "ignorant" when you have gaps in your own understanding. E.g., it's not clear what "The RAM is baked on the chip physically closer" means. I'm guessing you meant "The RAM is baked on the chip so it is physically closer." But that doesn't make sense, since it's simply installed on the SoC as separate modules. There's nothing "baked on" about that.
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RAM +8 GB and + SSD +256 GB a Total of 101 $ cost, sold in Italy at 460 €, not bad... 🙈
Thanks for the correction. I just looked at the price and did not see the option to upgrade when you try to buy it.
To all those complaining how much more the Macs cost outside the US: Yeah, I get it, they are more costly for non-US consumers. But when you post those prices, you really need to subtract VAT to do a fair comparison to US pricing, since US prices don't include taxes.
I.e., listed US prices are what Apple charges. Non-US listed prices are typically what Apple charges + govt. VAT.
Plus there may be import taxes as well, which are out of Apple's control.
I.e., listed US prices are what Apple charges. Non-US listed prices are typically what Apple charges + govt. VAT.
Plus there may be import taxes as well, which are out of Apple's control.
$200 to go from 8-16G of course. That alone deserves this rant, but pretending an 8G Mac is going to be as good as 16G on other machines -- that's way over the top.
A bit different, but my mom keeps open a ton of tabs (only like 30 which really isn't that much...) and word, power point etc open in the background. With 8 GB of RAM on the M1 MBA she always ran out. It kept swapping which was slowing the whole computer down (few second pauses just browsing the web). Had to have her upgrade to 16GB of ram with the M2 MBA to fix that.
I know, she should close stuff, but Mac OS isn't too friendly on how stuff closes and what not for non-tech savvy people. Really needs a beginner friendly pop up that says what's taking a lot of RAM when a certain amount hits swap.
16GB should be the minimum at this point in time for anyone. 32GB is the new 16GB. Stuff is taking more ram than ever.
I know, she should close stuff, but Mac OS isn't too friendly on how stuff closes and what not for non-tech savvy people. Really needs a beginner friendly pop up that says what's taking a lot of RAM when a certain amount hits swap.
16GB should be the minimum at this point in time for anyone. 32GB is the new 16GB. Stuff is taking more ram than ever.
I've never experienced "few second pauses" on my 8 GB M1.
That must be some bloated websites. 🤔
For me, this set of tests is a decent marker in the whole discussion of ‘is 8 GB ram good enough’. Those situations are cases which anybody could run into, maybe not every day, but some days when you’re importing photos from a camera after a trip for example.
I think it’s not too much to ask that the base Mac comes with 16 GB of ram. I wish Apple would do what’s right for the customers and not always put profits first.
I think it’s not too much to ask that the base Mac comes with 16 GB of ram. I wish Apple would do what’s right for the customers and not always put profits first.
Yeah, it's really terrible from them to be hugely profitable and not only being able to start their own chip design department, but beat everyone in performance per watt and buy up all the 3nm production capacity in the world. I'm sure M3 MacBook buyers are immensely disappointed by what they get for their money and will revert back to Wintel schlepptops any moment.
Yeah, most likely is (I know Gmail is pretty bad). Still not really her fault though, more of a combination of the website, lack of RAM, and Safari not handling memory leaked tabs very well.
It seems self-evident to me that Apple offers the 8Gb model to keep advertised entry prices low AND that the vast majority of purchasers are buying a MacBook for a use case which is limited to surfing, MS Office and maybe watching a few movies. 8Gb is more than adequate for that.
It's just marketing - for example all vehicle manufacturers do this: entry-level -> high-end but the sales rep's BMW 320 gives him/her the kudos of a BMW and their manager's BMW 340 M Sport gives him/her the kudos of a higher spec than the sales rep's car. Neither is likely to use the full potential of their car.
With a MacBook those users who are running heavier loads such as Final Cut &etc will know from day one they need more RAM and thus pay for it. Those (like me, probably) who know they'll never be rendering video or working on massive graphic projects really don't care if their nice machine has 8Gb or 16Gb.
The only real issues here are:
It's just marketing - for example all vehicle manufacturers do this: entry-level -> high-end but the sales rep's BMW 320 gives him/her the kudos of a BMW and their manager's BMW 340 M Sport gives him/her the kudos of a higher spec than the sales rep's car. Neither is likely to use the full potential of their car.
With a MacBook those users who are running heavier loads such as Final Cut &etc will know from day one they need more RAM and thus pay for it. Those (like me, probably) who know they'll never be rendering video or working on massive graphic projects really don't care if their nice machine has 8Gb or 16Gb.
The only real issues here are:
- Model naming ("Pro") - this is probably designed to appeal to middle managers "I need to the Pro because I'm a professional with Excel"
- The person from Apple who "misspoke" that their 8Gb is as good as everyone else's 16Gb - this was stupid thing to say
- Although I note that the article does not compare a MacBook vs a PC except for a brief reference to standard specifications.
- RAM pricing - well, it's Apple🤷♂️
Try going from 36GB to 128GB on the M3 Max. You can buy a 64GB RAM Intel laptop for that $1300 odd.
Right. Why not 4GB? Or let’s go back to 640x480 resolution. Or or or 20GB hard drives. Maybe just use dialup and cool Sony Ericsson flip phones.
Let’s at least go back to 64GB storage iPhones with 1-2gigs of RAM?
Having 8GB as an option is stupid. This isn’t about Apple marketing or upsells. I’m amazed at the number of Apple apologists and “yea 8GB is fine for most people” posts. My 2015 MBP has 16 gigs. Stop giving Apple a free pass and hiding behind technology and/or blaming people for making the mistake of buying 8GB machines. That option should not exist. Doesn’t matter what machine it is. Air, Pro, Lite, Starter. Whatever BS moniker Apple chooses to use.
Or any laptop made in 2023 that costs over 1K. Someone else posted they feel ashamed for buying an Apple product. I feel ashamed for sharing a planet and a computing platform with the “8 gigs is fine for 1600 laptop” camp.
The hyperbole 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
There is a huge market for 8 GB MacBooks. The M2 MBP was the second best-selling model. And it has been clearly shown to work for certain workloads.
And if 4 GB is a sizeable market, Apple would offer it. Specifications are dictated by technical feasibility and market size.
That’s what I did, paid more for extra RAM. However, progress happens when we “whine”. Progress happens because someone says “not good enough”. The iPhone happened because whatever was out there wasn’t good enough. That’s why we have 8k TVs, telescopes that can map the universe, cars that can go 200mph and rubber that keeps those cars on the road etc.
Progress doesn't happen when people go “8gigs is enough, status quo is fine”. If you say “100 miles for an electric car is good enough, if you want more range, pay more”, EV adoption won’t happen. I’m done with this thread as the inane justification and support of a stupid decision is blowing my mind.