8GB RAM on M3 MacBook Pro 'Analogous to 16GB' on PCs, Claims Apple

[Lord Hamsa]

"What do you think about the 8GB of unified memory supplied in the base configuration of M3 MacBook Pro?"

It all comes down to how the machine is going to be used, so in that sense I do agree with the sentiment of "don't worry about the raw numbers, look at what it actually does".

However, you also have to look ahead to not what it's going to be capable of doing now, but also at the end of its lifecycle (with you, at least). How long do you plan on keeping this particular machine? If you upgrade often, then going for what works for you right now is fine. If you plan on making this your "once in 5 years" upgrade, you need to be over-speccing it so it will be able to keep up with what's coming down the road later.

And when I over-spec a computer, the first thing I aim for is more memory (rather than faster CPU or more disk) because that usually gives you the best defense against future needs.

 

[tobybrut]

Ah but you stumbled upon a huge difference. Apple doesn't provide 16GB versions of certain products to retailers like Amazon, Costco and Best Buy. Microsoft does. Your only choice is to go BTO through Apple (or a few certified retailers who can order BTO). So saying you have to use Microsoft's website to compare because you can only do that with Apple's is being disingenuous.

Yes, they do. I bought one. I mentioned right above I bought a non-stock MacBook Pro with M1 Pro with 16GB of RAM and non-standard storage (2TB) from Amazon for $500 off list price over a year ago. While stock options are more easily found, Apple does sell non-stock products with other retailers.

You don’t get it. He tried to disguise the price upgrade by quoting a standard price with less RAM and a sale item with more RAM while trying to say their upgrade prices are cheap, You can’t compare a non-sale price of the same item with sale price of an upgraded item and not be disingenuous. Since sale prices are going to fluctuate, that is also a bad way to compare upgrade prices. Even Amazon mostly sells Macs for full price, though they often do have sales.

 

[nexx27]

That happened once you substitute a customer-experience centric guy (read Steve Jobs) for a supply chain guy (read Tim Cook)...

No more upgradable devices no more iPhoto, no more iTunes, no more any kind of power user attention. Just general user focus..

One day they will realize that they don't need to keep punishing HW upgrades since their policy of lack of OS updateability in 8 or 10 years is already sufficient to push for customer device replacements.

I wonder who will be stupid enough to flush 3.5k USD on VR device that you'll be also locked to a system (with M2 proc and limiting RAM memory)...

Then a little bit latter will have to get an entire new VR device because of computing power.... that's ridiculous..

 

[addictive]

This is an example of Apple being so far up their own ... and inside their own bubble that they no longer realise that the public know better.

Apple's last quarter profit was $23 billion. Not revenue which would have been awesome. And that figure is not profit for the entire year, it is for 3 months. This level of profit is a reason they put 8GB RAM as standard so in 2023 if you want more they can gauge you for the upgrade.

 

[Unregistered 4U]

Every time these discussions come up I get so amazed by the elitist attitudes that come out of some people.

But, you see, it’s a known fact by almost ALL MacRumors readers that folks that use a computer a few hours a day to surf the web and play music eventually end up using Photoshop to edit high megapixel images while constructing enormous databases in a VM. 8 GB may be enough for their needs now, BUT WHAT ABOUT THE FUUUTURRRE? /s

There’s an only a tiny, exceedingly small group of users that launch at least 1 professional app a couple times a month or more. Everyone else is not anywhere near that.

 

[eropko]

That's just regular RAM. I have no idea what you mean by "dedicated" in this context.

Same as dedicated GPU RAM on older CPUs, allocated by GPU, used by GPU.

 

[CarAnalogy]

tell that to Chrome developers

Exactly. This was just a dumb statement for him to make. Opening very large files is going to take the same amount of RAM, doesn’t matter how efficiently it’s used. Sure, it might still work. But it’s going to hammer that SSD and shorten the lifespan of that single 256 GB module.

 

[chrono1081]

Well, that's just embarrassing... should have rather stayed quiet on this.

Why? They're not wrong.

 

[leman]

Same as dedicated GPU RAM on older CPUs, allocated by GPU, used by GPU.

GPU does not allocate RAM (maybe GPU firmware can, I’m not sure, but it will likely go via the kernel i.e. CPU). Any RAM used by the GPU is just RAM. It can be paged out, compressed etc. just like any other RAM buffer.

 

[eropko]

You don’t get it. He tried to disguise the price upgrade by quoting a standard price with less RAM and a sale item with more RAM while trying to say their upgrade prices are cheap, You can’t compare a non-sale price of the same item with sale price of an upgraded item and not be disingenuous. Since sale prices are going to fluctuate, that is also a bad way to compare upgrade prices. Even Amazon mostly sells Macs for full price, though they often do have sales.

I didn't try to disguise anything. I was asking you and still asking you to find me where in retail right i can buy MBPs for +$23 per RAM increase, the same increase i can buy MS laptops now.

Just admit you can only buy them for +$200 and we're done.

 

[DonkeyKongGarlic]

How many megacycles does a bong have?

 

[eropko]

GPU does not allocate RAM (maybe GPU firmware can, I’m not sure, but it will likely go via the kernel i.e. CPU). Any RAM used by the GPU is just RAM. It can be paged out, compressed etc. just like any other RAM buffer.

No and no.

 

[ProfessionalFan]

Every time these discussions come up I get so amazed by the elitist attitudes that come out of some people.

It is elitist to want more than 8 GB of RAM?

 

[Motorola68000]

Posters should stop equating base configurations on PCs and comparing that to Apple.

Yes base on pc is often 8Gb but Apples success was built on being better and more forward thinking and where 16Gb would do so much for PR and where it would cost Apple peanuts.

In considering PC v Apple base it misses out that unified memory for Mac costs? More RAM on an upgradeable PC costs?

Apples strength was built on innovation usability and forward thinking in advance of pc base 8Gb where it would demonstrate that difference.

 

[jclardy]

I'll just say from my experience - I had a 32GB Intel i9 MBP 16" (The model right before the M1's) and an 8GB base model iMac M1. I did iOS development with Xcode, with figma, slack and safari open with zero performance issues. In fact, performance was essentially comparable to the i9. Was I hitting swap? Sure. Could I notice? Nope, it was just as fast as the i9 in practice.

Should the base model MBP in 2023 be 8/256 - nope. But the consumer just has to figure that in, that the base model price tag is just a number, and the "true" base model is more expensive. Next year iPhones will beat out base model pro mac's on RAM...

 

[Digger148]

Well, if Apple has the "courage" to still be asking $1000 for the 8/256 M1 MacBook Air in late 2023 this triumph of stinginess comes as no surprise. A shame, because otherwise, this new tier MBP 14 is a nice starting point.

We all know 16gb will be part of next year's incremental updates for the "Deep Cave Sateen Black New MacBook Pro. Now Super Turbo Charged with 2X the Ram".

 

[ProfessionalFan]

8Gb > 16Gb
24” > 27”

…

The screen size one is over simplification or actually a lie about what they said assuming you understood what they said at the time. They were referring to PPI.

As far as the RAM goes, it is absurd to only have 8 GB and to act like it is the same as 16 GB yes. Even though I'm apparently an elitist for thinking so.

 

[skaertus]

Next, Apple will say that 256 GB storage on Macs is equivalent to 512 GB on PCs...

 

[CharBroiled20s]

Following the unveiling of new MacBook Pro models last week, Apple surprised some with the introduction of a base 14-inch MacBook Pro with M3 chip, which replaced the discontinued M2 13-inch MacBook Pro in Apple's Mac lineup.

Starting at $1,599, the 14-inch M3 MacBook Pro comes with 8GB of unified memory. That makes it $300 more expensive than the $1,299 starting price of the now-discontinued ‌M2‌ 13-inch MacBook Pro with 8GB. Users can opt for 16GB or 24GB at checkout, but these configuration options cost an extra $200 and $400 at purchase, respectively, and cannot be upgraded at a later date because of Apple's unified memory architecture.

This has left Apple open to criticism from users who argue that 8GB is not a sufficient amount of RAM for most creative professional workflows, and that 16GB should be the bare minimum for a machine that is marketed as "Pro," rather than an additional several hundred dollar outlay.

In a recent interview with Chinese ML engineer and content creator Lin YilYi, Apple's VP of worldwide product marketing Bob Borchers has directly responded to this criticism. After YilYi characterized the base M3 MacBook Pro coming with 8GB of RAM as the "one major concern" of prospective buyers, Borchers replied:
While the 14-inch MacBook Pro with 8GB of unified memory is $300 more expensive than the M2 13-inch MacBook Pro it replaces, there are a number of other benefits worth considering aside from the faster processor, such as the larger, brighter mini-LED Liquid Retina XDR display, support for 120Hz ProMotion refresh rates, and better battery life. Other improvements include additional ports, a better 1080p FaceTime HD camera, a six-speaker sound system, Wi-Fi 6E support, and Bluetooth 5.3.

What do you think about the 8GB of unified memory supplied in the base configuration of M3 MacBook Pro? Does it suit your requirements, or make the "Pro" machine grossly underpowered for your use case? Let us know in the comments.

Article Link: 8GB RAM on M3 MacBook Pro 'Analogous to 16GB' on PCs, Claims Apple

What an absurd statement to make. There is no amount of compression or swap - regardless of ssd speeds that makes up for actual physical memory.

I'd guess these are Apple's binned chips that they're hawking to offset the 55% fail rate at the factory.
Previously reported they are absorbing the cost for failed chips from TSMC.

Selling their binned inventory is fine. Everyone does it. I take issue with the statement and the pricing.

 

[ProfessionalFan]

Apple should just put 4 GB RAM in the base model, there'd still be customers defending it.

 

[richpjr]

I can see how if your needs are very light how you can sneak by with 8 GB now but with no way to upgrade RAM it is not very future proof. Things are getting more complicated, not less, so if you get one with 8 GB and your needs suddenly changed, you are left with buying a new computer. The sad thing is how much they upcharge to upgrade but Apple is all about the bottom line.

 

[eropko]

Could I notice? Nope, it was just as fast as the i9 in practice.

But it was slower than it could be. Probably would notice if at your side was a properly set up M1, not inferior noisy i9.
You were also lucky base M1 MBAs didn't come with single NAND.

 

[ttaylor2258]

Not the same, but I have an M1 MacBook Pro and when I bought it, I went with the 16GB upgrade. I use Clean My Mac and I can't tell you how often it alerts me that my RAM usage is almost full and I need to free up space. It's usually something like iTunes hogging about 5GB of it. But it's really dumb to start out a "Pro" model with only 8GB. I work remotely, so I'm on RemotePC all day working in Photoshop and Illustrator. Oddly enough, RemotePC doesn't even show up as an issue in regards to RAM.

 

[ProfessionalFan]

Apple is all about the bottom line.

So is every publicly traded company. I am not going to go after them for that.

 

[4odomi]

Following the unveiling of new MacBook Pro models last week, Apple surprised some with the introduction of a base 14-inch MacBook Pro with M3 chip, which replaced the discontinued M2 13-inch MacBook Pro in Apple's Mac lineup.

Starting at $1,599, the 14-inch M3 MacBook Pro comes with 8GB of unified memory. That makes it $300 more expensive than the $1,299 starting price of the now-discontinued ‌M2‌ 13-inch MacBook Pro with 8GB. Users can opt for 16GB or 24GB at checkout, but these configuration options cost an extra $200 and $400 at purchase, respectively, and cannot be upgraded at a later date because of Apple's unified memory architecture.

This has left Apple open to criticism from users who argue that 8GB is not a sufficient amount of RAM for most creative professional workflows, and that 16GB should be the bare minimum for a machine that is marketed as "Pro," rather than an additional several hundred dollar outlay.

In a recent interview with Chinese ML engineer and content creator Lin YilYi, Apple's VP of worldwide product marketing Bob Borchers has directly responded to this criticism. After YilYi characterized the base M3 MacBook Pro coming with 8GB of RAM as the "one major concern" of prospective buyers, Borchers replied:
While the 14-inch MacBook Pro with 8GB of unified memory is $300 more expensive than the M2 13-inch MacBook Pro it replaces, there are a number of other benefits worth considering aside from the faster processor, such as the larger, brighter mini-LED Liquid Retina XDR display, support for 120Hz ProMotion refresh rates, and better battery life. Other improvements include additional ports, a better 1080p FaceTime HD camera, a six-speaker sound system, Wi-Fi 6E support, and Bluetooth 5.3.

What do you think about the 8GB of unified memory supplied in the base configuration of M3 MacBook Pro? Does it suit your requirements, or make the "Pro" machine grossly underpowered for your use case? Let us know in the comments.

Article Link: 8GB RAM on M3 MacBook Pro 'Analogous to 16GB' on PCs, Claims Apple

M chip RAM has always been more efficient than PC's, now on the M3 it's even more efficient with Dynamic Cache.
It's an entry level machine, If you need/want more RAM, then pay for it and stop moaning!
Most of these so called Pro's/Youtubers miss the whole point of the base M3, I was always going to upgrade from my 13" MBP for the Pro hardware features not the Pro Chip power (which I don't need) I only need the extra speed when browsing and the base M3 is 37% faster on speedometer 2.1 than the base M1.
If you really want to see the point of the base M3 the have a look at Luke Miami review.