air Macbook M2 16gb ram vs 512gb ssd?

[Chryde_]

Hi, i just bought a macbook air m2 with 8gb ram and 512gb ssd because i was afraid of the 256gb mono chip. But I still have the option to replace it with a 256gb ssd and 16gb ram, what should I do? I use mainly for university. I don't do video editing or anything like that, but maybe for the future it would be better to have 16gb ram? Thanks for the replies.

 

[spindude]

Hi, i just bought a macbook air m2 with 8gb ram and 512gb ssd because i was afraid of the 256gb mono chip. But I still have the option to replace it with a 256gb ssd and 16gb ram, what should I do? I use mainly for university. I don't do video editing or anything like that, but maybe for the future it would be better to have 16gb ram? Thanks for the replies.

RAM for sure. You can always use an external HD or the cloud but you can’t change the RAM. 10 safari tabs will tax 8gb.

 

[Chryde_]

RAM for sure. You can always use an external HD or the cloud but you can’t change the RAM. 10 safari tabs will tax 8gb.

Yes but so I wouldn't feel the difference having less writing and reading speed with a mono chip ssd?

 

[The Cockney Rebel]

Why not return it, save for a little bit longer, then buy a 16GB 512GB machine?

It will serve you better.

 

[Chryde_]

Why not return it, save for a little bit longer, then buy a 16GB 512GB machine?

It will serve you better.

Because for what I do, I don't need both upgrades, I chose one to solve the problem of the mono chip of the ssd, but I don't know if I made the right choice.

 

[The Cockney Rebel]

Because for what I do, I don't need both upgrades, I chose one to solve the problem of the mono chip of the ssd, but I don't know if I made the right choice.

Upgraded RAM will increase the lifespan of the machine, I think.

However, the 256GB slower SSD slows the machine from day one.

If you really had to choose, I think you may have made the right decision.

 

[Shirasaki]

8GB of Ram will not be enough for safari down the line.
That single chip SSD thing isn’t as much of a deal as tech communities criticise Apple for.
For me, I’m constantly running out of 16GB of RAM, and no way to increase it of course. A big picture Opening in photoshop would drag the machine to a crawl.
Keep in mind, if your SSD is filled with next to no space, your computer will quickly Die.

 

[Chryde_]

8GB of Ram will not be enough for safari down the line.
That single chip SSD thing isn’t as much of a deal as tech communities criticise Apple for.
For me, I’m constantly running out of 16GB of RAM, and no way to increase it of course. A big picture Opening in photoshop would drag the machine to a crawl.
Keep in mind, if your SSD is filled with next to no space, your computer will quickly Die.

So do you advise me to switch to 16/256 and maybe use a cloud for large files?

 

[Shirasaki]

So do you advise me to switch to 16/256 and maybe use a cloud for large files?

Use caution when trying to rely cloud for large files.
I suggest you to switch to 16/512 to get The benefit of both worlds.
If your budget is extremely tight, 16/256 is a better stop point than 8/512, unless you want to fill some stuff in internal SSD and carry around.

 

[Margrave]

I think you have the right machine for what it sounds like you need. Unless your into heavyweight
video editing the 8g of ram will work for you. With normal use you would most likely never use any of the 16g of ram
Being in the university, seems like storage is going to be more important
Good luck with your studies

Margrave

 

[theluggage]

Because for what I do, I don't need both upgrades, I chose one to solve the problem of the mono chip of the ssd, but I don't know if I made the right choice.

Is the system you have working for you today?

If so, don’t over-think it. If you're not doing anything demanding then even the 8GB/256GB model would probably be fine. If you need to upgrade RAM then you are more likely to need more storage as well - I wouldn't go to the trouble of returning it unless you;re going to get both. Unless you have some reason why you actually need 10 memory-guzzling tabs perpetually open in Safari.

I don't like the fact that Apple offers such a pathetic RAM/SSD spec on what isn't even their cheapest laptop - 16GB/512GB shouldn't be an expensive luxury in 2022 - but its adequate for light use.

You can always use an external HD or the cloud but you can’t change the RAM.

Yes, if you need huge quantities of storage then external HD or cloud is useful, but 512GB isn't huge by modern standards and it's an ultra-portable laptop so why would you want to lumber it with an external HD or the need for fast WiFi wherever you work?

 

[Chryde_]

Is the system you have working for you today?

If so, don’t over-think it. If you're not doing anything demanding then even the 8GB/256GB model would probably be fine. If you need to upgrade RAM then you are more likely to need more storage as well - I wouldn't go to the trouble of returning it unless you;re going to get both. Unless you have some reason why you actually need 10 memory-guzzling tabs perpetually open in Safari.

I don't like the fact that Apple offers such a pathetic RAM/SSD spec on what isn't even their cheapest laptop - 16GB/512GB shouldn't be an expensive luxury in 2022 - but its adequate for light use.

Yes, if you need huge quantities of storage then external HD or cloud is useful, but 512GB isn't huge by modern standards and it's an ultra-portable laptop so why would you want to lumber it with an external HD or the need for fast WiFi wherever you work?

Ultimately I don't use the pc for particularly heavy operations, but having already made the purchase, I can only choose whether to stay with 8/512 or change to 16/256 (in a future perspective where maybe 8gb ram will no longer be enough)

 

[Love-hate 🍏 relationship]

Hi, i just bought a macbook air m2 with 8gb ram and 512gb ssd because i was afraid of the 256gb mono chip. But I still have the option to replace it with a 256gb ssd and 16gb ram, what should I do? I use mainly for university. I don't do video editing or anything like that, but maybe for the future it would be better to have 16gb ram? Thanks for the replies.

absolutely yes

or you could get a mba m1 16/512 for much cheaper

or even better, a mba m1 16/256 since the m1 ssd is faster

 

[Chryde_]

absolutely yes

or you could get a mba m1 16/512 for much cheaper

or even better, a mba m1 16/256 since the m1 ssd is faster

so you recommend me an m1 with 16/512
or m2 with 16/256 right? I don't know if I can completely change the model..

 

[Love-hate 🍏 relationship]

so you recommend me an m1 with 16/512
or m2 with 16/256 right? I don't know if I can completely change the model..

where did you buy it ? most stores allow you to return your purchase for 14 days

idk how much it costs where you live , but the m2 is 300 more expensive than the m1 for very little benefits

you could get a 8/256 m1 and save a lot of money, but the 16gb is truly better

as for space, you do you, i'm personally fine with 256gb, and 256gb speeds on m1= 512gb on m2

m2 16/256 would also be fine since you won't use swap much, thanks to the added ram.

 

[Chryde_]

where did you buy it ? most stores allow you to return your purchase for 14 days

idk how much it costs where you live , but the m2 is 300 more expensive than the m1 for very little benefits

you could get a 8/256 m1 and save a lot of money, but the 16gb is truly better

as for space, you do you, i'm personally fine with 256gb, and 256gb speeds on m1= 512gb on m2

m2 16/256 would also be fine since you won't use swap much, thanks to the added ram.

I bought it on the apple online store, I spent 1640€, to change it to a 16/256gb it would save me 20€. The m1 with 512/16 would come to do around 1530, with the difference of only 100€ I think the m2 is better for me even if with less storage.

 

[joehohoho]

Agree with those that say go for 16/512 if you can.

If budget doesn't allow I'd go for 16Gb over 512 ssd personally...

 

[Chryde_]

Agree with those that say go for 16/512 if you can.

If budget doesn't allow I'd go for 16Gb over 512 ssd personally...

Yes, I can only choose one of the two upgrades, so you say 16/256 is better, am I right?

 

[Love-hate 🍏 relationship]

Yes, I can only choose one of the two upgrades, so you say 16/256 is better, am I right?

Absolutely

 

[Love-hate 🍏 relationship]

I bought it on the apple online store, I spent 1640€, to change it to a 16/256gb it would save me 20€. The m1 with 512/16 would come to do around 1530, with the difference of only 100€ I think the m2 is better for me even if with less storage.

Then you can definitely return and exchange with no issues

Hmm yeah I agree

That said if you were to get the m1 16/256, you’d save 300 bucks whilst alcove having a 2* faster ssd

 

[Technerd108]

I would say the SSD speed is still fast. It may not be bleeding edge fast but the 256gb is still a fast SSD.

Ram is more a limiting factor. You can get a decent external SSD when you have the budget for it. You can also use cloud storage but your ram is locked and 8gb is just enough.

Since the cpu uses a unified architecture the ram is shared with the GPU so that limits available ran out the gate.

If you have 16gb ram you have a little cushion in years to come.

Definitely exchange it for 16gb ram 256gb SSD.

 

[ian87w]

If budget is also an issue, I would just get the M1 with 16/512 or 16/256 instead. Spend the extra savings for a braided USB-C cable. For your normal use, you won’t notice a difference in performance between M1 and M2, and with M1, you won’t be in dilemma on the SSD single chip fiasco.

 

[Technerd108]

If budget is also an issue, I would just get the M1 with 16/512 or 16/256 instead. Spend the extra savings for a braided USB-C cable. For your normal use, you won’t notice a difference in performance between M1 and M2, and with M1, you won’t be in dilemma on the SSD single chip fiasco.

I disagree and no offense intended but there are a lot of things besides just the cpu that make the new air better.

The larger and brighter more color accurate screen, speakers without grills, MagSafe and newer design with skimmer bezels. And the speedier cpu with better efficiency cores too.

 

[1BadManVan]

There is a guy on YouTube that did very extensive tests, testing all different scenarios comparing the 8/512 to the 16/256 and 90% of the time the 16/256 was the better performer. Only time it lost was specific fire transfer speed tests. but for any other actual real world use, the 16gb ram kept it out of swap and was the better performer overall.

You can expand storage later with an external drive, you can't add more ram. If you plan to keep this awhile, get the ram

 

[ian87w]

I disagree and no offense intended but there are a lot of things besides just the cpu that make the new air better.

The larger and brighter more color accurate screen, speakers without grills, MagSafe and newer design with skimmer bezels. And the speedier cpu with better efficiency cores too.

No offense taken.
Based on the OP comments, and OP's dilemma in deciding, seems like budget can be a factor. Thus I would consider the M1 model.

Color accurate screen: the OP doesn't seem to be using the laptop that require such precision. Besides, even the M1 Macbook Air screen is already P3 wide color.
The M2 is speedier, but Apple doesn't seem to tune it well for the Macbook Air. Given the lack of heatsink and pushing it for performance resulting in faster overheating than M1, it definitely seems to be designed for 4nm, not the current 5nm+. Besides, on normal tasks that the OP seems to be suggesting, even the M1 is already overpowered.

The only argument for the M2 that I would feel make sense is if money is not an object, and that OP must have access to both Thunderbolt ports at all times. If not, imo the M1 16/512 is a better deal, and the savings can be spent on other accessories.