Did I make a mistake not maxing MBP 13" RAM to 32GB?

[pshufd]

I have a Windows system and I'm running iCloud Notes in Chrome. And that alone uses 712 MB of RAM. I have 24 GB of RAM on this system (pretty good for a 2008 machine) and I have two applications that can use a fair amount of RAM and they are trading programs. I can't run all of my trading and work stuff in 16 GB so I have things spread out over three older machines with 56 GB of RAM between the three of them

I have some new sticks arriving tomorrow and am going to see if the old Windows desktop will take 48 GB of RAM.

It generally depends on what you're doing with RAM but I like to have plenty of it around for the programs that I'll be running five years from now.

 

[cardsdoc]

Fun fact - I looked back at my 2012 rMBP order emails. I initially ordered 8GB, cancelled and re-ordered 16GB. Apparently I'm a creature of habit and don't learn from my mistakes.

 

[throAU]

I wouldn't say you made a mistake, the tasks you describe should be fine for several years with 16 GB.

32 GB will be better (but only very occasionally for what you describe) but 16 GB I think is the sweet spot for a 13" laptop at the moment.

8 is IMHO a little short, 12 is probably about where most people doing the sort of things you describe would see most benefit in my opinion, but 16 is the next step up from 8. It does depend on how much RAM you want your windows VM to have, but if you need more than 8 in you can always boot-camp.

If you're regularly doing things that push beyond 16 GB then you would have probably been better off with a 16" Pro (to get more CPU cores and a GPU to assist with the a lot of the types of tasks 32 GB require) or a desktop.

But that's today. I'd warn against trying to future proof beyond 3-5 years as hardware will be much cheaper by then and your warranty will be out, however if you ARE banking on keeping the machine that long, 32 GB will give you more longevity.

I wouldn't do that though, I'd pay less today and upgrade sooner, as in 8 years time you'll still be behind massively on storage speed, IO port speed, wireless network standard, bluetooth standard, etc.

 

[pshufd]

I wouldn't say you made a mistake, the tasks you describe should be fine for several years with 16 GB.

32 GB will be better (but only very occasionally for what you describe) but 16 GB I think is the sweet spot for a 13" laptop at the moment.

8 is IMHO a little short, 12 is probably about where most people doing the sort of things you describe would see most benefit in my opinion, but 16 is the next step up from 8. It does depend on how much RAM you want your windows VM to have, but if you need more than 8 in you can always boot-camp.

If you're regularly doing things that push beyond 16 GB then you would have probably been better off with a 16" Pro (to get more CPU cores and a GPU to assist with the a lot of the types of tasks 32 GB require) or a desktop.

But that's today. I'd warn against trying to future proof beyond 3-5 years as hardware will be much cheaper by then and your warranty will be out, however if you ARE banking on keeping the machine that long, 32 GB will give you more longevity.

I wouldn't do that though, I'd pay less today and upgrade sooner, as in 8 years time you'll still be behind massively on storage speed, IO port speed, wireless network standard, bluetooth standard, etc.

I'm typing on a 2008 Dell Studio XPS mt435 with 24 GB of RAM on a QHD monitor. I have 32 GB of RAM arriving today along with a new video card. The old video card doesn't support QHD but the new one supports 4K. CPU speed is actually still quite good - comparable to my 2015 MacBook Pro 15 I think. This thing is great for programs that need a lot of RAM which, unfortunately, includes Chrome and Firefox.

I'll go with at least 32 GB when I upgrade to the 16; it's nice that 64 GB is an option. I typically get about 10 years out of my MacBook Pros so I really want something that can go the distance and more RAM, in the age where you can't change it yourself means that I can hang onto hardware for longer.

 

[throAU]

I'm typing on a 2008 Dell Studio XPS mt435 with 24 GB of RAM on a QHD monitor. I have 32 GB of RAM arriving today along with a new video card. The old video card doesn't support QHD but the new one supports 4K. CPU speed is actually still quite good - comparable to my 2015 MacBook Pro 15 I think. This thing is great for programs that need a lot of RAM which, unfortunately, includes Chrome and Firefox.

I'll go with at least 32 GB when I upgrade to the 16; it's nice that 64 GB is an option. I typically get about 10 years out of my MacBook Pros so I really want something that can go the distance and more RAM, in the age where you can't change it yourself means that I can hang onto hardware for longer.

I agree, 32 GB on a 16" machine makes sense, vs. the total BOM cost it is not that bad and it has the CPU horsepower to support that many apps running at the same time.

13" machine with a slower, lower power quad core? Yeah maybe 32 GB at the extreme end but by the time you start running 16 GB short you're out of CPU anyway (depending on your workload of course, maybe you have some high memory low CPU workload like a bunch of mostly idle VMs).

It very much depends.

I have 64 GB in both of my desktops (one is only a quad core, one is an 8 core) - because when I'm using a lot of RAM it is for test-lab mostly-idle server virtual machines. But I'm an edge case.

If you're putting 32 GB in a 13" machine I'd argue you're either

• better off with a 16" for that workload
• better off doing that work on a desktop

Of course there will be some edge case user who needs the 13" portability, with a workload that needs 32 GB to run and speed doesn't matter so much... but like I said... edge case. My general advice would be to go for the 16" machine at that point.

 

[pshufd]

I agree, 32 GB on a 16" machine makes sense, vs. the total BOM cost it is not that bad and it has the CPU horsepower to support that many apps running at the same time.

13" machine with a slower, lower power quad core? Yeah maybe 32 GB at the extreme end but by the time you start running 16 GB short you're out of CPU anyway (depending on your workload of course, maybe you have some high memory low CPU workload like a bunch of mostly idle VMs).

It very much depends.

I have 64 GB in both of my desktops (one is only a quad core, one is an 8 core) - because when I'm using a lot of RAM it is for test-lab mostly-idle server virtual machines. But I'm an edge case.

If you're putting 32 GB in a 13" machine I'd argue you're either

• better off with a 16" for that workload
• better off doing that work on a desktop

Of course there will be some edge case user who needs the 13" portability, with a workload that needs 32 GB to run and speed doesn't matter so much... but like I said... edge case. My general advice would be to go for the 16" machine at that point.

I popped in the 32 GB in the ancient desktop and it recognized it so I have 40 GB and could go up to 48. I'm curious if 16 GB DIMMs would work in this thing. I don't know if there are 16 GB DDR3 DIMMs though.

My 2014 MacBook Pro is a quad-core running at 2.2 Ghz. My 2015 MacBook Pro is the same quad-core running at 2.5 Ghz. My guess is that the two higher end CPUs on the 2020 MBP 13 outperform my 2014 and the high-end 2020 CPU outperforms my 2015 MacBook Pro CPU. I got the second MacBook Pro because there wasn't enough memory to run my daily workload in 16 GB. The partitioning has worked well for the past 16 months.

There is a huge difference between my 2015 13 and my 2015 15 and that's dual-core to quad-core. But the CPU on the 2020 13 is usable for a lot of work and there are cases where RAM helps. Unfortunately you don't necessarily know what you will be running a few years from now.

 

[ewu]

32GB ram is basic requirement. it is better to upgrade MBP to 32GB ram to make mbp work more years.

my iMac is 128GB ram, I believe it is enough for 5 years in future.

 

[KPOM]

I have a Windows system and I'm running iCloud Notes in Chrome. And that alone uses 712 MB of RAM. I have 24 GB of RAM on this system (pretty good for a 2008 machine) and I have two applications that can use a fair amount of RAM and they are trading programs. I can't run all of my trading and work stuff in 16 GB so I have things spread out over three older machines with 56 GB of RAM between the three of them

I have some new sticks arriving tomorrow and am going to see if the old Windows desktop will take 48 GB of RAM.

It generally depends on what you're doing with RAM but I like to have plenty of it around for the programs that I'll be running five years from now.

Except the more RAM you have, the more RAM programs will use. That doesn’t mean you actually need that RAM.
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I wouldn't say you made a mistake, the tasks you describe should be fine for several years with 16 GB.

32 GB will be better (but only very occasionally for what you describe) but 16 GB I think is the sweet spot for a 13" laptop at the moment.

8 is IMHO a little short, 12 is probably about where most people doing the sort of things you describe would see most benefit in my opinion, but 16 is the next step up from 8. It does depend on how much RAM you want your windows VM to have, but if you need more than 8 in you can always boot-camp.

If you're regularly doing things that push beyond 16 GB then you would have probably been better off with a 16" Pro (to get more CPU cores and a GPU to assist with the a lot of the types of tasks 32 GB require) or a desktop.

But that's today. I'd warn against trying to future proof beyond 3-5 years as hardware will be much cheaper by then and your warranty will be out, however if you ARE banking on keeping the machine that long, 32 GB will give you more longevity.

I wouldn't do that though, I'd pay less today and upgrade sooner, as in 8 years time you'll still be behind massively on storage speed, IO port speed, wireless network standard, bluetooth standard, etc.

My view is that Apple still sells MacBook Pro models with 8GB, albeit only the 8th gen CPU-equipped models. But I’d guess that most MacBook Airs and base Pros are sold with 8GB. SSDs are a lot faster now, so page-outs aren’t as big of a deal as they used to be. 16GB will be more than enough for lots of users.

 

[Hieveryone]

My main issue with 13" is no dedicated graphics.

I wouldn't care to get 32GB ram if it was me.

For the 15" maybe. But not 13"

 

[cardsdoc]

You guys are killing me. I don't usually struggle so much with these decisions. All other threads on the 16/32 debate are the same - widely varied opinions. Now I'm thinking of canceling the i7/32gb/2tb order (still processing) and sticking with my original i7/16GB/1TB order (which is in Anchorage now). I do want to comfortably run an 8GB windows 10 VM which I'm assuming should still be fine. It does seem crazy spending >3K on a 13" laptop for non professional use.

 

[KPOM]

You guys are killing me. I don't usually struggle so much with these decisions. All other threads on the 16/32 debate are the same - widely varied opinions. Now I'm thinking of canceling the i7/32gb/2tb order (still processing) and sticking with my original i7/16GB/1TB order (which is in Anchorage now). I do want to comfortably run an 8GB windows 10 VM which I'm assuming should still be fine. It does seem crazy spending >3K on a 13" laptop for non professional use.

Is there a reason you need to give the Windows VM 8GB? What program do you plan to run? Parallels would likely recommend giving your VM 2 CPUs (out of “8”) and 2-4GB of RAM for most applications.

 

[cardsdoc]

Is there a reason you need to give the Windows VM 8GB? What program do you plan to run? Parallels would likely recommend giving your VM 2 CPUs (out of “8”) and 2-4GB of RAM for most applications.

No just what seems the minimum these days for Windows. Would be using it for manipulating 4K UHD rips. Not typically transcoding but manipulating files and remuxing with some tools that are Windows only. 16GB should fine for now as I do this on a cheap Acer Windows laptop with 8gb. I was just looking ahead and it was hard to wrap my head around getting the same amount of RAM in 2020 that I ordered on my 2012 rmbp. Nonetheless I decided to cancel the 32GB order. As others have pointed out other tech is likely to push an upgrade before RAM such as new displays and possible transition to ARM. The cost is not a big deal but seems responsible to be a little more frugal during a pandemic as well.

 

[Ambrosia7177]

In general, yes.

When you by a Mac now, you are buying a $2,000-$3,000 disposbale piece of circuitry.

Now more swapping out HDDs/SDDs or RAM.

If you hold only your laptop for any period of time - like most mac users do - then the day will come when you WILL need 32MB of RAM.

Unless you are in financial ruin right now, I'd cancel the order and get 32GB of RAM - unless all you do is surf the Internet, then maybe not so.

 

[cardsdoc]

Unless you are in financial ruin right now, I'd cancel the order and get 32GB of RAM - unless all you do is surf the Internet, then maybe not so.

LOL. Thankfully not in financial ruin. This debate seems endless as it is in my head. While the 16gb in my 2012 rMBP likely helped it last this long I kept it as my primary computer for longer than I typically would keep tech before upgraditis sets in. No good reason other it was doing what I needed and life was busy and didn’t feel like going through the hassle of transferring to a new machine. If in 2-3 years this machine is limited by 16gb it will be a good excuse to upgrade. At least that’s how I’m going to rationalize it now. I make much more difficult sometimes life altering decisions on a daily basis so why deciding between 16gb and 32gb has caused so much angst I have no idea. Thanks for all the input folks.

 

[Ambrosia7177]

LOL. Thankfully not in financial ruin. This debate seems endless as it is in my head. While the 16gb in my 2012 rMBP likely helped it last this long I kept it as my primary computer for longer than I typically would keep tech before upgraditis sets in. No good reason other it was doing what I needed and life was busy and didn’t feel like going through the hassle of transferring to a new machine. If in 2-3 years this machine is limited by 16gb it will be a good excuse to upgrade. At least that’s how I’m going to rationalize it now. I make much more difficult sometimes life altering decisions on a daily basis so why deciding between 16gb and 32gb has caused so much angst I have no idea. Thanks for all the input folks.

Except when you go to upgrade in 2-3 years and find out Apple went back to butterfly keyboards or the like... ;-)

Better to have a little more than you needed and not use it, than to need a little more than you have and be screwed.

Just my 2-cents...

 

[aZZaneko]

I can see how ordering the same amount of RAM as 8 years ago can feel weird, but have you considered the possibility that you over-ordered the last time and spent these years with all this RAM you didn't actually need?

Typing this on my 2012 rMBP with 8GB which has lasted as long as yours and is still a very capable machine that a lot of users would be perfectly fine with. I really only make it choke with Photoshop files containing hundreds of hi-res smart object layers and InDesign files with hundreds of pages filled with multiple copies of flyers with auto-numbering done on the fly. It's handling other tasks I throw at it just fine.

I did go with 32GB for the Mac Mini I'm replacing my rMBP with, but it's only because I've got a good deal on the third party kit and there was barely any price difference between that and 16GB. I'd go with 16 were I ordering myself a 13" laptop now.

 

[throAU]

If you hold only your laptop for any period of time - like most mac users do - then the day will come when you WILL need 32MB of RAM.

Sure, but I'd argue that at THAT point your dinky little 13" notebook Cpu is going to be a long way behind the curve and you're better off selling the machine off earlier and getting more RAM at that point (no doubt in 3-5 year's time when 6-8 cores in a 13" machine is available). CPU counts are set to explode in mobile machines in the next couple of years.

Like I said though it depends. If you have some workloads (like mostly idle VMs in the background you occasionally use) then maybe 32 GB would be worth it. But for most people, outside of VM workloads, once you need that sort of memory capacity, chances are that you'd get just as much benefit from additional CPU cores as well. The 13" "powerhouse" configuration is an extreme niche where it makes sense.

Either you must have the 13' form factor and can't deal with a 15-16" machine, or you need a lot of RAM for big memory/small cpu applications (like idle background VMs) and again don't want a 15-16" machine - or you're probably making a mistake speccing up a 13" machine to that level.

Know your workload. Unless you fit into one of those niche use cases above (where you run a lot of mostly idle VMs), I'd suggest that 32 GB with only 4 cores is mis-matched.