Do I need 16 gigabytes of ram?

[gobikerider]

Hi I will be going to college for Management Information Systems. I know I will be learning programming and a lot of business/economic stuff. My concern is that I will need 16 gigabytes of ram for my programming classses. I’m not aware of how much memory you really need for running programs/ide’s with probably Safari and maybe some documents open as well. I’m nervous that 8 gigabytes would fill up rather quickly but I’m also dont want to spend the extra money if I dont need too as I’m trying to minimize this expense as much as possible. If someone could shed a little clarity on this that would be greatly appreciated as I’m entirely over stressing about this.

 

[Modernape]

Ask the course coordinator at the college, they will be more familiar with what you require.

 

[akash.nu]

You don’t really need 16GB unless you’re doing graphics intensive work. For any “course” type programming 8GB should be fine.

 

[New_Mac_Smell]

You don't 'need' it at all. It could potentially make things a little quicker down the road, but you'll never notice the speed difference in reality unless you were using a system with 16GB and 8GB together.

As @Modernape suggested ask your course tutor, and take that advice.

Also might be worth learning more about RAM if you're doing a programming course, there's a lot of misconceptions about what it is and how it works. RAM implementation has changed dramatically in recent years however people still have the same belief as when they got their first computer 20 years ago or so, i.e. 'more is better'.

 

[ZapNZs]

Are you going to be using any programs used for economic forecasting? Some of these can be on the heavier side of RAM and CPU usage (and certainly can run better when data files are housed on the local SSD.) Further, some of these are only available for Windows, and if you are going to be running them from a VM, additional RAM can be very useful IMO. Additionally, certain programs used in economics, such as Stata, can benefit significantly from more RAM if working with very large data files.

If you are just looking for a general computer capable of easily handling most lighter/moderate workloads, a base model with 8GB and at least a 256 SSD should be just fine.

 

[Elcompa]

You likely won't need more than 8 RAM in the ntb MBP w 256 SSD. Why not buy the 8/256 now, use it for two years, and trade up to 16/512, if you then see the need. They hold their value pretty well and in two years there may well be something new and cool from Apple you will hunger for.

 

[gobikerider]

You likely won't need more than 8 RAM in the ntb MBP w 256 SSD. Why not buy the 8/256 now, use it for two years, and trade up to 16/512, if you then see the need. They hold their value pretty well and in two years there may well be something new and cool from Apple you will hunger for.

Not a terrible idea
[doublepost=1511019226][/doublepost]

Are you going to be using any programs used for economic forecasting? Some of these can be on the heavier side of RAM and CPU usage (and certainly can run better when data files are housed on the local SSD.) Further, some of these are only available for Windows, and if you are going to be running them from a VM, additional RAM can be very useful IMO. Additionally, certain programs used in economics, such as Stata, can benefit significantly from more RAM if working with very large data files.

If you are just looking for a general computer capable of easily handling most lighter/moderate workloads, a base model with 8GB and at least a 256 SSD should be just fine.

I’ll reach out to my course instructor and see.
[doublepost=1511019303][/doublepost]

You don't 'need' it at all. It could potentially make things a little quicker down the road, but you'll never notice the speed difference in reality unless you were using a system with 16GB and 8GB together.

As @Modernape suggested ask your course tutor, and take that advice.

Also might be worth learning more about RAM if you're doing a programming course, there's a lot of misconceptions about what it is and how it works. RAM implementation has changed dramatically in recent years however people still have the same belief as when they got their first computer 20 years ago or so, i.e. 'more is better'.

Any good sources I tried to find any good videos on the necessity of ram in modern laptops and everything was simply related to gaming desktops which doesn’t really help in this realm of computing.

 

[doitdada]

You don’t really need 16GB unless you’re doing graphics intensive work. For any “course” type programming 8GB should be fine.

Most of my coding for the web is ran on servers, so it doesn't really matter how my computers responds to the code as the application will be running on hardware elsewhere.

 

[ZapNZs]

Not a terrible idea
[doublepost=1511019226][/doublepost]
I’ll reach out to my course instructor and see.
[doublepost=1511019303][/doublepost]
Any good sources I tried to find any good videos on the necessity of ram in modern laptops and everything was simply related to gaming desktops which doesn’t really help in this realm of computing.

Many Makers have blurbs on their websites regarding the importance of system requirements. From what I have observed, the importance of RAM seems to vary very-much based on the program itself. For example, here's Stata, which places considerable emphasis on RAM relative to dataset size:

The most important consideration when buying a computer on which to run Stata is the amount of RAM (memory) you will need. You need at least 1 GB of RAM for Stata to run smoothly. Stata loads all of your data into RAM to perform its calculations. You must have enough physical RAM to load Stata and allocate enough memory to it to load and analyze your datasets.

Stata will be drastically slowed if the operating system has to use virtual memory to load your data or perform its calculations. One of the issues you have to consider when deciding how much RAM to purchase is the size of the datasets you will be working with. We recommend that your computer contain 50% more memory than the size of your largest dataset. Stata needs the extra room in memory to perform calculations, create temporary variables, etc., once the data have been loaded.

https://www.stata.com/support/faqs/windows/hardware-requirements/

Now, you would have to be working with some pretty big datasets to reach a point where 8GB becomes problematic and it seems unlikely that is something on the to-do list in the short term - but it absolutely is possible to do this.

 

[960design]

My concern is that I will need 16 gigabytes of ram for my programming classses. I’m not aware of how much memory you really need for running programs/ide’s with probably Safari and maybe some documents open as well. I’m nervous that 8 gigabytes would fill up rather quickly but I’m also dont want to spend the extra money if I dont need too as I’m trying to minimize this expense as much as possible. If someone could shed a little clarity on this that would be greatly appreciated as I’m entirely over stressing about this.

Been coding for 30+ years; used just about every IDE imaginable. You are safe with 8G of ram for your programming classes. I cannot 'speak (type)' for any other applications.

I typically purchase a new MBPr15 maxed out every three years. I've very, rarely seen the memory used reach 8G. Typically this is when I'm editing an icon or image file, while coding, with three Chrome tabs open and serving node.js wirelessly to test systems nearby. So 16GB is certainly an overkill. 16G does have a better resale value down the road, but get what you need now and when you have a little more cash to burn, think about resale.

 

[gobikerider]

Been coding for 30+ years; used just about every IDE imaginable. You are safe with 8G of ram for your programming classes. I cannot 'speak (type)' for any other applications.

I typically purchase a new MBPr15 maxed out every three years. I've very, rarely seen the memory used reach 8G. Typically this is when I'm editing an icon or image file, while coding, with three Chrome tabs open and serving node.js wirelessly to test systems nearby. So 16GB is certainly an overkill. 16G does have a better resale value down the road, but get what you need now and when you have a little more cash to burn, think about resale.

Thanks for your input that reassures me greatly.

 

[a2daj]

i also do programming for a living. I used to stick with the same 15MBP every 3 year deal. However, I bought a 12” MB with 8GB of RAM a couple of years ago to try out having a light laptop and that was usable for a bit since I have a Mac Pro with 64 GB of RAM. I really loved the portability. With my use of VMs for running all of my services locally when I dev outside of the house and a healthy amount of apps open at once I upgraded to a 13” MBP this summer with 16 GB of RAM. This should last me for a few years now. With the Thunderbolt 3 ports it’s actually a better gaming rig than my Mac Pro with 64 GB. I always get a minimum 512GB HDs so I can boot camp.

 

[gobikerider]

i also do programming for a living. I used to stick with the same 15MBP every 3 year deal. However, I bought a 12” MB with 8GB of RAM a couple of years ago to try out having a light laptop and that was usable for a bit since I have a Mac Pro with 64 GB of RAM. I really loved the portability. With my use of VMs for running all of my services locally when I dev outside of the house and a healthy amount of apps open at once I upgraded to a 13” MBP this summer with 16 GB of RAM. This should last me for a few years now. With the Thunderbolt 3 ports it’s actually a better gaming rig than my Mac Pro with 64 GB. I always get a minimum 512GB HDs so I can boot camp.

I’m currently leaning towards a Pro for like you mention overal usability of the machine say 4-5 years down the road, but I’m nervous as the current models suffer keyboard and fan issues unfortunately.

 

[New_Mac_Smell]

I’m currently leaning towards a Pro for like you mention overal usability of the machine say 4-5 years down the road, but I’m nervous as the current models suffer keyboard and fan issues unfortunately.

No fan issues on the TB models. Keyboard issues are a mixed bag, they can get stuck if small particles get in between the keys, so don't eat by it and make sure you clean it once a week. Also keep a can of compressed air around to clean it, pretty much same as every other computer except you have to keep on top of it. If you're at all worried though just get AC with it, it's literally often just a crumb that's wedged itself between the key so you can either clean it yourself or take it to Apple and they'll clean it for you.

 

[gobikerider]

No fan issues on the TB models. Keyboard issues are a mixed bag, they can get stuck if small particles get in between the keys, so don't eat by it and make sure you clean it once a week. Also keep a can of compressed air around to clean it, pretty much same as every other computer except you have to keep on top of it. If you're at all worried though just get AC with it, it's literally often just a crumb that's wedged itself between the key so you can either clean it yourself or take it to Apple and they'll clean it for you.

Yah the keyboard issue isn’t a huge issue either way I don’t need this computer till next fall so I’ll be getting a 2018 model anyway. I’m just irked how Apple doesn’t incoperate the asymmetrical fan blades on the non TB MBP. Like 1 v 2 fans I get that, but shouldn’t they be at least of equal structure and quality across the lineup? I cannot justify the $500 price difference for the quality of the fan inside (touchbar and 45tdp proccesor are not things I would need). On top of that the battery life is worse on that model because smaller battery coupled with the higher tdp proccesor. Like come on Apple, it’s like either one your compromising on something and its sucks, I feel trapped trying to decide. TBh I just want Apple to shove an A11X into a MacBook and I’ll buy that ...please Apple seriously I think it’s time.. Tim are you listening...

 

[alphaod]

No you don't "need" it, but since it's all soldered and unless you plan to be replacing your computer often, I'd get the 16GB.

 

[TonyK]

Depends on what you are running, how many windows you'll have open, etc.

I'm old school enough that I want as much memory and drive space as I can afford. If you're going to run any virtual machines, that right there could require going higher in the memory department, especially since we can no longer easily upgrade the memory in MBP systems.

 

[Macalicious2011]

Given that you might run virtual machines or crunch heavy data sets in excel or Powerbi, I would save myself the expense of upgrading RAM down the line, by buying 16GB now.

I've had 8GB since 2012 and would certainly not spend big sums of money on a 2017 Macbook Pro with the same amount.

 

[Samuelsan2001]

Look at your course requirements, will you need VM's for windows Linux etc?? If so go with the 16gb.

 

[maflynn]

I think people opt for 16GB to be safe and not sorry, but the reality is that majority of people do not need 16GB, and I'd even say most school work doesn't require 16GB. I know there's exceptions to that, so as others stated, do your due diligence and find out the system requirements for the software you'll be expected to use.

 

[960design]

I think people opt for 16GB to be safe and not sorry, but the reality is that majority of people do not need 16GB, and I'd even say most school work doesn't require 16GB. I know there's exceptions to that, so as others stated, do your due diligence and find out the system requirements for the software you'll be expected to use.

That's me. This thing is my job and I don't want to risk hitting a bottleneck in its three year lifespan because I wanted to save a few hundred bucks.

For others mentioning VM's. Very good point, but for a university class the VM use will be so limited that I'm pretty sure 8G will handle it without flinching. If not, the SDD is so fast, you probably wouldn't even notice the occasional swap happening in the background.

 

[Toutou]

shove an A11X into a MacBook

I hope your future programming classes will bring you a better understanding of why this may not be the best idea, especially for (some) developers.

Also 8 gigs of RAM is just fine, your school projects surely won't be that hardcore. My 4 gig machine handles everything school related like a boss, even some light data mining and running several instances of NoSQL DBs in Docker.

 

[maflynn]

That's me. This thing is my job and I don't want to risk hitting a bottleneck in its three year lifespan because I wanted to save a few hundred bucks.

There's nothing wrong with doing that, tbh, I did the very same thing. I opted for 16GB and I'm glad I did. I've been running VMs (multiple) and the extra memory has come in handy.

 

[gobikerider]

There's nothing wrong with doing that, tbh, I did the very same thing. I opted for 16GB and I'm glad I did. I've been running VMs (multiple) and the extra memory has come in handy.

This is what I’ll probably due since I’m going to spending big bucks anyway no point in not getting the extra memory now.

 

[maflynn]

This is what I’ll probably due since I’m going to spending big bucks anyway no point in not getting the extra memory now.

That and the fact that you cannot upgrade after purchase. Why take a chance.