i5 8GB decision

[shenfrey]

Hi guys,

I can only really afford the i5 8GB edition, 16GB would have been nice but at an extra £200 I had to make a decision based on my use cases. I am not an avid user of computers, I am very basic. On my current MBA Mid 2011, it still works for my needs but it is now starting to slow down when consuming media content. I really just browse the web, set up calendars, speak on discord and watch YouTube. That is literally all I do, I don't really download programmes and when I do it's typically something light if necessary.

Now I have been getting many opinions that I have chosen wrong, and I should have gone for the 16GB but I don't see the point personally a I don't heavily use programmes, but according to some people 16GB + is the only way to go. I mean the only reason I am upgrading is my Mid 2011 stutters now when trying to watch Twitch/Youtube and my iPad pro is often being used by someone else in my family.

Are the people who tell me I have made the wrong decision, right? Should I have just gone for the 16GB and that's end of story? I know many will say depends on use case, but you see my use case now and it's as light as can be. But I am not sure if things have changed in these new laptops to make ram so much more necessary? On another family members laptop, the most I have ever used ram wise (there's is 8GB, Windows though) is 4.7GB.

What do you guys suggest? Right decision, wrong decision, or otherwise?

Thanks

 

[Weaselboy]

For the use case you described, 8GB is perfectly fine.

You will often see people tell you to get the 16GB to "future proof", but the trend of newer OS versions requiring more memory seems to have leveled off.

 

[chabig]

Right decision. 8GB is good for what you do and good for your wallet. I agree with everything Weaselboy said. macOS is very good at managing memory, which is exactly what an OS is supposed to do.

 

[twintin]

Have been using 8 GB since 2012 with my old Air and have never had any memory issues with it for 8 years, so my new Air 2020 also ended up with 8 GB.

 

[E8onbreak]

I ordered the i5/8GB and I have zero issues. The fact you had your 2011 for so long tells you right of the bat you don't need the extra 8GB memory. You will be fine.

 

[mtneer]

If your use case is just browsing, email/calendars, social media and YouTube, then I would have recommended going for the i3 model.

 

[shenfrey]

Thanks guys good to know it was the right call 👍

 

[deeddawg]

I am not an avid user of computers, I am very basic. On my current MBA Mid 2011, it still works for my needs but it is now starting to slow down when consuming media content. I really just browse the web, set up calendars, speak on discord and watch YouTube. That is literally all I do, I don't really download programmes and when I do it's typically something light if necessary.

Far more people think they need 16GB than actually really need it.

From your description of what you do, upgrading to 16GB would be a complete waste of money.

Want to know for sure? Run Activity Monitor on your current mac and look at the Memory pressure graph while you're doing your usual stuff. What do you see? Post a screen shot of it and we'll be able to tell you for sure.

FYI - on my macbook I have Safari with four tabs, Lightroom, Mail, Messenger, Calendar, and Numbers all open -- and it's only using a bit over 6GB of memory.

 

[christcc2]

I agree. For what you are saying you are going to do, 8GB of RAM will be just fine for you.

 

[Fidgit]

There is still very little that actually makes having more than 8gb a benefit, despite all the YouTube noise (etc) to the contrary. Definitely isn’t worth £200 extra unless you are very sure you need it.

 

[LFC2020]

Got 8 gig ram on my MacBook Pro dual core 2016 Touch Bar model never run into any issues no lag or freezes have 8 to 10 tabs open in safari everything runs smoothly.

 

[DerKommissar]

Plus- the 16 gb models are taking forever to make and to ship.

 

[JBGoode]

I have the 8 gb version of last year's model and with probably slightly heavier usage than you and it's completely fine. Heck, I have 6-7 year old Windows laptop with only 6 gb and it handles everything with ease.