Is 24GB/1TB configuration a sensible choice for the 15" M2 MacBook Air?

[alexonline]

M2 15" MacBook Air with 24GB ram and 1/2TO SSD is absolutely not a good deal but nevertheless a wonderful machine. It is that simple. Moneywise, the good deals are the base Macbook pro 14" and the maxed out 16" Macbook pro.

But usage wise, it is totally relevant to have 24GB ram in a Macbook Air if you are a dev who wants a fanless light machine with comfortable screen real estate that runs many VMs for example. And you can find a ton of different usages where one would be more happy with a maxed out Macbook Air than a Macbook Pro.

If you are planing to keep it for 5+ years, think "usage" and not "money". The maxed out Macbook Air is a $cam but if it fits your needs and your workflow, do not buy a macbook pro just because it is a better deal.

I have a 1TB and 24GB MacBook Air 13.6-inch M2 and I couldn’t be happier. Ignore the people who say it is a bad idea. I also love never needing to hear a fan. I do video editing etc.

If I wanted to run LLMs on my Mac and 3 VMs at the same time, sure, get a pro, but otherwise the Air is faaaaantastic.

 

[alexonline]

1TB/16GB 14" MBP sounds very appealing to me. I should give it a thought.
Unfortunately, my iMac has 2 X 16GB RAM, so I can't test how 16GB would work.

I just watched this video: 16GB vs 24GB RAM M2 MacBook Air & Pro - Were We ...YouTube · Max Tech15분 22초2022. 8. 2.
which makes me feel that 24GB RAM is not necessary for M2 Air.
But at the same time, my workflow heavily relies on Devonthink, which seems to benefit a lot from larger RAMs.

MaxTech is a click whoring fraud. I wouldn’t trust him to tell me anything.

 

[Wokis]

However, I have come across numerous posts discouraging the selection of 24GB RAM for the MacBook Air. Some individuals suggest that if one desires 24GB RAM, it would be more prudent to consider the 14" MacBook Pro instead. Others argue that having 24GB RAM doesn't make sense for the MacBook Air at all.

Any configuration will make sense for someone.

I went with 24GB in an Air 13" because I wanted the most capable thin' n light on the market. Comparatively, the 14" is a chonker.

However, some benefits are kinda lost with the 15" Air. If it still makes sense for you to trade performance to gain a slightly bigger screen but no real portability-advantage, only you can answer.

Seconded that Max Tech do the most unscientific tests around and come to icky conclusions. They're just chasing the algorithm.

 

[jeffg819]

That's the setup I purchased coming from a 16GB/1TB M1 14" MBP. The new machine pleases my senses in ways the MBPro never did and has had zero impact on my workflow aside from memory pressure being in the green on my new machine when running a Win11 VM vs yellow on the MBPro.

Sometimes the rider has to make rationalizations for what the elephant he's riding just did. Cognitive dissonance and all that.

Sometimes when my elephant and I are in complete agreement about direction, this is where joy comes into my life.

Me and my elephant are really glad we purchased this setup.

Good luck to you finding peace in whatever decision you make.

 

[Zdigital2015]

What kind of work do you do?

I’m planning to get Air for programming, but I’m not sure if it’s fast enough

Given that my developers were always complaining about storage and DRAM, don’t underspec whatever Mac you purchase. Although it’s not hip to say this, the 13” MBP with M2 can be had at a fairly decent price on the refurb store with 24GB/1TB.

 

[Enygmatic]

You’re overthinking this… if the 24GB/1TB makes sense to you and your workflow or usage, go for it. You won’t be disappointed. That’s WHY there are different products and options amongst those products.

I grabbed the same spec Air you’re considering, getting rid of my ‘19 16” i9 Pro. No issue with the Pro’s performance; wanted to have a little smaller and quieter machine for what I typically use a laptop for these days. 24GB RAM and 1TB means I won’t consider another personal laptop until the M2 stops supporting new features (another reason I was moving from the Intel MBP, as Sonoma already has features that even a 2019 couldn’t get), or they come out with something groundbreaking.

Plus, work provided me with an M2 Pro 16”, and we have a new M2 Ultra Studio as our home computer.

Get what makes sense to and for you, not hypothetical situations that never happen.

 

[HiVolt]

Maybe, maybe not. What is for sure that people were predicting the same thing for 8/256 5 years ago, or 4/128 back when that was the base.
If used within their use case these Mac remained o.k. for about as long as OS support was (and a bit longer) or as long as the HW lasted.

8/256 was very reasonable 5 years ago.

8gb ram became standard on the MacBook Air in early 2016. that's SEVEN years ago.

To not be increasing this for this long is just pure greed.

 

[Tenashus1]

Affordability is an issue, and I'm sure Apple is very aware of that.

 

[Bug-Creator]

8/256 was very reasonable 5 years ago.

Not according to a loud minority back then (the same as today?)

To not be increasing this for this long is just pure greed.

That is not the point, the point is wether one really needs more. The 2 apps the OP mentioned are rather simple and should run o.k. even on a computer with 2GB. Maybe they even would without a noticeable difference, or maybe the were developed by people who should better work in fast food and will run like cr## on 8GB or less.

 

[leifp]

honestly idk why 256 is even an option this day in age. I know Apple wants to upsell us but 256 is just awful.

Your use case is your use case. It is not even remotely an issue for three of the people whom I’m their home IT guy, in fact all three would be well served by 128GB. Thus they’re already forced into paying for more than they need…

 

[zapmymac]

There is something to be said about a larger internal SSD. If you have fast Wi-Fi access ALL THE TIME & everywhere you go, cloud storage is great. But if you Just like having all your junk local, go big.

 

[Bug-Creator]

three would be well served by 128GB. Thus they’re already forced into paying for more than they need…

128GB of SSD can be had at 10$/€ !RETAIL!, so unless Apple uses NOS chips they get for free the might end up paying a few ct extra just to get those small chips.

Apple skimping on RAM and storage goes back at least to the PPC days (properly even 68k) and so does "techies" whining about it.

Result is, Apple sells plenty of under specced HW to the unwashed masses AND makes an extra profit by upselling those that got convinced they need to tick all the BTOs to get a useable system.

At 999$ for the a base model Air they could just as well put 24GB/2TB into it without barely making a dent into their margins, but why bother when they can upsell that for another 1k$......

 

[izzy0242mr]

The MBP is noticeably heavier than the MBA. I have used and held both and while on paper the weight doesn't look that different, if I had to get a second backup Mac, I would 100% get a MacBook Air (I currently have a 14" MBP and love it).

The MBP is great and a powerful machine. 16 GB/512 GB. 512 is pushing it for me (I used to have a 1 TB on my older Mac), but I don't truly need 1 TB so can get by with 512 GB. 16 GB is enough for the things I do and memory pressure is nearly always in the green, even if I'm using 13-14 GB of my 16 GB on the regular.

I got the MBP because it has better screen, speakers, more ports, and ever-so-slightly larger screen in a similar form factor. I also plan to keep it until like 2030, if it doesn't break or fail by accident. So this was a long-term investment.

From what you said, it sounds like the MBA is sufficient for your needs with the spec upgrades. I would say get the MBA and save a little bit of money, even if you could get the Pro for a bit more. But maybe reconsider whether you truly need 1 TB of storage vs 512 GB. (I have like 130 GB free of my 512 GB and it's fine.)

 

[JamesMay82]

256GB is perfectly fine, for a lot of people - particularly with iCloud. I have a MacBook with 256GB and if it's ever crossed 50% of storage in use, it was transient. Typically I'm using only around 100GB of it.

Of course, there's a 70GB Photos library - on iCloud. And a 25GB Messages library - on iCloud. And 10GB or so of Documents - on iCloud. All of that chews up a combined 10GB or so on the Mac.

And yes, it's all safe. My Mac mini is set to "Sync Everything" and it backs up to Time Machine, and to another Cloud service.

Do you mean you have a Mac mini with larger internal or external storage that keeps physical copies downloaded onto a local hard drive?

I think the problem with 256GB is non tech minded people will then rely too much on the cloud and it's simply not safe enough.

 

[vanc]

It's indeed sensible if you can afford it and your workflow requires it.

I bought a MBP 16" with 32G RAM and 1T SSD over a year ago. With my workflow, the RAM usage was around 26G (Docker, VS code, web browsers (Chrome, Firefox), Outlook, Teams, etc.). I also have VMware Fusion with a couple of VMs. But I only run them occasionally. Smaller RAM is possible with current workflow. But considering that it could be used for 5+ years, I didn't regret the purchase.

The MBP is just too heavy for travel. I took it on a couple of trips, but really hoped for a lighter device. So last week, I bit the bullet and ordered a MBA 15 with 24G RAM/1T SSD. It might not be used as heavily as the MBP. But I just wanted a more or less frictionless transition when switching between the two.

These laptops are just tools. They help us, not the other way around. If the configuration gives you better productivity, it will pay itself back sooner. You don't need to constantly close applications for RAM or clean the SSD for space.

 

[david.h]

You mentioned using an external monitor . . . how much are you using this out and about? Like mobile? If you are mainly using in clamshell, I'd totally learn towards the MB Pro. If you can swing it, I would go for it. Just looked at Macbook Pro 14" M2 with 1TB and 32GB RAM and it's only $500 more than the M2 Macbook Air 15" on BH Photo (https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1746549-REG/apple_mbp_14_m2_07_mbp_14_m2p_10c_cpu_16c.html). I'd say that over several years, you will be much happier with the MB Pro. Just my $0.02.

Why would you recommend the MBP for clamshell use?

 

[david.h]

We disagree. IMO 16 GB would be a seriously wrong choice. 24 GB is an absolute minimum, and only a choice because someone wants to spend less and compromise with the lower end, lighter MBA. 32 GB (or better 64 GB) will allow less constrained future operation.

We buy computers to do work. Arbitrarily limiting performance with lesser RAM is a bad choice - - even if Apple's excellent memory management lets under-spec'd boxes still work.

Note also one should choose adequate RAM for the 3-6 year life cycle of a new box. Not what one did last year.

Also you are right about minimum 1 TB SSD. A good rule of thumb is that SSD size should be about double what you may put on it.

These are all good points. There's a subtle balance between not "arbitrarily limiting performance" and avoiding unnecessary future-proofing, and now I think I should have at least 24GB RAM.

 

[theorist9]

1TB/16GB 14" MBP sounds very appealing to me. I should give it a thought.
Unfortunately, my iMac has 2 X 16GB RAM, so I can't test how 16GB would work.

I just watched this video: 16GB vs 24GB RAM M2 MacBook Air & Pro - Were We ...YouTube · Max Tech15분 22초2022. 8. 2.
which makes me feel that 24GB RAM is not necessary for M2 Air.
But at the same time, my workflow heavily relies on Devonthink, which seems to benefit a lot from larger RAMs.

You could run the iMac at 1 x 16 GB. The RAM speed would be slower, but you'd still be able to test the memory pressure.

At the same time, I think @Allen_Wentz 's point is well taken: Applications always seem to move in the direction of needing more RAM, so if 16 GB is barely enough now, you may need more in a few years.

I didn't watch the whole video, but I think the video is irrelevant b/c he doesn't test your specific task. As he says at the end: "I don't think it's really worth spending that extra money unless you know specifically that for your task you need a ton of ram and in that case you're probably not even watching this video because you know you need it."

 

[david.h]

The Air’s are always cheaper for similar or more RAM and storage space

Yes, that's precisely what I had in mind as well. The 14" MacBook Pro (M2 Pro) with 32GB of RAM and a 1TB storage option comes with an additional cost of $450.

 

[Juraj22]

I currently own a 2019 Intel iMac with 32GB RAM and a 1TB SSD, as well as a 2020 M1 MacBook Air with 8GB RAM and a 256GB SSD. While I'm generally satisfied with the overall performance of my MacBook Air, I'm contemplating upgrading it due to memory pressure and limited storage capacity.

The main memory-intensive applications I use are Devonthink 3 (consuming around 4-6GB) and Logos Bible Software (taking up approximately 1.5GB). My MacBook Air consistently shows yellow memory pressure. Furthermore, the storage shortage prevents me from utilizing all of my DT3 databases, which I can access on my iMac. In contrast, my iMac typically utilizes around 23-24GB out of its 32GB RAM, and I am currently using 400GB out of the 1TB storage space.

Based on my iMac's usage patterns, I have decided to opt for a 15" M2 MacBook Air configuration with 24GB RAM and a 1TB SSD (512GB would have only around 100GB free space, so I thought 1TB would be a wiser choice). I briefly considered the 16" M1 Pro MacBook Pro, which falls within a similar price range, but since I don't engage in heavy-duty tasks, I believe the M2 MacBook Air would adequately meet my needs. In addition, in my office setup, I use an external monitor and headphones which makes MacBook Pro's promotion display and superior speakers less appealing to me. Although I may occasionally miss the ability to use multiple external displays that the Pro offers, the Air fulfills my requirements adequately.

However, I have come across numerous posts discouraging the selection of 24GB RAM for the MacBook Air. Some individuals suggest that if one desires 24GB RAM, it would be more prudent to consider the 14" MacBook Pro instead. Others argue that having 24GB RAM doesn't make sense for the MacBook Air at all.

I would appreciate your opinion on this matter.

Money wise maybe not, but c'mon this will be nice Macbook Air.

You can get good deals for 14' Pro with 16GB RAM and 1TB SSD, but hey, buy what you like. Not every purchase must be sensible. Sometime we just buy things that we like, not because it makes financial sense.

Enjoy new Macbook Air!

 

[david.h]

MBA 15" 24GB/1TB makes total sense for what you describe. Actually that is the exact config I would have bought if this was available an year ago, now I'm using a MBP 16" and I can barely load the CPU but I appreciate the memory and storage.

Yes, that's precisely the scenario I had anticipated. Given that my workflow doesn't demand intensive CPU tasks, I thought I would benefit more from having additional RAM and storage.

 

[david.h]

However, some benefits are kinda lost with the 15" Air. If it still makes sense for you to trade performance to gain a slightly bigger screen but no real portability-advantage, only you can answer.

Yes, that's a valid point. Initially, I believed I wouldn't require most of the features the Pro offers, such as a superior display, enhanced speaker quality, and additional ports. However, upon reconsideration, I've come to the realization that, conversely, the MacBook Air 15 has nothing to offer beyond a slightly larger display that surpasses the excellence of the MacBook Pro 14.

 

[david.h]

That's the setup I purchased coming from a 16GB/1TB M1 14" MBP. The new machine pleases my senses in ways the MBPro never did and has had zero impact on my workflow aside from memory pressure being in the green on my new machine when running a Win11 VM vs yellow on the MBPro.

Sometimes the rider has to make rationalizations for what the elephant he's riding just did. Cognitive dissonance and all that.

Sometimes when my elephant and I are in complete agreement about direction, this is where joy comes into my life.

Me and my elephant are really glad we purchased this setup.

Good luck to you finding peace in whatever decision you make.

You validate my initial belief that I would find greater satisfaction with the MacBook Air equipped with 24GB of RAM compared to the MacBook Pro 14 with 16GB.

Now, regarding your new machine, what specifically pleases your senses?

 

[david.h]

You’re overthinking this… if the 24GB/1TB makes sense to you and your workflow or usage, go for it. You won’t be disappointed. That’s WHY there are different products and options amongst those products.

I grabbed the same spec Air you’re considering, getting rid of my ‘19 16” i9 Pro. No issue with the Pro’s performance; wanted to have a little smaller and quieter machine for what I typically use a laptop for these days. 24GB RAM and 1TB means I won’t consider another personal laptop until the M2 stops supporting new features (another reason I was moving from the Intel MBP, as Sonoma already has features that even a 2019 couldn’t get), or they come out with something groundbreaking.

Plus, work provided me with an M2 Pro 16”, and we have a new M2 Ultra Studio as our home computer.

Get what makes sense to and for you, not hypothetical situations that never happen.

I’m pleasantly surprised to see that not a few people transitioned from MacBook Pros to the Air with 24GB RAM and 1TB SSD.

 

[david.h]

Not according to a loud minority back then (the same as today?)



That is not the point, the point is wether one really needs more. The 2 apps the OP mentioned are rather simple and should run o.k. even on a computer with 2GB. Maybe they even would without a noticeable difference, or maybe the were developed by people who should better work in fast food and will run like cr## on 8GB or less.

When dealing with large databases, Devonthink3 demands ample RAM to ensure smooth performance.