Is 24GB RAM overkill for MBA?

[theluggage]

You could have 16GB of RAM and PowerMac g5 and 'future proof' it, yet it still supported only Tiger and Leopard etc.

There were plenty of applications running under Tiger and Leopard that could use more RAM than the 512MB-1GB that came as standard with a PowerMac G5. Of course, in those days most Macs had user-upgradeable RAM so the idea of "future proofing" by loading up with RAM at the time of purchase wasn't such a big thing. Mid-life RAM upgrades were pretty common and really did extend the life of machines.

Anyway - 16GB would have been a bleeding-edge, hugely expensive spec at the time - 32x the base spec. We're talking here about whether to get 24 or 32GB on a M4 machine rather than 16GB here - your example is more akin to a M4 buyer upgrading to a 512GB Studio Ultra "because future proofing".

EG: I bought a 17" MBP in 2011 with 4GB RAM and a mechanical HD. Cost about £2500. Getting 8GB and a SSD BTO would have maybe added £700 to that. After 2-3 couple of years it was getting sluggish so I upgraded it to 8GB and SSD for a few hundred quid. It ended up lasting me until 2017. If it hadn't been upgradeable then - with hindsight - getting those BTO upgrades on day one would have paid off (even at Apple's extortionate prices).

By the time your requirements change Apple has already dropped the support.

Apart from the very occasional dead-end product, we're talking 5 years before you don't get the latest MacOS (often a blessing in disguise) another 2-3 years before you lose security updates, then an indeterminate period after that before you're forced to upgrade because of a critical vulnerability or software compatibility. 7 years is plenty of time to have to deal with a new hobby or job.

What if you start freelancing and your customer tells you to use Windows only apps, like most of them do.

Good example.
Solution: install Parallels/Fusion and run ARM Windows (which is gradually getting better support - and if its not a demanding app even x86 emulation might be enough) in a VM.
Consequence: More demand for RAM and internal storage. Shoulda got that 24GB option...

The whole PC vs. Mac thing is a red herring here. Not much you can do on a Mac that you can't do on a PC (or vice versa) - it really comes down to how much you prefer MacOS over Windows. Meanwhile, nobody is saying that an extra 8GB of RAM is going to guarantee that you can hand your Mac down to your grandchildren - but it might stop you needing to buy a new Mac (on which you'll probably still have to spend another $200 to get more RAM) just to be able to open more broswser tabs. .

Anyway, what I said in my post was that - at Apple prices - getting extra RAM for "future proofing" probably isn't worth it. If Apple didn't charge 4x the going rate for RAM then getting an extra 8GB would be a no brainer even if it only extended the useful life of your machine by a year or so. This is the problem when Apple doesn't have enough processor variants to make good/better/best variants of each model & creates artificial scarcity of RAM and Storage instead.

 

[Howard2k]

It really doesn't change. You can do photography and everything even on 8GB of RAM though. I've made several apps on 8GB of RAM and even a game on Unity.
By the time your requirements change Apple has already dropped the support.

Why not get a PC then with 128GB of RAM and 4TB SSD? Your requirements might change.
Why not get a PC that supports mobile data? Your requirements can change. Why go Mac at all? Your requirements might change. What if you start freelancing and your customer tells you to use Windows only apps, like most of them do.

Your first paragraph says that things don't change.
Your second paragraphs says that they do.

 

[Bazza1]

Probably. While 'more is better' is true, I'm going to suggest none of the software you use right now demands that amount if RAM to run. Unless you're planning on investing in major video / audio or gaming software. And the software you use now - it's compatibility will probably crap out on the changes to OS before it's hardware demands.

Meanwhile, if looking long-term and eventual trade-in value, chances are pretty good you'll never recoup the expense paid on the RAM. Value will be dependent on the processor speed and what OS device is capable of running.

 

[ignatius345]

I don't want to start a fight, but I'm still fine with MacBook Air M1 8GB. The only issue I run into is the storage. I have 4GB available and nothing to delete…
I might delete some of my projects but yeah… I don't think 16GB is an overkill.. I guess more RAM is always better. I'm waiting for Apple to drop the support for MBA M1 in order to see if they'll also drop the support for 16GB etc models.

This was my experience with my base model M1. The 8 GB RAM only slowed me down when I was seriously pushing the machine too hard -- two user accounts logged in, loads of apps running, a big InDesign or Illustrator doc open. Day to day, it was working just fine. I'm sure it was loading up big virtual memory files, but that doesn't hit performance nearly as hard as it used to with spinning HDDs.

But the 256 GB SSD was starting to be a huge problem, and I had to actually resort to using it with a USB-C flash drive sticking out the side. When I got the M4 Air, I opted for the default 16 GB RAM and a 512 GB SSD. It's working great, even when I throw a lot of stuff at it as described above.

 

[bchreng]

Yes, exactly if you get to little RAM, you would never know and always wonder. In other words it is so umimportent that you will not notice, even if you don't have enough.

Only get more RAM if your usage changes. Perhaps you will want to run a virtual machine with Linux or you want to run an 8 billion parameter LLM locally. Then 24 or 32 GB of RAM is probably what you need. For light use, 8GB works, although people now recommend 16GB

I was thinking about that too. If my needs change to that extent, I might want to consider a MBP instead to minimize processor throttling. And that would be another rabbit hole altogether 🤣

 

[williamofockham]

makes me wish I still had my original Mac (1984), and Lisa : truly machines for the future. but to the main question if can afford 24 gb, you will probably find an application for it, as for ssd I've been using portables (both solid state and hdd's ) happily for more than a decade for storage needs, just remember to cycle through them as needed

 

[CooperSpace]

Yours is one opinion. I disagree. Thinking past tense for the life cycle of a new box that only will be used in the future is wrong-headed thinking.
- RAM demands have always increased every year.
- Apple's new Unified Memory Architecture makes RAM even more important.
- Apps and likely the OS will be taking more advantage of AI which also will make RAM more important.

You are correct that buying Apple's lowest end laptop very 3 years is one approach. However I disagree with the idea that "base model MacBook Air every 3 years will improve your experience."

I was referring to the 8GB MacBook user ( extend that to 16GB users as well ).

Having the newest chip every 3 years will improve your experience more than having 32GB that you dont fully utilize. The single core improvements of Apple's chips will be much more noticeable to that user demographic.

Again, I am -not- referring to power users.

 

[Tdude96]

What are your thoughts on having 24GB of RAM or more on the MBA? Other than future-proofing, is it a bit overkill?

I don’t intend to use it for anything other than working with documents, web browsing and editing basic family video and photos. Oh and gaming. Lots and lots of gaming. Mostly classics and stuff from 10+ years ago. No modern AAA stuff.

I bought the M2 MBA with 24GB for mobile gaming (mostly to play a high-end MMO that launched about 10 years ago) and haven't regretted that choice at all. It's an incredible little machine and very capable.

 

[CooperSpace]

I bought the M2 MBA with 24GB for mobile gaming (mostly to play a high-end MMO that launched about 10 years ago) and haven't regretted that choice at all. It's an incredible little machine and very capable.

Which MMO is that?

 

[Tdude96]

I was thinking about that too. If my needs change to that extent, I might want to consider a MBP instead to minimize processor throttling. And that would be another rabbit hole altogether 🤣

I considered the same before going with the Air. TBH, the throttling is not as big of a deal as the YouTubers made it out to be. I've played my game on the M2 Air for an hour+ and remain within a few FPS of launch. It's surprisingly good at heat management. That said, it's an M2 - the more recent models may run hotter and show more drastic throttling, but presumably Apple has also improved the passive thermal management with time.

 

[bchreng]

Which MMO is that?

I’m guessing WoW?

 

[Tdude96]

I’m guessing WoW?

Not one of my vices, can't say the same for some of my friends. Elder Scrolls Online - no official support for Apple Silicon, but it works.

 

[AlixSPQR]

I decided against more than 16 GB RAM in an MBA 15", and bought an MBP M4 14" 16/512 instead. I hope I won't regret it. But the display, the sound, the fans, those are important things too.

 

[ignatius345]

makes me wish I still had my original Mac (1984), and Lisa : truly machines for the future. but to the main question if can afford 24 gb, you will probably find an application for it, as for ssd I've been using portables (both solid state and hdd's ) happily for more than a decade for storage needs, just remember to cycle through them as needed

I have offloaded my big media libraries (Photos, TV, Music) onto an external SSD on my iMac and it works great because it's a desktop and I can just permanently hide the drive inside my desk. It gets very cumbersome with a laptop.

 

[BB1970]

I have a MBA with 512/16. I have been seeing the occasional swap memory being used but only in the MB, nothing major. But... I was surprised any swap was being used at all. Which made me think about the future. In retrospect I wish I got the 24GB ram just for peace of mind.

 

[ricketysquire]

I went from a M2 16" Pro that had 16gb to a M4 15" Air with 24gb. Part of my rationale was wanting a thinner smaller machine since I also have a M1 16" Pro from work that I need to sometimes carry around with me. But getting 24 gb was important for me since websites are so bulky and resource heavy these days so the more memory the better.

 

[Howard2k]

I have a MBA with 512/16. I have been seeing the occasional swap memory being used but only in the MB, nothing major. But... I was surprised any swap was being used at all. Which made me think about the future. In retrospect I wish I got the 24GB ram just for peace of mind.

24GB will swap too if you leave it running long enough. It's just moving recently used data to the SSD in case you need it later.

 

[GioGiusi]

For sure that's overkill. And I don't necessarily agree with the sentiment of "since you can't upgrade it later...". It is more than good enough for your needs at 16 GB. If a few years later your needs change, trade it in and get a new machine. If your needs change, it will be better served by a newer system than just a little extra RAM.

 

[whitby]

Buy what you can afford. The lower the memory the slower the machine will be on certain memory hungry applications (I would have thought games would be memory hungry but I am not a gamer). I use Dx0 Photolab which is memory hungry for it is noise reduction so I tend to buy more memory than most. But in the end an 8 GB machine will run most applications without a problem but are just slower (there are edge cases where it will just not work or is unusable but they are rare), so you have to decide whether you are willing to wait and save money or you want it to run more quickly and spend the money. It has always been thus.

Apple make it very clear that the speed cost premium is very very high (much much higher than a Windows machine, in general) and thus we constantly have to wrestle with the costs we must pay to speed up processing. It would be much easier if 16GB more memory increased costs by $50 (which is typical for a Windows machine) rather than the $400 that Apple charges. Apple costs are extortionate and hence the discussions we keep having about whether 8 or 16 or 24 GB are needed. This just should not be a discussion but Apple makes it necessary. If it was not for the efficiency and speed of Apple Silicon I would not buy Apple laptop machines but that power efficiency is seductive and you pay for it in the very very high costs for RAM and Disk space. Such is life.

 

[bchreng]

Buy what you can afford. The lower the memory the slower the machine will be on certain memory hungry applications (I would have thought games would be memory hungry but I am not a gamer). I use Dx0 Photolab which is memory hungry for it is noise reduction so I tend to buy more memory than most. But in the end an 8 GB machine will run most applications without a problem but are just slower (there are edge cases where it will just not work or is unusable but they are rare), so you have to decide whether you are willing to wait and save money or you want it to run more quickly and spend the money. It has always been thus.

Apple make it very clear that the speed cost premium is very very high (much much higher than a Windows machine, in general) and thus we constantly have to wrestle with the costs we must pay to speed up processing. It would be much easier if 16GB more memory increased costs by $50 (which is typical for a Windows machine) rather than the $400 that Apple charges. Apple costs are extortionate and hence the discussions we keep having about whether 8 or 16 or 24 GB are needed. This just should not be a discussion but Apple makes it necessary. If it was not for the efficiency and speed of Apple Silicon I would not buy Apple laptop machines but that power efficiency is seductive and you pay for it in the very very high costs for RAM and Disk space. Such is life.

Thanks for the detailed response! Apple really knows how to price their products to make customers really consider spending more for the next tier of upgrades.

Various retailers are clearing out their M3 models to make room for the M4s and the 24gb/512gb M3 has caught my eye. I have enough money set aside for it and am really excited to give the MBA a go.

 

[raythompsontn]

I was surprised any swap was being used at all

Swap is not a continuous operation that is thrashing the SSD. The OS swaps some unused portion of memory when the user switches tasks. The memory will be swapped back into use when the task is again active. Unless the user is swapping tasks dozens of times a minute, the use of swap will not be noticed. Long gone are the days of slow spinning rust used for swap. The use of swap memory (the SSD) will most likely never be a performance issue for most users. There is likely no one here who can tell when swap is being used based on app performance.

 

[Moonjumper]

You can have enough ram, it's not wise to invest into 32GB ram for example if you were fine with the old 8GB ram MacBooks even, then 16GB is plenty.

Only buy what you truly need, because the upgrades you do now will barely make a return into resale value, the resale value of the base model apple products is always the highest.

Upgrading your base model MacBook Air every 3 years will improve your experience much more than buying overpriced MacBook Air upgrades that you probably never truly utilize.

Yes, I agree. Futureproofing was a good idea when technology was moving very fast, but has far less value now. OS incompatibility could well hit sooner, as it has for me more than once.

Getting only what you need means you can upgrade more often, even though Apple depreciation isn't as slow as it used to be (but still much better than Windows hardware). By the time you need that extra RAM, you are more likely to be ready to upgrade anyway.

And you cannot futureproof for new features. A futureproofed M1 Mac will not have access to the latest AI features for example. That M1 user might have the money for an upgrade now if they had gone for the base spec, but might have to wait for M6 or M7 generation if they had invested in upgrades to meet possible future needs.

 

[splifingate]

Your first paragraph says that things don't change.
Your second paragraphs says that they do.

The more things change, the more they stay the same.

 

[3SQ Machine]

Various retailers are clearing out their M3 models to make room for the M4s and the 24gb/512gb M3 has caught my eye. I have enough money set aside for it and am really excited to give the MBA a go.

Unless those prices have gotten better, I noticed that the M4 16/512 was starting dipping into the "close enough" ballpark of M3 24/512 which hurt its value proposition. Right now, Amazon is selling the 13" 16/512 it for $1001.

It's a tough call, but at least outside of the color change and a few modest physical upgrades it's the same design. In the end, I went M3 because to my eye there was a qualitatively better panel on the M3 line and what I stare at is more important than an extra millisecond in processing. I also saved a couple bills, too.

 

[bchreng]

Unless those prices have gotten better, I noticed that the M4 16/512 was starting dipping into the "close enough" ballpark of M3 24/512 which hurt its value proposition. Right now, Amazon is selling the 13" 16/512 it for $1001.

It's a tough call, but at least outside of the color change and a few modest physical upgrades it's the same design. In the end, I went M3 because to my eye there was a qualitatively better panel on the M3 line and what I stare at is more important than an extra millisecond in processing. I also saved a couple bills, too.

That’s not bad at all. Costco has the 15” 24gb/512gb for around the same price