Given RAM prices in general recently that particular complaint is actually not valid at the moment, Apple's pricing on RAM is, for once, on par or better than their competitors
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Is 24GB RAM overkill for MBA?
- Thread starter bchreng
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16 Gb is barely enough if you do anything browser based. That includes most modern "apps" that just instantiate another browser and pretend they're "native".
Since both use the same M4 CPU, I will take 13” MBA with 24GB RAM over base 14” MBP with 16GB RAM, HDMI port, SD card slot and better screen for it’s overall size and weight.
aakshey
macrumors 68030
MBP is a very different experience. The better keyboard and mouse improve the experience even over than the display. And you can’t do anything about that. For most people 16 GB is enough today. Ideally I would recommend M4 Pro 24 GB if budget is there. Otherwise I’d recommend MBP M5 16 gb.
I have no problem with the MBA's keyboard and trackpad, so I will take it for it’s extra portability.
The only reason to choose MBP over MBA is only if you know you need the extra processing power the Pro/Max Chips provide.
I wonder if everyone shares this opinion.
The standalone Magic Keyboard has 1mm key travel, identical to that of the MBA. I love typing on my standalone Magic Keyboard, so I would expect the MBA to offer the same experience. Please correct me if I'm wrong.
Does the 1.2mm key travel of the MBP make such a significant difference?
Not true. The displays on these are very different.
The Air display is 500 nits brightness max. The Pros go up to 1000 overall and can ramp up to 1600 locally for HDR content. The Pro display also goes up to 120hz and can have a nano-texture option.
Not to knock the Air display, which is sharp, color-accurate and quite bright enough for many situations -- but the Pro display is on a whole other level.
aakshey
macrumors 68030
Exactly my point. The difference between MBA and MBP is more qualitative and not so much quantitative. You need to really experience. The Magic Keyboard too is garbage and unusable. The MBP keyword is a joy to use on the other hand.
As a reference: currently using a base M2 MBA (8/256) on latest version of Tahoe. Zero problems. Smooth as butter.
Weird. I could swear I’d used one to type hundreds of thousands of words. I must have been mistaken. 🤣
I actually feel 24GB on my current M4 Pro MBP 14 has been overkill. Even with Docker containers, Java, and Unity development the machine doesn't really sweat with memory pressure. I also do some light photo and video editing. It all would work fine with 16GB. That said, the 24GB will lend to greater longevity.
I am just saying 24GB has been overkill for the past year that I've had the MBP, but maybe it will come in handy the next couple of years (if I don't upgrade to M6, lol).
I am just saying 24GB has been overkill for the past year that I've had the MBP, but maybe it will come in handy the next couple of years (if I don't upgrade to M6, lol).
aakshey
macrumors 68030
24 gb is already not enough for me. Forget about multitasking, it’s not enough to run HQPlayer with SincL at DSD 256.
I stand corrected. Loaded a larger Docker container today, with a virtual environment, some VS Code, and DataGrip and memory use is at 21GB. So one year in and 24GB was a good call.
I have a couple dozen tabs open in both Safari and Chrome, but closing out extraneous tabs would still exceed 16GB of memory use.
MacInTO
macrumors 68000
You can never be too rich or too thin or have too much memory.
I'm not so sure about 16GB being "more than enough". Yes, memory is meant to be utilized, and my current workload should run with 16GB but there would be greater swap and memory pressure would be closer to, or in, the red zone where I'd start to wish I had the 24GB that I have now.
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I just moved from a 16GB 512GB M3 15" MBA to a 24GB 1TB one for the extra storage. Previously my light use (basically web & email) had memory pressure amber & 7GB of swap. Now with 24GB memory pressure is green & swap 0.
Makes sense if you need more storage. Doesn't make much sense for additional memory if you only do web and email. I never look at Active Monitor and memory pressure. I just use and enjoy my base 2022 M2 MBA (8/256) with zero problems on the latest version of Tahoe.
Primary uses; Mail, Messages, Safari, iWork, MS Office, Photos, Calendar, Notes, Reminders.....your basic office worker applications.
1BadManVan
macrumors 68040
You got more going on than basic web and email if you're using swap. Or you got some extra background programs running. I got a 16gb M2 and i can have 20 tabs open with youtube running in the background and my memory pressure never even gets into the yellow
Having swap isn't a deal breaker.
My rule of thumb: if Apple pretends the system requirements haven't increased then you can be productive with 2x more RAM than the official minimum.
16GB will be fine for for basic home office and light gaming for a bit longer than Apple pretends an M1 with 8GB RAM is capable of running MacOS, and I expect MacOS will officially support 8GB systems for at least two more major releases.
My rule of thumb: if Apple pretends the system requirements haven't increased then you can be productive with 2x more RAM than the official minimum.
16GB will be fine for for basic home office and light gaming for a bit longer than Apple pretends an M1 with 8GB RAM is capable of running MacOS, and I expect MacOS will officially support 8GB systems for at least two more major releases.
😳...how? I thought Ventura was the practical end of the line for 8GB!
well, there is my real world use and there is the use defined by benchmarks and active monitor. I can only speak to my real world use on my 8gb base M2 MBA, which I would characterize as typical office worker plus home applications. Zero problems on Tahoe.
Yes, having to use any number of VMs is a big use of memory, as you're essentially splitting your computer into 2 (or more) computers with their own memory requirements. And most of the time, VMs will lock-up a certain amount of memory (eg. 8gb) as soon as it's launched, so to the host machine, that 8gb is gone.
Using a VM is a step-function change in memory need for sure.