Is it worth $250 more to get 8GB vs 4GB?

[sracer]

It is such a waste to get the 8GB with your use...especially on an Air.

The airs are already on the way out, if you're expecting to recoup the money in a few years with a sale - that's not going to happen.

You're also not going to notice a difference - so there is absolutely no point in throwing $250 more at it than you have to.

Along with the melodramatics regarding the non-retina aspect of the MBA display, the "oh noes! with the 4 gigs of RAM the Air will be a slug!" is the next favorite proclamation.

I have found that even when processing video, my 4GB 11" MBA handles the task just fine without breaking a sweat. I've done quite a bit on that little guy and in the 2 years that I've owned it, I've had the fan come on less than a dozen times. I'm extremely impressed with it.

When I first bought it, I had to decide: $450 out-the-door for a new 4GB model, or $650 for a new 8GB. I'm glad I went with 4.

 

[J&JPolangin]

I am typing this on a 2013 11.6" MBA base model (128 Gb SSD/4 Gb RAM) and its fine but I use a free app called memory clean and set it to "refresh" my memory when it automatically gets below a certain low level...its not my main machine but it is a great traveling partner since I am on the road quite a bit for work...I got a great deal on it when it was brand new and couldn't justify the much higher price for an 8Gb model due to the deal.

Try a 4Gb model and return it if you don't like it...if you do like it, keep the extra money in your savings for when you decide you need the newest gadget again!

 

[MultiFinder17]

I use a 2011 11" Air (1.6, 2GB, 256GB) running 10.11, and it runs like a champ. I use it for much of my general computing at home, as well as much of my planning for school (I'm a high school teacher). Right now I have Safari with around a dozen tabs over several windows open, Word 2011 with about a dozen documents, Excel 2011 with 3-4 workbooks open, TextEdit, Preview, the district e-mail program, QuickTime, and iTunes. It runs very well, doing everything I need quickly and efficiently. All of this runs perfectly with 2GB of RAM. I have yet to feel a distinct urge to get a new computer for my uses, as this one still does everything I need at the speed and efficiency that I need.

 

[iceman42]

i am taking the leap and buying a MacBook. I have an iMac, but now want a portable Mac other than the iPad. I am trying decide between two. One is a 13 inch 4GB for $750 (5th gen). The other is a 13 inch 8GB newest model for $999. Is it worth spending another $250 for the newer model with more RAM? I am mainly using it for Internet browsing, streaming Netflix or MLB, iPhoto, etc.

Thank you for your advice!

its not the new model its just last years macbook air with 8gb instead of 4gb

 

[johnnykarimov]

i bought mba 2013 mid, i7, 8gb, 512ssd for 410$, like new
absolutely new, but without box, 37 cycle battery, this is good or more expensive?

 

[cincygolfgrrl]

i bought mba 2013 mid, i7, 8gb, 512ssd for 410$, like new
absolutely new, but without box, 37 cycle battery, this is good or more expensive?

That sounds like a really good buy to me. Congratulations.

 

[Zillion]

I have a MBA 11 inch 2014 with 4 GB. After I bought it, my job as a freelance developer changed and I needed to work on location. With 2 external displays (1 via USB to DVI) and PHPStorm open, MAMP, Chrome, Firefox (=resource hog), Textmate and sometimes Photoshop, the MBA still does it job. Don't forget that the PCIe Flash memory will take over when the 4 GB are used.

However it's not very fast and occasionally I get the spinner. Because I have so many applications open, I wished I had 8 GB or rather 16. I did not intend to use this machine as a developer machine.

Of course I want a more powerful machine, so I am waiting like forever for the MBPro upgrade this year. But if Macbook Air comes with good specs, I may prefer that one, because it's silent.

But I will keep this MBA, it's so light, almost no fan sound even under pressure (hell, my colleagues have MBPro's and they are very noisy when used 'pro'). Perfect for on the couch or in bed.

 

[BornAgainMac]

I see this debate repeat all the time. I have a PowerMac G4 that has 2 GB of memory (the maximum at the time) and it is still usable today. It has Photoshop and InDesign that I got at an educational discount that I never upgraded past that year so they still run great today with that older G4 processor. If I would have saved the $500 or whatever it cost to just have 1 GB of memory, then it would probably be in the trash bin today.

 

[The Man]

I have a MacBook Air with 8GB RAM. 5.7 GB is used. Cached: 1.4GB. App memory: 3.7 GB. Wired: 1.4GB. Compressed: 582 MB. Swap: 527 MB.

And I'm only running Safari, Ulysses, Wine, and Preview.

So I'd say, 8GB is good to have, even if you don't run much.

 

[Weaselboy]

I have a MacBook Air with 8GB RAM. 5.7 GB is used.

That's really not relevant. If you installed 16GB, it would use even more. The OS will just use whatever is available to cache files/apps.

The true test is to run the machine with say 4GB for a while like you normally use it, then check the memory pressure in Activity Monitor. If memory pressure is in the green, you don't need more memory.

 

[Mal67]

I think the only interesting mac news that I have heard in a while is that 13" Airs now come with 8gig as standard. While I am satisfied with the performance of my 4gig model should the need to upgrade arise it's nice to know that this is available. Especially given the dollar fluctuation price rises of the last 12 months.

 

[mdlooker]

Does running the dual-screen feature have an ill-effect on 4Gigs of RAM?

 

[AFEPPL]

Latest versions of OS X are a memory hogs.

8GB would be a min requirement in my eyes. I tried a co-works 4GB MBA last week and it sucked by comparison for basic things like PPT and browsing . (plus i hated the screen). I'd strongly recommend trying to get the rMB or rMBP.

 

[Howard2k]

I like the MBA, the screen isn't a significant issue IMO. Far more is made of that than is realistic. Sure it's not Retina, but it's still pretty nice. I was using computers with block green screens back in the day though.

The 4GB was limiting for me though. A few tabs open in Safari, Mail and then Garageband and it was beach balling. With 8GB though, great value.

 

[Meister]

Latest versions of OS X are a memory hogs.

8GB would be a min requirement in my eyes. I tried a co-works 4GB MBA last week and it sucked by comparison for basic things like PPT and browsing . (plus i hated the screen). I'd strongly recommend trying to get the rMB or rMBP.

I can not confim this at all.

I have no idea what you guys are doing.
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Does running the dual-screen feature have an ill-effect on 4Gigs of RAM?

Yes. Because the system memory is shared with the gpu.

The more pixels to push, the more ram is needed.

 

[akimoriRyuuji]

I would only get 8GB if you were running Photoshop or VMs, and similar tasks. Most of the time, you won't notice a difference between 4GB and 8GB. Alot of people here don't fundamentally understand the real difference. More is not always better. Though, it's true; if you have 8GB of RAM, you may get a few more bucks when you resell it.

In terms of future-proofing; your device will not become obsolete based on RAM. Upgrade your SSD before you upgrade the RAM.

 

[iP1rate]

I would only get 8GB if you were running Photoshop or VMs, and similar tasks. Most of the time, you won't notice a difference between 4GB and 8GB. Alot of people here don't fundamentally understand the real difference. More is not always better. Though, it's true; if you have 8GB of RAM, you may get a few more bucks when you resell it.

In terms of future-proofing; your device will not become obsolete based on RAM. Upgrade your SSD before you upgrade the RAM.

This +1