Ok, Thanks! I think I am going to go with the 11" 8 gb of ram!
That would be a fine choice, but if you're trying to save money, the 11" with 4 GB will give you identical performance with your stated usage and will be cheaper.
MacBook Air 11" vs 13"
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That would be a fine choice, but if you're trying to save money, the 11" with 4 GB will give you identical performance with your stated usage and will be cheaper.
It's a non-issue. You're going to run into the technical limitations of the GPU far before you hit the RAM ceiling.
Actually I'll echo the sentiment that 4GB is more than enough because up until 2-3 months ago I was using a 2010 MBA with 2GB RAM and that was enough. I did all the same stuff with it (XCode, Photoshop, etc.) and the memory pressure was about 50%-60%, still green. Sometimes it would stray into the yellow area but that's not necessarily awful.
So I very deliberately bought the 4GB model (even though I can afford the 8GB upgrade) since it really is more than enough for my workload. I wouldn't want to run Windows in a VM with just 2GB, though, so 4GB is nice to have for those sorts of unusual cases. If I had opted for 8GB, I could just as well have gone outside and set fire to $200.
But please, cycledance, let us know why you think 4GB isn't nearly enough for you. You've already shown that you have no idea how well your 3-D games would run with 4GB of RAM but maybe you have some other insights for us?
cycledance
Suspended
i have not done any of what you just said. you are spreading misinformation about me and clearly calling me out in a provocative way. next time i will report you.
you are also deliberately misinforming other users about ram. clearly because of your choice of 4gb ram. it is NOT ok to have 50-60% memory pressure. or 30%. it means degraded performance.
I don't know how I'm spreading misinformation about you. I'm asking you to justify your claim that 8GB of RAM is essential. If you don't have any technical justification then I can see how that puts you in a bind here but I don't think you can blame that on me.
As for 30-50-60% (green) memory pressure, read the link I sent you to Apple's web site explaining memory pressure as displayed in Activity Monitor. If it's showing green, that means you have memory that's available. Essentially unused memory. That is basically the definition of "enough" memory--i.e., you're doing all the stuff you want and you still have some memory left over.
If you disagree, please post some kind of rationale for disagreeing, instead of just saying that I'm being provocative or spreading misinformation.
cycledance
Suspended
i have already given u technical justification. it's absurd that you even need that for additional ram.
where have i shown anything like that or said anything even close to that? completely made up. you also said "us" like you feel like you can gang up on me. i know some 4gb macbook air users will agree with you. doesn´t matter to me.
where have i said that?
no. any memory pressure above 0 means that it´s already compressing or even accessing the harddisk.
i saw the article and it doesn't specifically say anything that this is ok. and if it did i would disagree. simple as that.
cycledance
Suspended
Meister
Suspended
That's complete nonsense.
But it's new nonsense, which is amazing considering those thousands of ram threads on the exact same topic that have gone through this forum.
capathy21
macrumors 65816
That's complete nonsense.
But it's new nonsense, which is amazing considering those thousands of ram threads on the exact same topic that have gone through this forum.
Yea he is making it up as he goes, but in his own mind he is right and that's all that matters
cycledance
Suspended
That's complete nonsense.
But it's new nonsense, which is amazing considering those thousands of ram threads on the exact same topic that have gone through this forum.
no it's not. and the only people who defend 4gb ram religiously are those who are stuck with it. you guys post in all these topics on macrumors like you are on a mission. i checked the topics and it's the same people over and over. you also keep upvoting each other aggressively.
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/1771470/
Meister
Suspended
I am "stuck with 8".
and yes, what you wrote is nonsense. Memory pressure is always >0 no matter how much ram you have. Since you can not provide any prove for your point you start to invent the "macrumors ram conspiracy". Since you already learned how to use the search function, please look for the other threads. This is just deja vu.
cycledance
Suspended
i have read what you wrote in the other topic.
it's a funny game for you with lots of smileys and asking people for proof over and over ad nauseum while ignoring facts.
Meister
Suspended
Ohh silly me, asking for proof, when everybody knows proof is against forum rules.
I can see that you want to play the same game and repeat your nonsense over and over, pointing to the invisble facts and blaming the ram conspiracy insitgated by those poor souls stuck with too little holy ram.
I will not engage in this here. Bye bye.
ColdShadow
Cancelled
Personally between 11 Inch 8GB vs 13 Inch 4GB,I'd go for 13.
Many people love the 11,I do too,but I think for long time usage it's too small.
But then if you are going to carry it almost every day,11 is definitely the winner.
Regarding Ram,I've been using an iMac (2011) with 4GB untill recently and never experience any issues.so you will be fine with 4GB,that being said,personally I'd opt for 8GB if I could afford it easily.being a MBA and impossibility of later upgrade will make RAM upgrade more tempting too.
Many people love the 11,I do too,but I think for long time usage it's too small.
But then if you are going to carry it almost every day,11 is definitely the winner.
Regarding Ram,I've been using an iMac (2011) with 4GB untill recently and never experience any issues.so you will be fine with 4GB,that being said,personally I'd opt for 8GB if I could afford it easily.being a MBA and impossibility of later upgrade will make RAM upgrade more tempting too.
capathy21
macrumors 65816
If you really followed, you would know that we have talked time and time again about how the upgrade is often much more than just 90 dollars. If you are ordering through Apple then by all means, spend the extra 90 and double your ram. I'd agree with that every time. Is it still a waste of 90 bucks for many users? Yes, but Apple makes a killing on unnecessary upgrades having people like you as a spokesperson
Many times, places like Best Buy will have the base model MBA's for 200-300 less than an 8GB model would cost through Apple. In these cases, it makes no sense to spend 200-300 more just to double ram that will probably never be used. Again this has been discussed time and time again. It's common sense stuff.
90 difference, spring for 8GB.
200+ difference, not a chance.
As far is how you are interpreting memory pressure, we will just leave that alone and let you think what you want.
I agree with capathy21,
Best price I could find for a macbook air 11 4gb: 729.
Price for a macbook air 11 8gb at the apple store, Netherlands (I could not find a good deal online): 1029.
This is a 300 difference, about 380$. I could buy a nice WiiU with some games for the kids for that money.
So I bought the cheapest one (4gb).
90$ for 8gb would be a great deal but then again, I now have the cheapest and I do not run out of memory with my usage.
Best price I could find for a macbook air 11 4gb: 729.
Price for a macbook air 11 8gb at the apple store, Netherlands (I could not find a good deal online): 1029.
This is a 300 difference, about 380$. I could buy a nice WiiU with some games for the kids for that money.
So I bought the cheapest one (4gb).
90$ for 8gb would be a great deal but then again, I now have the cheapest and I do not run out of memory with my usage.
sracer
macrumors G4
You've summarized the reality of the situation nicely.If you really followed, you would know that we have talked time and time again about how the upgrade is often much more than just 90 dollars. If you are ordering through Apple then by all means, spend the extra 90 and double your ram. I'd agree with that every time. Is it still a waste of 90 bucks for many users? Yes, but Apple makes a killing on unnecessary upgrades having people like you as a spokesperson
Many times, places like Best Buy will have the base model MBA's for 200-300 less than an 8GB model would cost through Apple. In these cases, it makes no sense to spend 200-300 more just to double ram that will probably never be used. Again this has been discussed time and time again. It's common sense stuff.
90 difference, spring for 8GB.
200+ difference, not a chance.
As far is how you are interpreting memory pressure, we will just leave that alone and let you think what you want.
All companies try to leverage their own products against each other in an attempt to upsell to a more expensive option. I think that Apple is the company that does it the best. That is the reason why iPads, iPod Touches, and iPhones don't have removable storage options.
And it works... just look at how people get torqued up over the options. Apple has managed to get people emotionally attached.
Here's what it says:
"Green RAM memory resources are available."
How can you possibly interpret that as "not okay"? What does Apple have to write so you think it IS okay? Do they have to literally put the words "THIS IS OKAY" on the page for you?
Also, I love how you're going to disagree with Apple. You're going to disagree with them about a term/chart that THEY invented and defined? Okay buddy.
Dsching
Suspended
First you write that "noone should buy a macbook with 4gb ram in 2014" and then you write that you never wrote that 8gb are essential. So you do not think that 8gb are essential but noone should buy less? And apple doesn't know how to read their own activity monitor? You sure are a piece of work, dude.
The OP has already made up his mind and I hope he enjoys his new macbook air. Great choice!
DisplacedMic
macrumors 65816
the best advice is to go play w/ them in the store.
i was SURE i wanted the 13 until i went to the fruitstand and tried the 11.
i've had it for a year and it's the best computer i've ever owned.
people love the 13 but the 11 is ideal for me.
i was SURE i wanted the 13 until i went to the fruitstand and tried the 11.
i've had it for a year and it's the best computer i've ever owned.
people love the 13 but the 11 is ideal for me.