I multitask the heck out of my 2011 mba 4gb machine, there is no problem. Why are you limited to running one app at a time is beyond me.
Have you cleaned install MacOS? That might be where your problem is.
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MacBook Air: 8G or 16GM Memory?
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Have you cleaned install MacOS? That might be where your problem is.
I can multitask too on 4 GB, but it's slower, because the machine often has to swap. It still works fine, but it's annoying, esp. if you're used to machines which don't swap. My comment about running one app at a time is about preventing swapping.
I don't think you'll get many dissenting opinions about 4 GB being insufficient for most modern usage on modern OSes.
I do not need to invest in a powerful processor because I don't edit videos or engage in any heavy lifting.
The argument for more RAM is that I want room for tons of office apps/windows open and running at the same time....along with browser tabs.
Is there any debate on this use case?....that, in this case,16gb is justified in a low power, entry Mac?
Honestly, I'm just now considering until next year's new Macs and getting into one of these new iPad Pros. Those "A" chips are very interesting.
The argument for more RAM is that I want room for tons of office apps/windows open and running at the same time....along with browser tabs.
Is there any debate on this use case?....that, in this case,16gb is justified in a low power, entry Mac?
Honestly, I'm just now considering until next year's new Macs and getting into one of these new iPad Pros. Those "A" chips are very interesting.
If you need more than 8 GB then get 16 GB. However, a lot of people are fine with 8 GB, esp. in the near term. So, in the use case you describe, sometimes 16 GB can be beneficial, but it really depends. In my case with that type of usage, 8 GB is usually fine, but occasionally it's a bit restrictive. Plus I keep my machines many, many years, and my ballpark guess is that memory usage goes up about 50% every 4-5 years. But even if it only were to go up say 25-35%, that would mean what 8 GB would be good for now might need 10 GB in a few years. Unfortunately, it's impossible to spec a Mac laptop now with say 12 GB.
As for the iPad Pro, it works differently, since iOS does not swap, ever. If it needs to release memory, it just kills the app. This can also be really annoying, since when you access a browser tab that has been purged from memory, it will have to reload the tab from the internet. If you are filling in a web form on that page, you'll lose everything you've entered when it reloads.
An error a lot of people on this forum commits when recommending 16Gb, is that they believe that if a computer uses 8Gb of RAM in a 8GB RAM Mac, they need more RAM. What they do not know is that the OS is designed to try to use all available RAM even if it is not strictly needed.
Therefor you need to take a look at Memory pressure in Activity Monitor. If it is green, you are fine.
I believe that for 99% of the people that are interested in buying an Air, 8GB of RAM will be plenty enough.
There is a lot more to it when it comes to RAM than just comparing numbers like 8GB vs 16GB.
16GB is only going to be better for you, if you really make use of the 16GB. If you’re not, the amount you aren’t using is useless.
I’d say, look at your personal use case and the intention of the machine.
The Air isn’t designed for heavy photo/video editing, for running VM’s, nor for heavy multitasking.
If this is what you’re looking for, then you should take a look at the Pro line of MacBooks.
The Air is designed for light/moderate work, great portability and battery life.
There is a lot more to it when it comes to RAM than just comparing numbers like 8GB vs 16GB.
16GB is only going to be better for you, if you really make use of the 16GB. If you’re not, the amount you aren’t using is useless.
I’d say, look at your personal use case and the intention of the machine.
The Air isn’t designed for heavy photo/video editing, for running VM’s, nor for heavy multitasking.
If this is what you’re looking for, then you should take a look at the Pro line of MacBooks.
The Air is designed for light/moderate work, great portability and battery life.
I just did fresh install on a 4Gb machine not restoring from backup and I’m seeing a notable amount of swap files. Sure, I’m multitasking but just doing consumer level things.
Yep. 4 GB is passable as entry level, but for older machines I'd recommend upgrading to 6 or 8 GB when possible.
I was using a 4 GB 2008 2.0 GHz Core 2 Duo MacBook (with SSD) mainly as a kitchen recipe, email, and basic surfing machine. With very light usage it was OK, but as soon as I started running a few applications at a time (those just being email and Safari and/or Chrome with multiple tabs) and maybe Word (to open email attachments), I'd get swapping with the associated spinning beachball of death. Upgraded to 8 GB and all of that disappeared.
Luckily I was able to get in on a flash Amazon.ca sale last year, that got me 8 GB of name brand DDR3-1066 RAM for US$35 in Canada. They sold out within the hour, and the sale never came back.
EDIT:
I just checked Amazon.com and you now can get 8 GB DDR3-1066 Corsair Mac RAM (2 x 4 GB SoDIMM) for US$55 in the US. A few months ago it was about $75. Still not the awesome US$35 price I paid for my Transcend RAM last year though.
BTW, for my MacBook 2017, the upgrade from 8 GB to 16 GB was CAD$216, which at current exchange rates is about US$162.50. Not a bad deal, considering this machine's memory is not user upgradeable, and I plan on keeping it over 5 years hopefully.
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Holy crap. PowerPoint 2016 definitely has a memory leak. This is on my 16 GB 12" MacBook:
Note that this is with all windows exited. The apps listed above are active, but none of them have any active windows on screen. I had been editing a couple of PowerPoint presentations for the last couple of hours, but before taking this screenshot, I had closed those presentations. The only active window on screen is Activity Monitor, but that uses much less memory so it's much further down the list.
I suspect it is applications like this that made 16 GB feel better than 8 GB at times. Sure, if all applications behaved themselves and used memory correctly, 8 GB would fine more often, but as you can see, sometimes applications don't behave themselves. One can either wait until the developer fixes the program, or one can just buy more RAM to compensate.
Note that this is with all windows exited. The apps listed above are active, but none of them have any active windows on screen. I had been editing a couple of PowerPoint presentations for the last couple of hours, but before taking this screenshot, I had closed those presentations. The only active window on screen is Activity Monitor, but that uses much less memory so it's much further down the list.
I suspect it is applications like this that made 16 GB feel better than 8 GB at times. Sure, if all applications behaved themselves and used memory correctly, 8 GB would fine more often, but as you can see, sometimes applications don't behave themselves. One can either wait until the developer fixes the program, or one can just buy more RAM to compensate.
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It seems like you are fine with the everyday usage but rather concerned about what's going on in the background. If you want to find a reason to upgrade, you just found one.
Hmm, I’m trying to figure out why PP is using that much ram. How big is the file that’s open in it?
I was editing a couple of files, one about 25 MB and another one that ended up about 155 MB although I think it was about 135 MB or so when I got the screengrab.
I had also previously opened a couple of 50ish MB files to copy some slides over.
Hmm.... Definitely not an isolated problem with PowerPoint 2016. I had the same two PowerPoint files loaded (55 MB and 153 MB) and I was just compressing them down and exporting them as PDF handouts.
BTW, one Safari tab of CNN's front page alone is 500 MB. MacRumors' front page is 300 MB.
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Wow, PP is literally out of control.
Websites vary a lot (you know that, I'm just noting that). There are sites that really can't be left open (I tend to have very poor tab hygiene). CNN sounds bad. I was on the Nasdaq news page recently and it was gobbling up memory (I don't remember the specific memory amount).
But what I've seen when I've had otherwise identical 8gb and 16gb machines running side by side is that Mac OS will just pile things into whatever's available. The 8gb machines were running 'green' memory pressure. If you had open a 150mb PP (or a 9gb Acrobat file, as I did yesterday) there will be more file swapping.