Macbook Air M2 - 8gb Memory enough?

[auxbuss]

But many people buying a MacBook Air want to keep using it for 7-10 years and if they only bought 256GB of SSD and 8GB of RAM and they're not only running one or two applications at once and running only a small handful of tabs, they will swap and it will degrade the drive. That's fact.

No, it's not fact. It's ********.

Fact: I have an M2 Air with 8Gb and 256Gb.

I tried an experiment. I loaded my daily apps: Scrivener running full screen – two projects, one over a million words, the other 200k or so; Dictionary (with eight dictionaries; multiple languages); Numbers with two large spreadsheets; PopClip; Maccy; Osmand Maps (11 maps, about 2Gb) running full screen; Be Focussed; Moom; Aeon Timeline; Books; Broadcast; GnuCash; Calendar; Messages; Mail; Contacts; Espanso; NetNewsWire; Notes; Remindets; Firefox (with twenty tabs); iTerm; …

Memory story so far:

QED

There is so much ******** here on MacRumors about the capabilities of a base M2 Air. That's a fact.

 

[TinaBelcher]

I would never get 8 GB again.
I had it on my 2013 MBP, and it became a nightmare a couple of years later when I started studying again. It could not handle more than 8 tabs. 16GB is the sweet spot.

 

[arche3]

Think my iPhone has more than 8. So I got more on my macs. Lol.

 

[Yebubbleman]

Hmm, I qualify as a recreation user and my base M2 Mini is an overkill. I get by just fine with 8GB. In fact my M2 Mini is twice as fast as my i5 Mini with 32GB of ram. Perhaps you are not a recreation user but a power user instead.

Really? With 30 Safari tabs, Mail, Messages, Facebook Messenger, Maps, and the Battle.net app open (with no Blizzard game actually running) and I'm a power user for constantly getting low memory alerts? Is that how the world works, now?

"I am this and I don't have that problem, therefore you must not be this" is logic that is both primitive and flawed.

No, it's not fact. It's ********.

Fact: I have an M2 Air with 8Gb and 256Gb.

Ah yes, the classic "it doesn't happen to me, therefore it's impossible that it happens anywhere else" argument.

I tried an experiment. I loaded my daily apps: Scrivener running full screen – two projects, one over a million words, the other 200k or so; Dictionary (with eight dictionaries; multiple languages); Numbers with two large spreadsheets; PopClip; Maccy; Osmand Maps (11 maps, about 2Gb) running full screen; Be Focussed; Moom; Aeon Timeline; Books; Broadcast; GnuCash; Calendar; Messages; Mail; Contacts; Espanso; NetNewsWire; Notes; Remindets; Firefox (with twenty tabs); iTerm; …

Memory story so far:

View attachment 2230355

Good for you...?

I have Safari (~30 tabs open), Notes, Mail, Maps, Calendar, Messages, Facebook Messenger, and Battle.net and I generally have yellow, if not red memory pressure. Heaven help me if I add Books or TV into this mix.

The problem with the "8GB of RAM is totally fine for me!" stance in the great "Apple Silicon Mac: Is 8GB going to be enough for me?" debate is that those that have good mileage with it assume that everyone's mileage will be just like theirs. The fact of the matter is that, 8GB of RAM DOES work for some people but it doesn't have a sure-fire chance of working for the person asking if it will be enough for them.

QED

There is so much ******** here on MacRumors about the capabilities of a base M2 Air. That's a fact.

There are people with experiences that are different from your own. That's fact. Invalidating those experiences is a slippery slope that I strongly advise against.

 

[Heat_Fan89]

Really? With 30 Safari tabs, Mail, Messages, Facebook Messenger, Maps, and the Battle.net app open (with no Blizzard game actually running) and I'm a power user for constantly getting low memory alerts? Is that how the world works, now?

"I am this and I don't have that problem, therefore you must not be this" is logic that is both primitive and flawed.

Well I don't know what to tell you. I'm a recreational user and i'm not having the problems you are describing. For me 8/256GB is plenty.

 

[ctjack]

Well I don't know what to tell you. I'm a recreational user and i'm not having the problems you are describing. For me 8/256GB is plenty.

I think i will go barebones 15 as well. 200 upgrade of ram is like 20% upcharge in the grand scheme of things. If i am shopping for 30K truck, i would think twice before loading it up with options for 36K.

Especially, I expect new m3 Air 15 coming by the next summer, which makes the upgrade easier/cheaper.

Last time apple tricked with new model eligible to back to school - they immediately updated that model very soon enough.
Usually, if they do not plan to replace it quickly, they make that model ineligible for back to school promo even if it was released during the one.

 

[arcite]

I run a macbook air with 4gigs ram.....I keep hundreds of tabs open in Firefox (they don't all load until activated of course - But I regularly have say, 2 dozen active). Frankly, Firefox (with plugins and config tweaking - ie. various ad/script blockers) CAN be way more resource efficient than safari. RAM is not the problem....apps hogging it is.

 

[Yebubbleman]

Well I don't know what to tell you. I'm a recreational user and i'm not having the problems you are describing. For me 8/256GB is plenty.

Good for you! Understand that your experience will not be everyone's.

Can 8GB work for some people? Absolutely.

Will 16GB work for MORE people? Definitely.

That's the reason why the 8GB vs. 16GB debate on the low-end is asinine and why people really need to stop starting threads asking this question over and over and over and over.

 

[Heat_Fan89]

Good for you! Understand that your experience will not be everyone's.

Can 8GB work for some people? Absolutely.

Will 16GB work for MORE people? Definitely.

That's the reason why the 8GB vs. 16GB debate on the low-end is asinine and why people really need to stop starting threads asking this question over and over and over and over.

That was my point that “I” don’t find that 8GB of memory is a problem. You in turn, should heed your words as well. What applies to “you”, doesn’t apply to everyone else. My suggestion to you sir, is to just go and buy a MBA with 16GB or 24GB. Like I have said, 8/256 GB is more than enough for me.

 

[cyberstudio]

8GB/256GB was the standard for a base model Macbook Pro in 2013. We are at the cusp of a market shift. We are coming out of a worldwide chip shortage. RAM and flash prices are plummeting. CPU performance has increased by an order of magnitude. There is no SODIMM slot to upgrade. How long do you want to keep your computer? Will it still be 8/256 in 2033? (Or even 2028?) It is okay to overpay, but not ok to make the wrong choice, if you absolutely have to buy this year. Otherwise, 16/512 will be the new standard very soon. 8/256 is enough if you never stretch your machine's capabilities. But you will never know what you will run into in the future.

 

[Heat_Fan89]

8GB/256GB was the standard for a base model Macbook Pro in 2013. We are at the cusp of a market shift. We are coming out of a worldwide chip shortage. RAM and flash prices are plummeting. CPU performance has increased by an order of magnitude. There is no SODIMM slot to upgrade. How long do you want to keep your computer? Will it still be 8/256 in 2033? (Or even 2028?) It is okay to overpay, but not ok to make the wrong choice, if you absolutely have to buy this year. Otherwise, 16/512 will be the new standard very soon.

We well might be on the cusp of a bump in memory pretty soon. For me, 8GB is still good enough. The problem becomes playing Apple's up-sell game, which I refuse to do. Here's where I draw the line. My base M2 Mini cost me $499 but if I want an additional 8GB of memory, I have to pay $180 and if I want an additional 8GB for a total of 24GB, that's another $180. So it nearly doubles the price of the base Mini, um, no thanks.

If I refuse the up-sell and just use the Mini until Apple quits supporting it, I can just trade it in for another base model Mac in 5-6 years.

 

[Yebubbleman]

That was my point that “I” don’t find that 8GB of memory is a problem.

Good for you; now, kindly, stop speaking as though your experience will apply to everyone.

You in turn, should heed your words as well. What applies to “you”, doesn’t apply to everyone else.

I actually AM heeding those words. I'm recommending a Mac configuration that is less LIKELY to be problematic to a user and at no long-term detriment to them. 8GB works for you; for what I purchased those 8GB of RAM Macs for, it's honestly fine, but for casual use cases that are not what I bought them for (ironically, having more of a RAM footprint than what I bought them for) it does not work well with what I throw at it.

IF I AM GOING TO RECOMMEND A MAC CONFIGURATION TO SOMEONE, am I going to recommend them a configuration that may or may not work for their particular low-end workloads and that will vary person to person? Or am I going to recommend them something that is much more safe of a bet so as to not have a problem?

If this is still a question for you, then you don't know how to actually heed my advice.

8GB of RAM is too much of a YMMV choice. 16GB, by comparison, for anyone considering a MacBook Air, isn't.

My suggestion to you sir, is to just go and buy a MBA with 16GB or 24GB. Like I have said, 8/256 GB is more than enough for me.

I already have a decent MacBook Pro (13-inch, M1, 2020) with 16GB of RAM and a 1TB SSD. It's how I'm able to compare the two experiences and speak of them FROM ACTUAL EXPERIENCE.

 

[Heat_Fan89]

Good for you; now, kindly, stop speaking as though your experience will apply to everyone.



I actually AM heeding those words. I'm recommending a Mac configuration that is less LIKELY to be problematic to a user and at no long-term detriment to them. 8GB works for you; for what I purchased those 8GB of RAM Macs for, it's honestly fine, but for casual use cases that are not what I bought them for (ironically, having more of a RAM footprint than what I bought them for) it does not work well with what I throw at it.

IF I AM GOING TO RECOMMEND A MAC CONFIGURATION TO SOMEONE, am I going to recommend them a configuration that may or may not work for their particular low-end workloads and that will vary person to person? Or am I going to recommend them something that is much more safe of a bet so as to not have a problem?

If this is still a question for you, then you don't know how to actually heed my advice.

8GB of RAM is too much of a YMMV choice. 16GB, by comparison, for anyone considering a MacBook Air, isn't.


I already have a decent MacBook Pro (13-inch, M1, 2020) with 16GB of RAM and a 1TB SSD. It's how I'm able to compare the two experiences and speak of them FROM ACTUAL EXPERIENCE.

I never did. Kindly reread all of my comments. I always referred to me, myself, and I. I never once suggested everyone else was me. Understood? As I have indicated before and will say again. For me, 8GB is more than enough. I have NOT once experienced the problems you state. However it is you who is here championing the idea that 8GB is not enough and that 16GB should be the default configuration.

I am typing my comment on my M2 Mini with 8GB of ram and 256GB. I have Safari with multiple tabs open, Firefox with multiple tabs open, Microsoft Edge with multiple tabs open, Mail, Maps, Photos, Calendar, Notes all running and I am still under 8GB (6.5GB) of ram and no swap.

 

[Yebubbleman]

I never did. Kindly reread all of my comments. I always referred to me, myself, and I. I never once suggested everyone else was me. Understood? As I have indicated before and will say again. For me, 8GB is more than enough. I have NOT once experienced the problems you state. However it is you who is here championing the idea that 8GB is not enough and that 16GB should be the default configuration.

Then why are you exerting so much effort to defend the experience you are having? This thread is not about your experiences! This thread is about what makes sense for the largest common denominator of possible use cases and what makes sense to recommend to someone else. Not about what works for you. Clearly, when speaking of 8GB RAM configurations, one's mileage WILL vary. (Hell, MY mileage varies on that configuration!) That's why this topic always devolves into debates whenever it comes up.

I am typing my comment on my M2 Mini with 8GB of ram and 256GB. I have Safari with multiple tabs open, Firefox with multiple tabs open, Microsoft Edge with multiple tabs open, Mail, Maps, Photos, Calendar, Notes all running and I am still under 8GB (6.5GB) of ram and no swap.

Yes, I processed what you said the first three times you said it. YOUR experience on an 8GB configuration isn't bad. There are several others for whom it isn't bad. MY experience on an 8GB configuration is not great. It's not great for several others as well. Therefore, it's not a safe recommendation to someone else. I'm not sure what about this point is so contentious for you and all of the others that waste their time going out of their way defending the experience of 8GB of RAM on their machines.

 

[weeener]

Here’s my perspective on the 8gb is enough thing

I had an 8g m1 air and that thing was a fantastic deal for $799. It handled everything I needed it to do pretty well, if I only did one thing at a time. I was using it to record in logic and my typical Logic session was only using like 1-1.5g memory. So no problems there.

I ended up returning it after I decided to see what happens if I push memory pressure into the yellow while recording. I did this by opening 5 or 10 youtube tabs in safari while recording. The result was crackling and popping sounds that ruined the recording.

I decided that is just not enough headroom for me and upgraded to a base 14”. I could have upgraded the ram on the m1 or m2 air but then you start getting close to the price of the 14”. Yeah I spent over 2x as much but now at least I know I don’t have to command-Q everything else when running a session, like I did over a decade ago.

It’s up to you to determine what that convenience is worth. Maybe its worth saving $800+ to you. I almost convinced myself it was, but now I’m glad I returned it before it was too late, I just don’t want to be hitting that memory wall so soon on an otherwise powerful computer.

 

[James Godfrey]

I always look at it like this… whatever Apple sells as their base model, the spec is usually what is ideal for the typical user of that product.

MacBook Air is designed for those with lighter usage needs such as students, using it for the office, occasional photo and video editing, general home computing that sort of thing, in all those circumstances 8GB is plenty. If your running into memory issues with what apple sells as their baseline then it’s quite possible the MacBook Air isn’t for you and stepping up to the MacBook Pro is likely a better solution especially considering a RAM and memory upgrade would likely result in a MacBook Air which is extremely close in pricing to the Pro’s.

 

[Heat_Fan89]

Then why are you exerting so much effort to defend the experience you are having? This thread is not about your experiences! This thread is about what makes sense for the largest common denominator of possible use cases and what makes sense to recommend to someone else. Not about what works for you. Clearly, when speaking of 8GB RAM configurations, one's mileage WILL vary. (Hell, MY mileage varies on that configuration!) That's why this topic always devolves into debates whenever it comes up.


Yes, I processed what you said the first three times you said it. YOUR experience on an 8GB configuration isn't bad. There are several others for whom it isn't bad. MY experience on an 8GB configuration is not great. It's not great for several others as well. Therefore, it's not a safe recommendation to someone else. I'm not sure what about this point is so contentious for you and all of the others that waste their time going out of their way defending the experience of 8GB of RAM on their machines.

I haven't defended anything. In fact I encouraged you in previous comment to buy a MBA with 16GB and possibly 24GB. Buy what works best for you. As I have repeatedly said, 8GB works great for my needs. I am not stopping or discouraging anyone from adding more memory to their Macs. That is their personal decision, not mine.

 

[HouseLannister]

In the old days, more RAM meant your system accessed the hard drive less often for virtual memory, so less impact on battery life while awake. But with your system in sleep, more RAM used more battery power to keep the RAM content active. That was 20 years ago, but the conversation always was: is the laptop getting used all day or sitting in a bag most of the day? Nowadays, I don't think any of that matters. Buy what you can afford. If that extra money caused you to read 5+ pages of a reply on a forum to decide, save the cash and get the 8 GB.

 

[StoneJack]

8GB/256GB was the standard for a base model Macbook Pro in 2013. We are at the cusp of a market shift. We are coming out of a worldwide chip shortage. RAM and flash prices are plummeting. CPU performance has increased by an order of magnitude. There is no SODIMM slot to upgrade. How long do you want to keep your computer? Will it still be 8/256 in 2033? (Or even 2028?) It is okay to overpay, but not ok to make the wrong choice, if you absolutely have to buy this year. Otherwise, 16/512 will be the new standard very soon. 8/256 is enough if you never stretch your machine's capabilities. But you will never know what you will run into in the future.

i am not planning to keep my MBA m2 until 2033.

 

[arcite]

Up until recently, I used a macbook air with 4/128..... it worked fine for 90% of the time. Now have 8/256....honestly, with the way Apple utilizes Ram with the SSD.... the amount of Ram isn't an issue, unless perhaps you're running some specialized programs/games that require a specific amount of ram. However....regular APPLE apps are optimized to run perfectly fine with 8 gigs!

 

[hans1972]

This thread is about what makes sense for the largest common denominator of possible use cases and what makes sense to recommend to someone else.

And some of us thinks 8Gb is what makes sense for the largest number of regular users who are buying MacBook Airs when also taking money into account.

And that's why I'm recommending 8Gb of RAM to most people who don't have special needs and wants to save money.

Here in Norway the price difference is $300 between 8 and 16 Gb of RAM, and for a lot of people who just wants a Mac, it's not worth the extra price.

 

[rmcat]

8gb RAM is definitely enough for 90% of the users who buy the MBA, the only thing to be mindful about is how long you plan to keep it for. Because if you plan to use it for 5-7 years but have to get a new one in 3-5 years for another $1500-$1800 because the whole system will get sluggish with 8gb, then it can be considered as waste of money as well.

 

[Yebubbleman]

And some of us thinks 8Gb is what makes sense for the largest number of regular users who are buying MacBook Airs when also taking money into account.

And that's why I'm recommending 8Gb of RAM to most people who don't have special needs and wants to save money.

Here in Norway the price difference is $300 between 8 and 16 Gb of RAM, and for a lot of people who just wants a Mac, it's not worth the extra price.

"Some of us" is not the same thing as the "largest common denominator". I do not doubt that 8GB works fine for some. But that doesn't at all negate the fact that it's not as likely to serve for as many as 16GB will.

8gb RAM is definitely enough for 90% of the users who buy the MBA, the only thing to be mindful about is how long you plan to keep it for. Because if you plan to use it for 5-7 years but have to get a new one in 3-5 years for another $1500-$1800 because the whole system will get sluggish with 8gb, then it can be considered as waste of money as well.

Respectfully, I don't agree. I might've agreed at one point, but having lived with 8GB of RAM on various M1 machines as well as 16GB of other M1 machines. I'm feeling the limits of 8GB of RAM after only a couple of years. Incidentally, so long as I make sure I don't open that many browser tabs or really push the limits of how much I have running at once, 8GB is fine. But I wouldn't ever rely on it for a primary Mac. And frankly, I wouldn't recommend that for anyone else for their primary Mac either.

 

[Isamilis]

How if let’s stop the discussion? Let people with first hand experience share theirs. I believe OP is looking for advice from users with real and 1st hand experiences. Let’s don’t make it complicated.

Note: thanks God, we have “ignore” and “unwatch” buttons here, lol.

 

[arcite]

OSX utilizes RAM much differently than WINDOWS. Once you get over that, you'll be fine with 8gigs.