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MBA 13" : Is is worth topping up the ram to 8GB?
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Thanks for the info on more RAM = more video memory. Something to keep in mind for future purchases. Although I'm hoping future MBA's will have a dedicated graphics card or chip or whatever it would have to be. 
In the past, prior to going Mac (2012 MBA 13") I've upgraded my laptops every 2 years, thus future proofing hasn't been a concern for me. However as I'm now using an awesome MBA I kinda wish I had gone for 8GB memory and 256GB SSD as I can see myself hanging on to this for a lot longer, unless of course Apple revolutionises the MBA with something even more awesome then I probably will upgrade. But I guess I can only wait and see.
If you're running virtual machines on your Mac or in Bootcamp then definitely go for the 8GB!
If you're new to Mac and thinking you need more RAM for running Win 7 in Bootcamp, Windows 7 actually runs natively, therefore it doesn't run as a virtual machine so it has full access to all 4GB's of RAM.
If you're a light user of MBA (therefore not running any RAM, CPU etc intensive programs) then probably no need to go for 8GB. I guess it all comes down to how you intend on using your MBA.
In the past, prior to going Mac (2012 MBA 13") I've upgraded my laptops every 2 years, thus future proofing hasn't been a concern for me. However as I'm now using an awesome MBA I kinda wish I had gone for 8GB memory and 256GB SSD as I can see myself hanging on to this for a lot longer, unless of course Apple revolutionises the MBA with something even more awesome then I probably will upgrade. But I guess I can only wait and see.
If you're running virtual machines on your Mac or in Bootcamp then definitely go for the 8GB!
If you're new to Mac and thinking you need more RAM for running Win 7 in Bootcamp, Windows 7 actually runs natively, therefore it doesn't run as a virtual machine so it has full access to all 4GB's of RAM.
If you're a light user of MBA (therefore not running any RAM, CPU etc intensive programs) then probably no need to go for 8GB. I guess it all comes down to how you intend on using your MBA.
I just ordered a 13" MBA (2012) and I opted for the 8gb RAM. My reasoning was that since it isn't user upgradeable, I would rather get it in case I need it at some point (which I expect I will, as I need to run a Windows virtual machine every so often). Likewise, I kept the SSD at the stock 128gb because I can always upgrade it later myself later down the line if I need more space.
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4gb vs. 8gb
I thought I would toss in my two cents, considering i don't think anyone who answered the thread that actually has a 4gb MBA...
I agree that $100 isn't a lot of money to upgrade to 8gb, but I had a specific dollar amount to work with, and left it at 4gb. I have a post-April '14 4gb MBA (also only 128gb storage) and it runs beautifully. With my limited storage space, I even have a Windows 8.1 installed via Bootcamp and both sides are performing great. I'm sure 8gb would never hurt to have, but if you go with the 4gb, I suggest the Memory Clean app. It gives you an clear picture on what your RAM situation is. The few times that my memory has run low, i click the button and immediately have a lot of memory freed back up. Side note: even when the app shows the memory getting low, there was no noticeable lag of computing power.
I haven't seen any performance issues when running several things at once including video playback. I'll post on this thread again if I every run into any memory issues. Let's be honest though, 4gb is quite a bit of ram...
I thought I would toss in my two cents, considering i don't think anyone who answered the thread that actually has a 4gb MBA...
I agree that $100 isn't a lot of money to upgrade to 8gb, but I had a specific dollar amount to work with, and left it at 4gb. I have a post-April '14 4gb MBA (also only 128gb storage) and it runs beautifully. With my limited storage space, I even have a Windows 8.1 installed via Bootcamp and both sides are performing great. I'm sure 8gb would never hurt to have, but if you go with the 4gb, I suggest the Memory Clean app. It gives you an clear picture on what your RAM situation is. The few times that my memory has run low, i click the button and immediately have a lot of memory freed back up. Side note: even when the app shows the memory getting low, there was no noticeable lag of computing power.
I haven't seen any performance issues when running several things at once including video playback. I'll post on this thread again if I every run into any memory issues. Let's be honest though, 4gb is quite a bit of ram...
I was thinking the same, i'm planning on getting a Macbook Air in the near future as part of a student discount in the UK, i can get the 8GB for an extra £68.40 the only thing thats holding me back is the fact that i have a 2011 Macbook Pro which works fine, but its the 15" so its heavy to carry around university and on and off the bus (for the commute to University) also the battery life is not as great as the new Macbook Air's 12 hours.
My wife was able to order one today for work that will have the upgraded i7 chip as well as 8gb ram while I just purchased the stock i5 with 4gb ram. I'll be able to do some solid side-by-side comparisons, and report back to the thread. Both MBA's are the latest edition in 13", so it will be interesting to see the results. Anyone have any specific tests you would like me to run? We receive her computer in a few days.
Could you let me know how they compare in boot up times? i'm thinking about getting one later this year for university and wondering how fast they are, also wondering if the upgrade (8GB and i7) is worth the extra spends.
Booting a computer is purely dependent upon the hard drive. If you have a quad-core i7 processor vs a dual-core i3 with the same hard drive, they will have the same boot time. I just sold my 2010 MBA with 2GB of RAM, and even after 4 years, it was running smooth as butter on Mavericks. If you are doing any photo work or using VMs, then get 8 GB of RAM and maybe an i7. If you do not need those upgrades, all they will do is reduce battery life.
Matt
Bootcamp should work fine, as it does not have two operating systems running at once. If you are running a VM, you will not have much breathing room. Most people don't use VMs for just web browsing, so I assume a VM also means you are using professional software.
Matt
I would be using the MacBook Air for university, I currently have a 2011 MacBook Pro that runs fine. The only reason I thought about getting a MacBook Air is because the Air is lighter and the 12 hour battery life would be great. My current MacBook Pro is the 15" and its heavy to carry around and the battery life is no where near 12 hours (more like 4-5). However my usage is, web browsing, writing essays for uni, I also watch YouTube videos, watch stuff I've brought from iTunes usualy in the cloud, I don't store many videos or music on my Mac (it's all on my iphone or in icloud). I do also lightly use Photshop and a little video editing, but I mainly I this on my iMac at home.
I have bootcamp running Windows 8.1 and it runs great. Bootcamp reboots the computer off to a completely separate partition of your harddrive with full access to the power of your processor and memory. A virtual machine (VM) lets you run a second OS such as Windows in a separate window on your desktop. It is quite convenient to be able to just pop over to your VM's windows environment if you need to, but it doesn't run as smoothly as a separate boot.
I really think you'll be fine with 4gb. Are you even planning on running two OS's?
As for testing my two laptops, I'll do the boot test just to see and post the results.
I really think you'll be fine with 4gb. Are you even planning on running two OS's?
As for testing my two laptops, I'll do the boot test just to see and post the results.
OSX does a good job managing memory, there isn't a goor reason to use a 3rd part app to do the same thing. The RAM is there to use, the OS is going to use as much as it can.
Bringing back a 2 year old thread asking the same question we are still asking today on at least 5 current threads:
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/1741013/
See Post #10 of the above referenced thread.
Lou
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/1741013/
See Post #10 of the above referenced thread.
Lou
That's almost exactly what I'm using mine for. I bought a 4GB model because that's what Best Buy had at $900 for a 13-inch. I have an iMac with 12GB of RAM for the beast tasks. I had a Windows notebook that must've weighed 10 pounds, and I just couldn't lug that thing without knowing exactly when and where I needed it. With this, I throw it in with my iPad and can barely notice the added weight.
Just don't go trying to run 10 things at once and you should be OK. Most of my RAM issues have been when using about 10 tabs in Safari. On here I've mostly been using 3-4 tabs, and I think Mavericks does a good job of not wasting resources when those tabs aren't active. I downloaded Roller Coaster Tycoon 3 and played it without much issue. Haven't tried SimCity yet, but it did OK on the notebook I had with a Celeron and 4GB of RAM. It won't run like an Xbox, but you're gonna get about 10 hours of battery and not kill yourself lugging it.
... what elaborate adviseHoly new member bump old thread...
And yes, go for the 8
... and it goes on and on and on ...