MBP 14" buying for 5 years - upgrade RAM or SSD?

[project_2501]

I will be buying a 2021 M1 MacBook Pro 14" with the 24-gpu-core Max.

I need some opinions on the following options:

1. 32GB -> 64GB RAM
2. 1TB -> 2TB SSD

Two factors I am considering:

• I am buying to keep this for about 5 years. Many people have said RAM is not upgradeable to buy this option for future software bloat! However, I have noticed that the last 5 years have not seen a growth in RAM requirements for software compared to the previous 5 years.
• Given my use cases (video, data science, 3d and 2d graphics, authoring and publishing) I do use storage. I am told that a built in SSD is much more convenient than hanging SSDs off a dock, and the price of a 2TB SSD today is about what Apple are charging anyway. I have also read that external SSDs will never have the performance of the built in SSD, even if via thunderbolt 4.

I have settled on the M1 Max 24-core as a balance of heat/thermals and ability to use the gpu cores for 3D work, video exports (current thing 2-3 hours on my 2015) and numerical computing (eg python libraries taking advantage of the gpu cores).

I have also settled on the 14" as the portability is nice. I have had the 13" and 15" MBPs and 15"s have always felt unpleasant to carry around.

 

[CalMin]

Most will say RAM, but I have never been forced to upgrade due to low RAM. I always run out of storage before my computer starts to feel slow due to low RAM or aging CPU... Then again, in these modern times we have cloud storage and terabyte SSDs, so that pressure is easing.

All of that said, this is about you not me and, given your stated use cases, you need to find a way to get both. I feel your dilemma here but you need to find a way to get the extra $400.

 

[wilberforce]

Whether you get neither option, one option, or both options, I think none of those choices will be a "mistake."

32GB will work great, 64GB might be faster in some situations.
1TB is a good size SSD ,so is 2TB. Either way, you will likely have to offload old files every now and then. My last Mac I had 1TB, this Mac I have 2TB, I can work with both, there really isn't much difference.

I have found that when it is hard to decide between two things, it usually doesn't make much difference what one decides.

So you can either save your money, or spend $400, or spend $800. Probably won't make much difference how long it lasts. There will be some other feature or performance enhancement that comes along that you want, or your needs will change.

Really the best guide is how much internal storage and memory you use (and need) right now. Increase it ~50% and go from there.

 

[throAU]

Buy what you think you need today; I wouldn't try future proof for 5 years unless you personally know what the increase in size in your data-set will be in 5 years.

I'd maybe bump the SSD to 2TB, but the memory, if sized appropriately today will likely be appropriately balanced for the CPU/GPU power for your same workload in 5 years.

Trying to future proof for some unknown workload in 5 years time is a fools game as you're just spending money on hardware you don't need today that will

1. be far cheaper when you actually do need it
2. be paired with more powerful CPU/GPU by the time you do need it
3. may actually die before you need it due to out-of-warranty hardware failure

Flip/sell the entire machine sooner rather than trying to buy something today for an unknown future workload.

"Software bloat" isn't such a huge thing today that its going to make a difference between say 16 GB RAM and 64 GB RAM. Code size itself simply isn't that huge.

The big thing that makes a difference is the DATA you're working with; unless you expect the type of DATA you work with to drastically change, your requirements shouldn't drastically change.

 

[glindon]

I’m going to say upgrade the ram. You can always add storage externally but never ram. Also storage keeps dropping in price so in 3 years you might get a twice as big drive for the same money as today. I tend to offload stuff that I don’t really need day to day, so older projects are all put on externals (really important stuff has a backup external as well).

 

[Lucas Curious]

if you use this Mac hard core daily than upgrade both. If not and you are trying to save money than upgrade the SSD or neither. Even external storage can move at 2.5 GB/s through TB4 maybe even faster.

 

[Miltz]

I would do both. If you have to pick one go with the SSD. Getting a small SSD and filling up will cause it to die sooner. Ram doesn't die. So SSD all the way.

 

[Christopher Kim]

I need some opinions on the following options:

1. 32GB -> 64GB RAM
2. 1TB -> 2TB SSD

Two factors I am considering:

• I am buying to keep this for about 5 years. Many people have said RAM is not upgradeable to buy this option for future software bloat! However, I have noticed that the last 5 years have not seen a growth in RAM requirements for software compared to the previous 5 years.
• Given my use cases (video, data science, 3d and 2d graphics, authoring and publishing) I do use storage. I am told that a built in SSD is much more convenient than hanging SSDs off a dock, and the price of a 2TB SSD today is about what Apple are charging anyway. I have also read that external SSDs will never have the performance of the built in SSD, even if via thunderbolt 4.

I think you're thinking about this in the right way, and are focused on the right considerations. My view is if you have to choose one, choose the 2TB SSD. I think 32GB (especially given unified memory) is plenty except for the most particular/extreme use-cases, while going from 1TB to 2TB, you'll definitely appreciate being able to store so much more of your files on your laptop (vs the external SSD). Especially these latest SSDs, they're crazy fast, quite a bit faster than the prior-gen SSDs in the prior MBPs. I think you'll really appreciate the benefit of being able to keep more onboard (more than twice as much as 1TB, given same overhead of OS/apps means the "available storage" to you more than doubles).

I also agree with @throAU that if you don't need the 32gb now, then 1) you may end up never needing it (I agree that increasing memory needs seem to have slowed / minimized), and 2) if you do, it'll be much cheaper at that time than it is now. It doesn't help that the memory upgrade is one of the more pricier "Apple-tax" upgrades there are!

I just upgraded to the 14" M1 Pro 10-core/16-core, and went with 32gb / 1TB. The +$400 to go from 16gb -> 32gb was almost enough to make me not upgrade. In the end, as I also think I'll keep for 5yrs (like I did my previous late-2016 13" MBP, the first gen with the Touch Bar), I was able to justify it.

That being said, if you can afford to get both, go for it!

 

[throAU]

I just upgraded to the 14" M1 Pro 10-core/16-core, and went with 32gb / 1TB. The +$400 to go from 16gb -> 32gb was almost enough to make me not upgrade. In the end, as I also think I'll keep for 5yrs (like I did my previous late-2016 13" MBP, the first gen with the Touch Bar), I was able to justify it.

Yeah, I had similar thoughts. I considered 32 GB, but the price of a 1TB 10+16 core was already "enough" and I realistically don't need 16 GB even given that 90% of my stuff is dumb terminal sessions and lightweight work; but an 8 GB M1 Air/Pro just seemed borderline, and expanding that machine to 16 GB + 1 TB was already a decent way toward a 14" Pro. But that's MY workload. For me the Pro speakers, ports and the display sealed it.

Going further than 32 GB unless you know you need it today imho is over-capitalising. Don't over-spec to try stretch a more expensive machine, get the benefit of the newer cpu/platform in the future when you need it by selling and upgrading.

Also anecdotally - the only time I've managed to slow down this 14" Pro with 16GB was by trying to render a 32 GB scene in blender. It started running a little bit slower than normal while rendering - checked activity monitor and memory pressure was red and all cores were at 100%

It was still usable for browsing in the background even then, just at intel MacBook Air speed ?

 

[lixuelai]

How much of your storage need is archive? You can use a microsd adapter to increase the internal storage by up to 1TB. One of the key benefits of the M1 is unified memory. Support is still a bit new but you maybe able to train some huge models previously limited to top-end gpus at some point.

 

[project_2501]

Thanks everyone for the ideas and thoughts - appreciate it.

 

[TechRunner]

My thinking on upgrades like this is pretty simple: If you're using the device to make money, spend the money. In other words, if you can afford to, get both. The upgrades will pay for themselves, and you'll have the peace of mind of not settling for less.

 

[vddobrev]

If you plan to use this for 5 years for work and to make money, then I would get both. This is your tool of trade, 5 years is 60 months - divide the additional $800 cost by 60 and you will see it is not that much, just $13 per month.

 

[throAU]

If you plan to use this for 5 years for work and to make money, then I would get both. This is your tool of trade, 5 years is 60 months - divide the additional $800 cost by 60 and you will see it is not that much, just $13 per month.

That’s also a totally legit way of thinking as well.

If you can justify it that way then go for it.

But if it’s not a money making machine then…try not to over capitalise without considering if you actually need it.

 

[profcutter]

Without knowing specifics of your use case, as in when you’re running at full tilt, how much RAM are you using? it’s just guesswork for us how much you’ll really need. If I were in your position, I wouldn’t plan on buying a machine that lasts 5 years. I’m using a 2015, I’d love to upgrade, but given changing circumstances, I’ll wait until I have more certainty regarding work and career. I didn’t plan on keeping this older machine for so long, but it happened. I can’t guarantee my next one will last this long, the reason this one is still useful is because Intel stalled out combined with the limitations of apples obsession with thin-ness. If apple silicon returns to a rapid development path, I may need to replace machines even 3 years or even more often.

If I were you, I’d get the machine with less ram and a larger ssd. Throw everything you’ve got at it the first week after it arrives, letting it complete spotlight indexing at night. If you get it to bog down due to ram pressure, return and order the 64 GB model. Do the same with that one. If it still bogs down, go back to 32.

 

[jabbr]

with Macs having great resale value, why not buy the minimum you need and sell sooner?

I imagine the M3 Pro will be a much better SoC than the M1 Max. Probably substantially improved battery life / efficiency / graphics / TB5 connectivity.

 

[kentzh]

I have the same confusion as you. The memory cannot be upgraded by yourself. In the future, you cannot estimate whether your computer will have insufficient performance. For multitasking and sharing video memory with the graphics card, I think memory is important, so I Purchased a 64G memory version. If you buy the T for SSD, the storage can be solved very well. For example, in your environment, the external SSD can also solve the problem of insufficient storage. You don’t need the fast ssd like the built-in SSD at all. I bought Thunderbolt 4 It is a hard drive box, but it is more of the SSD brand. I bought the Western Digital SN750 2T. Because the manufacturer upgraded the SSD, it could not achieve very high-speed effects. In theory, it can read and write at 2000MB/S, so this speed is completely sufficient. I edit 4K video; if you plan to use it for five years, I suggest you choose 64G+4T if you have a sufficient budget, so that no additional DIY is required; Apple’s computer is highly integrated, and you can’t upgrade anything except SSD. Hope Can help you.

 

[pshufd]

I got the 32 GB 1 TB Pro but I probably should have got the MAX to display on 3 monitors but I was hoping that the mini MAX would be out soon. I have my storage on a NAS (i7-10700, 128 GB RAM, 5 TB SSD) and it's pretty easy to add a lot more storage. I do not need the extra RAM right now but it has come in handy with the Monterey memory leak.