I am new to MAC and I am looking to get my first Apple product. I am looking at the MacBook Air 13 inch. If I were to buy the 4GB model could I upgrade it to 8GB at a later time? I am being told different things and I want to make sure.
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Memory [could I upgrade to 8GB later?]
- Thread starter dtsteinb
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Memory
Thanks for the link but it really only shows how much memory you need to run applications. I was more interested in if I can upgrade the memory but see you cant. I am a PC guy so I used to being able to open any laptop and upgrade memory at any time.
I did a quick search before posting and didn't see what I was looking for.
Thanks for answering the question. Now I am not sure if I should get.
For the most part I want to play around and get familiar with Mac's. I just don't want to get the Air and in 6months be sorry it only has 4GB.
Thanks for the link but it really only shows how much memory you need to run applications. I was more interested in if I can upgrade the memory but see you cant. I am a PC guy so I used to being able to open any laptop and upgrade memory at any time.
I did a quick search before posting and didn't see what I was looking for.
Thanks for answering the question. Now I am not sure if I should get.
For the most part I want to play around and get familiar with Mac's. I just don't want to get the Air and in 6months be sorry it only has 4GB.
the link also says that RAM is soldered.
I don't know which apps you will be using, but 4gb is well enough for the most commonly used programs.
This....
OSX manages memory much more efficiently than Windows. 4GB on a Macbook running Mavericks is comparable to 6+GB of ram on a Windows machine. What kind of a score did you tally on the ram thread that Meister shared with you?
I would say that if you ever plan on using VMs (VMware, Virtualbox) or booting into windows, you should probably get 8GB.
If you're not planning on doing this, 4GB should be fine for at least the next few years.
Plus it is not practical to update the SSD either - Apple uses a custom SSD connector, and so far there is no upgrader available .. oWC supposedly working on one, but it won't be cheap.
IMO, 4GB is just too little for a brand new computer. Obviously it will run okay on 4GB, otherwise they wouldn't sell it, but it leaves hardly any head room. If you could upgrade, it would be a different story, but it's not.
I won't be surprised if Apple raises the base to 8GB in the next revision.
(p.s. also, there might have been a time when Windows needed a little more RAM than OS X, but I don't think that's been the case for a few years.)
I won't be surprised if Apple raises the base to 8GB in the next revision.
(p.s. also, there might have been a time when Windows needed a little more RAM than OS X, but I don't think that's been the case for a few years.)
I think it's safe to say that because it's only $100 upgrade ($80 if you use education discount) it's almost a no-brainer to get 8GB. You might not need it now, but it will ensure that your Mac is running great for a long time.
I love how this turned into a 4GB vs 8GB thread...
He didn't even ask, and we don't know what he is using the computer for. As others have pointed out, you are stuck with what you purchase initially.
He didn't even ask, and we don't know what he is using the computer for. As others have pointed out, you are stuck with what you purchase initially.
It's a pretty simple answer, I think...
If you can wait the extra few days to order one, then do and get the 8GB option. For $100.00 it's a no-brainer. Just do it. Doesn't matter if you need it now with the programs/apps you run today; you might run something more demanding in the future and the MBA cannot be upgraded. So $100 is a good insurance policy.
However, if you can't wait, and the Apple store (or, god forbid, Best Buy) only has the "cheap" base model with 4GB and you "need it now!" then get it and accept the possible future limitation.
And enjoy the Air of course!
If you can wait the extra few days to order one, then do and get the 8GB option. For $100.00 it's a no-brainer. Just do it. Doesn't matter if you need it now with the programs/apps you run today; you might run something more demanding in the future and the MBA cannot be upgraded. So $100 is a good insurance policy.
However, if you can't wait, and the Apple store (or, god forbid, Best Buy) only has the "cheap" base model with 4GB and you "need it now!" then get it and accept the possible future limitation.
And enjoy the Air of course!
I came back to Macs from being a Linux guy for the past 20 years, so I've dealt with the guts of many a machine over that time. I bought my MBA nearly 3 - 4 years ago (Mid-2011 model). Mine has worked flawlessly and fast with the 4GB of memory I have in it; dare I say just as fast as the Hackintosh I built a little under 2 years ago, and it has 8GB of memory. From that, I dropped my 2 linux boxes, and am about to drop my Hackintosh, to just go with the MBA for my day-to-day needs.
Memory is the least of your worries when it comes to the MBA, and unless you're doing some serious music/video/picture editing, 4GB is more than enough.
BL.
This is only the case if someone is actually buying a base model from Apple.
With Best Buy constantly having the Air line on sale plus student discount etc, and Apple refurbs and other deals floating around, it's usually more like 200-300 difference.
With so many ways to get a great deal on a base model, I can't see why anyone would actually buy a base model from Apple at retail price.
Excellently put! Impulse buys and the deals werent available when they came out.
I bought my rmbp at full price right when it came out because I didnt want to wait.
Now prices for it droped by about 200.