Need advice - cancel 16GB unified memory order for 32GB?

[Blue Sun]

Hi all,

I ordered the higher end 14” MBP (10,16,16 / 16GB / 1TB) on launch day, but now I’m thinking I should have opted for 32GB. I’m coming from a Late 2013 15” MBP with 16GB RAM.

I typically use Photoshop, Illustrator, UCSF Chimera and PyMol weekly - nothing too crazy.

Should I have gone with 32GB? Is it worth cancelling my order and reordering?

It’s worth noting that 5 out of the 6 MBP configurations have 16GB of unified memory, so I’m thinking that Apple expects this will be enough for the vast majority of users, which is what swayed me in the end to save $540 AUD and stick with 16GB.

What do you think?

 

[Phil77354]

Has 16GB RAM been sufficient for you, with 8 years of experience in having that much memory in your current MBP? Have you ever had serious issues with programs you've been running, that you felt were due to insufficient RAM?

My opinion is that you will be very satisfied with the configuration you've ordered.

 

[Blue Sun]

Has 16GB RAM been sufficient for you, with 8 years of experience in having that much memory in your current MBP? Have you ever had serious issues with programs you've been running, that you felt were due to insufficient RAM?

My opinion is that you will be very satisfied with the configuration you've ordered.

Yes, it’s been absolutely fine. That said, I plan on keeping this computer for a good while. Upgrading computers is a hassle for me because of software.

 

[skaertus]

Yes, it’s been absolutely fine. That said, I plan on keeping this computer for a good while. Upgrading computers is a hassle for me because of software.

If you intend to keep it for another 8 years, then perhaps 32 GB is a good idea.

Your 15-inch MacBook Pro has a GeForce 750M with 2 GB of memory in addition to the 16 GB memory used by the CPU. The new MacBook Pro has either 16 or 32 GB unified memory, for both the CPU and the GPU.

 

[DennisdeWit]

Hah. So I am not the only one who questioned this. My answer: I will stick to 16GB. I am this guy that sells his MacBook after 2-3 years and then buys a newer or better one.

I have an M1 Mac Mini with 16GB. For my use, still 6GB RAM sits idle 90% of the time. My current MacBook Pro from 2019 also has 16GB RAM. Also here, 6GB RAM sits idle all the time.

That means that 500 dollars are sitting in your machine doing nothing. With your use, 16GB is enough. Don’t overspec or overthink it.

You will be very happy when you have your machine soon and saved a couple of 100 bucks. Otherwise as @Rck1984, he can talk you out of it.

Please ignore this talk about VRAM because of the unified memory. If you want to power 2 Pro XDR Displays, you might want 32GB, yes. But if you can afford these displays, 500 USD wouldn’t be much if a problem at all.

So no, stay with what you have now. In 3 years the M3 Pro is here and this Mac will feel outdated already. Save the money.

 

[fyun89]

You need to remember that the GPU will be sharing the memory with CPU. Definitely feel 32 would be better futurproofing. I went with 64 gb as I keep my Macbook for 10 years (still using 2012)

 

[DennisdeWit]

I really can’t wrap my head around this GPU thing. People are acting as if your machine would complain all the time that your memory is low. That just won’t be the case. It does NOT take 4 GB to just run your screen. Most Intel MacBooks have 4GB of dedicated VRAM or such. That does NOT mean that you are using 4GB VRAM all the time. It is the max you can use when you put the MacBook to really hard work.

In reality, showing video on a screen only takes a couple hundred MB, probably a GB. So let’s not act like you would constantly just use 4GB to just have the screen of the MacBook on. Please guys, do some reading.

Then: 32GB might be a good choice if you have many layers in Photoshop or Illustrator, or are rendering video’s regularly. Or if you plan to keep this MacBook Pro for 8 years. Personally I couldn’t do that, but hey, some like to.

In most cases 16GB is fine. Apple really wouldn’t have released a MacBook Pro with 16GB RAM if it could not handle the graphics.

 

[Blue Sun]

Thanks for the advice, guys. Given the fact that I plan to keep this machine for a long time, I decided to cancel and reorder the same config except with 32GB of unified memory.

I hope that the benchmarks/reviews don’t make me regret my decision, because now I have to wait a month to get this thing!

 

[Phil77354]

Thanks for the advice, guys. Given the fact that I plan to keep this machine for a long time, I decided to cancel and reorder the same config except with 32GB of unified memory.

I hope that the benchmarks/reviews don’t make me regret my decision, because now I have to wait a month to get this thing!

Well, one thing for sure, you will never find yourself regretting not getting enough memory!

Hey, I loaded 32GB RAM into my late 2014 iMac. But that was when RAM was very cheap, and I could do it myself. No way in the world do I need that much RAM, nor would I have ever stressed 16GB if I had done that instead. I get that it's nice to have the reassurance of more than you'll likely need, or extra in the interest of possible future needs.

Too bad you'll have to wait longer, but no doubt that you'll have a great laptop in your hands in a few weeks. Enjoy!

 

[tdbrown75]

Thanks for the advice, guys. Given the fact that I plan to keep this machine for a long time, I decided to cancel and reorder the same config except with 32GB of unified memory.

I hope that the benchmarks/reviews don’t make me regret my decision, because now I have to wait a month to get this thing!

I did the exact same thing today, for the exact same reasons.

Tim

 

[FNH15]

I did the exact same thing today, for the exact same reasons.

Tim

Same here. Need it to last about 7-8 years and 16GB is already getting a bit tight.
What’s insane to me is that up until 2018 you couldn’t even get 32GB in a Mac notebook. That’s 6 years of stagnation (my 2012 15” Retina had the optional 8GB -> 16GB upgrade).

 

[tdbrown75]

Same here. Need it to last about 7-8 years and 16GB is already getting a bit tight.
What’s insane to me is that up until 2018 you couldn’t even get 32GB in a Mac notebook. That’s 6 years of stagnation (my 2012 15” Retina had the optional 8GB -> 16GB upgrade).

Now that “16GB is the new 8GB”, software will certainly develop to make use of the additional increase in baseline capacity. Just a few years ago baseline was 4GB, why would the trend stop or reverse now?

Sitting at the same amount of RAM for 10+ years just doesn’t make sense to me, while storage, processing power, and bus speeds increase. Going with 16 feels unbalanced compared the the other metrics. 16 WAS the top spec baseline config, now it’s 32.

Yes, it’s faster memory, but I can tell you my Mac consumes more memory that it did even a few years ago, as more features get packed into software even at the OS level. I doubt I’ll regret the decision beyond the extended wait.

Tim

 

[Spanther]

I'm sticking with the base 14". Having survived with FOUR GB of slow RAM in my late 2013 rMBA for the past 8 years, the unified 16GB with 200gbps speed will be plenty.

Also, the cost to upgrade the ram is ludicrous. $400 extra for 32GB? $260 for the non-binned M1 Pro chip? Naw, fam. I'll give Apple a few years to work out their chip yields and make a massive GPU leap (by continuing their trajectory) before splurging on the extras.

 

[Camarillo Brillo]

This is the same debate i keep having with myself that's holding up my order... 16 or 32 gb ram. Do I need 32 right now? No, honestly I don't. I know it would be better to have it, but I know I can get by without it with my current use (mostly Logic pro, practically no samples). Why waste all that money if it is not needed. Two years ago I already went through this and bought a 16" i9 with 32g ram, and didn't that turn out to be a huge mistake? I wanted to 'future proof' it and now I just want to ditch it and get on the new silicon. At the rate things are going right now it's kind of silly to buy a computer with the hopes it will keep up with you for 8-10 years. Maybe it does make more sense to buy the lowest configuration possible, so I can get the highest return on trade-in in a few years when something that much better is available. But I can't make up my mind, I would hate it if I started editing video or something in the future and suddenly felt the pinch where I saved that money.

I'm sticking with the base 14". Having survived with FOUR GB of slow RAM in my late 2013 rMBA for the past 8 years, the unified 16GB with 200gbps speed will be plenty.

Also, the cost to upgrade the ram is ludicrous. $400 extra for 32GB? $260 for the non-binned M1 Pro chip? Naw, fam. I'll give Apple a few years to work out their chip yields and make a massive GPU leap (by continuing their trajectory) before splurging on the extras.

You make a good case for sticking with the base model. I agree it's crazy how those add ons are priced. At the absolute base configuration is probably the highest value option. Especially if you plan to trade in to apple again when you upgrade. For example, I saw somebody here say apple is offering $1600 on their i7 16" trade-in. So I get the same trade-in value as the base model after I paid almost $1000 more in upgrades, including $400 for 16gb of ram?? That hurts, Apple.

Also the base 14" is only a few hundred bucks more than my trade-in value on the 16". So I could trade up at very little cost and get on the new platform. It just bothers me a little that it would be a bit of a downgrade from my i9 32gb 16". But I'm realizing that I overdid it with that configuration anyway and it's becoming irrelevant now that the new chips are out.

 

[tdbrown75]

I'm sticking with the base 14". Having survived with FOUR GB of slow RAM in my late 2013 rMBA for the past 8 years, the unified 16GB with 200gbps speed will be plenty.

Also, the cost to upgrade the ram is ludicrous. $400 extra for 32GB? $260 for the non-binned M1 Pro chip? Naw, fam. I'll give Apple a few years to work out their chip yields and make a massive GPU leap (by continuing their trajectory) before splurging on the extras.

Makes total sense. You were at 2013 baseline levels, so you should be happy at 2021 baseline levels.

I’ve always splurged on RAM, and have been running 16GB for 10+ years. Now that’s baseline, and probably “good enough” for most. But I’ve always splurged before, why change now? Gotta stay ahead and not behind!

Agree the $400 price tag sucks, if too steep, folks may consider waiting until the shortage ends.

Tim

 

[Blue Sun]

This is the same debate i keep having with myself that's holding up my order... 16 or 32 gb ram. Do I need 32 right now? No, honestly I don't. I know it would be better to have it, but I know I can get by without it with my current use (mostly Logic pro, practically no samples). Why waste all that money if it is not needed. Two years ago I already went through this and bought a 16" i9 with 32g ram, and didn't that turn out to be a huge mistake? I wanted to 'future proof' it and now I just want to ditch it and get on the new silicon. At the rate things are going right now it's kind of silly to buy a computer with the hopes it will keep up with you for 8-10 years. Maybe it does make more sense to buy the lowest configuration possible, so I can get the highest return on trade-in in a few years when something that much better is available. But I can't make up my mind, I would hate it if I started editing video or something in the future and suddenly felt the pinch where I saved that money.


You make a good case for sticking with the base model. I agree it's crazy how those add ons are priced. At the absolute base configuration is probably the highest value option. Especially if you plan to trade in to apple again when you upgrade. For example, I saw somebody here say apple is offering $1600 on their i7 16" trade-in. So I get the same trade-in value as the base model after I paid almost $1000 more in upgrades, including $400 for 16gb of ram?? That hurts, Apple.

Also the base 14" is only a few hundred bucks more than my trade-in value on the 16". So I could trade up at very little cost and get on the new platform. It just bothers me a little that it would be a bit of a downgrade from my i9 32gb 16". But I'm realizing that I overdid it with that configuration anyway and it's becoming irrelevant now that the new chips are out.

Great post. What makes it difficult is there are no benchmarks or reviews out yet. 16GB will likely be fine for the majority.

 

[PsykX]

I'm having the same mental debate for an upcoming large iMac.

I have a 2013 iMac which has 32GB of memory. Has always been too much, really.
I now bought a temporary M1 iMac with 8GB of memory. I'm often getting a popup that tells me I should close an app because I don't have memory anymore. My workflow hasn't really changed. Might be due to a leak in the later Monterey builds though (including the RC build) because sometimes I see Safari, Outlook, Teams or PowerPoint taking between 20-40GB.

What I usually have open : Music, Safari, Mail or Outlook, Word 2019, Excel, PowerPoint, Remote Desktop, Notes, and at times Final Cut Pro X or Sketch. All of this brings the M1's memory to its knees.

 

[lefkonj]

I would get the 32G unless the money is an issue. Will provide a longer lifespan.

 

[tdbrown75]

I'm having the same mental debate for an upcoming large iMac.

I have a 2013 iMac which has 32GB of memory. Has always been too much, really.
I now bought a temporary M1 iMac with 8GB of memory. I'm often getting a popup that tells me I should close an app because I don't have memory anymore. My workflow hasn't really changed. Might be due to a leak in the later Monterey builds though (including the RC build) because sometimes I see Safari, Outlook, Teams or PowerPoint taking between 20-40GB.

What I usually have open : Music, Safari, Mail or Outlook, Word 2019, Excel, PowerPoint, Remote Desktop, Notes, and at times Final Cut Pro X or Sketch. All of this brings the M1's memory to its knees.

I have the same machine for work, and it’s also on its knees. I’d imagine 16GB would do much better, with a little room for growth (but only a little).

As software and MacOS continues to evolve, so will the minimum requirements. Between the external screens, video editing, and current usage patterns 32GB is what I’m comfortable with. Rather have a lighter pocket and not have to sweat swapping out sooner than I otherwise might due to performance bottlenecks.

And I’ve NEVER purchased the base spec RAM before, I don’t spend 3K on a laptop for “good enough”.

Tim

 

[fyun89]

I really can’t wrap my head around this GPU thing. People are acting as if your machine would complain all the time that your memory is low. That just won’t be the case. It does NOT take 4 GB to just run your screen. Most Intel MacBooks have 4GB of dedicated VRAM or such. That does NOT mean that you are using 4GB VRAM all the time. It is the max you can use when you put the MacBook to really hard work.

In reality, showing video on a screen only takes a couple hundred MB, probably a GB. So let’s not act like you would constantly just use 4GB to just have the screen of the MacBook on. Please guys, do some reading.

Then: 32GB might be a good choice if you have many layers in Photoshop or Illustrator, or are rendering video’s regularly. Or if you plan to keep this MacBook Pro for 8 years. Personally I couldn’t do that, but hey, some like to.

In most cases 16GB is fine. Apple really wouldn’t have released a MacBook Pro with 16GB RAM if it could not handle the graphics.

If you're just web browsing only, then it would definitely be an overkill to get more than 16GB.

Video memory becomes more of an issue as we get higher and higher resolution image/display. OP seemed to keep the laptop for quite a long time and assuming he'll use this one for more than 8 years again, I assume we'll be playing with 16k display (assumption), +100 Megapixel images, and may be multiple monitors of 8K in the next 8 years.

If he ever get into video game, then more memory you have the better because more memory = texture handling ability.

Lastly, my 2012 macbook pro had 16gb of ram (max option at the time) and I see high amount of swap being used. Of course as we have super fast SSD, it can be mitagated but remember that SSD wears out as you use it more.

 

[DennisdeWit]

I changed my mind too. I saw a 5% discount and will get back 21% VAT. So I decided to go for 16” MBP M1 Max 10C CPU / 32C GPU / 32GB RAM with 1 TB SSD.

Yes, I was a bit of a hypocrite.

 

[aibo82]

I’m stuck in a pickle! I have an order on Apple for a M1 pro 32gb 1TB 16 inch for £3000!

but I have also just jumped on a pre order on a website for a 16gb version and saved £200 got a 2 year warranty! That saves me £600 if I keep it and additional years warrenty.

should I stump up for the 32gb via Apple or keep the 16gb order I’m in a panick what to do? Will it be enough!

 

[DennisdeWit]

I’m stuck in a pickle! I have an order on Apple for a M1 pro 32gb 1TB 16 inch for £3000!

but I have also just jumped on a pre order on a website for a 16gb version and saved £200 got a 2 year warranty! That saves me £600 if I keep it and additional years warrenty.

should I stump up for the 32gb via Apple or keep the 16gb order I’m in a panick what to do? Will it be enough!

What do you want to do with it?

 

[aibo82]

What do you want to do with it?

Mostly light photoshop work, odd editing imovie videos iMovie and doing documents and flyers for a museum I go to mostly in pages.

I use it for watching films etc so the audio and screen updates will be great.

at the mo I’m on a MBP mid 2012 2.3GHz 16gb 256ssd I’m just about filling the drive! But I offload a lot of stuff to externals.

I didn’t want something to overkill but neither did I want to sell myself short!

£3000 M1 Pro 32gb 1TB from Apple and wait along time

£2400 M1 pro 16gb 1TB and 2 year warranty from costco and it saves me in total £600!


Dunno what to do….

 

[DennisdeWit]

@aibo82 I’d go with the 32GB RAM unless you will do less than 2-3 years with it.