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New MacBook Pro: 4GB or 8GB RAM?

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scoobydoo99

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Original poster
Mar 11, 2003
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As a longtime MacRumors member, this is my first thread to start! I've owned most iMac models, and several MacBook Pros (currently 2009 15".)

I'm ordering a new 15' MacBook Pro on Wednesday and need your advice:

Should I spring for the $180 (education pricing) to upgrade from 4GB to 8GB RAM? It seems that 8 might be a bit overkill right now (?) Probably the most intensive thing I do is play Starcraft II and transcode video files from ripped DVDs. Anyone think I will notice any benefit from 8GB? (And yes, I know $180 is about double the market price, but I don't mind paying for the convenience of having it preinstalled.)

Also, $90 for a high res screen? I won't be watching 1080p content, so can you think of other benefits I would notice?

Thanks for your comments.
 
it's not worth it unless you would prefer to have all apple stock parts in your computer. personally i upgraded my hdd from apple because i knew i would be using it for a while, it limits my problems in my mind, is preinstalled, and allows me to have the feeling of just being able to take it in for repairs without swapping anything out if need be, so to me that was worth it. i suppose it just "felt right," although it was financially ridiculous. in terms of price only, upgrading your ram as you mentioned is preferred to be aftermarket as you will save a lot of money doing it yourself. as far as the screen, it is preference and most do like the hi-res ag that the 15'' has the option of, but perhaps you should go check out a few models to see what it is you prefer in terms of a display. good luck.
 
scoobydoo99 said:
As a longtime MacRumors member, this is my first thread to start! I've owned most iMac models, and several MacBook Pros (currently 2009 15".)

I'm ordering a new 15' MacBook Pro on Wednesday and need your advice:

Should I spring for the $180 (education pricing) to upgrade from 4GB to 8GB RAM? It seems that 8 might be a bit overkill right now (?) Probably the most intensive thing I do is play Starcraft II and transcode video files from ripped DVDs. Anyone think I will notice any benefit from 8GB? (And yes, I know $180 is about double the market price, but I don't mind paying for the convenience of having it preinstalled.)

Also, $90 for a high res screen? I won't be watching 1080p content, so can you think of other benefits I would notice?

Thanks for your comments.
Click to expand...

The Hi-res screen is a must, but its not 1080p its 1680x1050 I believe, also why on earth would you pay 125% of retail for memory just for it to be preinstalled? You could buy 1600mhz ram and the high-res screen for JUST the cost of the $180 preinstalled 8GB memory.
 
Orlandoech.com said:
The Hi-res screen is a must, but its not 1080p its 1680x1050 I believe, also why on earth would you pay 125% of retail for memory just for it to be preinstalled? You could buy 1600mhz ram and the high-res screen for JUST the cost of the $180 preinstalled 8GB memory.
Click to expand...

right, i know it's not 1080p, I just meant that as an example of content that would take advantage of better resolution. But if I'm watching movies at 780p, why get the hi res screen?

And yeah, like I said, I know about the RAM pricing. maybe I'm lazy (?) LOL. It's like a 90 buck difference, and it's not really worth my time ordering from another vendor, opening up the machine, etc etc. I dont care too much about the price, I'm just wondering if I even need it at all.
 
it's rare that 8gb of ram is actually necessary, it's just in a lot of computers because it helps out a bit and is a very cheap upgrade. money doesn't seem to be an issue for you, so just go for it imo.
 
scoobydoo99 said:
right, i know it's not 1080p, I just meant that as an example of content that would take advantage of better resolution. But if I'm watching movies at 780p, why get the hi res screen?

And yeah, like I said, I know about the RAM pricing. maybe I'm lazy (?) LOL. It's like a 90 buck difference, and it's not really worth my time ordering from another vendor, opening up the machine, etc etc. I dont care too much about the price, I'm just wondering if I even need it at all.
Click to expand...

Id get the ram and hi-res screen. The hi-res isnt JUST for movies lol, it gives you more desktop space.
 
Orlandoech.com said:
Id get the ram and hi-res screen. The hi-res isnt JUST for movies lol, it gives you more desktop space.
Click to expand...

Good point. And at only $90 seems like a good deal.

Now, after i complained about the glossy screens when they first came out, I think I might actually _prefer_ glossy over matte. Using it for 2 years has gotten me used to it! haha
 
I don't think any one spending the dollars on a MBP should have 4GB RAM given how cheap it is to upgrade to 8GB yourself. Going for Apple's 120GB solid state option is also a worthwhile upgrade and not bad value.
 
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scoobydoo99 said:
right, i know it's not 1080p, I just meant that as an example of content that would take advantage of better resolution. But if I'm watching movies at 780p, why get the hi res screen?

And yeah, like I said, I know about the RAM pricing. maybe I'm lazy (?) LOL. It's like a 90 buck difference, and it's not really worth my time ordering from another vendor, opening up the machine, etc etc. I dont care too much about the price, I'm just wondering if I even need it at all.
Click to expand...

Lazy indeed, it takes a whopping 5 minutes to change the RAM, and it saves you $100. I don't know about you, but to me that's $1200 an hour of savings. Most definitely worth it.
 
i didnt think i was a heavy user with my new 2011 macbook pro but after i upgraded my ram from 4gb to 8gb, there is a very noticeable difference in terms of performance. i was getting beach balls fairly frequently on 4gb but havent experienced it yet since i upgraded.

i went with aftermarket ram (crucial). it was easy to install and costed me less than $80. ill be able to get some of that money back too when i sell off the stock ones that came with the computer
 
I went the refurb route and actually went to fry's and purchased an 8gb kit for $90 before the computer arrived. When I turned it on, it already had 8gb of ram in it :D. I guess Apple doesn't bother inventorying 8gb ram refurb models and sells them all as 4gb. If I were you, I'd go for a refurb, same one year warranty, same as new, same 14 day return privileges and you may just get lucky and get more ram for free.
 
khadgar2k1 said:
i didnt think i was a heavy user with my new 2011 macbook pro but after i upgraded my ram from 4gb to 8gb, there is a very noticeable difference in terms of performance. i was getting beach balls fairly frequently on 4gb but havent experienced it yet since i upgraded.

i went with aftermarket ram (crucial). it was easy to install and costed me less than $80. ill be able to get some of that money back too when i sell off the stock ones that came with the computer
Click to expand...

Did it decrease Battery Life?
 
bniu said:
I went the refurb route and actually went to fry's and purchased an 8gb kit for $90 before the computer arrived. When I turned it on, it already had 8gb of ram in it :D. I guess Apple doesn't bother inventorying 8gb ram refurb models and sells them all as 4gb. If I were you, I'd go for a refurb, same one year warranty, same as new, same 14 day return privileges and you may just get lucky and get more ram for free.
Click to expand...

thanks, bniu - that's a useful tip!
 
I went with 8gb upgrade since it was cheap ($60). Do it yourself and save the money. The savings can be applied to a SSD or bigger HDD.
 
Keep your edu price discount and buy the RAM elsewhere, at much higher frequency and half Apple's price. I would upgrade it, it's easy and it's the most bang-for-the-buck upgrade you can do-- RAM is very cheap.
 
I would say by next year we will see 8GB of RAM being much more common as at the moment RAM prices are quite low. So yes go for 8GB if you want but whatever you do DO NOT BUY IT FROM APPLE!!
 
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