RAM question for 15" rMBP

[joeperry]

About to buy a 15" rMBP - my last Apple is almost 8 years old (1GB RAM) and has been working poorly for the last year or so.

If I wanted to keep this computer for the next 5 years minimum - will 8GB of RAM be enough for itunes and youtube. Money is not an issue but more than likely I would put the $200 savings into an account for my next Apple purchase.

 

[Spink10]

Most people suggest getting the extra RAM - I personally dont think its needed most of the time.

What will your tasks be in the next few years? Most likely if you keep a computer that long your not a power user.

 

[Count Blah]

Do you know everything you will be doing in the next 5 years? If you do, and 8 is enough to do those, then great. If you don't know, but running VMs might be part of your future, then 16 might be of GREAT use to you - especially 3+ years down the line.

 

[joeperry]

I just want to watch youtube or surf the web and have it be as fast as possible in year 5 or 6 of ownership

 

[Spink10]

Go 8 GB RAM

 

[joeperry]

Thanks for the quick reply - I only want to have the laptop for 5 or 6 years due to the longevity of Apple products. I don't see the need to upgrade to a new laptop if the old one is not broken if all I am doing is surfing the web. However if the laptop failed after 2 or 3 years I would have no problem buying a new one.

 

[NewbieCanada]

Go 8 GB RAM

What he said - your uses are fairly light. Most computers out there are far less powerful and Youtube and websites have to operate on them.

Right now I have 13 tabs open in Safari and you can see below how much memory they're using. I also have Outlook and iMessage running, and usually have Excel, iBooks and a video streaming app running too, with no lag whatsoever.

 

[sjjordan]

I just want to watch youtube or surf the web and have it be as fast as possible in year 5 or 6 of ownership

Max out the RAM. What happens with each subsequent OS release to the RAM requirements? It goes up. Is 16GB overkill now? Sure. Will it be in 4-5 years? Not likely.

If you want to make your machine last as long as possible, max out the RAM.