Should I get 16gb memory?

[iLoveYosemite]

*deleted*

Sorry, I deleted my question because I decided to go with my gut instinct and upgrade to 16gb. I don't want to regret settling for less in a few years. Already cancelled my pickup for today and placed the order for the new one. It'll be good to wait for the 16gb a couple of weeks because it will give me time to back up files from my current MBA.

 

[xboxbml]

*deleted*

Sorry, I deleted my question because I decided to go with my gut instinct and upgrade to 16gb. I don't want to regret settling for less in a few years. Already cancelled my pickup for today and placed the order for the new one. It'll be good to wait for the 16gb a couple of weeks because it will give me time to back up files from my current MBA.

I saw your question earlier... good decision... You should always go for as much storage and memory as you can afford. It will help you in the long run! It will suffice if you should change your use habits in the future, AND is more valuable if you should ever decide to sell it.. When I get my iPhones, I always go for biggest screen and storage available, as I'm big on taking pics of family/events of life. I've had 3GS-32gb, 5-64gb, 6S+-128gb, and just got my 13 Pro Max-1TB. My 2015 Air I bought used I put a 2TB Adata SSD in it.. Running great. If I could upgrade it with more memory I would, but that's the thing with these new Macs.. once you get it you can't upgrade ANYTHING... So get the most you can afford..

 

[iLoveYosemite]

I saw your question earlier... good decision... You should always go for as much storage and memory as you can afford. It will help you in the long run! It will suffice if you should change your use habits in the future, AND is more valuable if you should ever decide to sell it.. When I get my iPhones, I always go for biggest screen and storage available, as I'm big on taking pics of family/events of life. I've had 3GS-32gb, 5-64gb, 6S+-128gb, and just got my 13 Pro Max-1TB. My 2015 Air I bought used I put a 2TB Adata SSD in it.. Running great. If I could upgrade it with more memory I would, but that's the thing with these new Macs.. once you get it you can't upgrade ANYTHING... So get the most you can afford..

After I posted, I saw that it wasn’t possible to upgrade later. My current MBA is still very functional after 7+ years, but has become maddeningly slow at times and also randomly powers off if battery goes below 20% even though I did replace the battery a couple years ago.

Funny you mention that you get the biggest storage available. I always try to get by with as little storage as possible on my phones. I’ve had a 64gb phone for several years and just got the 13PM in 128gb. I do pay for extra cloud storage for photos, though. I knew I needed more MacBook storage which is why I didn’t hesitate to get 512gb for that. It’ll be nice to start fresh because I hate it when the “other” category takes up over 60go of space!

 

[xboxbml]

After I posted, I saw that it wasn’t possible to upgrade later. My current MBA is still very functional after 7+ years, but has become maddeningly slow at times and also randomly powers off if battery goes below 20% even though I did replace the battery a couple years ago.

Funny you mention that you get the biggest storage available. I always try to get by with as little storage as possible on my phones. I’ve had a 64gb phone for several years and just got the 13PM in 128gb. I do pay for extra cloud storage for photos, though. I knew I needed more MacBook storage which is why I didn’t hesitate to get 512gb for that. It’ll be nice to start fresh because I hate it when the “other” category takes up over 60go of space!

Which MBA-specs you have now?

 

[iLoveYosemite]

Which MBA-specs you have now?

Early 2014, 256gb/4gb, Catalina (regret that!)

 

[xboxbml]

Early 2014, 256gb/4gb

Ok, yeah I can see that getting beach ball sometimes.. not enough memory really.. You'll definitely notice a difference with the new one of course..like lightning.. You could replace the battery in yours for that battery issue, but with 4gb memory, I don't really think it's worth it, especially if you're getting a new one. Keep as a spare or sell it. I'd get one myself but with specs I want, can't afford that now(especially after getting this phone.. wife and I both got one). This 2015-8gb/2TB runs quite well and has plenty of storage now.. It will run Monterey but I'm staying on Catalina until I get a new one I think..or unless there's some incompatibilities with my iPhone running higher OS in the future. Good luck with your purchase.. I'd get apple care+ on it too but that's up to you.. I got it starting on 6S+ and that paid for itself..threw it in hood compartment of Seadoo once and forgot the anchor was in there.. I also spilled wine on my first 2015 MBA, and I really take care of my stuff.. Things happen... Fortunately the SSD was fine and I just bought another one locally.

 

[SteveManila1960]

Bigger is better for future proofing and resale value as many have said but also consider what you actually need. I am using a 2013 MBP which I did specify the 8GB of RAM for but that is still enough for what I do and having had the laptop for so long resale value is really negligible to be honest. Apple charges such a premium for additional upgrades if you don't need it maybe better not to buy it.

 

[iLoveYosemite]

Ok, yeah I can see that getting beach ball sometimes.. not enough memory really.. You'll definitely notice a difference with the new one of course..like lightning.. You could replace the battery in yours for that battery issue, but with 4gb memory, I don't really think it's worth it, especially if you're getting a new one. Keep as a spare or sell it. I'd get one myself but with specs I want, can't afford that now(especially after getting this phone.. wife and I both got one). This 2015-8gb/2TB runs quite well and has plenty of storage now.. It will run Monterey but I'm staying on Catalina until I get a new one I think..or unless there's some incompatibilities with my iPhone running higher OS in the future. Good luck with your purchase.. I'd get apple care+ on it too but that's up to you.. I got it starting on 6S+ and that paid for itself..threw it in hood compartment of Seadoo once and forgot the anchor was in there.. I also spilled wine on my first 2015 MBA, and I really take care of my stuff.. Things happen... Fortunately the SSD was fine and I just bought another one locally.

I'm definitely going to look into Apple Care. My husband and I just bought new phones, and bought one for our son, too. Mine (Sierra Blue) already arrived, even though all were backordered until 12/29 (through Verizon with an $800 per phone trade-in offer, so we have to be patient). I recently started using the Hide My Email feature to cut down on spam, but it's quite a process to change so many emailed from years of using the same address. It will be nice to be able to use this feature on the MacBook since I cannot with my current OS.

 

[iLoveYosemite]

Bigger is better for future proofing and resale value as many have said but also consider what you actually need. I am using a 2013 MBP which I did specify the 8GB of RAM for but that is still enough for what I do and having had the laptop for so long resale value is really negligible to be honest. Apple charges such a premium for additional upgrades if you don't need it maybe better not to buy it.

They do charge quite a bit. I upgraded RAM in my desktop and it was really cheap in comparison. I have a Windows laptop only because I have quilting software that does not run on a Mac (I didn't want to deal with Parallels) and I truly loathe Windows. So, I would rather pay a little more and get a Mac. I tend to settle for the least possible/lowest price and sometimes regret those decisions a few years later. I'm not concerned with resale value; I'm more concerned with how it will run with future versions of OS since Catalina has turned my 2014 MBA into a sloth.

 

[xboxbml]

They do charge quite a bit. I upgraded RAM in my desktop and it was really cheap in comparison. I have a Windows laptop only because I have quilting software that does not run on a Mac (I didn't want to deal with Parallels) and I truly loathe Windows. So, I would rather pay a little more and get a Mac. I tend to settle for the least possible/lowest price and sometimes regret those decisions a few years later. I'm not concerned with resale value; I'm more concerned with how it will run with future versions of OS since Catalina has turned my 2014 MBA into a sloth.

Right.. Upgrades are a premium to be sure, but depending on current or future use case, IMO go up if you can afford it. I've stopped at Catalina as I was afraid Big Sur then Monterey would slow mine down.. I would have gotten a 2017 with 16gb if I coulda found one.. Anything newer than 2017 I didn't want due to butterfly keyboard issues and SSD soldered on. Now that you can get a 2 or I think 4 TB M1 and they've gotten rid of butterfly keyboard, I think a new one is now worth it.

 

[SteveManila1960]

I really think it about what you do. This 2013 MBP does everything I want it to do but I am a low key user. More RAM is better for higher end applications. So is a better processor, or maybe a better graphics processor? Where do you stop? That is up to you of course. If you need it then max out your purchase but be sure it is really what you need. Research.

 

[SteveManila1960]

How long in this fast moving day and age can you live with the beach ball if speed is not actually mission critical? For me it's not an issue for some it may well be.

I look back to past years and the Windows blue screen of death, dipping down into the code to fix problems. I can live with a little Apple beach ball fun for a while if necessary.

 

[iLoveYosemite]

How long in this fast moving day and age can you live with the beach ball if speed is not actually mission critical? For me it's not an issue for some it may well be.

I look back to past years and the Windows blue screen of death, dipping down into the code to fix problems. I can live with a little Apple beach ball fun for a while if necessary.

I've had several instances lately of it turning itself off, and I've also seen that screen that could be called a multicolored pixelated screen of death?! It's been a great machine, unlike my PC laptops, which were grudgingly referred to as craptops within 3 years of purchase. ?

 

[iRayGonzalez]

I did the same as you. I initially bought a base MBA and used it for a few days, but my gut kept telling me to upgrade to 16GB. I went ahead and ordered another 8/7 MBA but with 16GB RAM and I'm very happy with my purchase.

 

[StoneJack]

I had been using Macbook Pro 2019, 13 inch, 8/256. It is a fine machine for what it does, but I learned that RAM and storage are two things, which are most important, as I was running out of storage and having only 40GB of storage left. RAM wise it was OK, but I figured that for things like Logic Pro and other intensive apps, RAM is important and will save SSD from excessive swapping, so I ordered MBA M1 16/512. If you can pay a few more dollars, why not to get something that will serve your future needs as well? Either, you can buy a base 14 inch with 16/512 but that will cost you up to 2000 dollars.

So I have the new MBA for almost half price of the 14 inch. Yes, it does not have 10GPU cores, but it has 8GPU cores, and I doubt I'll see that much difference in 2 cores to justify additional 500-1000 bucks. I am a light mobile user, so for Teams, Word, Pages, etc those specs are really, really enough. If you don't have any budget constraints, you should probably go to 14 Max or Pro. My reason for upgrade was decreasing battery life of MacbookPro, with battery health down to 86%.

Friday, I used the M1 Air for whole day, for Teams, Zoom, office work, and battery was down only by 10% or so for whole day of work starting from 9am and ending by 6pm. It was also easy to carry it (lightweight), and camera worked very well for online conferencing. No need to say I am very satisfied. I am using it with Airpods Pro and the whole things momentarily found my iPhone's hotspot and I had a very productive day. So I saved money, got a new notebook, decreased the carry weight, increased RAM and storage and paid less.

 

[yitwail]

So I have the new MBA for almost half price of the 14 inch. Yes, it does not have 10GPU cores, but it has 8GPU cores, and I doubt I'll see that much difference in 2 cores to justify additional 500-1000 bucks. I am a light mobile user, so for Teams, Word, Pages, etc those specs are really, really enough. If you don't have any budget constraints, you should probably go to 14 Max or Pro. My reason for upgrade was decreasing battery life of MacbookPro, with battery health down to 86%.

Actually, MBP 14 has 14 or 16 GPU cores, and 8 or 10 CPU cores. Additionally, MBA CPU cores are divided evenly between 4 efficiency and 4 performance cores, whereas all MBP 14/16 have 2 efficiency cores and 6/8 performance cores. For most use cases, the efficiency cores are sufficient, so that enhances battery life, while the promotion display on MBP 14 might use a bit less power than the MBA display.

 

[StoneJack]

Actually, MBP 14 has 14 or 16 GPU cores, and 8 or 10 CPU cores. Additionally, MBA CPU cores are divided evenly between 4 efficiency and 4 performance cores, whereas all MBP 14/16 have 2 efficiency cores and 6/8 performance cores. For most use cases, the efficiency cores are sufficient, so that enhances battery life, while the promotion display on MBP 14 might use a bit less power than the MBA display.

Yes, you are right. I also think that MBP14 has larger battery as well. My point is that if someone wants to have MBA with 16GB, I think it is a good idea. This time Apple offerings are well defined in terms of pricing and performance, so having an overloaded MBA might be still more effective than a basic 14.

 

[rocketpig]

I saw your question earlier... good decision... You should always go for as much storage and memory as you can afford. It will help you in the long run! It will suffice if you should change your use habits in the future, AND is more valuable if you should ever decide to sell it.. When I get my iPhones, I always go for biggest screen and storage available, as I'm big on taking pics of family/events of life. I've had 3GS-32gb, 5-64gb, 6S+-128gb, and just got my 13 Pro Max-1TB. My 2015 Air I bought used I put a 2TB Adata SSD in it.. Running great. If I could upgrade it with more memory I would, but that's the thing with these new Macs.. once you get it you can't upgrade ANYTHING... So get the most you can afford..

I'm sorry but I feel this is terrible advice. I could afford a 16" MBP but I have an Air and a mini because they're what I *need* and what enables my workflow the best.

Upgrades in storage and memory should be as needed, not an automatic purchase. The ROI on system upgrades is terrible. If you pay $300 for storage upgrade, you'll be lucky to get $100 of that back in resale.

For me, I'd much rather flip my 8gb MBA (which does coding and light Photoshop work) six months earlier than spend $200 (+20% initial cost) for a memory upgrade that I need maybe 5% of the time, tops (especially given the impressive scratch speed of the Apple Silicon machines). On the other hand, I bought a 16gb mini because that does a lot more heavy lifting with its 32" screen and extensive Creative Cloud work. I needed that extra memory for that machine but not the Air.

Everyone should be realistic with their needs. A lot of the time, it makes a lot more sense to buy the base model machine and flip it 6-12 months earlier than it does to dump $500 into upgrades that will net you *maybe* $200 back upon resale. But if you need those storage and memory upgrades and they drastically improve your workflow, have at it. Buy those upgrades. But doing so "just because" is a terrible recommendation.

 

[MauiPa]

I monitored my ram usage with activity monitor when I had my 16GB 2014 MBP. almost never used more than 8, so I went with 8. Very happy, still not using more with my M1 on Monterey. It is virtually impossible to "future proof" so those who say that, haven't thought clearly. Why buy extra ram today that you are not using when in three years, computers will be much faster, SSD might be faster, Wifi and bluetooth specs may be better, maybe they will even finally perfect OLED screens (none of which can be "future proofed")? No, go with what you need today, if suddenly you become a videographer and need a better computer, buy it then and sell the old one. Most people don't change their usage much, so you would be in the minority, but if you are you made a conscious choice to do that. So in summary:

M1 is twice as fast my 2014 Intel MBP (i7 2.5 Ghz), the SSD is uber faster (I did go for 512, that seems to be my sweet spot), if ever you need more ram than the 8 GB, the SSD is plenty fast and virtual memory will not slow it much.

On the other hand, if you are currently using 12 GB of RAM, go higher

 

[xboxbml]

I'm sorry but I feel this is terrible advice. I could afford a 16" MBP but I have an Air and a mini because they're what I *need* and what enables my workflow the best.

Upgrades in storage and memory should be as needed, not an automatic purchase. The ROI on system upgrades is terrible. If you pay $300 for storage upgrade, you'll be lucky to get $100 of that back in resale.

For me, I'd much rather flip my 8gb MBA (which does coding and light Photoshop work) six months earlier than spend $200 (+20% initial cost) for a memory upgrade that I need maybe 5% of the time, tops (especially given the impressive scratch speed of the Apple Silicon machines). On the other hand, I bought a 16gb mini because that does a lot more heavy lifting with its 32" screen and extensive Creative Cloud work. I needed that extra memory for that machine but not the Air.

Everyone should be realistic with their needs. A lot of the time, it makes a lot more sense to buy the base model machine and flip it 6-12 months earlier than it does to dump $500 into upgrades that will net you *maybe* $200 back upon resale. But if you need those storage and memory upgrades and they drastically improve your workflow, have at it. Buy those upgrades. But doing so "just because" is a terrible recommendation.

Ok.. so maybe I should have qualified that with "If you don't like dealing with flipping machines every time something in your life/workflow changes"?.. I know I don't. I have enough to do without screwing around with that.. I want to be covered with 1 machine. Of course it's all based on what you "need" at the time, and personal preferences, and what you can afford. Pretty sure that's what I said. You have what you need for your workflow.. You bought 2 machines.. Why, I don't know.. Could you do it with 1 machine? I think most people don't have or want 2 machines, or can afford that. Personally, like I said, I buy the most I can get on products, especially storage(phones). But I also qualified with "what you can afford". I never said "just because". This 2015 MBA is the first Mac I've ever owned, and I bought it used in 2018 I think. Stayed away from 4gb even though I knew macOS is good with memory management. I just wanted to learn macOS and be able to store all my iTunes movies and my pics/vids from iPhone. I looked ahead as I figured macOS, like iOS on phones, gets bigger and more processing intensive with every new "feature" added. I found out with the new ones then, you couldn't upgrade storage after purchase and I didn't have $1800+ for a new one. I wanted 1 machine to do everything I needed, and I wanted the MBA form factor. Got the 2015 8gb/128 and upgraded to a used Apple 512gb, then when that was getting close to full, the NVMe SSD and adapters were available and supported so upgraded to the 2TB SSD. Also have the TB2 dock and monitor. I've not gotten a new machine yet. You can't add storage or memory on it after purchase. So, as everything is soldered on now, and if you don't like the idea of maybe having to go through selling and upgrading at some point later, then get more if you can afford it. From what I've read on this M1, it should be in service for quite some time and be quite usable. I personally would also go with the 8/8 option if going to do high intensity work. So if you like to have everything portable and onboard, and not all in the cloud or carry around drives, get more than you need currently. But I also qualified with "what you can afford". I never said "just because". You have your opinion, I have mine.. IMO it's a good recommendation depending on preferences, use case/future, and what can be afforded.

 

[rocketpig]

Ok.. so maybe I should have qualified that with "If you don't like dealing with flipping machines every time something in your life/workflow changes"?.. I know I don't. I have enough to do without screwing around with that.. I want to be covered with 1 machine. Of course it's all based on what you "need" at the time, and personal preferences, and what you can afford. Pretty sure that's what I said. You have what you need for your workflow.. You bought 2 machines.. Why, I don't know.. Could you do it with 1 machine? I think most people don't have or want 2 machines, or can afford that. Personally, like I said, I buy the most I can get on products, especially storage(phones). But I also qualified with "what you can afford". I never said "just because". This 2015 MBA is the first Mac I've ever owned, and I bought it used in 2018 I think. Stayed away from 4gb even though I knew macOS is good with memory management. I just wanted to learn macOS and be able to store all my iTunes movies and my pics/vids from iPhone. I looked ahead as I figured macOS, like iOS on phones, gets bigger and more processing intensive with every new "feature" added. I found out with the new ones then, you couldn't upgrade storage after purchase and I didn't have $1800+ for a new one. I wanted 1 machine to do everything I needed, and I wanted the MBA form factor. Got the 2015 8gb/128 and upgraded to a used Apple 512gb, then when that was getting close to full, the NVMe SSD and adapters were available and supported so upgraded to the 2TB SSD. Also have the TB2 dock and monitor. I've not gotten a new machine yet. You can't add storage or memory on it after purchase. So, as everything is soldered on now, and if you don't like the idea of maybe having to go through selling and upgrading at some point later, then get more if you can afford it. From what I've read on this M1, it should be in service for quite some time and be quite usable. I personally would also go with the 8/8 option if going to do high intensity work. So if you like to have everything portable and onboard, and not all in the cloud or carry around drives, get more than you need currently. But I also qualified with "what you can afford". I never said "just because". You have your opinion, I have mine.. IMO it's a good recommendation depending on preferences, use case/future, and what can be afforded.

Flipping a machine and migrating is no big deal at all. I can bring home a new Mac and have it mirrored from my old Mac and in production within two hours.

The upside of flipping more often is:

1. You stay in warranty more of the time

2. You receive hardware upgrades (SSD speed, display quality, RAM speed, faster processor) more regularly

3. Battery degradation never becomes a problem

I used to spec out my MacBook Pros until I realized it was pretty dumb for me to drop $3k on a computer just so I could keep it for two years longer and still be annoyed at the aging tech within and its failing battery.

My problem with your recommendation is “what you can afford”. My answer is “buy what you need now” because lots of people can afford more but would be throwing away money by buying a specced-out machine where a base model would serve them nicely. ROI on selling computers is horrible, even Macs, and no computer lasts forever. Look for the sweet spot of spending the least you can while buying a machine that will last the necessary amount of time. My old $3k MBPs sold for $500 after five years. That’s a $500 per year use tax. My $1k MBA will sell for $300-400 after two years. That’s a $300 per year use tax. Had I specced out that MBA, the use tax skyrockets.

PS. I use two computers because the mini also operates as a file server (connected to NAS box) and a Time Machine server on top of being a creative production machine (I also own an iPad Pro for illustration purposes but that’s basically a single-task machine).

 

[xboxbml]

Flipping a machine and migrating is no big deal at all. I can bring home a new Mac and have it mirrored from my old Mac and in production within two hours.

The upside of flipping more often is:

1. You stay in warranty more of the time

2. You receive hardware upgrades (SSD speed, display quality, RAM speed, faster processor) more regularly

3. Battery degradation never becomes a problem

I used to spec out my MacBook Pros until I realized it was pretty dumb for me to drop $3k on a computer just so I could keep it for two years longer and still be annoyed at the aging tech within and its failing battery.

My problem with your recommendation is “what you can afford”. My answer is “buy what you need now” because lots of people can afford more but would be throwing away money by buying a specced-out machine where a base model would serve them nicely. ROI on selling computers is horrible, even Macs, and no computer lasts forever. Look for the sweet spot of spending the least you can while buying a machine that will last the necessary amount of time. My old $3k MBPs sold for $500 after five years. That’s a $500 per year use tax. My $1k MBA will sell for $300-400 after two years. That’s a $300 per year use tax. Had I specced out that MBA, the use tax skyrockets.

PS. I use two computers because the mini also operates as a file server (connected to NAS box) and a Time Machine server on top of being a creative production machine (I also own an iPad Pro for illustration purposes but that’s basically a single-task machine).

Yeah, ok.. to each his own..

 

[DenisK]

Flipping a machine and migrating is no big deal at all. I can bring home a new Mac and have it mirrored from my old Mac and in production within two hours.

The upside of flipping more often is:

1. You stay in warranty more of the time

2. You receive hardware upgrades (SSD speed, display quality, RAM speed, faster processor) more regularly

3. Battery degradation never becomes a problem

I used to spec out my MacBook Pros until I realized it was pretty dumb for me to drop $3k on a computer just so I could keep it for two years longer and still be annoyed at the aging tech within and its failing battery.

My problem with your recommendation is “what you can afford”. My answer is “buy what you need now” because lots of people can afford more but would be throwing away money by buying a specced-out machine where a base model would serve them nicely. ROI on selling computers is horrible, even Macs, and no computer lasts forever. Look for the sweet spot of spending the least you can while buying a machine that will last the necessary amount of time. My old $3k MBPs sold for $500 after five years. That’s a $500 per year use tax. My $1k MBA will sell for $300-400 after two years. That’s a $300 per year use tax. Had I specced out that MBA, the use tax skyrockets.

PS. I use two computers because the mini also operates as a file server (connected to NAS box) and a Time Machine server on top of being a creative production machine (I also own an iPad Pro for illustration purposes but that’s basically a single-task machine).

Flipping a Mac might not be a big deal, but selling one is a major pain, especially if you expect to get any decent money in return. So, no, getting the maximum ram and storage that you can afford is the way to go, unless all you do with your Mac is limited to some very light use. If you look at the market, its overloaded with new offerings now, and the recent ones are in abundance as well. This means that purposefully planning on flipping up a Mac every so often like two years may not be such a beneficial solution at all, financially. Supply and demand.

 

[rocketpig]

Flipping a Mac might not be a big deal, but selling one is a major pain, especially if you expect to get any decent money in return. So, no, getting the maximum ram and storage that you can afford is the way to go, unless all you do with your Mac is limited to some very light use. If you look at the market, its overloaded with new offerings now, and the recent ones are in abundance as well. This means that purposefully planning on flipping up a Mac every so often like two years may not be such a beneficial solution at all, financially. Supply and demand.

Dunno, I’ve flipped 10-15 Macs over the past 20 years and never had a problem selling any of them. I boxed up two old iPads literally this morning and sent them off to eBay buyers (a new iPad Pro is en route to me tomorrow).

And I’ve always lost my ass on resale when it comes to system upgrades. If I spent $200 on storage, I’m lucky to get $50 back on it three years later.

 

[DenisK]

Dunno, I’ve flipped 10-15 Macs over the past 20 years and never had a problem selling any of them. I boxed up two old iPads literally this morning and sent them off to eBay buyers (a new iPad Pro is en route to me tomorrow).

And I’ve always lost my ass on resale when it comes to system upgrades. If I spent $200 on storage, I’m lucky to get $50 back on it three years later.

Thats a LOT of skills required all around: knowing how to mirror a system so that ALL of your precious things get transferred and work as they used to, then cleaning and resetting your old equipment to the factory condition, then taking clear, good and convincing pics and writing catchy and selling descriptions for eBay - all for taking your chances and in the hopes that someone will pay attention and pay nearly enough, given the huge competition......... - all that vs. paying up a couple hundred more at the time of your purchase so that you have a peace of mind that your system is going to be up to speed 2, 3, 4 or 5 or more years down the line. I'd always pony up upfront just to AVOID having to worry about any of the steps of the process of having to move from one machine to another. In fact, one of my specced up to the maximum refurbs, a 2012 MBA with i7 and 8 gigs of ram has served me flawlessly for almost 10 years. It supports Catalina and is pretty current on all fronts to this day. How is that for a good ROI? So, a solid advice would be not to go base config at the time of purchase (unless you're certain your use case is drafting memos to self in Notes, but to maybe hunt for specced up configs in refurbs as well - same warranty and all). But as long as you have unneeded cash to throw, sure, go ahead and go base.