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Should I Get 8GB RAM on New 15"Pro?

M

MacMonkey13

macrumors member
Original poster
Jun 29, 2008
90
0
Gurnee, Illinois
I've decided to purchase a new 15" MacBook Pro with the 2.4GHz processor. Is it worth it to get the 8GB RAM over the standard 4GB?

This will be my "main" computer (I have an iPad and an old iMac), but my main uses are really only internet browsing, wordprocessing and email. I know this machine may be overkill, but I want the larger screen.

Also, what screen is recommended? Matte or Glossy? Hi-Def or Std?
 
MacMonkey13 said:
I've decided to purchase a new 15" MacBook Pro with the 2.4GHz processor. Is it worth it to get the 8GB RAM over the standard 4GB?

This will be my "main" computer (I have an iPad and an old iMac), but my main uses are really only internet browsing, wordprocessing and email. I know this machine may be overkill, but I want the larger screen.

Also, what screen is recommended? Matte or Glossy? Hi-Def or Std?
Click to expand...

You are definitely going to want as much RAM as you can get, but don't buy it from Apple. You can get it way cheaper from third parties and it's a no brainer to install.
 
4GB will suffice, and upgrading RAM outside of Apple's offers will save you a lot of money.

I prefer Anti-Glare and High-Res, but I have a 17" MBP, thus I wouldn't go back to 1440 x 900, it is quite small.
 
Your described usage could get by with only 2gb of ram or less. Don't bother.

OS X doesn't have resolution independence like Windows does, so on the hi-def screens fonts will look smaller. If you have poor eyesight I would not recommend it.
 
Are you going to run windows on this? At work we use 8g because I dedicate ram to the windows side for CAD but still need ram to support CAD on the Mac side as well. Probably overkill for you.
 
snaky69 said:
Your described usage could get by with only 2gb of ram or less. Don't bother.

OS X doesn't have resolution independence like Windows does, so on the hi-def screens fonts will look smaller. If you have poor eyesight I would not recommend it.
Click to expand...

Well, if all you are going to do is surf the net and check email, then that might be true. But RAM is so ridiculously cheap now and can make such a huge difference in performance in a variety of situations, it would be silly not to add it, IMHO
 
phpmaven said:
Well, if all you are going to do is surf the net and check email, then that might be true. But RAM is so ridiculously cheap now and can make such a huge difference in performance in a variety of situations, it would be silly not to add it, IMHO
Click to expand...

Like I said, I posted this according to what the OP said he would be doing on his computer.
 
OP, it really doesn't sound like you need 8GB of RAM at this time. If you decide to upgrade in the future if you need it, it might even be cheaper. I'd stick with 4GB for now. I'd go for the high-res antiglare screen.
 
keep the 4gb, but buy a sandforce ssd; then your mbp will blow any other laptop out of the water.
 
MacMonkey13 said:
While saving $$$ is great, I've never installed RAM into a laptop let alone opened one up. It kinda scares me.
Click to expand...

If your usage will not change in the near future you definitely should just wait as I seriously doubt you will use the 4GB that comes standard. I have the same system and upgraded the RAM to 8GB myself and have yet to need the full 8GB. I use Parallels frequently running either Ubuntu or Win 7 and can give OS X 2GB and the VM 2GB (before upgrade) and did not notice any lag in OS X or the VM. Both OSs run very smooth. Although if you are like me you should just get the 8GB as it will drive you crazy thinking about it. :)

Installing RAM in the unibody models is extremely easy and you will save $ and learn a few things about your system at the same time. Just search Youtube for some videos beforehand and you can upgrade your RAM in 15 mins.
 
Last edited:
If your workload uses only up to 4 GiB of RAM the other 4 GiB will be wasted.
 
There are now some brand new 8 GiB SO-DIMMs.

So maybe it will be possible to fit 16GB in an HM55 Core i5, Core i7.

Another point in favour of just going with 4GB to start with for these machines.
 
I put 8GB Ram in my 2010 i5 2.4Ghz and you really only notice a difference if using VMWare. That cost $150

For $50, I swapped the HDD that came with it (320GB/5400RPM) with this one:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ..._re=hitachi_travelstar-_-22-145-361-_-Product

increased from 320GB/5400 to 500GB/7200RPM for only $50 and I noticed a lot bigger difference in performance.

I'd say keep it at 4GB and get a new hdd. There is also a Seagate Momentus XT drive that is a 'hybrid' of 7200RPM and SSD that is pretty awesome but of course it costs more...something like $130.

My $.02
 
Lots of places have been having good deals on 8gb kits. I picked up one from buy.com earlier this week for $114.99. An ssd will give you more seat of the pants performance though.
 
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If you can afford it go for it. Might provide a little resale value in a couple of years.
 
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