Should I return my MacBook Pro 16" to get more RAM & i9

[JulienBerthelot]

Alright, so originally I went for an iPad Pro (with Magic Keyboard & Folio Case) but ended up realizing it can't really replace my computer and I'd prefer a MacBook Pro 16". So I bought a MacBook Pro 16" base config + AMD Radeon 5500M 8GB and got a refund for my iPad. Now that I'm actually using it, I find it perfect for what I need as of right now, but I want this MacBook Pro to last me 6-8 years. Should I switch to 32GB of RAM and the Intel i9 at 2.4GHz.

I kinda feel bad because this would be my second major refund in the same time period, is there a limit of refunds Apple allows?

 

[Qedty]

bruh I've returned like 8 macs in a month period, you good lmao. I've occasionally had chronic returner syndrome with expensive apple products, by that I mean indecisive on which $2k+ product i want for years! Plus, that thing you end up returning, someone is gonna be getting a cool $200-$300 off on it when they buy through Apple Refurb store.

However, that being said, I personally would only go for the 32GB ram upgrade. The i9 may sound good for "future proofing" but I believe in real world scenarios it isn't that great. In fact the i9 is suppose to run hotter and suffer from worse battery life than the i7.

In my case I went for 1 TB upgrade to the i7 variant with a bumped up graphics card. To me that sounds sustainable enough for some time, even if only for a year or two, if the 14" comes out. Even if I skip the 14" I don't see myself desperately needing 32GB ram in the next 3 years unless I switch fields, in which case, I'd grab a new one.

 

[Chargr]

Do you need that extra power now? By the time 32Gb of ram becomes relevant to the masses there will be far better CPU and graphics cards worth your money to upgrade.

Save your money. I can tell you don’t really need extra power anyway because you got an Ipad originally.


The MacBook you have currently, will last you 5-6 years tops.

 

[leman]

Should I switch to 32GB of RAM and the Intel i9 at 2.4GHz.

I very much doubt it will change anything for you. Get the upgrades if you need them now. I’d save the money.

 

[PeterJP]

I used my previous mac, a late 2013 13" MBP with a standard 8GB/256 configuration for 6 years doing some pretty heavy lifting stuff. I'm talking development and virtual machines. I had to watch it a bit by the end (a Windows VM with 4GB + 4GB left for macOS isn't ideal) but it was generally working fine.

I would advise you to either keep this one, or if you're really really worried, to get the 32GB version. Progress in regular PCs is slow these days so 16GB should last you quite a few years now.

 

[Sterkenburg]

Not sure what your use case is, but from the fact you were originally thinking to go iPad-only I'd bet that you don't need any hardware upgrade over the base config.

Now that I'm actually using it, I find it perfect for what I need as of right now

This is honestly all that matters. From a value perspective, base hardware gives you the best bang for your buck. Get only the upgrades you know you need right now, and save your money. By the time you really need 32GB or whatever else, newer and better machines will be available to invest it on.

 

[JulienBerthelot]

Thanks to all of you for your answers. I'll probably keep the one I have, and I didn't know the i9 used more power so thanks @Qedty for the info! @PeterJP nice to know! I thought what you did required more than 32GB, it's quite reassuring you were able to do that on a 8GB machine.

P.S. I originally planned to replace my MacBook Pro 2017 with the iPad because I had a powerful Hackintosh tower, and thought it would suffise. So that's why I didn't originally take performance into account, and decided to take the iPad Pro. But using custom fonts is hard (no font manager) and the filesystem is horrible on iPadOS... And now, with a new MacBook Pro I'm much less reliant on the Hackintosh.

 

[PeterJP]

Thanks to all of you for your answers. I'll probably keep the one I have, and I didn't know the i9 used more power so thanks @Qedty for the info! @PeterJP nice to know! I thought what you did required more than 32GB, it's quite reassuring you were able to do that on a 8GB machine.

No, people really overestimate how much RAM they need. I wasn't going to run all Office apps and a Chrome with 100+ tabs while also running 2 Linux VMs (2GB RAM each) within 8GB RAM, of course. So I adapted. But all of those activities + upgrading both VMs to 4GB would be no problem at all on 16GB.

Still, I have 64GB now because the first refurb with 32+ and 1TB+ SSD that became available happened to be this 64GB/2TB one 😎 I'm running Parallels with an 8GB Windows VM semi-permanently. Just for fun, I also booted up my MacOS 8GB VM and a Linux 8GB VM and with my regular programs running, I still didn't hit 32GB. If this machine doesn't go down thermal meltdown first, it'll last me for 25 freakin' years until quantum computing becomes affordable.

 

[jerryk]

I would not return it. In a few years Apple will have something more powerful with more memory and disk space for a less money. You will likely find it advantageous to replace your unit with this model.

IMHO, it is better to spend less now and plan on upgrading in few years. I have never kept any computer, iPad, phone, etc. more than 4 years because so much changes by that time.

 

[UltimateSyn]

Kind of hard to assess your needs without a stated use-case, but as someone else mentioned I think you'll be fine if your original intention was to use just the iPad (which only has 6GB of RAM! ).

Personally I run out of SSD space long before I hit RAM limits in the long-term usage scenarios. Running into that problem now on my 2016 MBP...

 

[shaown]

I always focus on RAM over all else. The advent of cloud storage means I am constantly shifting more and more long term storage off my machine, and also with thunderbolt 3, having SSD storage outside of machine is possible for many use cases. But RAM I can't upgrade or get around.
-Shaown

 

[jaduffy007]

Alright, so originally I went for an iPad Pro (with Magic Keyboard & Folio Case) but ended up realizing it can't really replace my computer and I'd prefer a MacBook Pro 16". So I bought a MacBook Pro 16" base config + AMD Radeon 5500M 8GB and got a refund for my iPad. Now that I'm actually using it, I find it perfect for what I need as of right now, but I want this MacBook Pro to last me 6-8 years. Should I switch to 32GB of RAM and the Intel i9 at 2.4GHz.

I kinda feel bad because this would be my second major refund in the same time period, is there a limit of refunds Apple allows?

If you have any intention of using the 16" MBP with an external monitor, you absolutely should NOT "upgrade" to an i9 unless you enjoy fans at 4500rpm and temps at 65C at IDLE ! OTOH, if you're a gamer with a monitor that has a refresh rate of 120hz or 144hz, then you might be fine. 60hz monitor refresh rate == very hot and very noisy. Test thoroughly within 14 day return window.

32gb RAM = awesome but doesn't really sound like it you need it.

 

[Tozovac]

The MacBook you have currently, will last you 5-6 years tops.

Did you truly mean “tops” or did you mean to say “at least,” having not verified the OP’s usage case.

As someone facing updating my 2013 MBA *only* because I need 1TB (because I *want* to stop luggging around an external drive), I’d never buy a $2500 macbook with the prospects of only a 5-6 year usable life. Even with sticking with Sierra (not ready to drop $hundreds for new 64 bit software, some of which ported over to the dreaded subscription format), I could easily go a few more years for my usage case.

 

[maflynn]

Most users don't need 32GB, I'd say keep what you have