This is the MacBook Pro forum. We're not average by definition.
But you wrote that "In fact, until very recently 8GB had been a maxed-out machine 13yrs ago." which isn't true.
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Unified Memory 16GB is shared You need 32GB
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This is the MacBook Pro forum. We're not average by definition.
But you wrote that "In fact, until very recently 8GB had been a maxed-out machine 13yrs ago." which isn't true.
It’s always been shared. It’s not needed. If it was you’d know, but only for specialized circumstances.
this was a nice heads up, I don't need the Apple polishing cloth!
Ordering a 32GB M1 Max tho.
tricky question.
considering 32GB allows you to do more tasks it will impact battery life obviously. If you buy the 32GB version and do light tasks macOS should only use the memory you need...
but if you choose 32GB with M1 Max it will have a more noticeable impact because those extra GPU cores do work even if you're not doing much.
I'm getting a 14" M1 Pro with 16GB RAM. I plan to use it for Android Studio (as well as some photo/video/design stuff) but am a little concerned about whether 16GB is enough for that. Equally, the jump up to 32GB RAM is very expensive starting from a high point already. Any insights? I wish the M1 Macs could manage 32GB...
Not an issue for me. I also have the intel 16" 16GB 1TB and I got the same specs on my 2021 MBP 16". I see no difference in performance.
Modern operating systems make use of unused RAM. They will cache files that you access with spare RAM so that you don't have to go to the SSD if you need a file or a part of a file. The extreme case is if you have your entire storage cached in RAM so that you only have to go to the SSD for writes. Latency on the SSD will be a lot higher than it is for RAM but I don't know the relative power costs between RAM and SSD.
I really think there should be a sticky post on here explaining how RAM works and how macOS uses RAM, explaining things like memory pressure and maybe even detailing some use-cases where you will genuinely benefit from having more RAM.
8 GBs is more than sufficient for a lot of users, even for tasks like video editing. I even edited a video on my M1 and did it without any performance penalty. You can read it in my one year later review.
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M1 MacBook Pro Review - One Year Later
But in fact, I'm thinking about getting the LG Ultrafine 24 4K, which is a monitor very close to retina fidelity. However, it costs the same as a used iMac 21.5 4K i7. For this reason I am thinking of purchasing the iMac.
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I ended up going with 32 GB, but had a client who purchased a 14" MBP and I recommended 16 GB for her to keep the cost down. It all depends on your use cases. I'm actually regretting not getting 64 GB - 32 GB has proven sufficient for me, but I'm just blown away by the performance of these MacBooks and the M1 chip. I purchased 32 GB with the thought that I might buy the "Mac Pro mini" whenever it comes out and would save my money for that. After less than a week with this machine I don't see any reason why I'd need to do that - this is truly an incredible computer. For almost all hardware options, I can supplement with external peripherals if needed. I have a 14" but I use a 4k display at my desk. I have a 1 TB drive but can always supplement with external drives as needed. Processing power on the Max is more than sufficient (and I'm sure the Pro would be fine as well). But I can never add more memory for the duration of owning this machine - so I sort of wish that I spent the extra money, even though I don't have an immediate use case for it.
Those were my thoughts as well. The main reason for me for having a mini and a MacBook Pro is that I don't want to plug the MacBook Pro into my external monitors when I am at my desk. But the power of this thing along with the really nice screen has me considering using the MacBook Pro as a desktop with everything plugged in all the time. I am happy that the mini is delayed as it would be a pretty bit financial hit at one time.
I had the 16GB/512GB M1 MBA for a while and I was experiencing a lot of paging and huge SSD writes. I don't do lots of traditionally memory intensive operations like video editing. I do however have multiple browsers open in different profiles each with multiple tabs and multiple instances of VSCode open as well as usual things like mail, calendar, spotify etc.
I am currently on an 8GB base M1 as a holdover machine until my 14" MBP arrives (I had to give my 16GB one to my wife as she needed it for work)
I can see an even bigger increase in excessive SSD writing on this one - to be expected given I have half the memory. (this is after all recent MacOS updates btw which supposedly fixed the problem with SSD writes). My memory pressure is never in the green. Now I admit that I am just assuming that having more RAM will alleviate this...
My point is that even though you *can* do something like a video edit on an 8GB machine, that doesn't mean you should. Excessive paging is not a good thing regardless of the speed of the underlying storage. Also most people multi-task and always have several apps running at once, someone closing everything except final cut and doing an edit isn't very realistic.
I have gone for 32GB simply based on the fact that at this price point, I am not going to even think about risking not having enough RAM.
I am currently on an 8GB base M1 as a holdover machine until my 14" MBP arrives (I had to give my 16GB one to my wife as she needed it for work)
I can see an even bigger increase in excessive SSD writing on this one - to be expected given I have half the memory. (this is after all recent MacOS updates btw which supposedly fixed the problem with SSD writes). My memory pressure is never in the green. Now I admit that I am just assuming that having more RAM will alleviate this...
My point is that even though you *can* do something like a video edit on an 8GB machine, that doesn't mean you should. Excessive paging is not a good thing regardless of the speed of the underlying storage. Also most people multi-task and always have several apps running at once, someone closing everything except final cut and doing an edit isn't very realistic.
I have gone for 32GB simply based on the fact that at this price point, I am not going to even think about risking not having enough RAM.
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I found that going to 24 GB of RAM is a considerable improvement with macOS over 16 GB of RAM. I regularly have swap with 16 but don't have any with 24. Of course I'm just doing office stuff but browsers use up a considerable amount of RAM these days. I have not moved my production stuff over to the 2021 MacBook Pro but I don't expect any swapping when I do. 32 GB should be enough.
There used to be a bug in all of the Chrome-based browsers where it would take 13 GB of RAM using iCloud Notes. I couldn't use Firefox because Firefox has artifacts with iCloud Notes. One of those times when 32 GB of RAM allows you to run buggy software until the bug gets fixed. Even something like TurboTax can use 1.5 GB of RAM. Yeah, it's that time of the year again. I'm getting emails from TurboTax and I need to start gathering my financial stuff to make projections.
I'm 24 hours into using mine and I'm so happy I went with the 16" M1 Max/32/32GB/1TB storage model. Been keeping an eye on my memory usage all day, and 32GB was absolutely the right choice. My Machine is routinely using 16-20GB under fairly light loads, and I've seen it spike up to 28 or so.
For comparisons sake, my old machine averaged 12-16GB used. So without any changes besides the upgrade, my usage has gone up by an average of 4GB (non scientific, just general observation). Not sure is this is due to the shared video memory or not, but I'm not even connected to an external display (yet). Also there is Zero heat, machine is cold, especially compared to my old 2019 16" leg warmer.
While the memory pressure is green, it's awesome to have the extra cache space and zero swaps. Can you get away with less? Absolutely. Want the best performance? 32GB is the new 16GB folks. Plus got that extra memory bandwidth! Super happy I cancelled my 16" M1 Pro/16/16GB RAM/1TB storage order.
Tim
For comparisons sake, my old machine averaged 12-16GB used. So without any changes besides the upgrade, my usage has gone up by an average of 4GB (non scientific, just general observation). Not sure is this is due to the shared video memory or not, but I'm not even connected to an external display (yet). Also there is Zero heat, machine is cold, especially compared to my old 2019 16" leg warmer.
While the memory pressure is green, it's awesome to have the extra cache space and zero swaps. Can you get away with less? Absolutely. Want the best performance? 32GB is the new 16GB folks. Plus got that extra memory bandwidth! Super happy I cancelled my 16" M1 Pro/16/16GB RAM/1TB storage order.
Tim
£400 quid well saved... most people who got the 32GB model are just trying to justify their extra spend. Of course 32GB is better, but it ain't worth the money, not even close.
The value of money is relative to what you do with it.
If it's free, then there is no cost.
100% true. I drive a Tesla Model 3 performance. It's gets me 0-60 in 3 seconds.
The base model 3, or a Honda Civic for that matter, can both get me back and forth to work just fine.
I want the best performance, I'm willing to pay for it, and I work hard to be able to do so (not free).
I find most of the people arguing against 32GB don't need it, and that's just fine too!
Tim
Ha no kidding! I should have used the money I purchased the car with, to buy Tesla stock instead.
Tim