Why Skylake MBPs max out at 16GB - an answer

[BarracksSi]

(PS -- I didn't say it was the BEST answer, just AN answer... )

Lemme check my memory usage real quick...

Using 6.6 GB of the 8 GB in my mid-2012 13" MBP. Guess I need to work harder.

 

[evec]

Not sure about that. Apple always seems hesitant to increase RAM, even across product lines. Look at iPhones vs other vendors for example. Why? Could be anything, but I believe it's more that they don't feel the need to pay for costs associated with catering to the 1% who would put out the money for 32GBs.

Yes, the memory IC need huge space, apple already use highest density memory chip they can, so provide 32GB choose mean need design for larger PCB for lower that 1% people need, even 16GB is not required for the based model of MBPr.

However, if they can they will want that money, but they choose reduce the PCB space.

 

[leman]

At the bottom, he/she blames not having 32GB memory on Intel.

I just want to point out a counter example.

OP states very clearly that current Intel CPUs don't support LPDDR4, which is why Apple and other manufacturers (Microsoft) chose to use LPDDR3, which is same speed or faster (lower latency) and apparently more energy efficient than DDR4 used in laptops like XPS 15.

Nobody ever said that Intel does't support 32GB.

 

[wilfred2013]

On real pro machines .. the ability to have extra memory (ddr4) far outweighs the design goals of Apple ( thinness)

 

[catportal]

DDR4 operates at 1.2 V

LPDDR3 operates at 1.2 V

DDR3L operates at 1.35 V

DDR3 operates at 1.5 V

BS from Phil don't pass the smell test.

Voltage is only half the equation, LPDDR3L needs 30% less current than DDR4

Which translates to 30% less power usage, P=IV

 

[BarracksSi]

John Gruber's take:
http://daringfireball.net/linked/2016/10/31/intel-mbp-ram

This is why Apple designs its own chips for iOS. You don’t see people complaining that the iPhone or iPad Pro are underpowered. In fact, they’re faster than their competition. (The iPhone 7 has a single-core Geekbench 4 score that is double that of the Google Pixel.) With iPhones and iPads, Apple makes them ever thinner and lighter and yet they still offer industry-leading performance. We’ve all been speculating for years that Apple might start designing its own chips for Macs. At this point it looks like they have to do it. If anything, these new MacBook Pros were overdue — they arrived late and Intel still doesn’t have the chips Apple really needs.

 

[LaFrentz]

Yes, the memory IC need huge space, apple already use highest density memory chip they can, so provide 32GB choose mean need design for larger PCB for lower that 1% people need, even 16GB is not required for the based model of MBPr.

However, if they can they will want that money, but they choose reduce the PCB space.

Does that mean Apple will not be able to offer 32GB in 2017? Or in other words what would need to happen to allow 32GB in the new MBP design?

 

[leman]

Does that mean Apple will not be able to offer 32GB in 2017? Or in other words what would need to happen to allow 32GB in the new MBP design?

I believe that the original post has answered that question. We need CPUs that support LDDR4