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Will a base model 2019 MBA 13"/8GB be sufficient for my needs for the next 2 years?

N

NewBench

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Original poster
Jun 24, 2010
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I'm a writer primarily, but frequently watch YouTube/Netflix and now Apple TV+. I want to be able to watch in 1080p (Full HD) without the MBA slowing down and running super hot.

I do no video editing, very minimal photo editing.

I will frequently have a Discord window open in the background whilst watching YouTube/Netflix in 1080p. I don't game at all.

Will the base model 2019 model do all of the above fairly comfortably for the next 2 years or should I go for the pro instead -OR- more RAM?

In summary:
-Always have a Discord window open
-Stream Netflix/YouTube/Apple TV+ for several hours a day at the same time.
-Work is mostly writing
-Zero video editing
-Very minimal photo editing.
-No "gaming" of any kind

Thanks
 
bounce08 said:
I'm a writer primarily, but frequently watch YouTube/Netflix and now Apple TV+. I want to be able to watch in 1080p (Full HD) without the MBA slowing down and running super hot.

I do no video editing, very minimal photo editing.

I will frequently have a Discord window open in the background whilst watching YouTube/Netflix in 1080p. I don't game at all.

Will the base model 2019 model do all of the above fairly comfortably for the next 2 years or should I go for the pro instead -OR- more RAM?

In summary:
-Always have a Discord window open
-Stream Netflix/YouTube/Apple TV+ for several hours a day at the same time.
-Work is mostly writing
-Zero video editing
-Very minimal photo editing.
-No "gaming" of any kind

Thanks
Click to expand...

If you plan to keep it longer, I would consider having more RAM and a larger SSD. Those are set when you buy the MBA. 8Gb and 128Gb gets pretty tight even on my MBA 2014. My MBA 2014 does all what you were asking with no problems except that 8Gb gets tight and it's relying on SSD paging, so it gets warm and the fan goes on more often. I'm running Mojave at the moment and it's mainly used as a writing machine for my blog as well as watching Youtube. For me, my next MBA in a few years time will have minimum 16Gb of RAM and 256Gb of SSD space. Hope this helps.
 
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iluvmacs99 said:
If you plan to keep it longer, I would consider having more RAM and a larger SSD. Those are set when you buy the MBA. 8Gb and 128Gb gets pretty tight even on my MBA 2014. My MBA 2014 does all what you were asking with no problems except that 8Gb gets tight and it's relying on SSD paging, so it gets warm and the fan goes on more often. I'm running Mojave at the moment and it's mainly used as a writing machine for my blog as well as watching Youtube. For me, my next MBA in a few years time will have minimum 16Gb of RAM and 256Gb of SSD space. Hope this helps.
Click to expand...

Yes it does, thanks! I'm okay with storage as anything considerable I use an external hard drive, but I'll take your advice re 16GB instead as I know Discord can be very RAM hungry.
 
Do you have a Mac right now? You can check your current RAM situation using Activity Monitor and how much disk space you're using via the Finder.

If your memory pressure is showing as yellow, then you DEFINITELY need more RAM. If you're seeing any significant amount of "Swap used" then you would benefit from more RAM.

If you have more than 20-30 GB free on your drive that you're using now, and it sounds like you don't foresee needing that much more storage, then you're fine with whatever amount you have now. If you have less than that free, might as well consider buying more.
 
While 128GB could more than satisfy your data requirements, the 256GB SSD write speed is quite a bit faster, making the 256GB option something to think about. 8GB of RAM should be fine for most usage. I'm a pro iOS developer and just bought a new 2019 MBA 8GB/256GB for quick coding and travel. I have an iMac Pro decked out unit for heavy lifting though. Best Buy has a $200 off sale on 2019 MBA right now for Best Buy members.
 
Depending on your cloud storage situation, I wouldn't go higher than 256GB. There does seem to be benefits to having the slightly upgraded SSD for increased read/write speeds.

Secondly, when comparing RAM, you have to remember, the bus speeds are way faster in these newer macs–8GB of 2400 is way better than 8GB of 1600.

I have owned several macbook air's, and my current daily is the 2018 macbook air 256GB/8GB RAM. My bottleneck is with either the graphics or the chip, but I never max out the RAM.

Unless you are doing photo editing, I think 8GB is totally adequate, even for 2+ years. Spend that money on the storage, because you not only increase the onboard storage, you increase the speed as well.
 
I been using MBA 2012 with 4GB and128GB till this day no issues at all well its just that after number of years the screen coating peel off and thats after 5 years of using it ,, change the screen for keeps.
[automerge]1573963078[/automerge]
AustinIllini said:
What's your iCloud situation? That's a big part of it for me. I keep very little locally anymore.
Click to expand...
5GB of Icloud is just way too little , I rather use Google cloud for storage with 15GB
 
As you consider your options, you should be mindful that there are often deep discounts on the base configuration at the big box store. For example, BB members can buy the base MBA for $900, which is a $200 discount. You might not be able to find these discounts in other configurations. So, this puts a greater premium on the higher specs, which you might not really need.
 
ZeuSGoKiL said:
I been using MBA 2012 with 4GB and128GB till this day no issues at all well its just that after number of years the screen coating peel off and thats after 5 years of using it ,, change the screen for keeps.
[automerge]1573963078[/automerge]

5GB of Icloud is just way too little , I rather use Google cloud for storage with 15GB
Click to expand...
That's a good point. I should rephrase.

OP, what's your cloud situation? Do you use cloud storage? The 256 GB SSD is probably the safer model. I think you're probably good on RAM with 8GB if the machine only needs to last two years.

That being said, if you order the 8GB, do you feel you personally will regret not getting the 16?
 
Some comments about being pro IOS dev and quick coding bla bla is BS.

I regret not going for 16Gb RAM/256 SSD. I think this is a good configuration so that you can enjoy your MBA without worrying about ssd and RAM.

Doesnt matter how use it now as that can vary a bit (not talking about becoming an overnight video editor here) going forward, and 8GB is not really enough in 2019.

With Music, few Safari tabs and Photos theres not much headroom left.

Also, beware of the mysterious MACOS "Other System Storage" that can gobble up storage and local TM machine backups. Regarding Icloud storage - I have it on optimized setting and yet Photos take 32GB of space!! i dont see how even 256 GB would be good here but it is better than 128 GB
 
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