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Will I regret not getting 16GB?

16G for sure!

Worth the money

The real question is this: Is the rMBP a requirement.

I bought the cMBP just so I could upgrade to 16G now and maybe 32 later

Just a thought

I really like the new thin and light rMBP, just don't like the retina screen. Not that it is bad, I just don't need it and was not willing to pay for it. The deal breaker for me was lack in upgradability. I was willing to go with a slightly thicker laptop (.24") to get upgrade options, rather than a pretty screen.

Some people need that resolution, I just do not.

Good luck, I toiled for weeks before I was able to make my decision!
 
Your fine with 8.

You will find alot of people here get 16 cause they think they need it, in reality 8 is an overkill for them.

Next archticture change you will probably be in the same situation thinking maybe you should have got 32 over 16 ;)

If you need more then 8, then you will know, as in you run applications aleady and know your running out of ram. Iif you do no development/design/video work, then 16 is just gloating rights.

At the end buy what you can afford

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Rhinoevans said:
16G for sure!

Worth the money

The real question is this: Is the rMBP a requirement.

I bought the cMBP just so I could upgrade to 16G now and maybe 32 later

Just a thought

I really like the new thin and light rMBP, just don't like the retina screen. Not that it is bad, I just don't need it and was not willing to pay for it. The deal breaker for me was lack in upgradability. I was willing to go with a slightly thicker laptop (.24") to get upgrade options, rather than a pretty screen.

Some people need that resolution, I just do not.

Good luck, I toiled for weeks before I was able to make my decision!
Click to expand...

That would mean 2x 16gb modules. Have doubts about that ever happening.

I would say you machine and the retina are both going to stay maxed at 16gb ram, the cpu cannot be upgraded, so that only leaves the drive.

I retina ssd can be upgraded, just limited to a few kits. The big advantage you actually have is the ability to run 2x drives if you ditch the superdrive. You can get ssd for os and HD for storage.
 
If you can upgrade the ram yourself, go with 8 now and buy your own 16gb if you find you need it. It will also be far cheaper than $300 to do so.

If you can't add the memory yourself, get 16gb. You can't predict what you'll be using your computer for in the future but you can be sure programs will always require more memory than they do today.
 
From what you've said, 16GB is a total waste on you.

If you do upgrade, buy from OWC [macsales.com] and not Apple so you don't get ripped off on price/warranty.

Really, the crap integrated graphics will slow down your rMNP13 before anything else.
 
Jethryn Freyman said:
From what you've said, 16GB is a total waste on you.

If you do upgrade, buy from OWC [macsales.com] and not Apple so you don't get ripped off on price/warranty.

Really, the crap integrated graphics will slow down your rMNP13 before anything else.
Click to expand...

He has already returned the 13". I think the OP is referring to an 8 or 16GB 15" rMBP.
 
I think people forget that RAM is also important for the NUMBER of apps you run at any given time.

I HATE having to shut down/manage apps when working just to free up RAM.

I also figure less writes to the SSD is a good thing too.

I would choose the RAM upgrade over extra CPU and (esp) storage. Storage can be upgraded aftermarket and new/cheaper options will be there over time.
 
Here's a test I did to assure me 8GB was enough

I was regretting getting the 8GB (base model) for a bit as well, but I recently did a test. I ran every app I could that I would use...all at once! :cool:

I Ran: Final Cut Pro X (while exporting a video), Garage Band (recording), Safari with lots of tabs and youtube playing, Photobooth, iPhoto, iTunes, Mail, Notes, and Calendar....still had 2GB free memory! Including some inactive memory. :cool:

Perhaps if you are crazy about VMs you might need more memory? Which I have not gotten into yet but I believe I'll use Bootcamp when I need Windows.
 
99% of the time it doesn't a heck of a difference with the 16GB RAM, but that 1% is where it gets you.
 
Argentine86 said:
Perhaps if you are crazy about VMs you might need more memory? Which I have not gotten into yet but I believe I'll use Bootcamp when I need Windows.
Click to expand...

Depending on how many you run, yes VMs can add to the need for 16GB of RAM. However, 1-2 can easily be done with 8GB and an SSD.
 
a3vr said:
Logic Pro is the only intensive app running in this example and it is using 1.13GB. I guarantee you 8Gb would be plenty for this and there wouldn't be page outs. Just because the computer uses 9Gb out of 16 doesn't mean that it wouldn't be fine with 8. The computer is set up to use as much available ram as it can, not because it needs to.

8Gb is very high end on most laptops. Very few even have the ability to go higher. Heck, most desktops dont have 8Gb. To say that you need 16Gb to run Photoshop, Lightroom, or in this example Logic Pro is absurd. I'm not saying there isn't a reason to have 16Gb, but for a vast majority it is overkill, even 3 or 4 years from now.
Click to expand...

I don't know - I'm sure you know software tends to consume more RAM the newer it is. It wasn't that long ago that 4GB seemed like a ton of memory.

So while 8GB is sufficient today, it could be a limiting factor a year or two from now. And since the machine is not upgradeable, you'd be SOL if you're running out of memory. $200 is ultimately a pretty insignificant expense to ensure longevity. If the machine were upgradeable, it'd make much more sense to get 8GB today and upgrade when necessary

In 3-4 years I expect 16GB to be the standard on low-end machines. Think about it - 4 years ago laptops were coming with 1-2GB memory and maxing out at 4GB. 4GB is hardly adequate for any real multitasking today. The maximum of 4 years ago is a low-end spec today. Technology has always developed that way - so 16GB will probably hold a similar status in 2015-2016.
 
i went from a 32GB alienware to 8GB retina.
only run one VM in fusion sometimes, all my other virtuals run on a ESX host.
8GB works fine for me, i just use a script to purge inactive ram when it hits 250MB free.
i took 512 SSD over the 16GB upgrade, needed more space then ram.
and so what it swaps, it swaps on SSD. fast enough..
 
I think you might regret it... think about it my 2008 macbook has 8gb..
os x has great memory management software where it makes use of almost ALL your ram in one way or another

im waiting till haswell, with it 16gb will be standard with 32 available
so your 8gb model will already be obsolete in 7 -8 months
 
AndyDiamond said:
Just a question - Logic doesn't look Retina ready judging from that screen shot - how are people finding Logic on MBPr?
Click to expand...

i would say about 80% is retina. But the plugins aren't. They're still fuzzy. But it doesn't bother me much and of course, it would be better it they're all optimised for retina :p
 
The difference in price between 8 and 16 is maybe 50 bucks tops! Instead of going to the movies or out to eat splurge on something that will last more than a few hours!
 
AndyDiamond said:
thanks for the reply - I take it you saw this thread:
https://www.macrumors.com/2012/12/03/apple-hard-at-work-on-next-version-of-logic-pro/

I can get by with fuzzy for a while - performance is what I need.
Click to expand...

argh.. damit a new is coming out. Guess I need to start SAVING again. :( I have the 2.6ghz but I take it 2.3 would be adequate and better because I heard there's a 1 hr 30 minutes difference in battery life between 2.3 and 2.6 and since I don't have any other powerhouse macs, I chose the 2.6. the 2.7 isn't worth tho. Sad to say that the new iMac is a bummer. I'd highly recommend the retina more than the iMac now since there's not vast difference in speed/performance, just thinness. :( as a musician and producer myself, the rmbp is best out there in portability and performance. I'm still amazed at this machine at how my tracks (40+) with samplers don't lag at all. And the crisp screen makes my eyes smile every time ;P
 
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