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Your suggestions about 16 and 32 Gb ram

V

vpsycho

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Oct 19, 2014
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I have been using macbook pro 15 since 2012 and waiting this 2021 16 inch for months. Now i am going to buy m1 pro 16 inch base model but can not decide how much ram should i choose. Cause i use my laptop long years i prefer 32 gb ram for longer use. On the other hand i watched some youtube videos and some users says even m1 8 gb ram version of 13 inches handles editings. So ı wanna really hear your suggestşons about 16gb ram or 32gb?

Btw ı use my laptop for writing and future plan some editing with minor color grading. Also can someone tell me how much MHZ those 16 inc 2021 Rams have?
 
If you can afford the 32 gb i say for for it. It’s IMO the best upgrade to choose for the base model.
 
How much RAM do you have in your system now? What kind of RAM pressure do you regularly hit on your current system? That might be the best indicator for which way you should go.

The thing is that the unified memory is so fast, you probably won't take any performance hit going with 16 GB....but you will get more swap files being written to your SSD. Whether that is a problem is a bit debatable, but I personally don't like the idea of stressing the SSD because I didn't get enough RAM. I would probably go with 32 GB if I planned on keeping it 6-10 years.
 
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aevan said:
It depends. But, basically: if you don't know and need to ask - most likely 16Gb.
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Correct- it Depends- if you don’t know and need to ask because you plan on keeping it 10years then maybe you need to know and need to ask.
If you just want to know about whether it will work NOW today then 16GB should be fine
 
vpsycho said:
I have been using macbook pro 15 since 2012 and waiting this 2021 16 inch for months. Now i am going to buy m1 pro 16 inch base model but can not decide how much ram should i choose. Cause i use my laptop long years i prefer 32 gb ram for longer use. On the other hand i watched some youtube videos and some users says even m1 8 gb ram version of 13 inches handles editings. So ı wanna really hear your suggestşons about 16gb ram or 32gb?

Btw ı use my laptop for writing and future plan some editing with minor color grading. Also can someone tell me how much MHZ those 16 inc 2021 Rams have?
Click to expand...
For writing and minor video editing I wouldn't worry at all about getting a machine with 16 GB of RAM, but you don't say how much memory you have today.
But as stated in many other threads on this topic: Open Activity Monitor on your current machine and look at your memory pressure while doing things you expect to do with your new computer. If you have a 16 GB machine today and you're nowhere near having your memory pressure turn yellow or red, you'll likely be fine for many years on a 16 GB machine. If your old machine still has 8 GB of RAM and you don't encounter high memory pressure I'd say the same: Go for 16 GB of memory. If you occasionally get into the yellows on a 16 GB machine then that's a sign you really should get something bigger for your next computer, especially if you intend to keep if for a while.

The frequency of the memory in the new MacBook Pros is completely irrelevant when comparing to gaming PCs and Intel Macs that generally speaking use different components and definitely use them in a different way from how the M1 Pro and Max uses them: The relevant parts are bandwidth and latency, and both of those are good.
 
I have been using the base 16GB for almost 3 weeks now, and can recommend the 16GB. I do a lot of photo editing.

I tested it extensively with the intention of returning it for a 32GB if I was concerned. I kept the 16GB. I have no problem affording any upgrade, but don't enjoy wasting money. Yes, I could force it to struggle with memory by deliberately working on huge graphics files with many memory intensive apps open, but my 2020 iMac with 32GB RAM + 8GB VRAM also struggles with the same.

I suggest spend the money instead on upgrading the SSD to 1TB. It is pretty easy to fill up SSDs over many years, and it is a nuisance having to use external drives if you don't have to. It also is easier on the SSD, and allows more room for caching, etc. I only got a 512GB SSD, but I think that was the one mistake I made.
 
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vpsycho said:
I have been using macbook pro 15 since 2012 and waiting this 2021 16 inch for months. Now i am going to buy m1 pro 16 inch base model but can not decide how much ram should i choose. Cause i use my laptop long years i prefer 32 gb ram for longer use. On the other hand i watched some youtube videos and some users says even m1 8 gb ram version of 13 inches handles editings. So ı wanna really hear your suggestşons about 16gb ram or 32gb?

Btw ı use my laptop for writing and future plan some editing with minor color grading. Also can someone tell me how much MHZ those 16 inc 2021 Rams have?
Click to expand...
I'm typing this on a 2010 MacBook with 4GB of RAM and it's surprisingly capable. If you're worried about future proofing, don't. The rest of your machine will outdate fare quicker than the amount of RAM in the base MBP models.
 
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Thank you all for answers. My current mbp 15 2012 has 8 gb ram 1333mhz. As ı mentioned before i intented to use this laptop for long years this is the reason why i am confused about memory choosing. I use fade in screenwriting program, Word for mac and gonna use minor premier and da vinci resolve. As you know the prices are soo high so ı dont want to make mistake when choosing specifications. PS: No my mac doesnt get any os upgrades. İt is sierra.
 
vpsycho said:
Thank you all for answers. My current mbp 15 2012 has 8 gb ram 1333mhz. As ı mentioned before i intented to use this laptop for long years this is the reason why i am confused about memory choosing. I use fade in screenwriting program, Word for mac and gonna use minor premier and da vinci resolve. As you know the prices are soo high so ı dont want to make mistake when choosing specifications. PS: No my mac doesnt get any os upgrades. İt is sierra.
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16 is overkill for you. 32 would be a waste of money. There is nothing coming in the next 8 years that will require 32GB of RAM. Heck, the MacBook Pro is overkill for you. You might want it, but you definitely don't need it.
 
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Jára Tyky said:
Overkill? Only Windows get 15GB of RAM in Parallels. I think 16 GB is if you want to keep your macbook for 3-5 years. 32 GB RAM if you want to last decade.
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There is nothing coming in the next 8 years that requires 32GB of RAM, and he doesn't use Windows. It's bad advice to tell him he needs 32GB when all he needs is 8GB.
 
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I do nit agree. 8GB is really low. I do almost nothing on my M1Max but if I run more apps, I am almost in yellow in Activity Monitor without using Windows - just Excell, Youtube, Safari.. so try zo persuade us that in 8 years 8 Gab will be enough.. ??‍♂️
 
Jára Tyky said:
I do nit agree. 8GB is really low. I do almost nothing on my M1Max but if I run more apps, I am almost in yellow in Activity Monitor without using Windows - just Excell, Youtube, Safari.. so try zo persuade us that in 8 years 8 Gab will be enough.. ??‍♂️
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Stop running all those apps at the same time. Problem solved. People just waste money and electricity needlessly.
 
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I did not buy M1 Max to close apps like on Windows or Android ☝🏻
This is the first time when I am trying to run more apps at once and do not care if I have to close anything. It feels good. It is freedom.
 
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OP wants to buy a M1 Pro 16-inch. That is a given, that is what OP stated.
OP's only concern (as I understand it) is if 16GB is a mistake.
There is no way, given the OP's described usage, that 16GB is a "mistake."
32GB may do some things faster, and enable a greater number of apps open at once, or enable working on huge concurrent files, but I think it would be ridiculous to suggest or imply that 16GB is a mistake.
 
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TinyMito said:
There are like 100 of posts... lol maybe search up instead of creating new thread?
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Yes, it is always useful to review what has already been asked and responded. From OP's post, it appears OP has already reviewed videos and users' opinions, but is asking for input on their specific case.
I kind of enjoy trying to understand specific use cases and questions, and possibly provide helpful input.
 
vpsycho said:
I have been using macbook pro 15 since 2012 and waiting this 2021 16 inch for months. Now i am going to buy m1 pro 16 inch base model but can not decide how much ram should i choose. Cause i use my laptop long years i prefer 32 gb ram for longer use. On the other hand i watched some youtube videos and some users says even m1 8 gb ram version of 13 inches handles editings. So ı wanna really hear your suggestşons about 16gb ram or 32gb?

Btw ı use my laptop for writing and future plan some editing with minor color grading. Also can someone tell me how much MHZ those 16 inc 2021 Rams have?
Click to expand...
That use case will be absolutely fine on 16gb for the foreseeable future.
 
wilberforce said:
OP wants to buy a M1 Pro 16-inch. That is a given, that is what OP stated.
OP's only concern (as I understand it) is if 16GB is a mistake.
There is no way, given the OP's described usage, that 16GB is a "mistake."
32GB may do some things faster, and enable a greater number of apps open at once, or enable working on huge concurrent files, but I think it would be ridiculous to suggest or imply that 16GB is a mistake.
Click to expand...

I think this is probably the best answer for the OP. Would your system run smoother 8 years from now if you got 32 GB of RAM? Perhaps. But at the same time, having 16 GB of RAM won't prevent you from doing any of those exact same things 8 years from now. With the unified memory, and fast SSD swap, it isn't like your system is going to beachball because you didn't get that 32 GB of memory. And in the end, this is a first generation product - who knows how quickly software will advance to take advantage of the more powerful Apple hardware, or even how the hardware is going to hold up 8 years from now.

So don't stress it too much. Think about your budget. What is most comfortable for you (does having a little extra headroom bring you greater peace of mind etc). Neither the 16 GB or the 32 GB option in itself is going to be a disaster.
 
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Jára Tyky said:
Overkill? Only Windows get 15GB of RAM in Parallels.
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What in the original post made you think running a 15 GB Windows VM is a requirement for the OP's needs? "Almost nobody" needs a 16 GB Windows machine just like "almost nobody" needs a 16 GB Mac.

Again, If the OP goes for a 16" MBP they will have at least 16GB of RAM, which still is a very good amount for most common use cases. Only they can decide whether they'll get an additional $400 worth of joy out of a 32 GB laptop, but based on the initial description I see nothing that indicates it will be a requirement for them anytime soon.
 
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