13" MacBook Pro - 8GB vs 16GB of RAM

[James Falconer]

Greetings all!

I'm in the market for a new MacBook Pro, and as I'm sure each and everyone of us has done at some point in the past, I find myself back in the Apple Store playing with configurations... all too often. Still having some trouble making up my mind.

What I THINK I'm going to do is go with the 13" MacBook Pro with retina. I know what I want for the most part, but I have one question (even though I think I already know the answer). Is the RAM upgrade to 16GB from 8GB worth it? I'm currently running with 8GB, but am considering the upgrade for this purchase.

Any thoughts or recommendations on this, or just general 13" MBP recommendations are warmly welcomed.

Thanks all!

 

[Fausty82]

We’ve discussed this multiple times recently...

My recommendation is (and always has been) to max it out. If you’ve settled on a machine that is not updateable, there is no reason NOT to max it out on specs. Get the most memory and biggest hard drive you can afford. The old adage "penny wise - pound foolish" comes to mind... It would be a real shame to drop a couple grand on a machine and realize a few months later that it’s not powerful enough for what you bought it to do.

 

[jsntrenkler]

I have the 13inch with 8 gigs of Ram and 256 gig SSD. I use Logic Pro often and have never had a problem with 8 gigs of Ram ... I think it's plenty, however if your budget affords, you could always go for the 16.

 

[James Falconer]

All great advice. I have to admit I'm leaning towards 16GB, seems to make a lot of sense, especially when you consider how long I'll be using the MBP for (I typically use them for 5-7 years!).

 

[dalaen]

I initially took 8GB, then switched it for 16GB.

I come from Windows which had a poor 4GB. Running on SWAP all the time, I just can't take this anymore.
I don't wanna find myself again throttled. Yes it has ultra-fast SSD (so I guess it's a better SWAP), but still...

So I went for the 16GB. Especially thinking I'll be virtualizing Windows. Works like a charm! With 16GB RAM, I actually forgot everything about RAM. I don't have to worry about this *at all*.

PS: Usage is multi-tab Safari, not very demanding apps (Skype, Spotify), sometimes X-Plane / Guild Wars 2, and virtualization.

 

[James Falconer]

Interesting that you exchanged it for a 16GB model. Was 8GB that slow that you just couldn't take it?

 

[dalaen]

Interesting that you exchanged it for a 16GB model. Was 8GB that slow that you just couldn't take it?

Hi James,
I actually didn't have the chance to experience the 8GB model at all. I canceled the order of the 8GB model while it was still being processed, to make a new one with a 16GB model instead.
I had this timeframe because, at least here in Europe, as soon as you don't take the default model, shipping timeframe goes to 1-3 days.

My previous MacBook Pro (2012) had 8GB RAM and I don't remember having any lag issue related to RAM. Maximum I used was around 75%… Now I just don't worry about it at all !

 

[snookasnoo]

All great advice. I have to admit I'm leaning towards 16GB, seems to make a lot of sense, especially when you consider how long I'll be using the MBP for (I typically use them for 5-7 years!).

That's a long time. I think minimum should be 8 gb. 4 is livable but too small.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

 

[impaler]

Greetings all!

I'm in the market for a new MacBook Pro, and as I'm sure each and everyone of us has done at some point in the past, I find myself back in the Apple Store playing with configurations... all too often. Still having some trouble making up my mind.

What I THINK I'm going to do is go with the 13" MacBook Pro with retina. I know what I want for the most part, but I have one question (even though I think I already know the answer). Is the RAM upgrade to 16GB from 8GB worth it? I'm currently running with 8GB, but am considering the upgrade for this purchase.

Any thoughts or recommendations on this, or just general 13" MBP recommendations are warmly welcomed.

Thanks all!

I went with 8GB. Got the one the new Haswell Pros, mainly for the retina. Now when I look at my old Air, it looks like it has a busted screen; it looks awful! Hard to go back. Having said that, for normal use (no crazy requirements), 8 suits me well. Macs love RAM, but I don't find I need that much.