How much memory for a Mac?

I was thinking of my iMacs. Then the first part I wrote.

 

It will be interesting to see at what point 16GB of RAM isn't enough, and the reasons why. I've upgraded older Macbook Pros and Mac Minis from 1 to 2, 2 to 4 GB before. I currently can't imagine what scenario is going to lead somebody not editing video/etc to need more then 16GB of RAM during the reasonable lifespan of a laptop (IE, processor can still get the job done, but held back by not enough RAM).

 

Better question: when is 8GB not enough, for a business student?

 

I figured 16GB would be where I made my stand, but the question definitely stands with 8GB as well.

With 8GB, there at least exists a chance that one day said student might get anxious about closing any of the 100 browser tabs they have open.

 

Right now my Touchbar MBP (15" i7/16/512) has Autocad LT 2017, MS Word, Outlook, Excel, Safari, iTunes, and a Windows10 VM in Fusion which has 4 cores and 8GB dedicated and my Ram usage is 12.43GB. 3.52 is being used for a file cache. I love that OS X leaves virtually no RAM unused. Unused RAM is wasted ram. Windows for years did not use RAM very efficiently, but Windows 10 seems to be much better at making use of extra RAM. Even more reason to get as much as you can.

 

Most people most of the time 8 gigs is enough. If you do complex stuff on Photoshop get 16.

 

I have 16 in mine but I do virtualization and 8gb wasn't enough. I also ripped out the optical drive and put in another ssd. All of which is impossible these days so plan for the future when you buy.

 

I wouldn't spend a dime on anything with less than 16GB. Even if you don't think you need it now, you will eventually.

 

The only thing i'll add is you are buying a Macbook Pro wait for the next release the current battery life sucks. Also they are supposed to release a "business" model that has USB connectors rather than the Thunderbolt 3.

 

My battery life is great. Thunderbolt 3 supports USB 3 via USB-C connector so that rumor appears to have minimal credibility. Apple has made it clear, if you really must have USB-A connections physically on the laptop itself, there is the MacBook Air.

 

Very skeptical of this.

 

You can get an educational discount. Apple has "separate " Apple stores. Probably about $50-100 off on a MacBook. Check with your school

 

That looks very interesting, but what is it actually doing? Their site, as is so common, really describes nothing about the process. And what is the downside?

I had never even thought about that port on the side of my machine-what the heck is it (confession: I'm too lazy at the moment to look it up)-could be a great blessing to stuff more music on this thing. So thanks!

 

I did read in an online review/test that the Air still has far superior battery life-14 hours in their test versus 9ish.

 

I did say that would be for me, right? And then I said for regular people, 16GB would be fine. In 2017, I think this is reasonable advice. You ask for opinions on the net, you're going to get them -- just don't argue when you don't agree.

 

While I doubt that Apple will release a "business model," I feel like an update that only has USB-C connections wouldn't be out of the ordinary. Thunderbolt never really took off.

 

Don't worry, we didn't forget you're high up in the film business.

 

Oh, no -- I'm just a lowly technician working in the back room. But seriously, I've had 16GB in all my machines going back 9-10 years. And that includes light-duty laptops used for silly crap. I'd justify it by saying that it'll help the resale value of the machine when you finally get rid of it. And Apple does make it really hard to add RAM to their laptops, so it's wise to get it now and not have to try to unsolder it in the future for an upgrade.

 

I'd say keep the current laptop, there is no need for an upgrade right now. Just use a usb/microsd or any external storage device.

 

What about needledrops /audacity software / editing with MacBook Pro ?

 

Editing needledrops and basic audio? 8GB should be plenty. If you're editing video for work then I'd opt for 16GB.

 

Cassettes ..or needledrops " not interested in video editing. A built in DVD /BD drive for watching movies would be nice

 

You can probably easily find a used or refurbished 13" Macbook Pro, that still has an optical drive, for a steal. I think that the 13" was the last model to forgo the optical, so recent ones that are only a few years old are floating around. I don't remember when they started soldering RAM in these, but I think they were also the last to do that too. Either way, finding one with 8GB and an optical drive shouldn't be hard. Upgrading the hard drive to SSD is pretty easy as well, so I think you could have a great machine for a relatively small investment.

 

Thanks Mikey!!!

 

Audio doesn't take huge amounts of RAM. I do needle drops at 44.1/24 on my desktop that only has 6G RAM. My desktop has a PCI-E video card with its own RAM. In many laptops - remember that your video is going to cannibalize system RAM. Most laptops integrated video uses system RAM - so if you have 8GB remember 1/2 to 1 G will be dedicated to video. How much to expect you'll lose to the video subsystem is described here:

Integrated video on Intel-based Macs