Macbook Pro: 8gb RAM and 512 SSD vs 16gb of Ram 256 SSD, Which Do You Recommend?

[siablo14]

I've been struggling with this one, Best buy is running a good deal on the 8gb RAM 512 SSD, however, should one prioritize RAM heading into the future. Is 8GB of RAM on a Mac enough to hold someone over heading into the next 5-8 years.

Jim, this is stupid. Don't waste your money.

[JimRaynor]

Ram over storage.

Why a Macbook though? You're paying for a brand.

Apple make over priced junk computers. 8gb of ram is not future proof either. Hell 16gb might not be soon if you game. If your computer is working fine for now I would wait. Amphere and rdna2 coming soon. Ddr5 ram is coming soon too along with better laptop processors. Your Apple craptop might get **** on by the new game consoles if you buy now lol.

I'm still in awe of how much apple charges for computers with such mediocre specs. Marketing geniuses. You can get a Lenovo with 16gb + 1tb for $400ish.

I’d stay away from Apple computers because what you should get for 2020, Apple will charge you an arm and a leg for it. You should aim for at least 16gb ram, 1tb SSD. Apple’s Macbook Pro with these specs cost $2,800.

I was going to get it despite the price but I did my homework and instead got a Dell XPS, 1tb m.2 PCIe, NVMe SSD, 32gb RAM (not a typo, 32gb RAM), Geforce GTX 1650 (nothing crazy, it’s not for gaming anyway), Intel i7, for $1800 ($1900 and some change with tax).

And if you go for Dell’s $2700 dollar version of its XPS then you get the intel core i9 CPU. There’s also a beastly $3400 dollar XPS with 2tb ssd, 64gb RAM (sixty four gb of RAM), and intel i9.

Yeah, Apple needs to step it up. The only people buying those overpriced Macbooks are 1. Students/kids, 2. People who have no real use for a laptop and just want to have a nice “looking” laptop with a nice little OS. In other words money is not an issue for them because in reality, specs aren’t a priority for them, it’s more about brand. And I love Apple, I love the iPhone, that’s my current phone. I love iTunes. But I do not care about smartphone specs, therefore money is not an issue for the $1200 dollar iPhones.

I've always owned PC's, and never gave a second thought to Apple until fairly recently.

However, when you're buying Apple computers its not just the specs as some of you rightfully said, you're actually buying the whole package, and entering a dedicated ecosystem that works in tandem with all of its products. I have the Iphone which I am on more than my computer, and it integrates perfectly with a mac regarding music library, text messaging, calls, pictures, etc...

Also say what you want about apple but the build on these computers are substantially better than a typical PC. Not to say you cannot spec out a PC to be more powerful, but pound for pound from the aluminum frame to the retina display to its OS system Macs are a fantastic all around computer.

[Fists_of_Fury]

I've always owned PC's, and never gave a second thought to Apple until fairly recently.

However, when you're buying Apple computers its not just the specs as some of you rightfully said, you're actually buying the whole package, and entering a dedicated ecosystem that works in tandem with all of its products. I have the Iphone which I am on more than my computer, and it integrates perfectly with a mac regarding music library, text messaging, calls, pictures, etc...

Also say what you want about apple but the build on these computers are substantially better than a typical PC. Not to say you cannot spec out a PC to be more powerful, but pound for pound from the aluminum frame to the retina display to its OS system Macs are a fantastic all around computer.

L O L. Buy your **** Apple and enjoy it. P4P Apple is inferior spec'd and overpriced. Cognitive dissonance won't sway those facts.

[Fists_of_Fury]

Those cheap lenovas are packed with bloatware and run like **** even though the specs look decent on paper.

that's why they are cheap, they get paid to have software on them and its a prick to get rid of.

Powershell is so hard to use 🙄

[Fists_of_Fury]

Definitely. I work heavy with Adobe Suite. I’ve noticed throughout the years that for media work, playback, it’s really the GPU that does everything.

I’ve owned Apple and PC for years. Love them both, and we all went through our, and still, Apple proprietary parts. Usually 128-256gb NAND chips aren’t as “fast” on paper and performance vs 512-2TB NANDs. And memory is all marketing bro. I used to be geeked to buy “fast” clock speed ram but it’s all bullshet tbh. I always get the stock speed and it’s great. Memory speeds are sold to the gullible gamer market and dummies buy into it.

If U can salvage so more room for your budget, I would REALLY focus on the GPU. USB 3.1 ports and TB3 are so reliable today and compact external drives that you don’t need to focus on INTERNAL space anymore.

Most in my industry we all use external devices. Back in the day it was SCSI and RAID for all media. Nowadays SSDs are so practical with external storage you don’t need to focus on what the manufacturers geek you with. The hardest option is the GPU (Graphics card) because with Apple, HP, Dell much stuff is now embedded into the mobo for many reasons.

So when you want to resell your Mac what They’ll most look into is the screen cosmetic and the GPU. SSD and Memory is more easy to swap.

We have a posing tech wannabe moron. There's plenty of techtubers that can prove memory speeds impact performance especially for Ryzen. There's a reason the memory speeds keep going up . We wouldn't be moving toward ddr5 if speed didn't matter.

[Thuglife Nelo]

We have a posing tech wannabe moron. There's plenty of techtubers that can prove memory speeds impact performance especially for Ryzen. There's a reason the memory speeds keep going up . We wouldn't be moving toward ddr5 if speed didn't matter.

Lol. What a child... you got offended being the gamer? As if the OP was being sold DDR2 or products from the 80’s. Read what you said, you sound like a hurt little gamer. Go turn on your TV, play some games, wait for your mom to yell that dinner is ready.

[TonyGe]

An SSD is probably the best investment you can make if you are buying a new computer for general work. A fancy video card is a waste of money if you aren't gaming. Instead invest the money in ram, storage, and a fast six core
cpu.

[TonyGe]

We have a posing tech wannabe moron. There's plenty of techtubers that can prove memory speeds impact performance especially for Ryzen. There's a reason the memory speeds keep going up . We wouldn't be moving toward ddr5 if speed didn't matter.

Yeah the Ryzen chips respond well to faster memory because of the way the CPU communicates internally. Intel chips aren't as sensitive to RAM speeds. It's good to see AMD making a comeback. It's forcing the price of CPU's down.

[-Kev-]

Definitely. I work heavy with Adobe Suite. I’ve noticed throughout the years that for media work, playback, it’s really the GPU that does everything.

I’ve owned Apple and PC for years. Love them both, and we all went through our, and still, Apple proprietary parts. Usually 128-256gb NAND chips aren’t as “fast” on paper and performance vs 512-2TB NANDs. And memory is all marketing bro. I used to be geeked to buy “fast” clock speed ram but it’s all bullshet tbh. I always get the stock speed and it’s great. Memory speeds are sold to the gullible gamer market and dummies buy into it.

If U can salvage so more room for your budget, I would REALLY focus on the GPU. USB 3.1 ports and TB3 are so reliable today and compact external drives that you don’t need to focus on INTERNAL space anymore.

Most in my industry we all use external devices. Back in the day it was SCSI and RAID for all media. Nowadays SSDs are so practical with external storage you don’t need to focus on what the manufacturers geek you with. The hardest option is the GPU (Graphics card) because with Apple, HP, Dell much stuff is now embedded into the mobo for many reasons.

So when you want to resell your Mac what They’ll most look into is the screen cosmetic and the GPU. SSD and Memory is more easy to swap.

Any serious tech will tell you RAM is absolutely the most important component for a speedy computer.

RAM has many uses and it’s the CPU’s main tag team partner.

[Articulateboxin]

I think your processor/gpu will be acting as a bottleneck, long before ram is capping out. Storage is a problem but never one you can't deal with quickly. However you didn't actually specify what you're using it for?

I have a gaming laptop thats plugged into my tv, surface pro and gaming rig and the best thing i've ever bought is the surface pro (I have 3 actually, for different purposes!) It runs hearthstone with ease, handles powerbi relatively well and it's perfect for picking up and taking to cafes for coffee and tv show sessions. As a side note, the keyboard/charger with magnetic strips is just a stroke of inspired genius in engineering

My immediate advice is always buy last years tech, never current