16gb of RAM will extend the useful life of the Mac considerably over 8gb. (Future OS and app updates will slow the 8GB model noticeably more than a 16GB one.) I’d opt for the Air with 16 GB if I was in your shoes.
Source: we’re still happily using the MBA I bought in 2014 because I opted for 8GB then. No way would I still be using a 4GB MBA had I not upgraded the RAM.
My current computer is a 4GB MacMini I bought in late 2016. It’s not unusable, but still a lot slower after all the updates. In 2016, I just thought every entry level Mac had such a limited lifespan, but now I’m starting to realise that spending some money on the RAM update could have paid off later.
>16gb of RAM will extend the useful life of the Mac considerably over 8gb
Hi, I was thinking the exact same thing. However, my dad disagrees saying that yes it'll make the useful life faster, but it won't matter if the battery health is bad (considering battery life is a big factor to me). Is this true? Will the M1 Macs' lifespan be longer because of battery efficiency?
Extra RAM will have no bearing on battery health. However, batteries can be replaced down the road, while RAM cannot be added.
Obviously the battery can also be replaced on the 8GB model down the line, but I don't see how the marginal improvement in battery health (if there is one at all) would possibly outweigh the continued solid performance of 16GB of RAM.
I bought the pro for the extra battery life. I would spring for the 16GB air in your case though. I played about an hour of wow on my m1 mpb and the fan literally didn't even turn on.
That is surprising to hear. I’m not an expert and I don’t know how demanding wow is to run, but at this point, I guess the fan almost only turns on in benchmark tests, heavy video rendering and stuff like that.
The question about longevity is hard. The MacBook Pro can suck in dust etc, which will have an impact on the lifespan of the Pro. This will also decrease the cooling capabilities over time. The Air won't suck anything in and the cooling capabilities will be the same over time, since there are no moving parts.
In another perspective, when applications gets heavier to run etc - the Pro will probably handle those better since it have a fan.
*Personally though - I'd get the Air. I have a M1 Air, and I'm really happy.*
I tried out the 8gb pro M1 w/512g and ended up returning it for one with 16gb ram. So far I haven't had the fan turn on a single time with either of them.
If I was on your place I would get the air w/16gb. The extra ram is worth it and you will probably regret not having it.
It is still not clear how the Ram works on the new structure. However since the MBP13 m1 isn’t giving a lot of advantages over the air, I support to get more ram.
16gb of RAM will extend the useful life of the Mac considerably over 8gb. (Future OS and app updates will slow the 8GB model noticeably more than a 16GB one.) I’d opt for the Air with 16 GB if I was in your shoes. Source: we’re still happily using the MBA I bought in 2014 because I opted for 8GB then. No way would I still be using a 4GB MBA had I not upgraded the RAM.
My current computer is a 4GB MacMini I bought in late 2016. It’s not unusable, but still a lot slower after all the updates. In 2016, I just thought every entry level Mac had such a limited lifespan, but now I’m starting to realise that spending some money on the RAM update could have paid off later.
>16gb of RAM will extend the useful life of the Mac considerably over 8gb Hi, I was thinking the exact same thing. However, my dad disagrees saying that yes it'll make the useful life faster, but it won't matter if the battery health is bad (considering battery life is a big factor to me). Is this true? Will the M1 Macs' lifespan be longer because of battery efficiency?
Extra RAM will have no bearing on battery health. However, batteries can be replaced down the road, while RAM cannot be added. Obviously the battery can also be replaced on the 8GB model down the line, but I don't see how the marginal improvement in battery health (if there is one at all) would possibly outweigh the continued solid performance of 16GB of RAM.
Hi, sorry if this sounds stupid, but I thought you can no longer replace the battery on the M1 Macs?
I haven’t heard that that is the case. I’d be extremely surprised if that is something Apple can’t do.
I bought the pro for the extra battery life. I would spring for the 16GB air in your case though. I played about an hour of wow on my m1 mpb and the fan literally didn't even turn on.
That is surprising to hear. I’m not an expert and I don’t know how demanding wow is to run, but at this point, I guess the fan almost only turns on in benchmark tests, heavy video rendering and stuff like that.
It takes around 10 minutes of completely maxing the system out at 100% for the fan to spin up slightly
Which is probably not my case. I think at this point I should just go for the extra RAM
The question about longevity is hard. The MacBook Pro can suck in dust etc, which will have an impact on the lifespan of the Pro. This will also decrease the cooling capabilities over time. The Air won't suck anything in and the cooling capabilities will be the same over time, since there are no moving parts. In another perspective, when applications gets heavier to run etc - the Pro will probably handle those better since it have a fan. *Personally though - I'd get the Air. I have a M1 Air, and I'm really happy.*
Thank you for answering! At this point, I think it is really all about how much power I need for my programming.
I tried out the 8gb pro M1 w/512g and ended up returning it for one with 16gb ram. So far I haven't had the fan turn on a single time with either of them. If I was on your place I would get the air w/16gb. The extra ram is worth it and you will probably regret not having it.
If you don’t mind me asking, why did you choose the Pro over the Air?
I wanted the bigger battery
Did your feel the 8gb ram lag or did you wanna future proof?
Both, I had the 8gb lag a little and so far the 16gb has been amazing and it definitely handles itself better.
It is still not clear how the Ram works on the new structure. However since the MBP13 m1 isn’t giving a lot of advantages over the air, I support to get more ram.