When you buy the new MacBook Air, one of the only real choices you have to choose is whether you want 8GB of RAM or 16GB of RAM. Here’s what you need to know before you spend $200 on an upgrade you won’t need.
both bases MacBook Air models The only difference between these two models, which come with 8GB of RAM, is double the storage. This is also a $200 upgrade, but an upgrade many users will need, even with iCloud and cloud storage.
It may be tempting to upgrade to 16GB of RAM, especially if you think you’ll be using your computer for a long time. The 2018 MacBook Air is all new, but the base level of RAM is still at 8GB, which is still respectable in 2018 and 2019.
Why don’t you need 16GB of RAM on your MacBook Air?
Ultimately, it comes down to how you’re going to use your MacBook Air. Unless you’re going to be doing a lot of resource-intensive work on your laptop, 8GB is the best place for performance and price. Apple no longer sells the 4GB RAM model, so you don’t have to choose between the minimum and the comfortable amount of RAM. When recommending to my friends and family to buy a new laptop of any type, I recommend 8GB of RAM for most users.
That’s more than enough to run multiple apps, multiple browser tabs, and do basic photo and video editing tasks. If you work in large excel spreadsheets or use other applications for work, this will be enough for backup.
8GB of RAM is sufficient when it comes to office productivity, web browsing and web work, Netflix streaming, photo editing and even light gaming. Also, you won’t be gaming intensely, as the MacBook Air only has an integrated graphics chip.
For more proof that you don’t need 16GB of RAM in a MacBook Air, you can take a deep dive into how much RAM you need. Laptop Magazine. In this test, they’re using a higher-end Windows gaming laptop, but the basics apply. As you can see in the table below, 8GB of RAM is perfect for most users.
How much RAM do you need?
Users who need 16 GB of RAM on the MacBook Pro will run demanding applications. This could be editing long 4K video clips, working in specialized software for engineering, or compiling code. If you’re doing all this now, you may want to take a closer look at the 13-inch MacBook Pro with 16GB of RAM or decide whether you should put it all together with the 15-inch MacBook Pro with 32GB of RAM.
What you shouldn’t do is spend $200 on a MacBook Air 16GB RAM upgrade, depending on what you think you can do in 2 or 3 years. It’s better to buy what you need right now and then plan to upgrade if your location or needs change. While you can’t upgrade MacBook Air RAM later, it’s better to buy what you need now.
Instead of spending $200 on RAM for your MacBook Air, check out the essential 2018 MacBook Air accessories you need.
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