If you got a new Mac this Christmas , someone must love you a lot . So we ’re sure they ’ll read if you require to exchange it for something better .
It does n’t really count what machine you have – I can assure you that it ’s tight enough . Apple silicon has really change the game and even an M1 Mac from 2020 is still debauched enough for most people . But you should still deal taking it back to the Apple Store and upgrading to something better .
No , I ’m not suggesting to switch it for a personal computer . I ’m let the cat out of the bag about upgrading to a better Mac , mainly one with more integrated computer memory . Even without knowing what Santa brought , I ’m rifle to assume it has 8 GB of memory board since the only newfangled Macs that have 16 GB of store are the M2 Pro Mac miniskirt , the M3 Pro , and M3 Max MacBook Pros . The Mac Studio starts at 32 GB . Everything else that was more likely to be given as a present has 8 GB of RAM , including the accounting entry - level M3 MacBook Pro .
You’re going to want to get as much memory as possible for your MacBook Pro.
( Apple has a generous grace period for returning holiday natural endowment so it ’s not too belated . If you or the person indue you Mac buy it between November 3 and December 25 , you have until Monday , January 8 to return it to an Apple Store . Other stores such as Amazon and Best Buy have even longer return period . )
Even if you ’re not going to be using your fresh Mac for more than browsing the web and watching videos , that ’s not enough . And it emphatically wo n’t be enough three old age from now .
You ’re go to need to get as much memory as possible for your MacBook Pro .
You’re going to want to get as much memory as possible for your MacBook Pro.
Foundry
Muscle memory
Whether you have a new iMac , MacBook , or Mac Pro , you need to adjudicate how much memory you need upfront . Apple silicon uses a Unified Memory Architecture that integrate the RAM with the CPU and GPU in a system on a chip , which means system memory board can be accessed quicker but also means you ca n’t advance the memory after you bribe it .
RAM is the only part that you ca n’t upgrade outwardly , so what you have now is what you ’ll have years from now . And if you just got a motorcar with 8 GB of RAM , I can almost ensure it wo n’t be enough . That might be enough for a Chromebook or a budget personal computer tend Windows 11 rest home , but even the cheapest Mac carry the same version of Sonoma as the most expensive .
Ispeak from experience , having gone from a 13 - inch M1 MacBook Pro with 8 sarin of RAM to a 14 - inch M1 Pro MacBook Pro with 16 GB of RAM to a 14 - in M3 Max MacBook Pro with 36 GB of RAM . And in each case , the reason why I upgraded was memory . you could see it in the image below , which shows the remembering utilisation and pressure for each of my machines . Nothing has changed with my casual usage , but with 16 GB my system routinely ground to a hitch , but with 36 GB of RAM , I ’ve had precisely zero issuesfinally .
What ’s more , I have n’t used a individual megabyte of swap blank ( temporary memory storage on the SSD used to free up physical RAM for other apps ) , which can put down the SSD faster than usual . Even with 16 GB of integrated storage , a handful of Safari check and open apps can quickly eat up available organization RAM , which makes your newfangled Mac feel a lot slower and older than it is .
36 GB of RAM might seem like a lot , but let ’s consider the cost . orchard apple tree charge $ 200 for 8 GB of RAM , so maxing out the memory board ( 24 GB ) on a MacBook Air or iMac will cost $ 400 . Those are n’t exactly bargain prices , but remember , you ca n’t just purchase cheap RAM from Amazon and add it to your political machine later . And a year or two from now , the superfluous money you spend will see to it your Mac does n’t palpate as old as it is .
Let ’s face it , most citizenry are more implicated with the semblance of their new MacBook than how much retentiveness it has . And the lowest cost and sale are on those theoretical account , so machine with 8 GB of RAM make the good gifts . But if you just bugger off one , you should taste to come back it and get something with more RAM . If the somebody who bought it for you really loves you , they ’ll empathise .