Macbook Air memory: Do I need 4 or 8 GB?

By Dan Lococo, 6 April, 2016

Forum
Apple Hardware and Compatible Accessories

I am looking at buying a Macbook Air (after many years of Windows). I primarily do writing, spreadsheets, email, etc. I don’t see so I’ll always have VO on. Would I be better off with 8 GB of RAM or will 4 GB work for me?

Thanks in advance for your kind counsel.

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Comments

By Justin on Monday, April 25, 2016 - 03:48

Hi Dan,
Personally, I'd go with 8GB ram, as it's quicker than having 4. I had a mac a few years ago that only had 4GB, it worked at the time, but it was slower than the one I currently have, 8GB now with 500GB SSD. I have a pro but it's the same across all macs. It's really up to you and only you can choose what you want. Like I said, I'd rather expand my machine as much as I can from the word "go" and not do it later on. I'd say go as far as you can with you air, max it out withers much as you can afford, highest sad space, 8GB ram, fastest processor, etc.
Good luck with whatever you choose and hope to see you on here soon.

By Megan on Monday, April 25, 2016 - 03:48

Keep in mind that unlike the older MacBooks, the Air and new retina Pro have soldered RAM. This means that once you buy a configuration, you're basically stuck with it, and there's no way to upgrade. That said, especially if you're going to sink that much money into a computer that I'm assuming you want to last for at least a few years, I would DEFINITELY go with 8. This is especially true if you're planning to do anything with virtualization (I.E. running Windows or Linux in addition to OS X).
I hope this helps!
Megan

By Dave Nason on Monday, April 25, 2016 - 03:48

Member of the AppleVis Editorial Team

The rule of thumb for this really is to get as much as you can afford. 4 will do but 8 is better, and more future proof.
Enjoy your new Mac!

By Dan Lococo on Monday, April 25, 2016 - 03:48

Your advice is greatly appreciated. Thanks a lot. I'll go with the 8 GB.