15" MacBook Air: How much RAM do you REALLY Need?

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Timestamps ⬇️
8GB vs 16GB RAM Test - 00:00
SSD Speed Test - 00:44
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Is the Upgrade Worth It? - 10:11
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[@MaxTechOfficial]

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[@kreigerbailey3550]

Portland, JAMAICA in the Building!!!

[@usptact]

You underestimate people who will pay less and just patiently wait as the machine runs.

[@imeann...]

These computers are so expensive in Brazil, they cost more than what I pay for medschool tuition every month, so base model is definitely the way to go for me

[@chriscasillas]

Honestly...if you ever think you're going to transfer 117GB at one time, you wouldn't buy an Air in the first place. My base M2 Air has every document, Photoshop file, graphic, etc from our 10+ year old church on it and that adds up to less than 100GB. The base model is perfectly fine for 90-95% of users.

[@robertelliottsr4566]

Even if you did have to transfer really large files, the single SSD is so much faster than old spinning drives. Even though it's a lot slower than a double SSD setup, it's much faster than old spinning drives. It's not that bad.

[@ThundaAaAaAaAaAh]

You're right, I would buy cheaper laptop from any of their competitors that would still beat it

[@CorneliusCreations]

Max, you always answer the exact questions I have with real-world testing. Another A+ video. Thank you!

[@groupeone23]

Excellent and very helpful. One thing I STRONGLY recommend is to dedicate an external scratch (swap) drive for Photoshop, Illustrator, and Lightroom Classic. (You can appoint thus in the application preferences.) This can dramatically improve performance, especially with a good SSD, and help mitigate crashes. Make sure the scratch drive is used EXCLUSIVELY for this purpose only. You’ll notice the difference.

[@mistamaog]

$1299 doesn't seem so bad for a 15 inch laptop, but only 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage is too little. And they charge $200 to get double the ram and another $200 for double the storage 😭😭😭

[@XSquibX]

@@mistamaog $1299 "Oh ,this sounds pretty great!" Apple: "Buy you're missing something.." "Oh, you're right... ram and ssd... oh, $1699.... well, I might as well look at the macbook pro for $1999... oh, but it could get even better $3600 "Wait... I just wanted an affordable laptop that runs mac os with a nice screen..............................."

[@myreviewdotcom]

MaxTech, now there is a time to compare 8/512 with 16/256 to find what exactly makes the difference in performance RAM or Storage.

[@thabitpulak]

THIS. Ive been waiting to see someone on youtube do this.

[@ahaimes6320]

He wont as it will show his whole agenda was wrong. I have seen that comparison on other channels and it proved that everyone should upgrade to 16GB of RAM rather than upgrading the storage.

[@johnbreaker3874]

Ram basiclly is more important, when the ram is not enough to handle the system, it will use storage as temporary RAM, and lead to result of ded brick your macbook faster. storage, in the other hand does not affect the performance, but memory does. with bigger ram , you will get: - higher performance - lower chance get crash app - lower chance get crash system - longer lifespan of your laptop with bigger strorage: - store more data on your computer - longer lifespan as bigger SSD has longer lifespan it may depend on your work, but in this case, RAM always have higher priority. and you can use outsource storage like portable SSD, then everything will be just fine.

[@myreviewdotcom]

@@johnbreaker3874 This is all clear to me the thing is how it works on Macbook.

[@jhaby8313]

@@ahaimes6320 yep i've seen videos about that too and I would say if you wanna upgrade something go for ram and If you need extra storage just get a external ssd

[@PerpetualPreponderer]

Could you do the same comparison with a base model vs 16gb-256gb model please. This current video we can't tell if the performance differences are due to more RAM or faster SSD read/write?

[@mvinci500]

I was going to pose the same question!

[@Julianw.]

Yes, please!

[@cylui]

Yes agree! But very likely gonna be SSD playing a bigger factor than RAM

[@Julianw.]

@@cylui bruh its the opposite

[@sinlokemp]

Yes Please. I just ordered a 16Gb/ 256 Storage mac Mini m2 Version since i wan to keep external M.2 1 TB for storage.

[@AdiGsH]

please compare M2 8/512 vs 16/256 Because I'm curious what gives a better effect

[@panzer_TZ]

ArtIsRight did such a comparison, spoiler he picks RAM: kzbin.info/www/bejne/j3y1gGBqd86NqKs

[@kerrydaniels8460]

I work in the field. Pick the RAM if you're questioning it at all. Storage isn't gonna matter as much over RAM for 99.99999999999% of users.

[@kerrydaniels8460]

S W If you're after better value/performance go RAM instead of storage. Video us clickbaity. Day to day you won't really notice the differences at all with the storage upgrade. Just get an external SSD instead for that and save a crapload of money. RAM can't be upgraded down the line like storage can. It also opens up a ton more abilities like being able to run windows if you ever needed to and mac os at the same time. It also makes your mac last twice as long as updates mean more and more RAM is generally needed. Another benefit is RAM actually helps preserve your SSD. Just go with the RAM if you're going to upgrade at all.

[@kuroneko9710]

RAM does. By default. No need to test it. But if you really need to get max productivity without excessive spending buy 16Gb RAM + 512Gb SSD. 256Gb SSD on M2 model has only one memory chip and tests show that 512Gb SSD is twice as fast. Plus a 512GB SSD will serve you twice as long. And this is very important because when internal SSD fails it turns you Mac Book into a brick. You simply can't start up your Mac Book from external drives. The only way to use it again is to replace the internal SSD.

[@ronalcasid3844]

The recommendation to upgrade the SSD over RAM contradicts what was just demonstrated. If you could only do one, upgrade the RAM. Sure the upgraded SSD is twice as fast as the base but no where as fast as more RAM. Swap memory will always be slower. Ideally you should do both. Apple should offer a SKU with 16/512 GB that costs less than upgrading the base configuration.

[@mbvglider]

The reason why many people (including me) recommend SSD over RAM is because base M1 MacBook w/ 8/256 config didn't have as many of these issues running mid-level workloads, whereas base M2 MacBooks do. That means either 8/512 or 16/256 will probably make the M2 run OK for mid-level workloads, and the two configs cost the same. I don't consider the machine really suited to run heavy workloads anyway, so at that point, I'd rather have more SSD, which I would notice 100% of the time, rather than more RAM, which I would only notice when I'm doing more than light work, which isn't that often on my personal laptop. It's not just about performance; 256 GB SSD is just really hard to deal with for me. The only people who really notice the lack of RAM are the people who will push their computers a little bit, and those people tend to need space as well. That's personally why I'd upgrade SSD first.

[@kerrydaniels8460]

Then you wouldn't buy the model up. They purposefully do this to get you to buy the next model up. Which I will be doing, but not at my expense. I don't let them rip me off like that. I let them rip "someone else" off and then buy it for what it should have been in the first place. Patience pays off.

[@connorlearmonth665]

16/512 should be the base model in 2023

[@Etienne85]

​@@mbvglider have you considered SSD wearing? I think avoiding swap with RAM is better to preserve SSD while hopefully keeping system fast. This is my opinion based on my own experience with M1 base model where usually I see 40-80GB per day!

[@CelebrityLyrics]

So most people should get 256GB SSD and 16GB memory

[@haoyuwang3243]

this is just not a fair comparison. To make the conclusion you will need to compare 8g/512g with 16g/256g.

[@kwameryan]

Hey Maxtech! I know you guys read comments, so I just wanted to thank you for continuing to include the music professionals in your advice on new apple devices all the way down to a Macbook Air! It's such a help to those of us in the market for a device, wondering how much we absolutely need to spend. The broadly inclusive coverage for creatives is just awesome. 😊👍🏾

[@alohakeithb]

I don't know if its possible but I'd love to see a comparison of the base model and one with 8gb RAM and a 512 disk (which is what I have) or 16gb ram and the 256 drive so you could clearly see which is worth one upgrade, the RAM or the SSD?

[@kasziel]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/j3y1gGBqd86NqKs this is quite exhaustive. The 16/256 comes out better in almost all tests

[@BobbyG3.14]

this right here!

[@danielkhvan8467]

Me toooooooo!

[@tsetannamgyal]

i would love to see this comparison as well!

[@josephelibert2464]

That’s exactly what I’m talking about 👍🏾

[@jaboobins_]

I got the 16gb 512ssd version. It’s definitely worth the upgrade if you want to have this for a long time

[@miguelitosanchez1214]

This was very informative! How about a vid of a 16GB 256GB MBA vs a 8GB 512GB MBA?

[@AnastasTarpanov]

Just got yesterday the basic 15" Macbook Air for my wife and she is very happy to upgrade from the 2018 13" Macbook Air. I'm very impressed with the machine it feels great in the hands, it's impossibly thin and the sound is great for this tiny chassis and lack of front-facing speakers. I'm using a 16" M1 MBP, but for a lot of travel and work on the move the 15" MBA is a great machine even for professionals if you upgrade the ram and the SSD. Sadly for the upgraded configuration here we needed to wait at least 6 weeks, so decide to go with the basic machine.

[@Brad-cb2dt]

It would be nice to see a 3rd model in this comparison, that being one with 8GB RAM and 512GB storage. This would give a clear picture as to the benefits increased speeds for swap with the faster SSD separate from an increase in RAM. Though a 4th model (16GB / 256GB) might be nice too, we would already be able to see how much slow down using swap would cause with only 3 models. You would probably just see some of those effects a bit later on with the 4th model since there will be less RAM pressure. For those who didn’t know, swap isn’t exactly something that’s completely avoidable, even though it can technically be disabled in some operating systems. Some programs actually require swap to be enabled to run properly (or even to run at all) regardless of how much RAM you have. Judging by some programs not working entire with swap disabled, I might presume it’s used to prevent issues and/or recover from unexpected shutdowns. Not exactly sure why those programs can’t just write to the boot drive in the traditional sense as an alternative, but programs that will crash when swap is disabled do in fact exist.

[@ahaimes6320]

I have seen this on another channel and the clear conclusion is that 16GB/256GB is far better than 8GB/512GB, and blows thios channels misconceptions into dust. There is a reason he never does that test!

[@Brad-cb2dt]

@@ahaimes6320 With the M1 or the M2? With the M1 it would be absolutely no contest for sure. I’m not saying SSD swap is comparable to RAM. It’s certainly not. It’s mostly about the 256GB SSD on the M2 which is half the speed of all the other SSDs in Apple’s lineup, including the 256GB SSD on the M1. For most it’s a non issue, but for the poor college students getting started with more professional work, the base model M1 out performs the base model M2 in many tasks based on the SSD speed alone. Also you WILL hit SSD swap regardless of RAM unless you manually disable it (which can be problematic for some applications). So a comparison with 2 8GB models (256GB and 512GB) can still help you decide which SSD size you want on a 16GB model. RAM is clearly better day to day, but how much will the 256GB SSD hold you back vs the 512GB once you hit swap. Especially when the M1 doesn’t have that drawback for much less money (often $800 Vs the M2’s $1200, now $1100)

[@ahaimes6320]

@@Brad-cb2dt It is really simple. If you do RAM-intensive stuff upgrade to more RAM and there will be minimal issues. Consumers have to take responsibility for their buying choices and stop complaining if they make a mistake. $200 extra for 16GB of RAM over 5-7 years seems like a no-brainer investment!

[@Brad-cb2dt]

@@ahaimes6320 Glad you think so. Nothing wrong with that. I just think more information is always better. SSD speeds are still a factor in performance even outside of file transfer speeds. RAM is always faster, yes, but a slow ssd can still bottleneck performance, it’ll just hit you later the more RAM you have. How hard it hits you will differ between the 256GB and a 512GB SSD. If your laptop purchase makes you money, by all means spend more. In fact, you should probably consider a MacBook Pro at that point. But if your laptop purchase won’t be making you much or any money, that’s where SSD speeds are going to worth considering. Do you want a taller bottle (more Ram) or a wider bottleneck (faster SSD)? Or do you want perhaps both?

[@fbelard]

They seem to be flooding the market with the 8GB modelsm it's kind of insulting. I was incredibly lucky to get a 16gb/256 that had just been returned 6 months ago and I couldn't be happier. I even manage to do some lightweight ML generation with stable diffusion (that and virtualization are the only things that make it heat up), which I wouldn't risk on 8gb. Yes, I have to manage my hard drive, but for 400-500 euros under list price (1700€) I can't complain.

[@OO7JAMS]

Great Video 😊 Would be great to test 2 x 256GB models with 1 x 8gb vs other on 16gb and run the same tests. In some countries the Ram upgrade is cheaper than SSD upgrade. Much appreciated.

[@Adamulik]

This was extremely helpful. Thank you very much ! Great work

[@DMProductions]

Once you upgrade the storage and the ram you are very close in price to the 16inch MacBook Pro m2 which is better in several ways ?

[@BoatWichayu]

This is very helpful and great testing, thank you so much

[@chandleradaway]

Would really love this test with the MBP and 16gb vs 32gb!

[@JoshF848]

This single issue makes the original M1 Air still a good option for many people. Even at the same 8/256 configuration it still manages to feel fast almost all of the time in casual use. That + the price difference could outweigh the advantages that the upgraded newer Airs bring

[@ahaimes6320]

The current MB Air M2s have come down in price as well and have been £200 off at times in the UK. So I would def not buy the 2.5 year old MB Air M1 even at $800 as it is showing its age. Still a great device if you own it though.

[@JoshF848]

@@ahaimes6320 the point though is that the newer M2s at the base SSD level are, if anything, more likely to feel slow under heavy workloads than the M1 which had much faster SSD speeds

[@colicchiafamily6181]

fantastic video 🙌 you answered my question perfectly 🙏🏼 thanks for your effort

[@mattbonnell7023]

Great vid. Trying to decide which MacBook Air to buy and this was extremely helpful!

[@ichirofakename]

Thanks for this excellent real-world demo.

[@markanthonyart]

Nice description and tests. Subscribed!

[@carolinelvsewe]

As a non techie who watches …THIS was very helpful. Thank you

[@GoldenBarter]

Great testing. Thanks for the video. I would like to suggest makiing a video about the best and last intel laptop vs the newer m series laptops. Day to day how big of a difference is it?

[@cherylelinsmith743]

Great video for those people who have never worked on a computer, or a laptop. I used to have a website, and build my own webpages, so know how important gigs of ram and SSD storage. Better to future proof laptop with better ram and storage.

[@Victor-ym9fo]

Thank you for this very useful video

[@movdqa]

If you're buying a low-end M1 or M2 device, the performance won't probably make that much of a difference. My wife has a 2018 Mac mini base model and the SSD speed is 600 MBPS as per a Reddit post. The CPU is quite a bit slower (it's an i3) and I'd expect the RAM to be a lot slower. Every year I ask her if she wants an upgrade and she declines. She does web browsing, and editing documents. She typically has 3-5 tabs open. Now I could upgrade the RAM on the old mini but she doesn't seem to be interested. I would guess that there are a lot of people like her that just use their Macs casually where a base Apple Silicon would be a big upgrade from their Intel Macs. Apple sold a ton of Intel MacBook Airs over the past 12 years and those specs are what I consider awful but they work for a lot of people.

[@mateuszk7758]

Hi, I'm currently considering which MacBook to choose, and I wanted to ask you which one, in your opinion, would be a better choice. The new MacBook 15 Air with M2, 16GB RAM, and 256GB SSD. A used MacBook Pro 16 with M1, 16GB RAM, and 512GB SSD. I mainly intend to use it for photography, editing images in programs like Photoshop, Lightroom, Capture One, and for live photo previews, internet browsing, and working with text documents. I should note that I don't edit a large number of photos in my workflow, just small sessions. The MacBook Air 15 with M2 is appealing to me due to its lighter weight and greater mobility, as well as its long battery life. However, the price is quite high, so I would probably go with 16 GB RAM and 256 GB SSD to keep costs down. On the other hand, a used MacBook Pro 16 with M1 would offer a larger 512 GB SSD and 16 GB RAM. It has a better display, speakers, an SD card reader, and an HDMI port. Unfortunately, it is considerably heavier and bulkier, which might make typing and carrying it around less convenient compared to the Air 15 with M2. I would be very grateful for your response.

[@sheeshgamerz2263]

such an informative video, thx max

[@ryansgr8]

If you’re thinking about upgrades for MBA then you may as well just go for the MBP 14”

[@dg5274]

Really enjoyed your video. Discovered your channel today. Picked up the 15” MacBook Air and I have to know how to get the animated wallpapers on the two MacBooks in your video?

[@Dameworth]

I hate how apple does this on purpose because 99% of its customers will never know this difference.

[@ch3vr0n123]

now they know

[@remiranda]

You hate that people didn’t have to pay more for something they won’t even care?

[@rahulvelaga8209]

Well thats the whole point😢

[@ch3vr0n123]

@@remiranda upto 7x worse performance, i would love to know about it. thats the reason i dont have mac anymore, asus rog zep 14 2022 for less than $ 1000 does better job for bugs 24GB ram 1TB + 6700M

[@SinghalRishi27]

i have 8gb and 16gb ram version i see differnce everyday

[@dccoletrain]

I’m old enough to remember dial up internet… you kids and your 30 tabs

[@a_ricart]

Thank you. And agree, can you do the comparison between the 8g and 16g, 256 go models

[@geps7393]

is the macbook air 15 16/512 only good for programming or is the pro 14 always better with the same specifications? Thank you

[@robertoavalosjr.2529]

Hey max! Could you do an updated video on parallels running on this latest computers? I’m exited to see how it performs

[@edchow]

Nice video! One thing I never hear anyone address is what is the impact of wear-leveling on the SSD if you have a high swap rate? Not an issue if you plan on upgrading frequently, but if you want to keep your laptop for 4+ years this could be an issue.

[@FabioVisentin7]

120tbw is roughly 65gb per day on 5 year warranty period and that is the 256 gb base SSD if you have more ram and power user means bigger swap file sometimes on 16 gb ram you have 40 gb swap if you work.with big projects

[@kuroneko9710]

@@FabioVisentin7 For a 256Gb SSD the rated lifespan will be about 150TBW not 120TBW. However this does not mean that your SSD will fail after 150TBW limit is reached. The lifespan of an SSD depends on many various factors. Your SSD can fail even before the rated TBW limit is written to it or successfully work for several years after this limit is surpassed. Besides if you have 16Gb RAM or more and don't do something really demanding there may be no need for a swap file on disk at all. With 8Gb RAM swapping to disk is almost inevitable even when doing relatively simple tasks. And one remark more. Mac Book Air was never intended to be your main tool for big projects. Be realistic! Don't even try to replace a truck with a bicycle...

[@zerokool-2058]

I’ll be using it for KZbin, streaming, google docs, Netflix, and stuff like that. With also having a few safari tabs open.

[@keesswier212]

Is 24GB ram recommended if you use AutoCAD with Parallels Desktop if you use this MacBook Air?

[@ahaimes6320]

As many YT creators have said, if you can only buy one upgrade, 100% get the extra RAM. You can always use external storage and for most ultrabook use, you do not need fast sequential SSD speeds. If you are a pro or semi-pro then you would start at 1TB and maybe 24GB of RAM. Do not buy storage instead of RAM as you are stuck with what RAM you buy until you upgrade.

[@panzer_TZ]

ArtIsRight did such a comparison, spoiler he picks RAM: kzbin.info/www/bejne/j3y1gGBqd86NqKs

[@sarthak1317]

Quoting dave2d I see

[@denisshmaytser4706]

I think most people dont want to depend on external storage every time they use the laptop, since it will also kill the purpose of this being very light and portable device . For family and friends I would actually recommend to upgrade the storage, and if they need the extra ram then its probably a better idea to get the 14 inch mbp

[@mbvglider]

Most people do not edit videos or push their computers that hard. 8 GB is fine for having 500+ tabs open as long as you have fast swap storage, which is as much as the average person does with their computer. Many users would see no benefit from 16 GB but still enjoy more space on their computer. Just by being a KZbinr, their opinions are slanted.

[@web]

This is some basement nerd recommendation. People who actually use devices on the go would be ok with just dual SSD chip (512Gb) config. You can always close tabs, you know

[@lourdesvandrews1406]

good info great. stuff thnx

[@rtehcs000]

I’m new to Mac, 4 days with the 15” air and I thought something was wrong with it because of the noticeable lag. I’m using it for studying, browsing, KZbin and just Office so far and I’m regretting not upgrading already. I did a bit of research but I’m kicking myself for finding this vid too late.

[@gnes04]

I have the base M1 air and it's plenty fast for my use cases, which is mostly development. It can run chrome, VSCode, Docker, Spotify, and maybe one or two more all at the same time with no problem. I even play CSGO occasionally, it's not super smooth but definitely playable. If you're on a budget I'd say absolutely go for the base model. Sure you might get stuff done a smidge faster with more RAM, but you'll still have a smooth experience with no choppiness or lag or anything. The swap memory is also very fast and almost unnoticeable.

[@alanabley525]

I'm set on 16mb of Ram but using external ssd drives does it matter sticking to 256gb hard drive? Is it still important to go for 512GB? Thank you.

[@TheSterlingArcher16]

A decade ago I bought a Retina MacBook Pro with 8GB ram & a 256GB SSD. Flash-forward to 2023 and the new MacBook Air comes with… 8GB ram & 256GB SSD for the same price.

[@riorecchia]

Great video but as previous videos we can't see the results of each upgrade individually. You are comparing a base model with two upgrades. It would be great to add a 8gb with 512 and compare all three. Then we'll know which upgrade is worth it

[@kerrydaniels8460]

RAM is the more important upgrade. Without even needing to watch the vid or do tests there is no test that will beat RAM in speed and those that need to ask won't need to get ripped off on the storage cost. Just buy external at a fraction of the cost. Which you should have anyhow for backups at minimum since your SSD **WILL FAIL** at some point. These types of channels are very clickbaity btw. It is typically best to find folks that aren't so clickbaity for more sound info. They're entertaining though, but they mostly only know about video editing which most folks won't do anyhow. I work in the field. Go with 16GB of RAM if you want to upgrade. You can always add more fast storage. You can't retroactively add RAM.

[@77dris]

@@kerrydaniels8460 Max Tech is the best when it comes to reviews like this and I don't see much "clickbait" in that title. In fact ,none at all.

[@77dris]

They do a lot of tests already. To buy a mac for every single little upgrade would be huge $$$. They actually do comparisons with only memory or only SSD on other M2 reviews and you can extract from that.

[@maestroteague]

Yeah, I would be interested to see how 256GB with 16GB RAM compares. That's the configuration that I ordered and am waiting on. Then have also ordered an external SSD with thunderbolt enclosure - 2TB of extra storage for less than going from 256 to 512GB, and at speeds that are as fast or faster than the internal SSD.

[@kuroneko9710]

@@kerrydaniels8460 Also keep in mind that 512Gb SSD will last you twice as long as 256Gb SSD by default.

[@bruhboy5570]

Could You compare the 13 inch macbook air with 10-core gpu 8gb RAM 256gb unified memory with the base model 15 inch macbook air as i am confused which one to buy

[@connorscars]

What software do you use to have the CPU, GPU and Temperatures in the tool bar??

[@zerokool-2058]

So is it worth it to just get the MBP 14 inch based model or the MBA 15 inch with 16gb and 500 ssd?? Which one.

[@vladcode]

How does the 15 inch MacBook Air M2 24ram vs 16 inch MacBook Pro 16ram compare? I don’t want to waste 2,500 on a MacBook Pro 16 inch if I can get the air for 700 less. Also, I’m mostly leaning towards the 16 inch Pro for the screen/display quality. And wasn’t sure if 16 ram is enough? This will be my main computer. Heaviest workflow I will do is editing home videos for family and maybe some light league of legends or RuneScape gaming. I wasn’t sure if I’m overkilling it with the 16 Pro if I can get 15 Air with more RAM and save $700 and maybe get a decent 4k display? Or is 15 Air 15ram 512gb good enough? Saves me like $1,000

[@yeasirmahmudanik6477]

Can I know which software you are using for the CPU, GPU, and Ssd usage meter showing on the bar ?

[@clintmallon]

Hey! Love the videos and have been a subscriber for a while now. What Menu Bar app do you use to show the CPU/GPU and Temperature? I would really appreciate it.

[@ThatGuyyyyy]

Honestly, I never really noticed any slow performance with my wife’s base M2 MacBook Air during travel with web browsing and stuff, even with Chrome. I personally got 14” MBP for home and 16” for office, but I think for most people, base config of MBA is just fine even with slower SSD.

[@leebeeskee]

Max Tech love click bait and making mountains out of mole hills for shock value

[@j3m03d3r666]

Oh no. My webpage didn’t load instantly but I had to wait a whole 0,5 second. 😂

[@kuroneko9710]

Lately any computer on the market is good enough for "web browsing and stuff". For such tasks you can buy an entry level notebook for just about $400.

[@nandocame620]

HD upgrade or 16GB RAM better?

[@joshnakamoto3761]

Would MacBook Air M2 16GB U.M, 512SSD be enough to render ProRes or ProRaw media files?

[@ashwinisharma6819]

I’m a student, What if I only updated the RAM to 16 gb with 256gb SSD.. will it perform better than the base version?

[@user-ud6uv6xm6w]

very useful.

[@xxBahamutxx95]

Hi MaxTech. Awesome video as always. Very thorough and easy to understand. I have a question. I am a very general user. Sometimes do light financial modelling in my laptop. Which of the two model is more future-proof? Because my last laptop is a Windows laptop and it lasted for almost 10 years, to give you an image of how do I use my laptop. Thanks.

[@guillaumeg.5821]

I would say, if you intend to keep your device for few years it would I suspect 16gb of Ram would insure your laptop to continue to run smoothly as Os and programs intend to become more demanding with time. Not to mention that for sure at some point 16gb will become the standard for Apple and they'll make sure you'll suffer from your 8mb by updating their OS accordingly, to push you buying a newer model. Understand not all can afford the 16/512 but it really looks like a long(er) term investment than anything with 8gb of Ram

[@Josemgg84]

How about working on Google Chrome with Google suite that demands tons of RAM and need to open a lot of tabs for Slides, sheets etc ¿which one set up you recommend the most?

[@Livingwithken]

Do we have a 24GB memory with 2TB of drive space version? Aka fully maxed out?!?

[@ajaykotiyal427]

what about 16GB/256 GB ? will it perform like 16GB/512GB ? means Size of SSD will mater?

[@mwasi]

very good testing the best video for true comparison

[@utubekullanicisi]

11:01 Those configs were organized the same way when the 256GB model wasn't slower on the M1 MacBook Air.

[@tomm3218]

Great video Max. Would love to see base model vs 16/256 using parallels and Win 11.

[@FranciscoB]

or using windows 11 in VMware would be interesting

[@pooriakhosravi9415]

It’s basically the same results because in 16 you are not using swap

[@FranciscoB]

@@pooriakhosravi9415 Thanx for the answer, Is there a difference to run a virtual machine with an MacBook air M2 of 8gb of ram to another one of 16gb? Is there a lot of difference?

[@rickyhurtado]

I just want to know if the 16gb version can handle FCPX and 4k editing.

[@beaumac]

Finally a comparison video I care about. 99% of people don't need a pro laptop. But we do care about ram as it can help when we have 428 chrome tabs open.

[@smarterphone6863]

Strange number😂 but you are right, 99.99% don't need a pro mac

[@tomaszj.9741]

This video shows exactly the good things, finally someone tested it properly. 8gb 256gb is just not enough for anything these days, this should be 16gb 512gb base model and Pro model should be 32gb base.

[@pweddy1]

428? No, no... Only 415! 😅

[@will-zj5gq]

@@tomaszj.9741but it is enough that’s why it sells like crazy

[@ashjcoronado]

For me I’d upgrade the storage first and then the RAM, if I could only do one definitely storage for me… never had any issues with the M1 MacBook Air base with 8GB of memory even doing some batch photo editing and having a bunch of apps open at once, guess the SSD’s are fast enough that even if the machine runs out of memory and has to swap user wouldn’t notice much of a difference.

[@dorinai]

I ordered the 15 inch Air in Space Grey with 16GB Unified Memory and 1TB ssd. It'll serve me well for computer sceince and programming tasks

[@Miketheman2023]

Does anyone think Upgrading to a 15 inch macbook air and maxing out the unified RAM is worth it? Coming from currently a macbook air mid 2019.

[@ANGERINSIDE]

I purchased a 15 inch macbook air with 512gb. I started doing a small video project in Final Cut and the machine was very disappointing. It was doing the loading circle and getting warm while I was adding the video on the timeline. It was ridiculous. I can understand it getting warm while editing for a long time because it doesn’t have any fans but also while only adding the project on a time line? I returned it and got a 16 inch m1 max for almost $1000 off at best buy. That Macbook Air is not worth the price for what it does.

[@youarecorrectiamwrongbecau1338]

And finally the last video everyone's been asking for *_Macbook Pro 14 M1 Pro (base) vs Macbook Air 15 (16/512)_*

[@kasziel]

Who? We all know the pro is going to kill the air.

[@jmxrebel726]

Which is best upgrade Ram or ssd .? Pick anyone .....

[@asafblasbergvideographer]

@Max Tech Will you be doing a video editing render test on the Mac Studio M2 Ultra comparing FCP, PPro and Resolve 18.5?

[@jwang41]

Does anybody recommend picking up a brand new base model 2021 M1 Pro 16” MacBook Pro for $1550 over the new 15” MacBook Air with 16gb of ram? Someone is trying to sell it to me and it is still sealed but I am skeptical. Would love any insight

[@loconius]

Ram also has an affect on hard drive performance as that’s where the data goes when going through the bus. The 512 has double the ram so the SSD performance in these tests will be affected by that.

[@georgezavala233]

I really needed this video, I got the 2023 air 15” 8gb 256gb coming in the mail in 5 days I financed it so I payed 1500. I wish I got the 16gb 512gb but it’s just to get my foot in the door for now with school/music etc. thank you for the video 🙌

[@charvlim5159]

Which one to get? The bAsE still..whY? Chances are when you go for a macbook is that you already have a very capable ipad and/or iphone(smartphone) which takes care of the “multitasking” that seem to make the base model slower.

[@MadmusicalHulk]

Well done, great video, keep up the great work you do. I never buy or recommend the base model.

[@minuszero332]

I got an 8/512 model from Costco for the price of base model so that should be pretty good

[@zanerichter3806]

But which makes a bigger difference, the extra RAM or having two built-in SSD chips?

[@willkid123]

Please compare it to the 2019 MacBook Pro 16’ - a lot of us still have the intel models. I’ve been thinking of trading mine in and applying the credit to the MacBook Air 15’ with 16gb of ram.

[@donhess4757]

I just experienced a 2019 MacBook Pro 16" (16/512GB i7) for several weeks before ordering a new 15" Air (16/512GB). The only thing I think is better on the 2019 16" Pro is the speakers, otherwise the MBAir is a far superior machine with a CPU that will last and be supported by Apple well in to the future. Screen quality is slightly better on the Air, but this may be subjective somewhat (they both have same 500 NITs of brightness). SSD speeds are the same. RAM speed is greater on the Air. No TouchBar on the Air. Keyboard quality is the same. Air is MUCH more portable and quiet. Did I mention that the Air is fan-less and thus basically silent? If you are used to the 16" screen size, then dropping down to 15" won't be a shock at all and you might not notice it after awhile but if you chose the 14" MB Pro you definitely would notice that. But, if you have the money and really need the processing power more so than portability, go for the 16" MB Pro (M1 or M2 Pro) but it is a heavier beast than the 2019.

[@valdemarcaballero5298]

what about the base M2 Mac Studio max?? how quickly is the ssd ??

[@extremelucky1]

For basic use the base model is completely fine. If you are doing anything intensive, you shouldn’t buy Air anyway since its fan less.

[@Utubeisazzho]

How much memory does duck duck go search engine use compared to google and chrome??

[@tnt4457]

Hi thanks for al your videos. Hopefully you can do a showdown with the 14 inch base M1 Pro vs 15 inch M2 Air with 16GB of ram for each laptop. Thanks.

[@kerrydaniels8460]

14 inch M1 Pro wins overall at literally every category except screen size and weight really. Better screen, speakers, refresh rate, HDR support, dual monitor support (air doesn't have it), performance, active cooling for longer sustained loads, better keyboard with full size function keys, waaay better port included, etc. I'm upgrading to 14 inch from 13 in MBA. The moment you try to upgrade the Air you're already in 14 M1 MBP territory at that point, but with less performance overall. I know you want to likely just see it regardless, but I can just tell you those results ahead of time. MBP wins overall. Now, you may not push your Mac hard at all if most people, but the problem still remains that apple priced their upgrades so high that you have to consider the pro still.

[@tnt4457]

@@kerrydaniels8460 Thanks for the info. Good to know that my 2 year old MBP 14 inch base model and my first Mac is still good.

[@kerrydaniels8460]

@TnT 44 I'm jealous, I'm gonna snag one soon enough. Happy with the 13 inch for now, but the upgrade will come soon enough. Glad you're enjoying!

[@tnt4457]

@@kerrydaniels8460 You won't regret it and this is coming from someone who hated Apple at one point.

[@juniorzuniga7249]

If you had to choose bigger ssd or or more ram which is the better option? I would assume the bigger and faster 512gb because of memory swap right?

[@iceberglounge]

I think the consensus is more ram, storage can be added via external drives, ram is stuck at what it comes with

[@kasziel]

More ram will allow you to run everything smoother and run more stuff at the same time with less hiccups, a bigger ssd will allow you to save more stuff, now yes the bigger one runs in two channels (there are two 256 inside instead of one) and that’s y it’s quicker, but still better get the ram

[@alextgordon]

What your RAM says about you: 8GB = "I don't care how fast this is, I just wanted a Mac to play Wordle on, I don't intend to keep this machine more than a couple of years more when it will be obsolete". 16GB = "I'm a regular user who likes to have a few apps or browser tabs open and multitask". 24GB+ = "I'm buying this for work and I don't care how much it costs"

[@jasonedenilson]

So I have a 2016 15 inch i7 MBP and I was really looking forward to the new 15 inch air, obviously for the speed bump of the new M2 chip, but I was let down when I started to do research and found that the screen resolution and quality is pretty much the exact same as my 7 year old MBP. Obviously I’d have to upgrade to the current Pro but I’m finding the 14 inch small and the 16 inch too big and heavy😅wish they just made a 15 inch pro

[@markhollis5850]

When General Motors introduced the Chevrolet Vega, they introduced it with an optional back seat. They did this for several reasons. We were in the middle of a gas crunch, so not having a back seat saved on weight and fuel. And, GM was trying to keep the cost of the car low so that they could compete with the cheaper foreign subcompacts. In all ads for the Vega, they showed the EPA mileage for the car with no back seat, but they always advertised the car with someone sitting in the back seat. I think that Apple is doing the same thing here. They have made a laptop that is limited as to performance and the performance they are quoting is a fully-loaded laptop. Getting the base model is “buying a Vega with an optional back seat.” And there is no upgrade. Pay more for your computer and you will get one that functions well. Frankly, I would not purchase a computer with under 1TB of storage and if you want to “future-proof” your laptop, you should buy 2TB of internal storage or else plan to have to carry around an external SSD wherever you go. I purchased my wife an M1 13” laptop. I paid the “Apple tax” for a 2TB SSD and maxed out the RAM. The computer seldom shows the Spinning Beachball of Death and works great and will work for some years to come. Yes, I paid more than, perhaps, I ought to have paid for the computer. But it stores all of my wife’s files internally. She will not be wondering which external SSD she put that document on. She won’t have to constantly offload stuff to make sure that she does not run out of room on the internal SSD. I would never have bought my wife a Vega with no back seat.

[@mkleng]

Holy shit!! That’s a massive improve to upgrade!!! Imagine how much more it can do if upgrade to 1TB and 32 RAM

[@ckostyn]

I am an amateur musician, and I do record individual pieces - usually just instrumentals and use software like OBS Studio and also live on Zoom. I'm currently walking away from Windows 11 because of the notorious problems it tends to have with this. I will purchase a MacAir M2. I wouldn't be exporting long videos, but I need it to work when I need it. Would I really notice a difference with the 16gb model? My assumption is yes, but am curious.

[@magnussusanoo518]

disable swap please, you must do that for comparing performance between 8 vs 16 GB RAM

[@gregorya72]

My write speed varies from 1000 up to 2500. My read varies from 700 to 3000. I haven't seen that on my previous MBP... is that a fault?

[@markhodgson1772]

does the 512gb M2 Air 15 have two 256 nand chips or one 512 ?

[@valeriemanners7796]

I'm staying with M1 Air 8/256 purchased new for $799. It's a no brainer.

[@soots-stayingoutofthespotl5495]

I'm not entirely sure that this video doesn't cause more confusion than it provides help? I often have around 100-150 tabs open (sometimes dozens more), and it's concerning to see that just 10 tabs pushes 8Gb. I was thinking about speccing 16Gb, and according to what I'd read online that should be fine for the number of tabs I want to keep open. This video demonsrates that browsing is much less smooth with 8Gb, yet at the end of it he basically says 'If you aren't multitasking and just want smooth browsing, upgrade the SSD'. That's basically me (with this proposed new machine), but I certainly wouldn't my shiny new laptop to provide a glitchy experience, so can anyone out there shed some more light on it please?