Is 4GB "enough" RAM?
I'm looking into the possibility of picking up an Air for the times I don't need to haul out my 17" for serious work. Because it will be primarily a recreational machine I'm not inclined to spend real money, so I've been looking at Craigslist and the Refurb store. There are lots of choices, but I've yet to find one with more than 4GB of RAM except for in the Refurb store with a >$1,500 price tag. Since all the Macs in our house have 8GB RAM, I have no point of reference for determining if 4GB is "enough" for OS X these days.
It will be used mostly for watching HD movies (from iTunes and Blu-Ray rips), Netflix, iMessaging and web browsing. I can't imagine any of those tasks being particularly RAM intensive, but I sometimes need to edit high-res, multi-layer images in Photoshop, capture audio with Audio Hijack Pro, or do a quick mix in Pro Tools. Is there any point in even trying to do that kind of stuff with 4GB of RAM or should I just resign myself to holding out for a machine with 8GB (or scrap the Air idea altogether and just keep hauling my Pro around with me)?
Comments
4GB is ok for basic use but the integrated graphics can use up to 1GB and the OS can easily use 1GB so it doesn't leave much room for higher-end apps. If you just want an 11", there's one with 8GB here for $849:
http://store.apple.com/us/product/G0NX1LL/B/refurbished-macbook-air-14ghz-dual-core-intel-core-i5
A 13" model is here for $1439 but a bit pointless when a new model with 8GB is $1299:
http://store.apple.com/us/product/G0P02LL/A/refurbished-133-inch-macbook-air-17ghz-dual-core-intel-core-i7
I think the best option would be the following though for $1189:
http://store.apple.com/us/product/FE865LL/A/refurbished-133-inch-macbook-pro-24ghz-dual-core-intel-core-i5
It has 8GB RAM and you get 256GB SSD. It has a Retina display, which is better than the Airs so you can get more workspace. There's not that much difference in weight between the 13" Air and Pro - 1.08kg vs 1.57kg.
Apple might introduce a new Retina Air in October, which would lower the prices of the refurbs. Right now, a new 13" Air with 8GB RAM and 256GB is $1299. If that gets changed to a 14"/15" Retina Air, that would be a good option to wait for.
Broadwell Core M chips likely won't be available until the end of the year unless Apple has an early batch though:
http://www.extremetech.com/extreme/189752-intel-at-idf-2014-broadwell-benchmarks-first-skylake-silicon-and-iot-developments
I don't think you'd be disappointed with the 13" rMBP.
Thanks Marvin!
I think, after a LOT of waffling over the kind of very reasonable comparisons you present, that a 13" Air is what I want (unless Apple starts making a 15" Air, in which case I want THAT!).
The only remaining question is whether or not I'll be satisfied with 4GB of RAM. It sounds like the answer is "probably not." Dammit.
Remember when one could start with less and add more later if needed? <*Sigh!*>
The Mac event they had last year was October 22nd so I expect they'll have something similar. The Air's last refresh will have been about 6 months back when that event comes round and was just a CPU bump. Intel has launched their Core M chips, the TDP is 4.5 Watts vs the current Air's 15W:
http://ark.intel.com/products/family/83613/Intel-Core-M-Processors#@Mobile
What's really impressive is that they score 2.48 in Cinebench:
http://www.techspot.com/news/58029-early-intel-core-m-benchmarks-look-very-impressive.html
The 2014 Air scores 2.57. So passively cooled hardware with no CPU performance loss over the current Air is a possibility. Graphics might suffer a bit as the cores are listed as 24 @ 100 - 850MHz vs 40 @ 200 - 1100MHz so taking the top clock speed, it would be less than half the graphics performance of the current Air, which isn't great if it's also powering a Retina display. Clock speed might not tell the whole story though and Apple could easily have some room to bring the GPU performance up.
Devices will be available in October (convenient timing):
http://www.itpro.co.uk/mobile/22111/intel-broadwell-core-m-release-date-set-for-october
I think it would be good for Apple to introduce a 12" Retina MBA at $999 and a 14" or 15" one at around $1299. They will likely have 4GB RAM base but 8GB is only a $100 upgrade.
Given the drop in TDP, that can give them some room to drop the battery size and weight, which would mean faster charging times. No fan noise no matter what you're doing. I reckon that would be worth waiting for. Even if you decide to go for a refurb, the prices will drop when the new Air arrives.
I think they'd be best ditching the 13" Pro if they have a 15" Retina Air. The 13" rMBP has never been powerful enough to justify being a separate model. The only justification for it is the Retina display and that advantage would go away with a Retina Air. Just let the 15" rMBP be the powerhouse and have the others passively cooled. A quad-i7 Iris Pro 13" rMBP would be nice but if they're not going to do that, there's no point in keeping the 13" rMBP around.
[...] passively cooled hardware with no CPU performance loss over the current Air is a possibility.
Hmm, since this particular machine would spend about half its life literally on my lap, I dunno if I want that. I don't want the chassis radiating heat into my skin!
Graphics might suffer a bit
Again, I might then be better off with a fan-cooled CPU of slightly higher TDP, since my use of it will require more guts from graphics than CPU.
They will likely have 4GB RAM base but 8GB is only a $100 upgrade.
Right, no problem getting 8 if buying new. It only seems to be an issue trying to find 8GB-equipped units used or refurbished.
Given the drop in TDP, that can give them some room to drop the battery size and weight
STOP IT! The decision was easy until you introduced another trade-off! Warm chassis, slower graphics performance but smaller and lighter... hmm...
Nah, grunt before grace. Power trumps pretty. Particularly in a machine with so little power as it is.
Not quite, it doesn't generate enough heat to warrant a fan. It's like how an iPad works. 4.5W is in the same region as an iPad. They can have a non-mechanical fan too.
I doubt they'd downgrade it significantly, the Iris Pro in the rMBP was upgraded with a custom TDP. I'd expect the same from the Air. Having a 4.5W TDP leaves a lot of room for increasing performance.
That's why I was saying the 13" rMBP would be the best option at the moment. It's the most powerful model, already has a Retina display and is the cheapest for the 8GB model. AI has an article today saying the Retina Air isn't due until mid-2015. The rMBPs just got a minor update recently so this would be your best bet:
http://store.apple.com/us/product/FE865LL/A/refurbished-133-inch-macbook-pro-24ghz-dual-core-intel-core-i5
I'd still recommend waiting until the October event though.