I’m purchasing an iMac and wondering if I should spend the $200 extra for 24 gb for my use, or go with 16 gb. Currently I’m on a 9 yr old PC with 8 gb ram and 1 tb storage. I use Lightroom for photo editing, occasionally Photoshop, but I’m not a professional. Lightroom now has AI features that I would love to use, but my computer won’t run. I was watching a video from 4 years ago that showed the recommended ram for Lightroom as 12 gb, whereas now it’s 16 gb. On the other hand, I’ve watched videos where the performance between 16 gb and 24 gb (usually compared on laptops) is minimal except for the swap used. I keep computers a long time, so I’m thinking the 24 go will accommodate Lightroom upgrades down the line. My computer right now can hardly handle basic masking, so I don’t have anything really to compare to. Is it worth it in the long run to spend the $200 extra for 24 gb over 16?
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
16 or 24 gb
- Thread starter MarciLK
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
You basically answered your own question. After you buy the 16GB you probably will question yourself continuously if you did the right thing. $200 extra will give you peace of mind and remove that doubt. You said you keep your computers for a long time, so $200 extra spread over 9 or 10 years seems like a bargain to me.
Last edited:
For a "long-time" purchase, the extra money spent for 24gb of RAM will be worth it.
It's $200 and you've kept your current machine for nine full years. Even if you don't notice the difference between 16 and 24 GB of RAM today (and you might not), you likely will a few years from now when MacOS Humboldt or whatever comes out and eats up more RAM with new features.
Swap space is not the end of the world, but $200 is not a lot to pay for a bit of future proofing you may well later wish you'd done if you skip it now.
Swap space is not the end of the world, but $200 is not a lot to pay for a bit of future proofing you may well later wish you'd done if you skip it now.
I plan on keeping mine for as long as I kept my old Late 2013 iMac. With all this stuff Apple Plans to bloat Mac OS in the future, maxing out the RAM is probably the right thing to do.
I bought an eleven-inch MacBook Air in 2015 and a thirteen-inch Air in 2016. Both have served me well, with the latter as a desktop machine plugged into an external monitor. The eleven-inch Air has the base 4GB of memory while the thirteen-inch has what was by that time (2016) the base 8GB memory.
Last year the 4GB machine began running into problems. I'd kept it at Mojave OS because I preferred an older (32bit) version of Pages compatible with that OS. And I had older Office software running on it, too. But then I found I was no longer able to access my Yahoo e-mail account via Apple Mail (OS too old), which was a bit of a pain, but accessing Yahoo via the web was nevertheless still possible. A couple of other accessing issues (with my wi-fi setup) too, meant I eventually upgraded to Mavericks on the eleven-inch Air. To my disappointment, Mavericks was still not recent enough to give me back my Apple Mail conduit to Yahoo though, and I also lost use of my old Pages and Word apps into the bargain.
The same challenges applied to my thirteen-inch Air running Mojave, but because of its 8GB memory I have been able to upgrade it to Monterey and it is now my go-to laptop for away-from-office activities. It runs Monterey quite happily with 8GB memory, and I persevere with the latest version of Pages, plus I installed a new copy of Word. And I’m back to using Apple Mail.
However, my eleven-inch Air would likely find anything beyond Mavericks too much for its 4GB memory. I love that smaller Air for its portability but due to its 4GB of memory it is now facing what amounts to retirement. Not early retirement, of course, since 2015 to 2023 is rather impressive. But had it had a memory upgrade at the point of purchase, it seems I would probably still be using it even now.
For the OP who, like me, tends to use Macs across an extended period, extra memory at the time of purchase can be additional insurance for securing an even longer-serving computer.
I did get a Mac Mini M2 Pro last year (rather than the M2), to secure the base 16 GB memory (plus larger SSD and extra ports). It should, with luck, last me until my own retirement! I’ll continue to run the thirteen-inch Air until Monterey begins to admit defeat.
Last year the 4GB machine began running into problems. I'd kept it at Mojave OS because I preferred an older (32bit) version of Pages compatible with that OS. And I had older Office software running on it, too. But then I found I was no longer able to access my Yahoo e-mail account via Apple Mail (OS too old), which was a bit of a pain, but accessing Yahoo via the web was nevertheless still possible. A couple of other accessing issues (with my wi-fi setup) too, meant I eventually upgraded to Mavericks on the eleven-inch Air. To my disappointment, Mavericks was still not recent enough to give me back my Apple Mail conduit to Yahoo though, and I also lost use of my old Pages and Word apps into the bargain.
The same challenges applied to my thirteen-inch Air running Mojave, but because of its 8GB memory I have been able to upgrade it to Monterey and it is now my go-to laptop for away-from-office activities. It runs Monterey quite happily with 8GB memory, and I persevere with the latest version of Pages, plus I installed a new copy of Word. And I’m back to using Apple Mail.
However, my eleven-inch Air would likely find anything beyond Mavericks too much for its 4GB memory. I love that smaller Air for its portability but due to its 4GB of memory it is now facing what amounts to retirement. Not early retirement, of course, since 2015 to 2023 is rather impressive. But had it had a memory upgrade at the point of purchase, it seems I would probably still be using it even now.
For the OP who, like me, tends to use Macs across an extended period, extra memory at the time of purchase can be additional insurance for securing an even longer-serving computer.
I did get a Mac Mini M2 Pro last year (rather than the M2), to secure the base 16 GB memory (plus larger SSD and extra ports). It should, with luck, last me until my own retirement! I’ll continue to run the thirteen-inch Air until Monterey begins to admit defeat.
Last edited:
I just ordered a MBA and had this same question. I opted for the 24GB ram just for peace of mind. If this laptop lasts as long as its predecessor has (MBP mid-2015--which is still going), I figure it is worth the investment.
"Worth" is very subjective. 24GB will be potentially beneficial over 16GB in terms of increased speed in certain situations, but how much increased speed is uncertain. It is not black and white, as if 24GB will work whereas 16GB will not work - rather, one will be sometimes faster than the other.
24GB will not "future-proof" a machine. Don't fall for this fiction. As if it were that simple.
24GB will not "future-proof" a machine. Don't fall for this fiction. As if it were that simple.
There are some other things to consider. More RAM will help to increase lifetime by reducing swap which reduces wear on the internal flash. How much flash are you planning? The extra RAM would likely be beneficial for performance and machine lifetime your use case.
Having had the same MBP as you I would be curious after a few weeks if you could post your take on how the MBA is holding up. While I am using now a Studio Max M1, I might opt to get a MBA with 24GB RAM, thus my curiousity.
"Is it worth it in the long run to spend the $200 extra for 24 gb over 16?"
Unequivocally yes. Mac OS and apps RAM needs have increased constantly for 40 years now, and both Apple's [superb] Unified Memory Architecture and AI are very likely to exacerbate that trend. Also, historically Adobe apps have always performed better when given access to more RAM.
That said, IMO all-in-one computers are less than ideal because the individual computer and display components are not replaceable for upgrade purposes or for repair purposes. Such as if in two years you want a stronger CPU with more RAM, or if you desire a larger display.
Last edited:
I went with 24GB last November when I bought mine, and already the requirements for AI and the like is a baseline of 16GB so 24GB looks to be a no brainer if you have the money. As it's a long-term investment, I'd go for 24GB if you can.
Exactly. I'm already starting to work on old Family Pictures and Videos and these tools really want loads of RAM.
I will certainly do so. New machine should be arriving mid-week.