Which M2 MacBook Air? | 8GB, 16GB, or 24GB? | Mark Ellis Reviews

Choosing between 8GB or 16GB of unified memory for the M1 Macs has never been easy for some buyers. That’s why I understand the additional confusion surrounding the 8GB, 16GB, and 24GB options for the new M2 MacBook Air. Don’t worry - help is at hand!

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CHAPTERS
00:00 - Intro
01:06 - Who is 8GB for?
02:39 - Who is 16GB for?
04:27 - Who is 24GB for?
06:12 - Final thought

[MarkEllisReviews]

So... which unified memory option are you going for on your M2 MacBook Air... and why?

[magdyshaheen]

i don't know how you're not one of the most known tech reviewers on youtube !!
keep it up Bro...you're very good at what you do !!!!

[marcomoretti_music]

I chose 24GB since I use a lot of sample libraries in Logic Pro which chews up RAM quickly. More RAM equals less paging to SSD (longevity), more samples and tracks in Logic, ability to run multiple virtual machines in Parallels for development, better resale value and future-proofed. Also opted for the 512GB SSD to avoid the single NAND issue since I can always expand storage using external SSDS (which is better to reduce single point of failure for data). All in all, 24GB made sense to me.

[RealRockRacer]

24GB + 1TB M2 for me (already ordered), coming from a M1 MacBook Air with 16GB + 1TB (±600GB utilised). The M1 will become my spare computer. I use my MacBook for professional software development and quite often run out of Memory caused by my dev-tool setup + multiple Docker containers running my code. This setup ranges from 15-18GB and other then claimed by most YouTubers, once the computer starts to utilise the disk, debugging/testing becomes a pain; what takes 1 minute in pure RAM becomes 20 Minutes and more when the RAM and disk is utilised - so for my use cace, having 20+GB is a must.

I also tested an M1 Pro with 32 GB for a week, but, despite the RAM, this machine doesn't provide much, if any value to me over my M1 MacBook Air. I would not consider or buy it at all. The silence and form-factor of the Macbook Air are unbeatable and it also perfectly works perfectly with my 5k/2k monitor all my other stuff. I very rarely use my MacBook as a Laptop, and if, portability is most important to.

Why to buy a 'Lamborghini Aventador' if an 'entry-level Porsche 911' does the job? ;-)

[Vk-pyzg]

Ordered 16-256 GB Midnight black combination. Expected delivery 2-9Aug. Excited for first ever Mac. 😛

[jakeave]

I'm getting a 24gb because I am a software developer. I use docker, have 20 million tabs open, 3 vs code windows, and other electron apps. The pros are too big and bulky and I don't like the fan. I don't need nice graphics either, so the 24gb Air seems like it'll be just what I need.

[zahzahrah]

16GB, 1TB for me ! Ordered my first ever MacBook whoop! Looking forward to long hours and using it for work & studies! 8GB wasn’t enough for me on my M1 mini😅

[phillipgnau]

Also got the 16gb, 1tb model. Heavily considered moving to m1 pro 14”, however two things were big deciding factors for me: design (thin and light) and battery life. Saw tons of reviews saying 14” battery life was poor. It was a tough decision though because there are benefits to the 14” pro (ports, display, screen size).

[VynZography]

I went for the 8GB/512Gb M2 macbook air and have been memory-stressing it all weekend....it's been absolutely fine for things I would expect to do on a MacBook air.. That is about 32 browser tabs open, some playing video, Lightroom open, Photoshop open, a Word doc, an Excel sheet, and some other random apps like iPhotos etc....and it's been just fine!!! My swap file is about 12Gb but I haven't noticed any slowdowns.

[smosh_jith]

I just placed an order for my son: M2 MacBook Air Midnight Blue, 16Gb, 512Gb w/Fast Charger. This is to get him through his senior year of high school and (hopefully) 2-4 years of higher education. As of now, he doesn't plan on any heavy video editing or extensive coding/compiling, so I think it's the right purchase for his needs.

[avish]

I'm still deciding between the 16 and 24 gb, Would the 16 be enough for some video editing and photography, both as serious hobbies and some 3d modelling or should I opt for the 24 just to be save in the coming years? I really don't like the bulk of the macbook pro 14 inch tbh.

[Laziruss]

My first MacBook purchase ever. I preordered the 24GB and 2TB with monthly installments. I’ll probably never need it.. but I’ve essentially future proofed myself. I plan on dabbling in video editing, music and whatever else I can throw at it. Worth the price for me!

[Bizutz]

Finally! I am happy to have finally understood why your podcast is called that way :))

[YYZatcboy]

I ordered midnight 512 gb ssd 8gb memory. If I upgraded both with the prices in canada I may as well get the M1 Pro 14 inch (which is very expensive)

[espirian]

For what it's worth, I've had lots of memory errors on my 8GB M1 MacBook Air and I've never used it to do anything memory intensive. I think this may have been down to memory leaks in either Chrome or Snagit, and the issue seems to have gone away now.

I got this machine as a replacement after Apple were unable to fix an older (upgraded!) MacBook Air. I had a feeling that 8GB wasn't going to be enough and the early experience seemed to back that up.

If and when I upgrade, it'll definitely be to a 16GB version. I didn't know the M2 was on the way, so thanks for the heads up.

[djladysha]

This video was great, but the cloudiest part of this situation is determining if one is a "normal" user or not. For instance, 5 days out of the week I'm just browsing the web & downlaoding mp3's. 1-2 nights out of the week, I am in a nightclub dj-ing with my DJ program (Serato DJ Pro), while also running a browser for quick music downloads on the fly, maybe Spotify to do a quick song search while I'm dj-ing, and maybe my Messages app so I can communicate with other people in the club. Does having 2-3 apps open simultaneously and actively using them take me out of the "normal" user range and into the 16GB Unified Memory Range? The 8 vs 16 debate continues over here.

[abrahamfisch]

I ordered my first MacBook ever today. Went with a 16gb RAM, 512 SSD M2 Air. Decided not to upgrade the GPU as I don’t do video intensive work or gaming. Very excited!

[jazzyjase]

I got the 16gb for dj use and occasional music editing. I have higher spec 10 GPU and 1TB SSD. It’s a rapid little machine. I did notice though for Nuo stems 2 it does take a while to process. That program does use 12gb of memory.

[BaskuraCorp]

Genuinely helpful video, thanks. Ordered mine!

[ericneuman]

If you do ANY sort of virtualization, strongly suggest opting for 16GB. Been there and I made the mistake - don’t make it too.