Should I buy a MacBook 13" with 8 or 16GB?

First define which one(s) you are interested in.

The discussion you replied to, pertains to older

12-inch MacBook 2015-2018 retina. Not later M1

and not Air; & not Pro models.

Those are two different sections under 'MacBook'

Neither one of those follows this Apple Community.

My suggestion regarding your purchase would favor

a higher spec build model due to the fact these are

not upgradeable after they'reassembled. You're stuck.

If you ever wanted a better machine, your money best

should buy the higher spec 16GB (System on Chip) w/

higher storage; at least 512GB. These are all-in-one SoC.

Integrated unified memory; 16GB is best.

Storage (system and your work lives here) up to 2TB.

• Compare MacBook [M1] Pro 13-inch vs MacBook [M1] AIr 13-inch - Apple online

https://www.apple.com/mac/compare/?modelList=MacBookPro-13-M1,MacBook-Air-M1

Study specs in detail; one page won't inform you enough.

Good luck!🌿❄️🌻🌤

mr fish wrote:

I'm going to give you a very simple answer:

Go for 16GB because you can never predict the future.

Once you own it, there is no changing the configuration.

Seconded. RAM in these Macs isn't just soldered to the main logic board - it's literally part of the chip package. Best to future-proof where possible.

If budget allows get 16GB. The RAM is not upgradeable after purchase in either model, so get as much RAM as you can afford.

If budget is limited and you need to choose between storage and RAM choose storage. 8GB will be enough for most regular tasks. But if possible go for as much RAM as you can afford.

wasam16 Said:

"So my question what should I get with Mac 8 or 16 gb . Thank you"

-------

Depends on your Usage:

I'm always streaming, and multitasking, and running things in the background. So, my RAM is way up there(32GB). But, for those who do not need to perform top-end multitasking, and just need to run one app at a time, less RAM makes sense.

Neither, save the buck and get the MacBook Air. Also tell us, how you're using your Mac otherwise you'll get very different answers due to different assumptions..

..the littles:

For models in this discussion, 32GB RAM option(s) do not appear for

13-inch MacBook Air M1 (2020) nor 13-inch MacBook Pro M1 (2020)

Within confines of M1, lower end MacBook Air and MacBook Pro;

due to Integrated 'Unified' memory, these are limited in choice.

A larger 32GB RAM is shown as feature in higher spec Macbook/Air & /Pro.

And those models of newest spec, 14-inch and 16-inch; have higher options.

Those prompts are within the Apple store; to choose suitable specs.

That's why I sought them; to show OP the places to look & compare.

Guess I've dozens of things offline to keep busy.

Good day!🌤🍄❄️☃️

With those 13-inch display models, there are two names with variant

sub models; look into MacBook/Air 13-inch and MacBook/Pro 13-inch.

There are two larger 14-inch & 16-inch screen MB/Pro new M1 models:

MacBook Pro 14- and 16-inch - Technical Specifications - Apple

Should be side-by-side (13-inch) MB/Air & MB/Pro comparison in Store.

Good luck & happy trails! ☺︎

K Shaffer Said:

"For models in this discussion, 32GB RAM option(s) do not appear for 13-inch MacBook Air M1 (2020) nor 13-inch MacBook Pro M1 (2020)[...]"

-------

That's not what I am quoting them on. The quote is quite open: "So my question what should I get with Mac 8 or 16 gb . Thank you"

Oh. Glad to see you admit there's no connection

to that reply and their content. Silly of me to ask.

Perhaps the community hosts or someone, had

changed 1st actual question before you replied.

While my answer was to the first original topic Q:

.And wasn't sure where to ask hosts to relocate it.

Because inquiry was more abt MB/Air+MB/Pro M1.

..wasam16:

Hopefully you've some answers; with Apple Store &

links to see product specs, that could be useful later.

Take care & good luck! ☺︎

What is your intended use? How heavy a workload do you anticipate? Are you worried about having enough RAM for future needs if RAM needs change?

I'm going to give you a very simple answer:

Go for 16GB because you can never predict the future.

Once you own it, there is no changing the configuration.