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8gb or 16gb for photo editing software

Hi there. I do a lot of photo editing using Capture One and Photoshop. I am looking to upgrade my Macbook Air which is 7 years old as it can't handle the huge files I deal with. Would a new Macbook with 8GB or 16GB help me? Is it worth paying more and getting 16gb of RAM or is the 8gb strong enough to handle those two program software for me? Thanks.

Posted on Jun 26, 2022 6:04 AM

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5 replies

Jun 26, 2022 8:25 AM in response to ivedat

The more resources the better in some cases.


But are your "huge" files eating up RAM or disk space? You seem to be confusing the two.


RAM = Memory (8GB; 16GB) and is volatile with data disappearing when the Mac is shut down.

Storage = Disk Space (128, 256, 512, GB and larger) and is permanent on the drive until deleted.


Large image file do sometimes fare better with more RAM.

Jun 26, 2022 11:28 AM in response to ivedat

If the software can actually use the additional RAM effectively. Just adding RAM is not automatically an assurance this is the case.


For Instance, the efficiency of MS Office products is not especially tied to amount of RAM, yo need a certain amount and adding more will do very little. But I get it about Audio-visiual needs


Thing is, with the Mac, what you buy is what you get ... and keep. You can't upgrade either after purchase; only at time of purchase.


So "future -proof" yourself as much as possible and buy the most of each you can afford.

8gb or 16gb for photo editing software

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