M3 MBP 24 GB RAM vs M3 Pro MBP 18 GB RAB; 512 GB SSD on both

The downloads page says that for v10, the minimum and recommended RAM requirements for Macs are 8 GB, and 16 GB, respectively. Those requirements seem to assume small data sets.

https://www.flowjo.com/solutions/flowjo/downloads/previous-versions

The Performance Recommendation page talks of different settings based on whether your computer has 32 GB of RAM or 64 GB of RAM, as if the software vendors consider 32 GB to be a small amount.

https://docs.flowjo.com/flowjo/setting-your-preferences/performance-recommendations/

The page says: "We recommend having at least 4x the amount of RAM as the size of data being loaded into FlowJo at the same time for analysis." If one of the OP's files contains ~14 GB of data, that would suggest ~56 GB of RAM as being the minimum for processing that file.

This may point towards the OP needing a MacBook Pro or Mac Studio with a Max processor and at least 64 GB of RAM.

Hi,

I'm also recommend 24GB RAM MacBook Pro since you can't upgrade RAM after you purchased.

For this kind of research i Reccommend a MacBook Pro, with lots of RAM. The issue that you’re having now when using FlowJo is certainly the RAM. So the 24 GB. With M3 chip sounds good for this kind of usage

manj98 wrote:

Hi,

I'm a biology researcher and am currently using the M1 Air base model with 8GB RAM and 256 GB SSD. I run into issues when I'm using large files on FlowJo (software for flow cytometry analysis). Can someone suggest the best configuration to upgrade to? MBP M3 chip with 24 GB RAM and 512 SSD or MBP M3 Pro chip with 18GB RAM and 512 GB SSD? They both cost a similar amount.

I noticed when I open one of the larger files (~14 GB) on FlowJo, the swap memory used stays consistently at 20GB, memory pressure is high, and the MacBook Air M1 is basically frozen. The CPU usage is also shown as some absurd ~500%.

Can someone help me, please? Idk if the cores are more important or the RAM itself.

With Apple Silicon, CPU core counts and RAM choices are loosely correlated with chip level (base/Pro/Max/Ultra).

E.g., on the latest MacBook Pros:

• M3 – 8 CPU cores, up to 24 GB of RAM
• M3 Pro – 11 – 12 CPU cores, up to 36 GB of RAM
• M3 Max – 14 – 16 CPU cores, up to 128 GB of RAM

If you are working with very large data sets, and it turns out that you require very large amounts of RAM (check with the application vendor), you might need a Max chip just to be able to order the recommended amount of RAM. And a Max chip would also come with more CPU cores / a higher ratio of performance cores to efficiency cores.

<< I noticed when I open one of the larger files (~14 GB) on FlowJo, the swap memory used stays consistently at 20GB. >>

That suggests that you were 20 GB short of the amount of RAM required for 'comfortable' operation. the required additional RAM of 20 GB additional was simulated on the boot drive, in the Swap file.

<< ... memory pressure is high, and the MacBook Air M1 is basically frozen. >>

Simulating that much RAM on the boot drive works, but BADLY. As you discovered, it is S-L-O-W. You need a Mac with MORE Real RAM than the models you listed as candidates.

manj98 Said:

"M3 MBP 24 GB RAM vs M3 Pro MBP 18 GB RAB; 512 GB SSD on both: [...]run into issues when I'm using large files on FlowJo (software for flow cytometry analysis)[...]"

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Getting the Appropiate Mac:

What are the System Requirements for the Software/Hardware? Look In the Delver's/Manufacturer's site, respectively. If you can upgrade to meet those requirements, then consider doing so. Contact them, to let them know wha tis occurring, and how you can fix this.

Looks like FlowJo is not Apple-Silicon-native yet. Apple Silicon Macs first came out in November 2020 – over three and a half years ago; and there are no longer any Intel Macs in Apple's lineup. So it might be time for this vendor to consider releasing a version of their software that will run natively on Apple Silicon.

https://doesitarm.com/app/flowjo

https://docs.flowjo.com/flowjo/getting-acquainted/version-compatibility/

" FlowJo 10.8.1 and newer are compatible with ARM Mac computers through Rosetta 2."