On October 31, 2023, Apple has launched its own on the market MacBook Pro equipped with an M3 chip (derived from ARM), providing it with 8 GB of RAM. Already at the time of the announcement, many speculated that 8 GB was too little for a machine like the one presented by Apple. Spokespeople for the company led by Tim Cook, however, tried to suppress criticism with the following statement: “our memory is efficient, 8GB is equivalent to 16GB from other companies“. Today it is possible to draw conclusions, and the situation is not at all exciting.
Even today, Apple continues to claim that the 8GB-based configuration is suitable for multiple tasks: browsing, video streaming, and even “light” video and image editing.
Is 8 GB of memory really enough on an Apple MacBook Pro M3?
Let’s start by saying that the browser Chrome, with only three tabs open, uses approximately 1.5 GB of RAM. If we add to this the memory consumption of the macOS operating system, the limit imposed by the hardware configuration is quickly reached. Those who work with 50 tabs open at the same time on the MacBook Pro say that Chrome can take up over 12 GB of RAM.
Many models entry-level of Mac systems still rely on 8 GB: this memory “cut” is expected for MacBook Air laptops, the Mac Mini and, above all, for the MacBook Pro 14. amount of memory it is selectable at the time of purchase, if using the Apple website, but is not subsequently expandable. Therefore, those who purchase a system with 8 GB could end up regretting their choice, precisely because of the difficulties encountered “in the field”.
It must also be said that Apple requires around 230 euros more for the versions equipped with 16 GB of memory, compared to those with 8 GB. An additional economic outlay that many consider hardly justifiable.
In short, Mac systems stand out for a whole series of absolutely indisputable advantages. But when it comes down to it, 8GB doesn’t really seem to be like “16GB from other manufacturers” (Apple claimed this, for example, in this interview). There are few of them, they make the device practically unusable and it is difficult even with simple web browsing.
The opening image is from Apple and is taken from this page.