To be short and sweet with this, the answer is, yes. In the modern technological age, you can skate by with 8GB of RAM and not feel too much slow-down in everyday usage.
Being a techy since birth, and in the professional world of IT for the better part of 3 years, I know what works, what doesn’t, and what is just enough to get you to skate on by.
Throughout this article I will, to the best of my ability, explain my stance on this. Hopefully, by the end of this, you are able to answer for yourself, is 8 GB of RAM enough for a MacBook Air?
Contents
What is RAM?
To really help, let’s start at the beginning, what is RAM? RAM stands for random-accessed memory, but this isn’t the important part. The real important part is what it is used for.
RAM is where applications store and access data on a short-term basis. Applications include things like; Google Chrome, Safari, your Mail app, etc. This means, the more applications you use at once, the more RAM will be taken.
RAM can be likened to a person’s Short Term Memory, things are stored there, but not long-term. After a computer is turned off, the RAM empties and must be reloaded each time you boot into the operating system.
Why 8GB RAM is Enough for MacBook Air?
The first question you need to ask yourself now is, why?
Why are you purchasing this Macbook Air? Are you a streamer, a musician, or a college student needing a solid piece of hardware to complete schoolwork and attend your zoom classes?
Depending the answer to this question, will better help you decide whether 8GB will be just enough, or push your machine past the brink. I work day to day on a Macbook Air with only 8 gigs of RAM, and don’t notice any slowdown with my plethora of apps open at once.
This experience may vary, at any given time, I can have upwards of almost 30 Chrome tabs open at a time, while also being remoted into another computer somewhere else in the office, and hardly notice any slow down at all.
As you can see, I don’t go easy on this little machine, and it holds its own marvelously. The average user will almost never run into a situation in which they experience slowdowns due to the number of tabs, windows, or apps they have open.
Is a MacBook Air with 8GB RAM Futureproof?
Is a MacBook with 8GB future proof? A product that is future proof is one that is built to last, and unlikely to become obsolete. As time passes, applications take up more and more ram, Google Chrome being a main offender.
I do not personally believe that 8GB is a safe future proof option. With how fast technology seems to move, 8GB seems like it will be a thing of the past in no time. You may be able to work just fine for the time being, but it is only a matter of time!
If you want something that will last you more than a few years without issue, then I would highly recommend upping that RAM to 16GB. You won’t ever have to worry about that amount of headroom.
FAQs
Here are a few other questions you might have, I’ll answer them quickly.
Will a Macbook Air work for gaming?
I absolutely would not recommend this for any gaming above the ROBLOX level. Though things such as GeForce now exist which allow streaming games, it would take a very stable internet connection for this to work effectively. Most games require 8GB to simply run.
Can you upgrade the RAM in a Macbook Air?
No models of the Macbook Air are able to be upgraded or have RAM added. The RAM is mounted so the only way to upgrade to 16GB is to have purchased that model at the time, or buy a new laptop.
Final Thoughts
All in all, I do believe that this is a great option for the average user. I do believe that the 8GB option will be suitable for anyone using it for work, music, or schoolwork. While not an option for any hardcore gamers out there, any MacBook Air with 8GB in RAM will be perfect, for you!
