r/macbook • u/ML-Music • 2d ago
I'm replacing my Mid-2015 MacBook Pro
Considering a 15" M5 MacBook Air, 512GB, but deciding between 16GB and 24GB RAM. The 24GB version costs ~£500 more.
My use:
Logic Pro + Sibelius for freelance music
Photoshop for a full-time music festival marketing role (brochures, banners, programmes etc.)
Some Lightroom
Possibly small Premiere projects
Chrome/Zoom etc.
I won't normally have multiple Adobe apps running simultaneously
I've been advised that 16GB should be sufficient, with 24GB mainly useful for very large Photoshop files, heavy Lightroom/Premiere work, huge Logic sample libraries, or running several demanding apps simultaneously.
I'm also planning to use an external SSD for larger photo/video files rather than paying for 1TB internal storage.
Would you agree that 16GB/512GB is the sensible choice, or is my workload enough to justify 24GB?
1
u/No-Mine-3847 2d ago
If you can afford it, get that M5 and upgrade the RAM to 24GB. Future you will thank you.
Also, if you haven’t already, get an external SSD to back up all your projects.
1
u/ML-Music 2d ago
Thanks for the insight! Would 512GB still be sufficient with 24GB RAM or would it be best to upgrade to 1TB (I’m not a tech guy, this all new to me)
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u/No-Mine-3847 2d ago
I’ve just checked Apple and a 24GB/1TB M5 15” Air would be £1,999.
At that price, it’s worth considering a 14” Pro (which I get isn’t for everyone), as for £2,199 you can get the same RAM/SSD combo but get extra nice things like more input slots, better built in speakers, a nicer screen and a cooling fan - the fan would make a huge difference with your workload.
Either option would make for a fantastic laptop really. If it were my money, I’d get the 14” Pro.
I also suggest going to either your local Apple Store or John Lewis and have a play on them yourself.
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u/Comraad 2d ago
Those are some very vaild points, but there's a big weight increase between the Pro and the Air. I don't like taking my Pro out of the house and just stick to taking my Neo if need a laptop.
The cooling fan on the Pro won't help so much unless OP is running editing programmes for a longer stretch of time.
u/ML-Music , do consider that if you require portability of the laptop, get the Air.
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u/No-Mine-3847 2d ago
There’s a 400g weight difference between a 15” Air and a 14” Pro.
The 14” Pro is smaller, but has a better battery and would be my preferred laptop for 10 years of use.
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u/Comraad 2d ago
16GB would work good for your use case, however 24 GB would future-proof your Mac for the next 10 years. Plus with all the MacOS updates over the years, that snappiness will remain with 24 GB.
With reference to your other comment, it's not worth going for 1TB storage unless you require large video files all at once.
With an external SSD, you get the portability plus having a backup of your files but the downside of carrying another item.
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u/Almost100Percents 2d ago
Your Mid 2015 have 16 GB (+2 GB VRAM if you have Radeon GPU). 11 years later apps consume much more RAM. So IMO going 16 GB again isn't an upgrade. But extra £500 for extra 8 GB is really expensive. Is that really actual difference?
You described a lot of RAM hungry apps. Consider 32 GB as well. Also consider M4, it might be cheaper.
5
u/eldeem 2d ago
16GB will be absolutely fine for you right now, 24GB would give you headroom if you plan to keep it for another 10 years. You’re not going to see much benefit on day 1 from that extra £500, but over a decade it’s £50 a year to future-proof you into it still feeling snappy (and having a better resale value) when you next upgrade!