How much RAM?

[jazzer15]

I'm going to upgrade my i7 Intel iMac to an M6 mini. My use is not very heavy, but somewhat diverse - Recording a few audio tracks with Logic, occasional Lightroom or other photo editing, an iMovie or basic video here and there, an occasional CD or video rip, Plex audio (or infrequent video) streaming, and typical web, email, Word/Excel functions. My Intel has 32GB of RAM because it was user upgradeable, RAM was relatively cheap and, well, why not? I generally keep my computers as long as possible.

Is 32GB overkill for the mini given my use? I was thinking 512GB of internal storage with additional external and 32GB of RAM since that isn't technically able to be expanded later.

 

[aakshey]

I'm going to upgrade my i7 Intel iMac to an M6 mini. My use is not very heavy, but somewhat diverse - Recording a few audio tracks with Logic, occasional Lightroom or other photo editing, an iMovie or basic video here and there, an occasional CD or video rip, Plex audio (or infrequent video) streaming, and typical web, email, Word/Excel functions. My Intel has 32GB of RAM because it was user upgradeable, RAM was relatively cheap and, well, why not? I generally keep my computers as long as possible.

Is 32GB overkill for the mini given my use? I was thinking 512GB of internal storage with additional external and 32GB of RAM since that isn't technically able to be expanded later.

24-32 GB should take care of your immediate requirements
If you're looking to keep the machine for 3-5 years, then 32 GB might still be okay but could perhaps be borderline, for that horizon 24gb may or may not work, even more dependent on the MacOS version you plan to be running in the future
48gb ram will take care of you for 5-7+ years

 

[FSMBP]

24-32 GB should take care of your immediate requirements
If you're looking to keep the machine for 3-5 years, then 32 GB might still be okay but could perhaps be borderline, for that horizon 24gb may or may not work, even more dependent on the MacOS version you plan to be running in the future
48gb ram will take care of you for 5-7+ years

Given the RAM constraints, I imagine Apple will prioritize optimization for MacOS over the next few years to keep the RAM requirement from increasing.

I think 24GB would have no issues with your workflow (I use Logic/PhotoMator and do light video editing with 16GB of RAM and don't have any slowdown issues).

32GB would be great if you have the funds...but not necessary at all. It would 'future-proof' but 24GB I'm sure will be fine 5 years from now.

 

[Ben J.]

Unless you need to run Logic, LR, imovie etc all at once, which I'm guessing you don't need to do, remember that with the cpu speeds of the M-series macs and their soldered SSDs, quitting one app and lauching another takes only a couple of seconds, and there is really no need for a lot of ram. I'm perfectly happy with 24GB because of this. Pro Tools and Lightroom is my two most essential applications. Just my two cents.

 

[Fishrrman]

OP wrote:
"My use is not very heavy..."

For the apps you listed, it's "heavy enough", I reckon.

These days (and with an eye on the future), I wouldn't buy ANY Mac unless it came with 32gb of RAM.
Nothing less...

(and although you didn't mention SSD size, I'd get 1tb to have "room for the future"...

 

[Macalicious2011]

Apple silicon Macs are very efficient, including for RAM usage. If I were you I would choose 24GB RAM and 1TB storage. Not as low as 16GB which is fine for lights but not as high as 32GB which is expensive and overkill.

MY previous M1 MacBook Pro had 16GB RAM and I edited and exported 4k videos whilst doing other work without hiccups, lag or stupid long export wait.

 

[bapegg]

I went with 24 GB on my M4 mini and I'm glad that I did. I don't do anything resource intensive but I do run three 1080 monitors. I usually have two Safari windows open, one with up to 20 tabs open at a time (depending on what I am researching) and the second Safari window is Youtube. I usually have Solitaire and there apps/documents open on the third monitor. My average RAM usage is 18-19 GB.

Granted, the more RAM you have , the more the system will use.

Now if you only running one monitor and also not trying to run a bunch of apps or have a bunch of tabs open in Safari then 16 GB will be fine.

The 8 GB of RAM on the NEO does fine and I usually use around 6 GB. I generally don't have a bunch of tabs open on the Neo and my amateur radio related programs don't use much resources either.

I personally have gone with 512 GB of storage on my 2018 and M4 Mini's along with external storage. Moving my photos and music to external drives helps depending on how much you have.

External storage might be hard to afford right now depending on what you get, but so is upgrading the internal storage.

 

[jazzer15]

I went with 24 GB on my M4 mini and I'm glad that I did. I don't do anything resource intensive but I do run three 1080 monitors. I usually have two Safari windows open, one with up to 20 tabs open at a time (depending on what I am researching) and the second Safari window is Youtube. I usually have Solitaire and there apps/documents open on the third monitor. My average RAM usage is 18-19 GB.

Granted, the more RAM you have , the more the system will use.

Now if you only running one monitor and also not trying to run a bunch of apps or have a bunch of tabs open in Safari then 16 GB will be fine.

The 8 GB of RAM on the NEO does fine and I usually use around 6 GB. I generally don't have a bunch of tabs open on the Neo and my amateur radio related programs don't use much resources either.

I personally have gone with 512 GB of storage on my 2018 and M4 Mini's along with external storage. Moving my photos and music to external drives helps depending on how much you have.

External storage might be hard to afford right now depending on what you get, but so is upgrading the internal storage.

I wouldn't get less than 24GB so we are talking about $200 to up that to 32. It's a big premium for another 8GB, but I am considering it because RAM can't be upgraded. External storage can always be added, so I am thinking maybe the $200 is a better insurance policy than $300 for the extra SSD space and just go with 512GB. My current iMac has a 1 TB SSD and a 2TB external. I am using only 245GB on the SSD and 75 of that could easily be moved to the external but it is music and I have left it on the internal SSD for faster access.

I am going to need external storage even if I get a 1TB internal because my external already has more than 1 TB on it. I figure I can either buy an external SSD to add to a mini, or if I want to roll the dice on prices, I can continue using my current external HDD for now and wait for a sale or prices to drop on SSDs, if that ever happens again.

The additional $500 for both 32GB of RAM and a 1TB SSD wouldn't break the bank, but it seems unnecessary to me since I feel like 24GB of RAM and a 512 SSD is probably the sweet spot for my use and would still give me some headroom.

 

[Macalicious2011]

^^
Just don’t over future proof with ram that you don’t need.

If you truly were to exhaust 32gb with super demanding tasks in 2 years, you will be better off upgrading to the next generation apple silicon that will offer performance bumps beyond what a jump from 24gb to 32gb could do with an M5 chip.

 

[Populus]

OP wrote:
"My use is not very heavy..."

For the apps you listed, it's "heavy enough", I reckon.

These days (and with an eye on the future), I wouldn't buy ANY Mac unless it came with 32gb of RAM.
Nothing less...

(and although you didn't mention SSD size, I'd get 1tb to have "room for the future"...

Yeah, looking towards the future, I have the same opinion. That's why I got the M5 with those upgrades... but I will probably upgrade my Mac once the M7 gen is released. And again, I'll pick the maximum amount of RAM, which hopefully by then will be more than 32GB

 

[Traveller604]

I'm kinda in the same boat as the OP, trying to decide whether to go with 24 GB or 32 GB. Generally is it better to go for as much memory as you can afford? So 32 GB over 24 GB?

 

[jazzer15]

I'm kinda in the same boat as the OP, trying to decide whether to go with 24 GB or 32 GB. Generally is it better to go for as much memory as you can afford? So 32 GB over 24 GB?

It's tough because Apple plays these games with pricing to tempt people into buying more. I'm looking at a 512 SSD and 32GB of RAM, and at that point the price is only $200 from the cost of the M5 Pro, which granted only comes with 24GB of RAM at base level, but is a good bit more powerful than the M6. It is also a good bit more computer than I need.

You can play the upgrade game all day, I guess.

 

[Populus]

I'm going to upgrade my i7 Intel iMac to an M6 mini. My use is not very heavy, but somewhat diverse - Recording a few audio tracks with Logic, occasional Lightroom or other photo editing, an iMovie or basic video here and there, an occasional CD or video rip, Plex audio (or infrequent video) streaming, and typical web, email, Word/Excel functions. My Intel has 32GB of RAM because it was user upgradeable, RAM was relatively cheap and, well, why not? I generally keep my computers as long as possible.

Is 32GB overkill for the mini given my use? I was thinking 512GB of internal storage with additional external and 32GB of RAM since that isn't technically able to be expanded later.

My take? If those are your uses and you think you're going to need that much RAM (I've heard that music creation tools like to have available RAM), I'd go straight for the M6 with those 32GB of RAM. If you think you can make do with 512 and external drives, go ahead, but mind you, 512GB get small rather quick if you move big files.

For those uses you mention, I wouldn't pick the M5 Pro. Even the 512/24GB could be a good fit for you, but if you want to spend more to have room in your RAM, go ahead and pay the extra $200.

 

[G5isAlive]

I'm going to upgrade my i7 Intel iMac to an M6 mini. My use is not very heavy, but somewhat diverse - Recording a few audio tracks with Logic, occasional Lightroom or other photo editing, an iMovie or basic video here and there, an occasional CD or video rip, Plex audio (or infrequent video) streaming, and typical web, email, Word/Excel functions. My Intel has 32GB of RAM because it was user upgradeable, RAM was relatively cheap and, well, why not? I generally keep my computers as long as possible.

Is 32GB overkill for the mini given my use? I was thinking 512GB of internal storage with additional external and 32GB of RAM since that isn't technically able to be expanded later.

A couple of months ago I would have said 24 GB is probably fine, but I use Lightroom a LOT, and recently have been working with 30, 110 mb files at once to combine them (HDR panoramas), and LR chokes on it.

If you can afford the 32 gb, I would say go for it. You know what you are doing today, not tomorrow.

 

[marclondon]

It's amazing how capable these machines are - I'm also using an i7 but a Mac mini, with 32GB ram and a 1TB SSD. As long as I keep enough disk space I can't really fault it for what I do (Adobe suite, large Office files, multiple browsers/tabs) but it's at the end of its support cycle and can't run Golden Gate.
So it's time to go for an M machine and having missed the M4 boat (they are sold out pretty much everywhere in the UK) I think I'll go for the M6 with 24GB ram and 1TB SSD.

 

[Cape Dave]

32GB

 

[blackxacto]

I'm going to upgrade my i7 Intel iMac to an M6 mini. My use is not very heavy, but somewhat diverse - Recording a few audio tracks with Logic, occasional Lightroom or other photo editing, an iMovie or basic video here and there, an occasional CD or video rip, Plex audio (or infrequent video) streaming, and typical web, email, Word/Excel functions. My Intel has 32GB of RAM because it was user upgradeable, RAM was relatively cheap and, well, why not? I generally keep my computers as long as possible.

Is 32GB overkill for the mini given my use? I was thinking 512GB of internal storage with additional external and 32GB of RAM since that isn't technically able to be expanded later.

I bought the 24” M4 iMac 10 core 16gbRAM, 1TB SSD a year ago. 16gb is not enough for even normal useage. I should have got 32 to 64gb. AND I CANT UPGRADE RAM for a 24” M4, Apple made it impossible.🤬

 

[ucfgrad93]

Get as much RAM as you can afford. Storage can be added later via external SSD.

 

[Macalicious2011]

32GB RAM cost more than 24GB but you will get much of that money back when you sell or trade-in your Mac. In 1-2 prosumers and professionals will be looking at 32GB as minimum.

 

[benholt]

For your workload the split honestly comes down to whether you'll ever have Logic open at the same time as Lightroom. If not, and it sounds like you probably won't, 24GB is genuinely plenty. Logic's virtual instruments are the RAM hog and they stay resident even when the app isn't foreground, but on a fast-SSD mini macOS pages them out cleanly if you're single-app.

Where 32GB earns its keep is Logic + Safari with a bunch of tabs + Plex simultaneously. That's when I've seen 24GB machines start compressing memory and getting stuttery on the "occasional Lightroom" side of your list.

Storage-wise 512GB is fine if you move Logic's sound library to external. Preferences > Sound Library > Relocate. Default install is 60+GB and grows with anything extra you download, so keeping it off the internal disk is worth the two minutes.

 

[Happy_John]

I'm going to upgrade my i7 Intel iMac to an M6 mini. My use is not very heavy, but somewhat diverse - Recording a few audio tracks with Logic, occasional Lightroom or other photo editing, an iMovie or basic video here and there, an occasional CD or video rip, Plex audio (or infrequent video) streaming, and typical web, email, Word/Excel functions. My Intel has 32GB of RAM because it was user upgradeable, RAM was relatively cheap and, well, why not? I generally keep my computers as long as possible.

Is 32GB overkill for the mini given my use? I was thinking 512GB of internal storage with additional external and 32GB of RAM since that isn't technically able to be expanded later.

Honestly? Buy the base M6 mini. Ignore people telling you to up the RAM - you can if you like, but 16gig will be enough, given the use- cases you're giving. You could upgrade the RAM if it makes you feel happier, but you don't need to.

Logic and Final Cut Pro need a lot of Ram if you have a huge amounts of tracks / plugins etc. in very complex projects If you don't, 16gig is fine.

Upgrade storage to 512Gb, and invest in a good external NVMe enclosure ( TB or USB4 ) - this will give you fats storage speeds easily comparable to the internal storage speeds from your iMac.

 

[Happy_John]

32GB RAM cost more than 24GB but you will get much of that money back when you sell or trade-in your Mac. In 1-2 prosumers and professionals will be looking at 32GB as minimum.

Meh, that's speculation, not fact.

What the second-hand market has shown over the years is that sellers generally don't get an appropriately higher return when selling Macs that have been specced beyond base level.

The only range that this had any significant effect on resale value was the non-retina MacBook Air, where the 8Gb remained a cheap but workable option whereas the 4Gb didn't. But, that was a specific model and those days are gone.

Resale value is not a good basis for upgrading from base spec at purchase.

 

[Happy_John]

I bought the 24” M4 iMac 10 core 16gbRAM, 1TB SSD a year ago. 16gb is not enough for even normal useage. I should have got 32 to 64gb. AND I CANT UPGRADE RAM for a 24” M4, Apple made it impossible.🤬

16Gb absolutely is.

I use a 16Gb Mac mini m2 pro with 16Gb Ram and 512GB internal storage ( base spec) - it happily covers all the use cases the OP lists.

 

[GregoryPeckEPA]

I'm going to upgrade my i7 Intel iMac to an M6 mini. My use is not very heavy, but somewhat diverse - Recording a few audio tracks with Logic, occasional Lightroom or other photo editing, an iMovie or basic video here and there, an occasional CD or video rip, Plex audio (or infrequent video) streaming, and typical web, email, Word/Excel functions. My Intel has 32GB of RAM because it was user upgradeable, RAM was relatively cheap and, well, why not? I generally keep my computers as long as possible.

Is 32GB overkill for the mini given my use? I was thinking 512GB of internal storage with additional external and 32GB of RAM since that isn't technically able to be expanded later.

You won’t notice 16 to 32. I went from an 8 mini to a 16 mbp supplied by work and couldn’t tell one lick. Given 8 was scraping the barrel you’d think I would have seen something increasing the ceiling. Nadda. SoC are a totally different animal than x86-64. They are completely modular and ever single hardware component has its own coprocessor, making the transfer from ram to swap feel undetectable.

Everyone is always making up wild numbers like you def need 32 its the min but has zero actual data to show. The only real data I’ve seen came from Eclectic Light when he tested the M1 and found ram to no longer really be a factor for SoC systems.

Given the price, 16 is more than adequate. 32 was bis only because costs were so low (even for Apple). Now that is no longer the case. Weird time line we live in.

 

[aakshey]

The thing is, 16 vs 24 may or may not make any difference today, while you're on Tahoe or Golden Gate. What about 3 years down the line? What about 6, 7 years down the line? 32 gb will likely cover you for a good 5-7 years, whereas 16 gb might start to show its age in max 2-3 years. And buying a whole new Mac after 3-4 years will be hell of a lot more expensive than buying 24-32 gb ram right now.