IMac - 8GB vs. 16GB RAM

[sgage]

I am seriously considering purchasing a 24" iMac in the near future. I'm wondering if 8GB RAM is enough, or if I should spring for 16. I am somewhat funds-challenged. My usage is average - web browsing, word processing, listening to music, the occasional YouTube, email. No video editing or anything like that. Would 8GB be enough?

And while I'm here... is the keyboard that comes with the iMac as tiny as it looks in the pics I've seen? Is it usable for normal hands? I do a fair amount of writing, so I'm hoping it's OK.

TIA!

 

[Cory Cooper]

Hello and welcome.

For basic usage as you described, 8 GB should be plenty.

The Apple Magic Keyboard that comes with the iMac is a standard sized keyboard for one without the numeric keypad. It is approximately 11" wide.

Hope that helps!

C

 

[AutoMac]

I am seriously considering purchasing a 24" iMac in the near future. I'm wondering if 8GB RAM is enough, or if I should spring for 16. I am somewhat funds-challenged. My usage is average - web browsing, word processing, listening to music, the occasional YouTube, email. No video editing or anything like that. Would 8GB be enough?

And while I'm here... is the keyboard that comes with the iMac as tiny as it looks in the pics I've seen? Is it usable for normal hands? I do a fair amount of writing, so I'm hoping it's OK.

TIA!

Oh please do go for 16GB as 8GB is ludicrously small on a beautiful iMac. I had 8GB on an earlier iMac and it continually grunting and searching to swap in and out portions of code to allow Ito run under the small 8GB ‘umbrella’. I now have 32GB on a newer iMac (for some photo editing) and whilst it is much better, I suspect it would be even happier with 64GB….

 

[MacsBug]

I second what AutoMac said.. 8 may be enough if your running a single app at a time, but I think that 16 will give you a better experience.

 

[dadders6]

I am seriously considering purchasing a 24" iMac in the near future. I'm wondering if 8GB RAM is enough, or if I should spring for 16. I am somewhat funds-challenged. My usage is average - web browsing, word processing, listening to music, the occasional YouTube, email. No video editing or anything like that. Would 8GB be enough?

And while I'm here... is the keyboard that comes with the iMac as tiny as it looks in the pics I've seen? Is it usable for normal hands? I do a fair amount of writing, so I'm hoping it's OK.

TIA!

In 2020, I purchased a a 24", then discovered in 'About this Mac" it was manufactured in 2017!? So I guess it was sitting on the shelf for a while (Best Buy). It came with 8 gigs of RAM and I've had no problem with typical usage. I do a fair amount of video work with iMovie and it handles that fine. Also do some audio work with other programs, no problems. I also don't like the 'tiny' Mac keyboards so I'm using a regular, full size, Dell brand keyboard.

 

[dadders6]

In 2020, I purchased a a 24", then discovered in 'About this Mac" it was manufactured in 2017!? So I guess it was sitting on the shelf for a while (Best Buy). It came with 8 gigs of RAM and I've had no problem with typical usage. I do a fair amount of video work with iMovie and it handles that fine. Also do some audio work with other programs, no problems. I also don't like the 'tiny' Mac keyboards so I'm using a regular, full size, Dell brand keyboard.

 

[deliriouscat]

Based on the type of work you're describing, 8GB of RAM should suffice for your needs. It's plenty for browsing, writing, emails, and casual multimedia consumption. The only time you might need more is if you decide to venture into heavier tasks like video editing or running multiple heavy apps simultaneously. You can check out this video for a more thorough review.

Regarding the keyboard, it's really a matter of personal preference. Some people find the Apple Magic Keyboard comfortable and easy to use, even though it's a bit compact. But, if you're doing a lot of typing and aren't comfortable with it, there's no harm in investing in a third-party keyboard that suits your hands better.

 

[AutoMac]

In 2020, I purchased a a 24", then discovered in 'About this Mac" it was manufactured in 2017!? So I guess it was sitting on the shelf for a while (Best Buy). It came with 8 gigs of RAM and I've had no problem with typical usage. I do a fair amount of video work with iMovie and it handles that fine. Also do some audio work with other programs, no problems. I also don't like the 'tiny' Mac keyboards so I'm using a regular, full size, Dell brand keyboard.

You may find that your 24” iMac is still of the ‘last generation’ where you can change the RAM - go to crucial.com and run a RAM check to tell you whether you have user-configurable RAM. I also purchased in that year for precisely that reason. With current iMacs you are stuck with what you buy….

 

[Nurgle2024]

i bought a 24" iMac 8Gig in Feb 2022.. while I works beautifully, I use Photoshop 2023 now, ann day long, and that is a problem. as it multiplies its 'disk' use as working space, an on mac silicon, that space is on the same chip. while I have 1.5 Tb SSd's attached through USBC as scratch space, that 'disk' blinking is constant. and about once a week photoshop will just up and quit, often at the most inappropriate time, say after retouching for 2 hours on one image, etc. i regret not getting the 16gig, and it was dam stupid of apple to never offer a 32 gig..

 

[TonyAguila]

I watched a YouTube video review of the new M2 Mac mini with 8 gibibytes of RAM and 256 gigabytes storage. It was clocked at slower than the M1 Mac mini, and even the 2018 intel Mac mini. I don’t want to go into swaps and caches and other issues. Suffice it to say that, in short, since 8 gibibyte of RAM is contained in one SSD chip, it does not benefit from the speed of two chips working together (analogous to the speed advantage of RAID 1). It is also expected to lower the life of your SSD in half because of the added strain.

My suggestion is to go with at least 16 gibibytes of memory and 528 gigabytes of storage.