How is this possible?
Is Apples least expensive Mac, the MacBook Air, really capable of high-end professional work?
And a lot of that is down to some extremely clever use of memory.
Apple
RAM vs SSD
First, what is RAM, exactly, compared to SSD storage?
The filing cabinet is the SSD.
The desk is RAM.
Apple
In computer terms, having more RAM is like having more desk space.
your rig can work on more open apps and documents at once, without slowing down.
When the tabletop is full, the computer can “swap” data back to the SSD.
This usually slows things down considerably, because an SSD is typically 10 times slower than RAM.
Why dont we just add more RAM?
Because it costs more, and it cant store anything when switched off.
The M1 Macs handle this all a little differently.
Its like they were able to leverage the level of optimization of the iPads, but on Macs.
Thats how M1 Macs work.
Note the size of the “swap.”
And yet Lightroom remained completely responsive, with zero slowdown.
Will You Ever Need 16GB?
For instance, when rendering and exporting big video files.
In conclusion, then, most people will be just fine with the base 8GB model.
Then again, theyre so capable that they might redefine what a “pro” machine actually is.
