Originally posted by: BentValve
Thanks , this is probably a dumb question but I don't have a clue.
What are the uses for 8gb of memory?
BTW to upgrade to 8gb from 4gb is $1000.
The previous generation only comes with 2gb but can be upgraded to 4gb.
Processor is how fast the programs run, like how fast to encode a DVD to an AVI.
Hard Drive is how fast programs open, how fast files open, and how fast files are saved.
Memory is how much stuff you run at the time time. Think of memory as square footage for your computer - the bigger your room (memory) is, the more stuff you can put inside. A tiny room (or small amount of RAM) can't hold that much stuff, but a larger room can hold more stuff. So having more memory means that when you have 20 tabs open in Safari, you won't see a slowdown. Or when you're running Photoshop, Illustrator, Safari, GarageBand, and iMovie, your computer doesn't bog down from running out of memory.
All three of those are tied together - the best minimal configuration for OS X is a fast dual-core Processor, 4 gigs of RAM, and a speedy 7200rpm Hard Drive. You can get by with 2 gigs of RAM no problem, but 4 gigs is really a
lot better - Windows is more performance-optimized for a faster processor, but Mac is more performance-optimized for more memory, meaning that your computer will run better with more RAM rather than a faster processor like in Windows. Having 4 gigs in there will help your system run butter-smooth! As far as having 8 gigs of RAM goes, unless you're doing professional work (such as Video Editing or 3D) or running a lot of virtual machines, you don't really need more than 4 gigs to run a great system.
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