Mac hardware
We help to solve your hardware hassles, from interrupted upgrades to running diagnostics
More memory or larger storage?
Q My current Mac mini has 16GB of memory, but sometimes struggles when it’s running major tasks. Should the Mac Studio I’m getting to replace it come with 32GB RAM and a larger internal SSD, or will I need 64GB?
by PAUL MASLIN
A Working out how much memory you need in a new Mac is never easy, but one of the best indicators is how much swap space your current Mac uses when working on larger and more challenging tasks. macOS manages memory very efficiently, and makes the most of all the physical RAM available to it. Activity Monitor’s Memory view provides colour-coded Memory Pressure and a figure for the amount of Swap Used,
that’s the space on its hidden VM volume used as an overflow for real memory.