Upgrading my Macbook Pro from 2GB to 4GB. Worth It?

Question

I looked online and I can upgrade my 2 year old Macbook Pro, 17 inch, from 2GB to 4GB for around £64. (Roughly $100).

I was wondering your opinions on if it was worth the upgrade? I mostly use my Mac for video watching, Internet surfing, and so on. I often have a few small applications running.

Your views?

Answer 1

I have no hard numbers but I saw a drastic improvement on my MBP when I went from 2 to 4 GB.

Especially with multiple apps open, it made a difference for me.

Normally I'm running the following:

Textmate
Firefox - 6-8 open tabs
Navicat
Pixelmator
NetNewWire

I also run the laptop as a Apache server (PHP & mySQL) where I'm doing development.

If you use any virtual applications (VMWare, Parallels, etc...) you'll get great results.

Answer 2

Measure your memory usage, then deiced.

Use Activity Monitor to see how much free memory you have in everyday usage. If you have >25% free, then I would not worry about it. If you have <10% then I'd think about upgrading. In between? Eh...either way...

How much longer do you think you'll have it?

Answer 3

I would say yes, I always put the maximum amount of ram possible in any notebook, just don't buy it direct from apple as you have to pay the apple tax.

Answer 4

4Gb is the sweet spot for RAM on a recent Intel Mac. So if you plan to work with the Book for at least a year, do it. It will increase the second hand price too.

Answer 5

I agree with the other posters. 4GB is the sweet spot for Macs - very noticeable performance gains. I upgraded my MBP and can't imagine going back.

That said, if you are just surfing it may not be worth it for you.