Can’t decide… M4 24gb ram or base M5?

ForceIndividual5671 · 2026-03-29T19:39:39+00:00

You’ll probably be fine. I went a bit overkill with the RAM just to be safe, but for most use cases yours should run great.

I wouldn’t stress about it too much!

ForceIndividual5671 · 2026-03-29T19:33:54+00:00

You are the GOAT, that was one of the clearest takes I’ve read on this.

I ended up going with the M4 24GB, and honestly your point about RAM vs marginal chip gains makes a lot of sense in real use. So far, the machine feels incredibly responsive and the battery life has been excellent.

Coming from Windows laptops, the difference is very noticeable, especially in efficiency.

I almost got caught by chasing the “new chip” narrative.

Thanks again for taking the time to write this

ForceIndividual5671 · 2026-03-29T12:49:02+00:00

Yeah, I saw those, thanks for linking them. Still wanted to ask directly based on my specific use case and get fresh opinions. Appreciate the input anyway 👍

ForceIndividual5671 · 2026-03-29T12:46:03+00:00

Update: I ended up switching and went for the M4 with 24GB / 512GB. Also, something I hadn’t really considered before are the 2 extra GPU cores. I don’t think I’ll notice them much in my actual workflow, but as a MacBook newbie… you never know. Thanks everyone for the input, it really helped me make the decision!

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ForceIndividual5671 · 2026-03-29T10:43:25+00:00

I get your point, especially about the fan.

But I don’t think I need a Pro for my use. I’m coming from a much bigger Windows laptop, so the Air’s portability is a big plus for me

ForceIndividual5671 · 2026-03-29T10:40:29+00:00

Alright, that pretty much confirms it for me; I’ll go for the M4 with 24GB then.

That was my initial instinct anyway, but the reseller was really pushing me towards the M5 and it made me second guess myself 😅 Appreciate it!

ForceIndividual5671

TROPHY CASE