Memory

Your Mac relies on memory to keep the files and apps you’re running open and available. Memory stores data temporarily, providing much faster access to your apps and files than storage. M-series chips include unified memory, which is more efficient than traditional RAM. This single pool of high-performance memory allows apps to efficiently share data between the CPU, GPU, and Neural Engine — so everything you do is fast and fluid. This means you can do more with unified memory than you could with the same amount of traditional RAM.

The amount of memory that’s right for you depends on how you will use your Mac. The more memory you choose, the more apps you can run simultaneously and the better they will perform.

16GB Ideal for browsing online, streaming movies, editing photos and video, gaming, and running multiple everyday productivity apps.

24GB Recommended if you will be multitasking across a large number of memory-intensive apps, including audio and high-resolution video editing.

32GB Best if you typically work on advanced projects that require enormous files and content libraries.

Note: Unified memory is not user accessible. If you think you’ll need additional memory, it’s a good idea to upgrade now.

Storage

Mac uses fast SSD storage¹ to store your apps, documents, photos, movies, music, and other files and libraries.

How much storage you need depends on how you use your Mac. The more storage you have, the more files your Mac can hold and the faster it can access them when needed.

A good way to figure out your storage needs is to check how much storage you’re using on your current computer. On a Mac, go to System Settings > General > Storage. If you’re nearing your limit, it’s a good idea to consider a larger capacity.

Note: Storage is not user accessible. If you think you’ll need more internal storage in the future, you’ll want to select your capacity with that in mind now.