Advantages of 12GB RAM in M3 Macs

Since the M1’s release in 2020, Apple Silicon Macs have come standard with 8GB of unified RAM, with the technology giant charging steep premiums to upgrade to 16GB of memory. A debate based on recent information suggests that we could see 12GB RAM variants as standard with the debut of the M3, which will appeal to many Mac customers who recognize the advantages of having more RAM installed in their computers.

Based on speculation on the M3 Pro and M3 Max’s anticipated memory configurations, it is estimated that M3 Macs will launch with 12GB of unified RAM.

Customers may currently choose between 16GB, 32GB, or even 96GB of unified RAM in current-generation MacBook Pro models that can be equipped with either the M2 Pro or M2 Max. The two MacBook Pro models under testing at the moment, the M3 Pro and M3 Max, have 36GB and 48GB of unified RAM, which is a distinctive design as far as RAM upgrades are concerned, according to Mark Gurman in his ‘Power On’ newsletter.

“The amount of RAM in Macs from the M3 generation may undergo another adjustment. The MacBook Pros being tested include 36 and 48 gigabytes, indicating some potential new features. At the moment, customers may buy MacBook Pros in 16-, 32-, 64-, and 96-gigabyte capacities”

Thankfully, Vadim Yuryev on X, a YouTuber, revealed that Apple’s M3 series of Macs would come with 12GB of unified RAM. This is based on the combinations Gurman published in his newsletter. The author of the article notes that the 48GB M3 Max is four times more expensive than the original M3, which might result in the latter offering 12GB when it is installed in many Macs.

If this occurs, Apple deserves praise for addressing the needs of its consumers because 8GB RAM was a noticeably low starting point, especially given that these machines are aimed at professionals who require every gigabyte for launching several apps. Users are very much trapped with paying all of that extra because there is no other method for them to manually increase RAM than by setting the parameters on Apple’s website, filling the company’s coffers.

Ideally, Apple will increase the minimum RAM size to 12GB, and while they’re at it, they should think about doing away of the 256GB storage variants and replacing them with 512GB models. Nowadays, it just takes a few application installations to consume that capacity, thus any improvement would be greatly welcomed.