Buying a Mac isn’t as easy as it sounds. Sure, you’ve got the budget to cover the price tag, but now you’re faced with spec decisions, and Unified Memory stands out as one of the most confusing. It’s Apple’s take on RAM and replaces both traditional RAM and VRAM. For most people, 16GB is the sweet spot since it’s enough for everyday use and some light creative work. With apps and AI tools getting heavier than ever, however, how much Unified Memory you need will vary case by case.
Here’s everything you need to know.
What Does Unified Memory Mean on Mac?
Introduced with the transition to Apple Silicon, Unified Memory is a SoC-level component that serves as the RAM and VRAM on Macs. Unlike traditional systems or Intel-based Macs that use separate pools of memory for the CPU and GPU, Unified Memory is located as a single package on the SoC. This removes delays and helps transmit information between various components of the system at a higher bandwidth.
This architecture also allows Macs to allocate memory dynamically based on the needs of each process, ensuring efficient use of the available memory. As a result, even Macs with seemingly modest memory configurations, like 8GB or 16GB, can handle complex tasks that would typically require more memory.
How is Apple’s Unified Memory Different?
In traditional PCs, the CPU and GPU have dedicated memory pools, which can lead to inefficiencies. For example, if the GPU needs more memory but the VRAM is maxed out, it can’t simply borrow the system RAM without significant performance penalties. Unified Memory eliminates this bottleneck, allowing all Apple Silicon Macs to handle memory-heavy tasks more efficiently than the majority of Windows PCs.
Besides that, Apple’s Unified Memory is faster than typical DDR RAM used in PCs because it’s integrated right into the SoC with a wider memory bus. For example, the M4 chip can deliver a memory bandwidth of 120GB/s. On the other hand, dual-channel DDR5 memory on traditional PCs tops out at just 67GB/s.
How Much Unified Memory Does My Mac Need in 2025?
The amount of Unified Memory you need directly depends on your use case and workflow requirements. I personally find 16GB to be the perfect amount of Unified Memory and recommend it to the majority of users. It offers enough performance headroom for students and casual users. Even with 16GB of Unified memory, your Mac will be able to handle light video editing and day-to-day tasks without any problems.
Apart from your use case, it’s also equally important to consider your future requirements. If you plan to use your Mac for the next five years, 24GB RAM will be a significantly better option. The additional 8GB memory will make sure your Mac can easily support upcoming software updates without slowing down.
Anything above 24GBs is when you enter the professional territory. I would only recommend it to you if your work involves dealing with large AI datasets, editing high-res videos, deploying virtual machines, or frequently working with memory-intensive apps like Logic Pro with large sample and instrument libraries.
For $200 I would increase all the way to 32GB vs 24GB. More is better. Especially 5 years from now.
If the Mac ever becomes a viable gaming system, you will want more memory.
Jeff:
A lucid and tidy summary.
And all this at a fraction of the energy consumption, providing longer battery life for laptop.
For many tech observers, both professional and lay, it was obvious that Apple’s bet on SoC was going to be a ‘game-changer’, to use that hackneyed but apposite phrase. Having seen its test drive in the 2018 iPad Pro line up (the M1 is essentially spec-bumped version of the same chipset), and its successful rollout in the initial Mac lineup, it was obvious that the industry would follow, and it is.
I still think that other under-appreciated death-knells to the X86 chipset include the superior capability and performance of machine learning on the SoC, as well as novel security protocols, which Apple were able to field-test over several years on the iPad and iPhone systems prior to rollout on the Mac.
I also think, in retrospect, it is easier to appreciate Apple’s roadmap to getting their consumer base to accept pre-configured devices, which have been the subject of user complaint particularly on ‘pro’ devices, which will no longer be an option with SoC powered devices. Pre-configured devices are new standard.
Thanks for the summary.