Hi all,
Just about to perchase a refurbished mac. Im looking at an M2 10 core macbook air. But will 8GB of ram be ok?
Im a guitaist and gerally only use 1 vst per rack space + FX and internal blocks.
Any advise would be appreciated.
I can’t answer you for Mac because I use Windows but I have an old spare PC from 2012 with 8 GB and I have no problem using it with GP.
I also use my guitar in MIDI with samplers and sound banks which I manage correctly in terms of RAM.
You shouldn’t have any problems if you don’t use sample banks.
To be confirmed by MAC users.
Good to know, im only using nural DSP, THU and guitar rig 7.
Are you currently using GP with a Mac? Have you seen how much ram you currently use?
I’ve noticed that some of the all-in-one guitar plugins (like AmpliTube) use a lot of ram. This may be mostly bloat due to UI.
I will check my ram. Im currently on windows, However I have a lot more trust in Mac for live applications.
I don’t use Guitar Rig or Amplitube but the virtual amps work with modelling and the use of RAM won’t have any effect.
On the other hand it’s the cpu load that will be more or less impotrtant depending on the plugins.
Here’s a summary table I’ve just created to compare 3 virtual amps, each with 8 internal FX plugins used.
| MODEL | Int. FX | RAM | CPU (GP) |
|---|---|---|---|
| TH-U OVERLOUD | 8 | 430 MB | 9,00 % |
| NEURAL DSP CORY WONG | 8 | 240 MB | 30,00 % |
| S-GEAR SCUFFHAM AMPS | 8 | 200 MB | 15,00 % |
Thats an amazing resource, thank you. Just to confirm what im seeing. Your saying that the cpu is more important than RAM? In which case, is an 8 core M2 suitable?
I’m playing Bass gigs with an 8GB RAM 256GB SSD M2 Mac Mini. 8 cores. No problem, rarely as much as 50% Memory Pressure. Usually 2/3 FX in a rackspace and Amp in global, plus associated utility blocks.
At home running email messages and browser as well, still no problem but pressure rises to 75%
For you for now 8GB should be enough in my experience, but more RAM is more future proof…
I also do gigs with synths in the Rackspaces too, and even 2 audio chains (for the Stick).
This is the biggest rackspace I gig with at present. Stick, synth, vocoder looper…
Still no issues with 8GB 
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Thats great! Thank you for the response, will have a good look at the softwear your running.
so update, I Have brought a MacBook Air M2 with 8GB of ram. everything seems to be running great. the machine itself is going to look amazing on stage!
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