Unlock the Right Amount of Laptop Storage for Your Needs
Memory vs. Storage: What’s the Real Difference?
When it comes to buying a laptop, you’ll often be faced with a tough decision: how much memory (or RAM) to configure with. And, just like storage, more memory is generally more expensive. For example, the 14-inch MacBook Air (with an M3 chip) starts with 8GB of unified memory, but if you upgrade to 16GB or 24GB, you’ll shell out an extra $200 and $400, respectively.
So, what’s the difference between memory and storage? In simple terms, memory (or RAM) is the amount of data your laptop can temporarily hold while storage is the amount of data it can permanently hold.
If you’re someone who often has multiple programs open at the same time – especially if you’re rendering high-quality videos or playing video games – you’ll need more memory (RAM) for your laptop to handle it. On the other hand, if you’re someone who stores a lot of files on your laptop, such as photos and videos, you’ll need more storage.
But what about everyday web browsing? If that’s all you do, you probably don’t need much RAM. As with storage, we recommend configuring your laptop with a little more than the base amount, just in case. If you’re running serious programs, you likely already know you’ll need to upgrade to 16GB, 32GB, or more of RAM.
How to Check Your Current Laptop’s Storage
To get a better sense of your actual needs, start by checking how much storage on your current laptop is being used. Check your storage readout, and you might be surprised to find that you’re not even using half of what’s available. This can help you avoid paying for more storage than you need.
