The reason is simple: while the 8GB version of the M1 is a stunningly capable machine, it does have less headroom than the 16GB version. If you have that £200 and can spend it without breaking the bank, do it. To add another 8GB to the base spec version, Apple asks for an additional £200 (ignore the 7-core/8-core GPU thing – it has zero impact on anything and you can do without that extra core). Thankfully, this makes the buying process for the iMac (at least, the RAM element) pretty straightforward. You can’t upgrade them yourself these days, therefore you’re stuck with whatever you buy from the outset. It’s particularly important advice now that Macs are essentially sealed boxes. And for as long as I can remember, the advice has always been, “buy as much RAM as you can afford”. You see, as game-changing as the M1 might be, it still relies on the basic principles of computing.

This is where we take a step back to the old way of thinking. After all, if the performance is all but identical until you reach into the upper echelons of creative or development work, is it really worth your hard-earned? You may now be wondering why on earth you’d ever bother spending the extra cash on 16GB of RAM. But I really do put them to task, and I feel I’ve experienced both the 8GB and 16GB variants for long enough now to offer you the best buying advice for the 24” iMac. I don’t throw development work at my M1 Macs. The only time I’ve ever spotted the 8GB struggling was during a particularly complicated 4K timeline in Final Cut Pro. No, really for everyday computing tasks and even photo editing, they perform identically. I can’t tell the difference between either version of the M1. The former rests in my MacBook Air, while the latter sits in my Mac mini, which is my default video and audio editing rig. As noted, I use both the 8GB and 16GB versions of the M1 every single day. In a world where you can still buy a 16” MacBook Pro that can be configured with 64GB of RAM, the M1 appears ludicrously underpowered. What gets their goat the most, however, is the fact the M1 maxes out at 16GB of RAM. To them, it’s a toy, far too new to be reliable and incompatible with all but the most dumbed-down apps and platforms. Some people continue to scoff at Apple silicon.

Every single day, it helps me run my business, smash my to-do list and ensure my videos and blogs are published on time and in the best possible shape. I’ve been using the M1 chip since launch.

Imac 8gb vs 16gb ram