Do you have to buy a new Mac and want to bring home something that has a lot of memory? Then you will probably be tired in trying to figure out what is more convenient – buy a Mac with Fusion Drive technology, or simply opt for a Mac with more RAM?
This is not a foregone question – both solutions imply a not negligible expense. For example, buying a new Mac and expanding the RAM from 8 GB to 16 GB will cost you more or less 200 euros if you request this change at the time of purchase. Having a hard drive installed with Fusion Drive technology will cost you a slightly lower figure (around 120 euros), but you could find yourself spending even 500 euros if it fails. As you can guess, both solutions have advantages and defects.
What is Mac’s Fusion Drive?
Before proceeding, it is necessary to clarify what the Fusion Drive is. Specifically, it is a hybrid hard disk that contains both a common HDD and an ultra-fast SSD. This means that you will have at your disposal both a physical memory of 1TBwhere to cram your files, is a 24 GB SSD that will allow you to get several improvements as regards the speed of start of the Mac and software. However, all that glitters is not all gold – as already mentioned earlier, the Fusion Drive hard drives are much more delicate than normal and, in the event of a failure, repair is a very expensive operation.
What are the advantages of having more RAM?
As an alternative to Fusion Drive, you could opt for upgrading the RAM of your new Mac. Why should you do it? Having a Mac with 16 GB of RAM is a truly unique experience, especially since you will find that the memory management and software started will definitely be easier and faster. The real advantages of RAM, however, you see especially when you find yourself using more software together, especially if we talk about very complex programs, such as those for video editing. In addition, to underline the fact that with a RAM of 16 GB you will no longer have problems related to the active memory occupied by browsers.
Which one to choose when buying the Mac? More RAM or Fusion Drive?
The Fusion Drive is a better choice from a performance point of view, but it is limited in time. What does this mean? If you have to go to a major expansion (for example from 2 TB or even 3 TB), you will have to spend a lot of money, and always have that concern concerning the fragility of this technology. On the contrary, expanding the RAM of your new Mac is a slightly more expensive choice in the immediate, but cheaper in the long run – 16 GB should theoretically be sufficient for the next 4-5 years, after which it is likely that the 16 GB will become what is now the 8 GB of RAM, or the standard.
Increase the RAM and install the Fusion Drive with the DIY after the purchase
Actually, the cheaper option is to expand the RAM of the Mac or create a hard drive Fusion Drive, with some healthy DIY. Some models of Mac, in fact, allow to expand the memory through a rear panel and have no limitation as to RAM installable. And the same can be said for Fusion Drive, considering that the cost related to components is around 100 euros. Obviously – especially in the last case – to do this with the do-it-yourself you will have to be an expert since what raises the commercial price of the Fusion Drive is above all the manpower.
The choice is yours; you just have to go to the Apple website and proceed with your order.
