I have a chance to buy a friend's well-maintained laptop for a good price, but I'm worried about the 24 GB of RAM it has. Is that enough for multitasking while doing development work? I often have multiple browser tabs open, run Docker in the background, and switch between programming tasks. Currently, I limit my VM memory usage to 8GB using `.wslconfig` since my current 16 GB laptop struggles with that setup. Given my experience with insufficient memory, should I stick with this 24 GB option, or hold out for something with more RAM?
5 Answers
Coming from years of experience, I think 16 GB is a bare minimum for serious tasks. 24 GB should be fine for web development, but if you frequently run into performance issues, consider upgrading to 32 GB later on if possible.
If your dev environment is light, you can manage on much less. I’ve been on 16 GB for years without any issues. Just make sure your Linux setup isn't too heavy!
It all depends on the complexity of your Docker containers. For most hobby projects and light workloads, 24 GB should handle it well. Just keep an eye on memory usage!
I’m using an 8 GB setup too and it works perfectly. If you’re considering 24 GB, it feels like overdoing it for standard tasks 😂. You’d be good unless you run something heavy.
Honestly, I think 24 GB is way more than you'll need for most dev tasks. I used to run with just 8 GB and managed fine with VSCode, multiple browser tabs, and even a server. You’d probably be overkill on 24 GB!
Well, it really depends on what you’re running in Docker. Some setups can be pretty heavy. But for typical projects, 24 GB should definitely work well.
Right?! I started with only 4 MB years ago, and although it was rough, I got through. Technology has come a long way!
Definitely true! Just don't get caught off-guard by memory leaks, as they can eat up your RAM when you least expect it.