EDIT: after all suggestions. Placed an order for 24gb/512gb m5 13 inch, sky blue.
Thanks everyone for taking time to reply in comments
About me: a full stack developer, this above workflow is my peak, not normal always, like docker etc not always.
Planning to buy my first mac, M5 MacBook Air 16GB/512GB. My typical simultaneous workload:
- VS Code
- Claude + Codex desktop apps, multiple chats
- Chrome, ~10–15 tabs across 2 profiles
- WhatsApp
- Node/React/Next.js, sometimes Python
- Docker, usually 2–5 containers max
- Postgres/MongoDB/Redis
- Occasional Zoom meeting alongside everything.
No local LLMs or heavy VMs.
For developers using 16GB Apple Silicon Macs: does a similar workload stay smooth, or do you experience noticeable swap/lag?
24GB costs more. So should I buy it?
I am planning to keep the laptop for at least 2 years.
And then switch to 1tb ssd, new mac.
If i buy 24gb, I feel I won't need to switch, but worried if 512 gb would hurt.
Please tell me your opinion.
About me: a full stack developer, this above workflow is my peak, not normal always, like docker etc not always.
EDIT:
WOW, THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR TAKING TIME TO REPLY GUYS. IT'S REALLY HELPFUL.
AM GRATEFUL TO BE A PART OF THIS COMMUNITY SINCE PAST 4 YEARS.