Question Is it wise to buy a new laptop with 8gb RAM?!

[ash1980]

Hi all,

I must prefix my query by saying that I am fully aware that what a machine is used for dictates what specs are needed.
I'm just saying this to save you time if this is going to be your only advice.

Background:
I am in the market for a laptop which doesn't really travel much outside of the house, but does need to be mobile so can be moved around the home and is not stuck in a fixed place like a PC. As it's not traveling much, size isn't a huge factor and in fact the 15" ranges with number pads on the keyboard are my ideal.

I don't game at all (well ok maybe solitaire once in a blue moon!)
I multitask a lot, chrome is my main browser and very commonly I have multiple tabs/windows open, alongside multiple MS Office applications that include heavy excel SpreadSheets and PowerPoints.

So I'm only considering i7 CPUs, SSDs seem to be fairly standard nowadays, and then comes the RAM!

The main point:
I am considering this Lenovo S540 which seems to have everything I need:
https://www.currys.co.uk/gbuk/computing/laptops/laptops/lenovo-ideapad-s540-15-6-intel-core-i7-gtx-1650-laptop-1-tb-ssd-grey-10193746-pdt.html

However, it only comes with 8gb RAM and further complication that 4gb of it is soldered on to the MB.
Although 8gb RAM is fine for my needs now, I'm not sure what the trends of software development is or has been over the recent years and am I likely to need more RAM say 5 years down the road?!
Now that I'm spending so much money on a machine, I would rather it be a little future proof too and not just serve my needs of today (hence the prefix at the top).

At this point I am a little stuck and would appreciate some help/food for thought on the following questions that are circling my mind:

1. Is 8gb RAM an unwise decision when buying a new laptop today? (i.e. the trend is moving towards needs of higher RAM)
2. Is it more sensible to spend a little more and buy better to future proof?
3. I can upgrade the 4gb in the RAM slot to 16gb (giving me 20gb in total), but what would this mean in terms of 'dual channel' functioning?
4. Am I going to see any improvement at all by upgrading the single RAM module?
5. Is that upgraded setup with 20gb (4gb soldered + 16gb module) going to be significantly slower than 2x8gb (16gb total) running dual channel?

Again all the above should be considered with the fact that I'm not talking about gaming, but significant multitasking, without serious or professional video or photo editing (just some occasional basic personal hobby type stuff).

I would be very grateful for your input and thoughts...

Thanks
Ash

 

[USAFRet]

1. More RAM is better. 8GB is getting sort of slim, even for that usage.
2. Yes
3. Unknown
4. Better to start with what you need, rather than relying on a potential 'upgrade' in the future
5. Unknown if it will accept a future 16GB stick paired with the existing 4GB.

 

[ash1980]

1. More RAM is better. 8GB is getting sort of slim, even for that usage.
2. Yes
3. Unknown
4. Better to start with what you need, rather than relying on a potential 'upgrade' in the future
5. Unknown if it will accept a future 16GB stick paired with the existing 4GB.

Thank you very much for your response.
Can I quiz you a little more if you don't mind?

Let's assume that I can upgrade my one module of RAM and install a 16gb stick... and let's assume further that they are compatible and work together with the soldered RAM.

How much of a factor is 'dual channel' (or lack of it) in that set up?

Am I going to be seeing a major difference between that set up vs another machine with same spec apart from if it had 2x 8gb RAM which allows dual channel??

I have read somewhere that going from 8gb (2x4gb) and replacing one of the modules to higher capacity may even have an adverse effect on speed.
How true is that in your eye and would you kindly elaborate?

Thanks
Ash