Memory 

Your Mac relies on memory to keep the files and apps you’re running open and available. Memory stores data temporarily, providing much faster access to your apps and files than storage.

M-series chips include high-performance unified memory, which is more efficient than traditional RAM. This single pool of high-performance memory allows apps to efficiently share data between the CPU, GPU, and Neural Engine — so everything you do is fast and fluid. This means you can do more with unified memory than you could with the same amount of traditional RAM.

The amount of memory that’s right for you depends on how you will use your Mac. The more memory you choose, the more apps you can run simultaneously and the better they will perform.

16GB: Ideal for browsing online, streaming movies, editing photos and personal videos, gaming, and running multiple productivity apps.

24GB: Recommended if you will be multitasking across a large number of memory-intensive apps, including audio and video production workflows.

Note: Unified memory is not user accessible. If you think you may need additional memory, it’s a good idea to add it now.

Storage 

Mac uses fast SSD storage to store your apps, documents, photos, movies, music, and other files and libraries.

How much storage you need depends on how you use your Mac. The more storage you have, the more files your Mac can hold and the faster it can access them when needed.

On your Mac, go to System Settings > General > Storage to learn how much storage you’re using. If you’re nearing your limit, it’s a good idea to consider a larger capacity.

Note: Storage is not user accessible. If you think you’ll need more internal storage in the future, you’ll want to select your capacity with that in mind now.