[stodge]

I've been looking at the Acer Switch Alpha 12 and it has 4Gb of memory. Most likely I will use it for:

- browsing
- Skype video calls
- email
- social media (ideally native apps)
- facebook
- twitter
- watching youtube or Netflix (don't care about 4k)
- perhaps Football Manager 2010? :)

Let's say I use these and leave Edge open with several tabs and the facebook, twitter and email apps open.

Would 4Gb be enough for this with smooth and quick switching between apps? Or would I absolutely need 8Gb?

Thanks

[ven07]

Skype vid calls and football manager would probably be the most resource hungry. So those two together would need a lot more than just 4GB. If you're going to be multitasking heavily, I'd rely on the 8 instead.

The 4 might be able to handle it, but you'll notice some lag imo

[Chippy757]

Correct, more ram is more important than say a cpu. With 4gb on Surface I often see it using 80% + of memory.

[Greywolf1967]

To be honest 4 Gig is enough for just simple Internet/email a few minor apps. However if you get used to Windows 10 on an Atom based Tablet with 2 Gig, to my mind 4 Gig is almost a sweet spot!!!

[ven07]

To be honest 4 Gig is enough for just simple Internet/email a few minor apps. However if you get used to Windows 10 on an Atom based Tablet with 2 Gig, to my mind 4 Gig is almost a sweet spot!!!

Lol the bliss of not knowing better xd

[xandros9]

4 GB should be fine for those tasks unless you start opening more than a dozen tabs, use virtual machines or do everything you mentioned at once.

[RumoredNow]

I recently got the Switch Alpha 12 with Core i5, 8GB RAM and 256GB SSD. I won't go back.

If you can find that configuration, it's really worth it. I came from a Core i3, 4GB RAM with HDD and I'm never going back. It's not just the multitasking, it's also the things that are resource hungry as ven07 says. I see a big difference in Photo and Video Editing even when I have little else open.

[stodge]

I actually bought a Surface Pro with the m3 + 4Gb and 128Gb SSD and returned it. The CPU was a bit slow and 4Gb wasn't enough. The virtual keyboard was very inconsistent and it always ran warm.

I did look at the Acer in the store but they only had the m3/4Gb/128Gb. I didn't realise until later than the Acer has the 6th gen Intel while the Surface Pro has the 7th gen.

[sporosarcina]

I use a Surface 3 with an x7 atom and 4GB and it runs W10 fine, even a number of games.

[Greywolf1967]

Lol the bliss of not knowing better xd

I do know, my game rig has 8Gig ( +2 on Video Card), all be it a much older i5, but even at 2 Gig ram on tablets if you use it knowing ahead of time multi tasking is not the best you can still function.

My Acer W3 runs fine on Windows 10, but I don't try to run something like PUBG on it and expect it to run.

4 Gig is more then manageable if your not looking to do hardcore tasks, with 4 Gig just keep your multi tasks to 2 things at a time.

[ven07]

I do know, my game rig has 8Gig ( +2 on Video Card), all be it a much older i5, but even at 2 Gig ram on tablets if you use it knowing ahead of time multi tasking is not the best you can still function.

My Acer W3 runs fine on Windows 10, but I don't try to run something like PUBG on it and expect it to run.

4 Gig is more then manageable if your not looking to do hardcore tasks, with 4 Gig just keep your multi tasks to 2 things at a time.

You know better :p but if you haven't tasted the freedom of a better system, you won't know any better. Obviously if you go into this knowing that the 4GB will limit you, there shouldn't be any issue whatsoever. Unfortunately this isn't applicable to everyone.