Why is there no 36GB RAM option for MacBook Pro M5 Pro?

Arqaeran wrote:

macbook pro m5 pro with 32gb ram configuration!!

I get that great craftsmanship isn’t cheap, but what I don’t get is this… why offer 48 gigs of memory with an M5 Pro, but not 36? If the Pro chip can handle 48, then 36 clearly doesn’t require a Max chip… So what exactly is the concern? Are you worried that if customers get a sensible 36-gig option, fewer people will buy the more expensive tier? If that’s the case, then have confidence in your own products. Folks who need the Max chip will still buy it… Apple has always been about creators and independent thinkers. So why not give those people the freedom to choose the memory that fits their needs? I’m not asking for discounts… Just the choice. If you’re confident in your lineup, what exactly are you afraid will happen?

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steve626 wrote:

In the past, buyers used to be able to mix and match almost any combination of memory and storage with the chip that was selected.

In recent years, the selections have gotten a bit convoluted. Part of this may be due to technical reasons, part to marketing ones, part to "RAMageddon". For example, you could once custom-order a plain M4 Mac mini with 32 GB of RAM, but Apple pulled the option even though it was still available on other Macs using plain M4 chips.)

That said, even with M1-family chips, you couldn't get any combination of processor and RAM size. Higher-end Apple Silicon chips usually offer greater RAM-SoC bandwidth than lower-end ones. That may involve the use of more RAM dies so a higher-end chip can access more RAM dies in parallel.

If I remember correctly,

• Plain M1 chips were surrounded by two RAM dies. Macs using them could have 8 or 16 GB of RAM.
• M1 Pro chips were surrounded by two RAM dies. Macs using them could have 16 or 32 GB of RAM.
• M1 Max chips were surrounded by four RAM dies. Macs using them could have 32 or 64 GB of RAM.
• M1 Ultra "chips" were surrounded by eight RAM dies. Macs using them could have 64 or 128 GB of RAM.

It was obvious that for M1 Pro, Max, and Ultra machines, there were only two RAM die sizes: 8 GB and 16 GB. The differences in RAM configuration choices were not arbitrary, but were a natural consequence of connecting all RAM interfaces to RAM dies of the same size.

Building on what Servant of Cats has said:

You can think of the memory dies soldered next to the processor broadly as a fixed number of "memory slots" -- except that Apple gets to decide what sizes they want to solder into them. And Apple has to bear the HIGH cost of having an additional part number and additional thousands of spare parts sitting on shelves around the world, earning nothing until they are used. There is a large amount of pressure to have FEWER variations. Apple wants to limit the choices so that they cover what Apple has decided is their market, and nothing more.

In the Pro model, above 32 GB, there are vanishingly few users who see 'no 36 GB in the PRO model' as a deal-breaker when 48 GB is available as an option. Most will curse at the price, and buy the 48.

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Another observation is that memory pricing is not generally a simple function of memory size. As the chip-maker's yields get better for the larger sizes, prices tend to ease slightly, so that 'double the size' is no longer 'double the price'.

It is entirely possible that at the volume Apple buys, 48 GB -- 32 G chip and a 16 GB chip -- is not 1.5 times the price (or even 1.25 times the price) of a 32 GB chip and a 4 GB chip.

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Another interesting phenomenon is all the chips of a certain variety, fast and slow, come from exactly the same die. They are selected at Test time, right before packaging.

Selection testing occasionally produces chips that have a defect that affects only half or one quarter of the memory array. Rather than discard those chip completely, if designed carefully some of these chips can be patched with a laser or blown fuses to produce "half-sized" or "3/4 sized" chips.

So it is possible Apple could be using two 32 GB dies with one quarter on each chip "patched out" by the chip maker to get to 48 GB from two modified 24 GB chips.

Arqaeran wrote:

macbook pro m5 pro with 32gb ram configuration!!

I get that great craftsmanship isn’t cheap, but what I don’t get is this… why offer 48 gigs of memory with an M5 Pro, but not 36? If the Pro chip can handle 48, then 36 clearly doesn’t require a Max chip… So what exactly is the concern? Are you worried that if customers get a sensible 36-gig option, fewer people will buy the more expensive tier? If that’s the case, then have confidence in your own products. Folks who need the Max chip will still buy it… Apple has always been about creators and independent thinkers. So why not give those people the freedom to choose the memory that fits their needs? I’m not asking for discounts… Just the choice. If you’re confident in your lineup, what exactly are you afraid will happen?

In the past, buyers used to be able to mix and match almost any combination of memory and storage with the chip that was selected. However now, it appears that only specific "bundles" are offered. So if one orders a Mac with a certain chip or with a specific amount of storage, that may only come with certain "bundles" and not all combinations are possible anymore. I can only speculate as to why this has happened but my guess would be that it has to do with manufacturing efficiency, to limit the number of combinations one can order.

I have been exploring the various options for MacBook Pros as I need to eventually replace the 2019 16" MacBook Pro I have been using. I did notice some of those same restrictions on combinations that you did, but it's not a showstopper in my view, one can still come up with a pretty good variety of combinations and configurations.

"Why is there no 36GB RAM option for MacBook Pro M5 Pro?: macbook pro m5 pro with 32gb ram configuration!!"

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Having Lost of RAM:

Just Curious:

Why so much RAM? RAM is practically about multitasking, taking info off of the processor, so the CPU can go about its own business. For someone just going about your own business (browsing the web to streaming content). 8GB would be just fine. As for 32GB or above, then that's something I would recommend for someone who has to perform gaming, or have multiple applications open at once (Virtual Machines, Zoom Meetings, Games, and Screensharing, and Streaming).

Edit:

Having Lots of RAM: