MacBook Pro M5 24GB RAM Deals: The Best Value Configuration [2025]

The MacBook Pro RAM Paradox Nobody Expected

If you've been shopping for a new MacBook Pro and feeling slightly frustrated by Apple's infamous RAM pricing, there's genuinely good news for once. B&H Photo, one of the largest electronics retailers in the US, is currently selling MacBook Pro M5 models with 24GB of RAM at prices that rival discounted 16GB configurations from other retailers. This isn't a typo, and it's not some obscure budget brand doing a fire sale. This is a legitimate market correction that highlights something unusual happening in the Mac laptop space right now.

For years, upgrading RAM on Apple products has been considered one of the worst value propositions in consumer tech. Jump from 8GB to 16GB? That'll cost you

The reason this matters goes beyond just saving a few hundred dollars, though that's certainly nice. The jump from 16GB to 24GB of RAM is actually meaningful for specific workflows. Video editors, software developers, data analysts, and anyone running multiple virtual machines will feel the difference. And if you're considering this laptop as an investment that might last five to seven years, the extra RAM becomes increasingly valuable as applications grow more demanding.

Let's break down what's actually happening in the market, who should care about this deal, and whether the extra RAM is worth chasing.

Why RAM Upgrades on MacBook Pro Usually Feel Like Highway Robbery

Apple's RAM pricing has always been aggressive, but it became particularly controversial starting with the M-series transition. When the company started soldering RAM directly to the motherboard in M1, M2, and M3 MacBooks, they lost the ability to offer it as an easily replaceable component. This meant you had to choose your RAM configuration at purchase time, or you were stuck with what you got.

The pricing structure that emerged was genuinely punishing. A base 16GB MacBook Pro would cost

Industry observers have called this out repeatedly. The actual cost to manufacturers for 24GB of unified memory is nowhere near

What made this particularly frustrating is that other premium laptop manufacturers started following suit. If you wanted a premium Windows laptop with maximum RAM at the config stage, you weren't getting much better deals. The entire market seemed to accept that the moment you wanted above-base specs, you'd pay through the nose.

So when deals like the one B&H is currently running appear, they stand out not just for the savings, but for showing that retailers still have leverage to negotiate around Apple's pricing structure. This particular deal is notable because it's not just a discount on the 24GB configuration. It's that the 24GB model is being sold at a price point that's close to or identical to what other retailers are asking for 16GB units after applying their own discounts.

The Specific Deal: 24GB M5 MacBook Pro Pricing Right Now

Let's get into the specifics of what B&H is actually offering, because understanding the exact positioning is important for deciding whether this applies to you.

The core offer is straightforward: certain 24GB MacBook Pro M5 configurations are priced competitively against 16GB models that other retailers have discounted. This creates an unusual situation where choosing the higher-spec model doesn't cost you more, and might actually cost less depending on which models you're comparing.

For example, if you're looking at a 14-inch MacBook Pro M5 with 24GB of unified memory and 512GB of storage, the B&H pricing puts this in a specific range. Meanwhile, a 16GB version of a similar configuration, after typical retailer discounts, often lands in the same ballpark or even higher. The math that usually punishes you for choosing the better spec suddenly works in your favor.

The specific configurations available vary depending on when you're shopping, which is why it's worth checking directly rather than taking the pricing at face value. The deal isn't just on the base M5 either. B&H has historically applied similar pricing strategies across different MacBook Pro tiers, so there might be opportunities on M5 Pro or M5 Max configurations depending on current inventory and promotional positioning.

What makes this particularly clever from a consumer standpoint is that you're not getting a deal that requires waiting for some holiday promotional period. This is happening during a normal retail window, suggesting it's either inventory management on B&H's part or genuine competitive pressure in the MacBook market right now.

Who Actually Needs 24GB of RAM in a MacBook Pro

This is the critical question, because while a better deal is always nice, you need to know if the extra RAM will actually matter for your work.

Software Developers and Engineers: This is probably the strongest use case for 24GB. If you're running a development environment with Docker containers, multiple browser tabs, an IDE with full indexing, and maybe a few virtual machines, RAM consumption gets real fast. A typical developer workflow on a 16GB MacBook involves some careful juggling of what you keep open at any given time. With 24GB, you can keep everything you need running simultaneously without constant context switching or waiting for swap to kick in.

Video Editors and Motion Graphics Professionals: Adobe Premiere Pro, Final Cut Pro, and Da Vinci Resolve all benefit significantly from abundant RAM, especially when working with 4K or higher resolution footage. Timeline scrubbing becomes smoother, effects render faster in preview, and color grading operations that would normally require extensive cache management become more responsive. The difference between 16GB and 24GB here is tangible, not theoretical.

Data Scientists and Analysts: If you're working with datasets in Python or R, or running statistical analysis on larger files, RAM becomes your bottleneck. Pandas Data Frames, NumPy arrays, and machine learning model training all scale with available memory. 16GB might force you to sample your data or process it in chunks. With 24GB, you can often work with the full dataset in memory, speeding up analysis and reducing processing complexity.

3D Rendering and Design: Applications like Blender, Cinema 4D, or Autodesk Maya love RAM. Complex scenes with high polygon counts, detailed textures, and complex simulations all benefit from having more memory available. Your render times might not change, but preview performance, scene manipulation, and iterative design work all become faster.

Virtualization: Running Windows in Parallels Desktop or VMware Fusion, especially if you're running multiple VMs simultaneously, benefits greatly from extra RAM. Each virtual machine gets its own memory allocation, so 24GB gives you more flexibility to allocate 8GB to a Windows VM while keeping your macOS environment responsive.

If your workflow is primarily web browsing, email, document editing, and video conferencing, honestly, 16GB is probably fine. macOS is reasonably memory-efficient for these tasks. But if you're doing any of the above professionally, where your time is billable and your frustration tolerance has limits, 24GB is a noticeable quality-of-life improvement.

How MacBook Pro Unified Memory Actually Works

Before you make a decision, it's worth understanding why RAM on Apple Silicon is actually different from what you might be familiar with from Intel Macs or other laptops.

Unified memory is Apple's term for the shared memory architecture they use in M-series chips. Instead of having separate memory pools for the CPU and GPU (which is the traditional architecture), Apple's design gives both processors direct access to the same memory pool. This eliminates unnecessary data copying and makes data sharing between CPU and GPU operations incredibly efficient.

What this means practically is that the RAM overhead is different than on traditional architectures. A task that might need 8GB of dedicated GPU memory plus 8GB of system RAM on an Intel MacBook might only need 12GB of unified memory on an Apple Silicon Mac. The efficiency gain is real, though it varies depending on the workload.

However, this efficiency also means you can't upgrade the memory after purchase. It's integrated into the SoC (System-on-Chip) during manufacturing. This makes choosing the right amount upfront critical, because unlike a PC where you can pop out a RAM stick in five minutes, a MacBook Pro memory configuration is permanent.

The advantage to unified memory shows up most dramatically in tasks that move large amounts of data between CPU and GPU operations. Video processing, machine learning inference, image processing, and 3D rendering all benefit from this architecture. The disadvantage is that you're locked into your choice, making it even more important to get it right.

M5 vs. Earlier MacBook Pro Generations: The Generational Leap

The M5 chip itself is worth understanding in context of this RAM discussion, because the value proposition changes depending on when your previous MacBook was manufactured.

Apple's M-series has evolved steadily over three generations: M3, M4, and now M5. Each generation brings improvements in both CPU and GPU performance, with M5 showing noticeable gains in multi-threaded workloads and GPU-accelerated tasks. The M5 claims roughly 15-20% better performance than M4 in most benchmarks, with some tasks seeing even larger gains depending on what's being tested.

For someone upgrading from an Intel-based MacBook Pro or even an early M1 MacBook, the jump to M5 with 24GB is genuinely substantial. You're not just getting more RAM, you're getting a chip that's dramatically more capable. Combined with the faster unified memory bus in M5, the extra 8GB of RAM becomes even more useful than it would have been in an M4 or M3 configuration.

If you're already running an M4 MacBook and considering the M5 upgrade, the decision is more nuanced. The performance improvement is real but not earth-shattering. If your current machine feels fast enough, the M5 with 24GB might not justify the cost of upgrading. But if you're running into RAM constraints regularly or hitting performance ceilings in specific applications, the combination of generational improvement plus more RAM starts to make economic sense.

Storage Considerations: 512GB vs. 256GB vs. 1TB

While we're talking about MacBook Pro specs, storage is the other variable that interacts with your RAM decision in ways that aren't obvious.

macOS uses dynamic paging, which means if you run out of physical RAM, the system will use storage space as virtual memory. This is slower than actual RAM, obviously, but it's functional. The implication is that having larger storage gives you more headroom for this paging behavior if you do run into memory constraints.

Moreover, if you're dealing with video files, datasets, or large project files, storage fills up fast. A 256GB MacBook Pro is workable for many professionals, but it forces constant file management and cleanup. With 24GB of RAM, you're likely to be doing RAM-intensive work, which means you probably also benefit from having more storage available for scratch files and project materials.

The B&H deals are worth examining from the storage angle too. Sometimes the best value isn't on a 512GB configuration, but on a 1TB model that's been discounted to a price point that makes sense relative to other options. The math on these bundles is worth calculating carefully.

Display and Connectivity: The Rest of the M5 MacBook Pro Package

Since we're talking about getting better value in the MacBook Pro space, it's worth appreciating what else comes with these machines that justifies the premium pricing overall.

The M5 MacBook Pro, whether 14-inch or 16-inch, includes Apple's latest Liquid Retina display technology. These are legitimately excellent screens for professional work, with P3 color gamut coverage, excellent brightness, and minimal motion blur. For content creators, designers, and anyone who spends eight hours a day looking at a screen, the display quality matters and is hard to replicate elsewhere.

Connectivity includes Thunderbolt ports that handle data transfer at extremely high speeds, which matters if you're working with external storage or high-speed peripherals. Three Thunderbolt ports on the 14-inch, four on the 16-inch, gives you flexibility without requiring a hub if you're mindful about cable management.

The keyboard and trackpad have improved iteratively over recent generations, and the current M5 generation continues that refinement. The trackpad is legitimately large and responsive, the keyboard has good key travel without being noisy, and the overall build quality is as premium as you'd expect from a $2,000+ computer.

None of this directly affects whether 24GB of RAM is the right choice, but it's worth remembering that you're not paying that premium just for the chip and memory. The entire package is designed for professional work, and when you get a deal like B&H is currently offering, you're unlocking value across the entire system.

Comparing This Deal to Standard Apple Pricing

Let's do some concrete math to illustrate why this B&H situation is actually unusual and worth paying attention to.

Apple's official pricing for a 14-inch MacBook Pro M5 breaks down roughly like this: Base 16GB configuration starts around

B&H's current approach appears to be offering 24GB models in a price range that competes with what other retailers are charging for 16GB after discounts. This effectively erases the $400 RAM upgrade premium that Apple bakes into the system.

Why is B&H doing this? Several possibilities. First, they might have better inventory of 24GB configurations and less demand for 16GB models right now, making it advantageous to move the higher-spec inventory. Second, they might be using this as a loss leader to drive traffic, making it up on ancillary sales like Apple Care or software. Third, they might simply have better negotiating power with Apple than other retailers, allowing them to offer more aggressive pricing on certain configurations.

From a competitive standpoint, other retailers watch B&H's pricing closely, so there's often a spillover effect. Other major electronics retailers might match or come close to matching these prices, even if unofficially. This creates a window where the RAM upgrade suddenly makes financial sense in a way it normally doesn't.

The math is compelling: if you were going to spend $1,999 on a 16GB MacBook Pro anyway, and you can get 24GB for the same price, the decision-making process simplifies dramatically. You're not choosing between RAM and something else. You're simply choosing the better configuration at the price you were already planning to spend.

Apple Care and Extended Coverage Considerations

One more financial angle worth considering: Apple Care protection plans and how they interact with your RAM decision.

Apple Care Plus for a MacBook Pro is roughly

However, Apple Care doesn't cover RAM specifically beyond normal hardware failure. If you're betting that extra RAM will extend the useful life of your MacBook from five years to six or seven years, Apple Care becomes more valuable. A machine with 24GB is less likely to become obsolete due to insufficient memory than one with 16GB, meaning you can keep using it productively for longer.

This is subtle but real. Professionals often keep MacBooks in service longer than consumer users do, and the longevity equation favors better specs. If you're going to own this for five years professionally, the extra RAM investment starts to amortize differently than if you're planning to sell or replace it in three years.

Other Retailers and Price Matching: Where Else to Look

B&H isn't the only place you'll find competitive MacBook Pro pricing, though they're currently leading the charge on the 24GB configurations.

Amazon regularly runs discounts on MacBook Pro inventory, particularly around promotional periods. Their prices typically track close to B&H's, and they offer the advantage of Prime shipping if you're a member. Amazon's return policy is also typically more lenient than specialized electronics retailers, which might matter if you want maximum flexibility.

Best Buy, another national electronics chain, offers similar inventory but sometimes with slightly different promotional focus. They occasionally have exclusive deals or loyalty member discounts that aren't visible upfront. Calling a local Best Buy or checking their website specifically might reveal options that don't show up in national searches.

Smaller local electronics retailers vary wildly in their pricing and inventory. Some will price match B&H or Amazon if you bring the pricing to their attention, which can matter if you value picking up the machine locally rather than having it shipped.

Apple's official retail stores are worth considering from a service standpoint, even if pricing is exactly what the website says. The ability to actually hold and test the MacBook, talk to knowledgeable staff, and handle returns without shipping hassles has value that's hard to quantify financially but matters practically.

The strategic approach is to identify the configuration you want, check B&H's current pricing, then use that as a benchmark to check Amazon, Best Buy, and any other retailers you prefer. Most major retailers have price match policies that they'll honor if you present them with a better offer elsewhere.

Future MacBook Pro Generations and the RAM Upgrade Path

One more consideration that changes your math: what happens when the next generation MacBook Pro appears.

Apple typically refreshes MacBook Pro lines annually, usually in the fall. The M6 will almost certainly arrive at some point, likely within the next 12-18 months. When it does, the current M5 inventory will be cleared aggressively, potentially creating even more dramatic pricing opportunities.

However, this also means your current purchase decision has a time dimension. If you buy the M5 with 24GB right now at a good price, you're locking in your hardware choice for the next five or more years. The M6, whenever it arrives, will be faster, but probably not so dramatically faster that waiting becomes worthwhile from a pure performance standpoint.

The exception to this is if you're expecting major architectural changes. Apple has been relatively predictable about their M-series evolution so far, with incremental improvements rather than revolutionary changes. Unless rumors of something dramatic surface, the M5 should remain relevant and capable for most professional workflows for at least five to seven years.

This affects the RAM decision because more RAM helps your current hardware remain viable longer as software demands increase. The combination of solid performance from M5 with abundant RAM from 24GB creates a machine that will age gracefully.

Practical Steps for Finding and Verifying These Deals

If you're ready to take action, here's how to actually find these deals and make sure you're getting what you think you're getting.

Start by visiting B&H Photo's website directly and navigating to their MacBook Pro section. They organize by model, generation, and spec configuration, which makes it straightforward to find 24GB configurations. Check the current pricing for multiple models and configurations so you understand their full pricing strategy.

Take note of what other specs come with the M5 model you're considering. Is it 256GB or 512GB storage? What about display size? What color? These details affect pricing and also affect your actual satisfaction with the purchase, so don't gloss over them.

Compare B&H's pricing to Amazon's current MacBook Pro pricing and Best Buy's pricing. Use a spreadsheet or notes app to track the exact configurations and prices. This prevents confusion later and makes it obvious where the actual deal is.

Check return policies for whichever retailer you choose. B&H typically offers 30 days for returns, with some conditions. Amazon offers the same or better depending on your Prime status. This matters because you'll want the flexibility to return if something is wrong.

If you have any questions about specific configurations or want to verify pricing, B&H's customer service is actually quite good, both online and by phone. They're used to people asking detailed questions about electronics, so don't hesitate to confirm details before purchasing.

Making Your Final Decision: Is the M5 with 24GB Right for You

After all this analysis, the decision-making process actually gets simpler.

Ask yourself these questions in order:

First: Am I doing professional work where RAM-intensive tasks are a significant part of my workflow? If yes, 24GB becomes genuinely worthwhile, not just nice to have. If you're in creative fields, development, analysis, or virtualization, the answer is probably yes.

Second: Am I planning to keep this MacBook for at least four years? If yes, the longevity argument for better specs becomes stronger. Machines with more RAM age more gracefully as software demands increase.

Third: Am I getting the M5 at a significantly better price than I could a year ago or would expect to pay six months from now? The B&H deal creates a genuine window where the answer is probably yes, making now a reasonable time to purchase.

If you answered yes to at least two of these questions, the M5 MacBook Pro with 24GB at B&H's current pricing is almost certainly a smart purchase. You're getting a machine that's genuinely capable for professional work, at pricing that actually makes the RAM upgrade make financial sense.

If you answered no to most of these questions, the 16GB configuration is probably fine. It's a capable machine for most work, and the $400 premium for 24GB isn't worth paying Apple's official pricing if you don't need the RAM.

The deal itself—24GB at 16GB pricing—is unusual enough that it's worth acting on if you were already considering a MacBook Pro purchase. These windows don't open very often, and they tend to close when inventory rebalances or promotional periods end.