> Uncles don’t let relatives buy less than 16gb ram. That has been my standard since ~2010 and our 2013 mbp is still running fine because I insisted on it.

Just last weekend I bought 8gb ram thinkpad t14 for an elderly relative. 240 EUR.

It replaces his thinkpad x220 where the fan and ssd slowly dies.

I doubt it becomes an issue, and if it does then I can upgrade it later.

You can do it once and spend an extra hundred dollars or do it twice, including occasional restrictions to the user. Poor tradeoff imho.

This is a young person with a long life ahead, we shouldn’t buy disposable ewaste with a short life.