Soldered RAM means you better guess right the first time.

It makes upgrading impossible, so if you skimp, VMs will be a headache.

Virtual machines eat RAM. A single Windows VM needs at least 4GB to be usable, 8GB to be comfortable. Run two, plus your host OS, and you’re looking at 16GB minimum, 32GB if you want room to breathe.

With soldered RAM, you get one shot. Buy 8GB now? You’re stuck with that forever. Even lightweight Linux VMs will struggle. Buy 16GB? That’s workable but tight. 32GB? You’re fine.

The real problem isn’t soldered RAM itself — it’s irreversible under-provisioning. If you know your workload upfront and max out the config, soldered is fine. But most people don’t, and laptop makers love selling 8GB base models that look cheap but become e-waste in two years.

Future you will thank you for the extra 16GB now.