Even with 16GB RAM (with over half not in use), Windows would STILL use the page file, which even with an SSD would slow the system down considerably. It basically doesn't ever use a page file anymore except for a crash dump. One nice thing about 16GB is I was able to turn down the page file to about 400MB (yes MB not GB) instead of 16GB. It sounds like your needs will be less, so 8GB would probably be fine. Quickbooks sucks up about 1GB and Firefox is the obvious hog (still never understand why FF perpetually uses more and more memory by the second, only fix is to close out and restart FF) using about 2GB. I do intend to do some more video work (haven't yet, so can't compare) and viewing Resource Monitor, I am regularly using about 7GB running those programs. Now with my new T540p, it came with 16GB RAM and SSD. The biggest improvement I made to that system was to upgrade to an SSD. I did do some very light video editing/rendering which I know that more RAM will help with a lot.
I didn't have any super heavy tasks, but these were my main ones: Multiple windows of Firefox, one or more with 30+ tabs Quickbooks 2016, Foxit PDF viewer, WinXP in a VM with 1gb RAM (not always running), sometimes MS Office 2003. On my previous laptop, I ran Win7 with 8GB RAM and it was awesome. Lenovo Photo Library (including lots of wallpapers)
Mirror of Hardware Maintenance Manuals for discontinued models Lenovo Windows Digital Download Recovery Images Lenovo Parts Removal and Replacement Videos (select ThinkPad tab) Specification guides for discontinued models (all the way back to 1992!) When reinstalling Windows, try the Lenovo disc images, as longer battery times have been reported, probably due to custom drivers. A can of compressed air may be useful too, and a bottle of isopropyl alcohol and cotton buds are good for cleaning, but not on the screen. The only tools you need for servicing a ThinkPad are a set of small screwdrivers and a nylon spudger (for taking the screen and keyboard bezels off), and possibly a pair of tweezers. Corporate bulk purchasers don't usually go for it. Not only will it have better brightness, colour, contrast and viewing angles - you will most probably more than make up the investment when selling it. When buying a new ThinkPad, consider taking the IPS screen option if possible, as it doesn't cost much. When buying a used ThinkPad, remember to check that the BIOS is not locked with a supervisor's password and that Computrace is not enabled and activated. For IBM/Lenovo ThinkPad laptop enthusiasts.