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Dealing with the base tier storage on M2 Macbook Air?
source link: https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/dealing-with-the-base-tier-storage-on-m2-macbook-air.2398927/
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Dealing with the base tier storage on M2 Macbook Air?
I'm looking to buy a M2 Macbook Air for my spouse to use for studies, web browsing, watching Twitch, some image editing etc. Nothing too demanding, so I feel the base spec MBA is the right machine for her.
But at the same time I'm worried about the base 256 GB storage space. While it's the same amount her Windows laptop has and she still has about 40 GB left on that after about 4 years, I'm worried that over time it's not going to be enough, with each OS version claiming more space.
But how about alternatives to just spending Apple's ******** disk space upgrade prices? How well could I expect e.g baseline MBA + external USB-C/TB drive to work? Keep the apps etc on the MBA and move data to the external disk for less used things?
Other than being more inconvenient, do you think this would be a viable strategy? I see that 1TB USB-C drives go for less than 100 euros vs Apple asking for 230 € for 256 -> 512 GB.
But at the same time I'm worried about the base 256 GB storage space. While it's the same amount her Windows laptop has and she still has about 40 GB left on that after about 4 years, I'm worried that over time it's not going to be enough, with each OS version claiming more space.
But how about alternatives to just spending Apple's ******** disk space upgrade prices? How well could I expect e.g baseline MBA + external USB-C/TB drive to work? Keep the apps etc on the MBA and move data to the external disk for less used things?
Other than being more inconvenient, do you think this would be a viable strategy? I see that 1TB USB-C drives go for less than 100 euros vs Apple asking for 230 € for 256 -> 512 GB.
ilikewhey
macrumors 68040
May 14, 2014
3,497
4,477
nyc upper east
sounds like a viable option, i just grabbed a samsung 970 evo 2tb for 70 bucks from amazon, if you want realistic $/gb getting a external is your best bet.
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CloudsNeverDie
CloudsNeverDie
macrumors regular
Apr 11, 2015
Especially with SSD prices being at historic, amazing historic lows right now, this absolutely makes sense and is a viable strategy.
You can pick up an M.2 SSD enclosure for <$20 here in the US, and a high quality 2TB SSD like the Solidigm P41 Plus can be had for just $70. That's $90 total for 2TB of space, compared to Apple charging $800 for the same thing.
The performance of these enclosure can be more than adequate (assuming you get a recent one that supports USB 3.1 Gen 2), and with a good quality SSD you can expect 1GB/sec or more, compared to 1.5GB-2GB/sec on the MBA's own SSD (base model). Unless you're moving lots of very large files around, you won't notice the difference in speed.
Keeping your data on an external drive is no issue in Mac OS, and 256GB will likely be enough for your system and apps. The main question you should ask yourself is, are you OK with the inconvenience of having an SSD dangling off your USB-C port constantly, and having to make sure you always have it with you if you want to access your files?
Of course you can always keep frequently accessed files locally, or use a cloud drive service which manages the space efficiently so you only keep the frequently used files on your internal SSD.
You can pick up an M.2 SSD enclosure for <$20 here in the US, and a high quality 2TB SSD like the Solidigm P41 Plus can be had for just $70. That's $90 total for 2TB of space, compared to Apple charging $800 for the same thing.
The performance of these enclosure can be more than adequate (assuming you get a recent one that supports USB 3.1 Gen 2), and with a good quality SSD you can expect 1GB/sec or more, compared to 1.5GB-2GB/sec on the MBA's own SSD (base model). Unless you're moving lots of very large files around, you won't notice the difference in speed.
Keeping your data on an external drive is no issue in Mac OS, and 256GB will likely be enough for your system and apps. The main question you should ask yourself is, are you OK with the inconvenience of having an SSD dangling off your USB-C port constantly, and having to make sure you always have it with you if you want to access your files?
Of course you can always keep frequently accessed files locally, or use a cloud drive service which manages the space efficiently so you only keep the frequently used files on your internal SSD.
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