512GB internal SSD vs 1TB Fusion + 1TB thunderbolt SSD

I got a BF offer for the base iMac 5K at 10% off from a store.

I was going to order the base model with a 512GB SSD instead of the fusion drive. But with this new deal I'm starting to wonder if it's a wise decision.

For the money I would pay for the CTO 512GB SSD I could buy an external Thunderbolt raid with 2x512GB SSD, plus I'd have the Fusion drive as well.
It will probably not be as fast as the internal SSD and I'd rather keep my desk free from external drives. But it would probably be fast enough and it seems like a much better deal.

What would you choose for the same price?

1TB Fusion + 1TB External SSD
or 512GB internal SSD

OK, I went ahead and ordered the one with Fusion drive. It seemed like a good enough offer and I will have it delivered next week instead of who knows when.

It bugs me a little to have one with a mechanical drive, but on the other hand I can get a lot of external storage for the money I save. I hope I will be happy with that decision.

cincygolfgrrl said:

I opted for the 512 and have no regrets, but I do have a couple of drives hanging off the the back.

Click to expand...

Yeah, I would have gone with that if it wasn't for the price difference with this deal. I could of course switch the internal HDD out for an SSD but I'd rather not open the thing up right away, so I'll go for an external solution.

Not sure if I'm going to run the system off the Fusion drive or the external SSD however.

Thinking about it, this might actually be the best solution for me. I'll split up the fusion drive, use the internal SSD as a system drive and and external SSD for user files. Then use the internal HDD for Time Machine backup.

That way at least the system will run at internal SSD speeds and the user files drive will be pretty quick as well. I'll have a convenient backup solution and I'll be able to take the user drive with me and connect it to my MacBook.
Plus I can upgrade the external SSD as prices drops.

Seems like both a flexible and affordable solution.