128 GB MAC-SSD question

[mrkapqa]

Question:

if get an Mac with 128 GB SSD, will i be able to successfully put my home folder and everything data onto an External SSD via Hub/direct Thunderbolt, and therefore have less likely a early breakdown of SSD?
or wont it make a big difference, since MacOS will still write a lot of Data onto Internal SSD, even if i put home folder to external storage (provided this is possible with newer versions of MacOS)?

thanks.

 

[rpmurray]

The OS is going to do a lot of reading and writing to that internal SSD, so unless it's replaceable/upgradable at a later date, I'd go for at least a 512GB. With Apple soldering RAM and SSD to the logic board, I'm of the opinion that you should only put the OS and apps on the internal and everything else on an external.

 

[richmlow]

Question:

if get an Mac with 128 GB SSD, will i be able to successfully put my home folder and everything data onto an External SSD via Hub/direct Thunderbolt, and therefore have less likely a early breakdown of SSD?
or wont it make a big difference, since MacOS will still write a lot of Data onto Internal SSD, even if i put home folder to external storage (provided this is possible with newer versions of MacOS)?

thanks.

Don't get a Mac (or any computer) with only an internal 128GB SSD. The storage is much too small for modern systems.


richmlow

 

[Juicy Box]

For the all the comments saying that 128GBs isn't big enough, this is such a subjective statement.

It totally depends on what one plans on doing with the Mac.

My wife is currently daily using a MBA with only 64GB. I cannot remember the exact amount of free space she has, but it is probably over 50% free.

The OP didn't specify what Mac they had in mind nor what they plan on doing with it, so hard to say if 128GB would be adequate or not.

if get an Mac with 128 GB SSD, will i be able to successfully put my home folder and everything data onto an External SSD via Hub/direct Thunderbolt, and therefore have less likely a early breakdown of SSD?

There are some things you can put on an external drive, although I haven't done it in many years.

I do remember having some issues though. One of the issues was iTunes automatically switching the media location folder back to the default sometimes randomly. I suspect this was due to the HDDs I was using externally sometimes taking too long to mount when the Mac was booting up.

*that said*

Rather than trying to move some things externally, such as the Home folder, why not just boot externally?

Many people boot from external drives, either on older Macs with slower/failed internal drives or newer Macs to avoid Apple's crazy expensive storage costs.

 

[richmlow]

For the all the comments saying that 128GBs isn't big enough, this is such a subjective statement.

It totally depends on what one plans on doing with the Mac.

My wife is currently daily using a MBA with only 64GB. I cannot remember the exact amount of free space she has, but it is probably over 50% free.

The OP didn't specify what Mac they had in mind nor what they plan on doing with it, so hard to say if 128GB would be adequate or not.


There are some things you can put on an external drive, although I haven't done it in many years.

I do remember having some issues though. One of the issues was iTunes automatically switching the media location folder back to the default sometimes randomly. I suspect this was due to the HDDs I was using externally sometimes taking too long to mount when the Mac was booting up.

*that said*

Rather than trying to move some things externally, such as the Home folder, why not just boot externally?

Many people boot from external drives, either on older Macs with slower/failed internal drives or newer Macs to avoid Apple's crazy expensive storage costs.

I respectfully disagree with you.


richmlow

 

[leifp]

yes, you are correct in your assessment mrkapqa. Further, I support Juicy Box’ take and go with the entire install on an external drive, assuming it’s SSD (and preferably, but not necessarily, Thunderbolt connected, for connection reliability). I have done so in the past, although I can presently afford to go with large internal drives and do so.

For those recommending storage sizes for others based on opinion rather than data and facts, one question: why? Your use case/perspective is not universal. In fact, in this case, it’s not even generally applicable and certainly doesn’t answer the OPs question. Aside: if nobody bought the base models offered, they would no longer be the base models offered. In my IT family of nine there are now three of us with larger than base model drives (my dad just upgraded to 256GB) and in none of them is 128GB remotely a problem. For three of them 64GB would be sufficient. Next aside: only two of us require more than 8GB RAM. Your mileage will vary.

 

[mcnallym]

I used a MM2018 base spec with 128gb and never had issues with it.
however main use was iTunes server with iTunes on external storage.
as such the internal SSD not used a lot.

however had a specific usage case.

I now have the studio with 512gb SSD and barely scratch capacity as all data on external.
only OS and Apps on the internal.
iTunes folder now on NAS that mounted at login time.

I leave home folder on the boot drive as if not present for the user then login issue.

 

[Fishrrman]

If the Mini is a 2018, just use the 128gb SSD as your boot drive.
But... keep "large libraries" and data on an external USB3 SSD (preferably a USB3.1 gen2 SSD like the Samsung t7 "shield").

Reason why:
The internal SSD on 2018 Minis is MUCH FASTER than any USB SSD, and most tbolt SSDs as well.

Set it up this way:
- OS
- Applications
- User accounts*
- Nothing else.

*Keep the accounts "trimmed down". That means if you use Photos, move the Photos library to the external drive. If you use iTunes or Music.app, again, move their respective libraries to the external drive.

This way you keep the internal SSD "lean and clean", so it will run at its best.

 

[mrkapqa]

The OS is going to do a lot of reading and writing to that internal SSD, so unless it's replaceable/upgradable at a later date, I'd go for at least a 512GB. With Apple soldering RAM and SSD to the logic board, I'm of the opinion that you should only put the OS and apps on the internal and everything else on an external.

thanks, provided i do that, and get a Mac with soldered SSD, and my apps would all fit onto 64GB space, then it would not make a difference in terms of longevity to get a 512 GB SSD, being the only benefit with 512GB the added convenience for space and faster speeds^?
in terms of reliability, there should be no difference?

really dislike the idea of getting a mac with soldered SSD, but the mini 2018 is tempting since it can still run the Mojave AND newer systems.


as long as the RAM is big enough, the OS would not write "unnecessary" stuff on the SSD, am i right?

and if the SSD fails, i would be in trouble, to replace it, or could i just boot externally (is this even possible with a corrupt internal SSD on newer macs?)

 

[Fishrrman]

"really dislike the idea of getting a mac with soldered SSD"

Better get used to it.
Looks like they're all going to come that way from now on*.

*possible exceptions are Mac Studio and Mac Pro.

 

[mrkapqa]

well, that depends, on us customers, would argue.

if we dont buy it, the cannot sell it to us, that simple.

 

[estabya]

well, that depends, on us customers, would argue.

if we dont buy it, the cannot sell it to us, that simple.

For better or for worse, those who care about replaceable storage enough to not buy a product are tiny minority of Apple’s customers.

To your original question I went from a 2014 Mac Mini with 512GB to an M1 MBA with 256GB and still use less than 100GB. It’s totally dependent on use case and only you can know if you’ll get away with it. If you don’t mind relying on externals and using the internal for a boot/app drive, 128GB is fine for most use cases in my opinion. I rely on external USB 3.2 and thunderbolt drives for data storage. Something like a 2018 Mac Mini is a good choice on a budget, especially with upgradable RAM.

That being said, I’m hard pressed to recommend anyone buy an Intel Mac in 2023. It’s only a matter of time before OS and software support is gone, so unless you have a very restrictive budget I’d recommend something with Apple silicon. Even the base M1 models are good for a lot of use cases, although the 8GB of RAM may leave you wanting.

 

[mcnallym]

That being said, I’m hard pressed to recommend anyone buy an Intel Mac in 2023. It’s only a matter of time before OS and software support is gone, so unless you have a very restrictive budget I’d recommend something with Apple silicon. Even the base M1 models are good for a lot of use cases, although the 8GB of RAM may leave you wanting.

I agree, jhere are some specific cases where may make sense such as older ie 5,1 Mac Pro buying a 7,1 to keep Windows/Nvidia GPU as not easy to transition off Mac 100% overnight. However is only as a stop gap to give time to transition.

maybe an iMac 2020 for similar reason with bootcamp. Give time to find solution.

however is really a stopgap rather then a solution.

most max mini with 128gb likely to be the entry level base so an M1 would be much better investment unless need the bootcamp ability,

 

[ignatius345]

Question:

if get an Mac with 128 GB SSD, will i be able to successfully put my home folder and everything data onto an External SSD via Hub/direct Thunderbolt, and therefore have less likely a early breakdown of SSD?
or wont it make a big difference, since MacOS will still write a lot of Data onto Internal SSD, even if i put home folder to external storage (provided this is possible with newer versions of MacOS)?

thanks.

I would worry less about "early breakdown of SSD" and more about what a PITA it is to have an internal drive that is very very small.

That said, here are some things you can move pretty easily. I have a 1 TB SSD on my iMac, but I've still moved this stuff out because it was so large:

- Photos
- TV (if you have a lot of locally saved video)
- Music (again, if you have music files saved locally)

You can't move your Home folder to an external drive, nor can you move the iCloud Drive folder.

 

[HDFan]

therefore have less likely a early breakdown of SSD?

Not an issue. I've only seen one report of an SSD wearing out. I'm at a 99% lifetime with 338 TB written on a different system.

I'd go for at least a 512GB.

If having less than then 30% free and doing a lot of swapping a smaller, slower, SSD on an Apple Silicon Mac might not be optimal.

and my apps would all fit onto 64GB space, then it would not make a difference in terms of longevity to get a 512 GB SSD, being the only benefit with 512GB the added convenience for space and faster speeds^?
in terms of reliability, there should be no difference?

Yes, as long as you have meet the free space requirements and you have enough memory to avoid a lot of swapping.

 

[carylee2002]

I have no problems with my 128gb ssd. its only dedicated for apps, os and support programs for twitch. All my other games is dedicated to a external ssd. Just do disk cleanup and defragment once in a while and there is plenty to work with. In addition I have 32gb of ram and use a eGPU setup for my heavy video needs and be able to play over 90% of the games out now.

 

[ignatius345]

well, that depends, on us customers, would argue.

if we dont buy it, the cannot sell it to us, that simple.

OK, good luck with that.

I've been buying Macs steadily since the very early 2000s and have done my fair share of hard drive swaps, RAM upgrades, etc etc. And, frankly, Macs are cheaper, better performing and in my experience much more reliable than they've ever been. I guess I care theoretically about soldered storage and RAM, but in actual real-world usage it doesn't turn out to matter very much. Budget enough up front to decently spec your machine, move on with life.

 

[mrkapqa]

ignatius, happy if you like them, but yeah, but where are the great displays?
macs used to have great matte screens, 4:3 format, actually useful, like those powerbook g4,
and now look what you get these days. ok, powerful, so what? is that all?
if you feel macs being cheaper, then you better have a better look at prices, since only entry level are somewhat of a "bargain" for friends of apple-ware, but then the way is steep to exaggerated pretty soon.
the last macbook pro that i was interested in was the 2015 model, and since then (apart the macbook 2017 which i found alluring) not one laptop has been to the liking;
lets see if they can up with something special again in the future, but i doubt it.
over and out.

 

[teohyc]

If you don't mind external storage, 128GB is definitely enough. Even if MacOS takes up 20Gb, you still have 100GB for installing apps.

You can have all your files on external drive.

Don't worry about using up the read/write lifespan of the SSD.

You can read more about SSD lifespan here

Are Solid State Drives / SSDs More Reliable Than HDDs?

It's good to know the difference between HDDs and SSDs and understand how the different SSD technologies affect reliability.

www.backblaze.com

 

[Ben J.]

To your original question I went from a 2014 Mac Mini with 512GB to an M1 MBA with 256GB and still use less than 100GB. It’s totally dependent on use case and only you can know if you’ll get away with it. If you don’t mind relying on externals and using the internal for a boot/app drive, 128GB is fine for most use cases in my opinion. I rely on external USB 3.2 and thunderbolt drives for data storage. Something like a 2018 Mac Mini is a good choice on a budget, especially with upgradable RAM.

+1

I saved cash by getting a Mini M2 with 16/256, and having 2TB Thunderbolt3 NVMe (1300MB/s r/w) for big storage, and a 2TB USB-C SATA (300MB/s r/w) for backup. My internal holds all basic system/library/apps/userfiles, and sits around 50% free space. This is with lots of Adobe, audio apps etc. Anytime I install something like a sampler virtual instrument with lots of data, I move it to the external drive, make an symbolik link, and place it where the samples folder was originally.

I never see swappping in activity monitor - even when running my two most demanding apps simultaneously (Avid Pro Tools and Adobe lightroom).

So the way I see it, best strategy is to put your money in 1. RAM, and 2. External Thunderbolt enclosure with M.2 SSD. More storage for the money.

 

[pdoherty]

Rather than trying to move some things externally, such as the Home folder, why not just boot externally?

Many people boot from external drives, either on older Macs with slower/failed internal drives or newer Macs to avoid Apple's crazy expensive storage costs.

It was my understanding that you can't boot from external storage on the M-based Macs. Is that no longer true?

 

[Ben J.]

It was my understanding that you can't boot from external storage on the M-based Macs. Is that no longer true?

It is simply untrue.
What IS new with the latest macs and OS versions is that you can't boot from an external drive if it's too old version for the mac, or if the internal drive is not fully functioning with a compatible OS.
Typical example of a internet myth.
Everybody's an expert on forums.
Repeating untruths that they read on other forums.

 

[eRondeau]

Apple pricing is sort-of like discount airlines. We'll get YOU there for $49 but your carry-on is $99 and your checked luggage is $199. The 128GB is $799 but the 256GB is $1299. My brother has a 128GB MacBook Air (bought in 2019) and he's constantly running out of SSD storage. Usually it manifests itself when he wants to do a MacOS upgrade but he doesn't have enough free space to do it. Unless you're always going to be a "bare bones" user -- storing nothing long-term on your SSD -- and using cloud services for music & photos -- you should only consider 256GB minimum.

 

[Fishrrman]

"It was my understanding that you can't boot from external storage on the M-based Macs. Is that no longer true?"

I have a 2021 MacBook Pro 14" (m1pro).
I can boot and run from an external USB3.1 gen2 SSD, runs fine.

Provisos:
You CANNOT upgrade the "secure system volume" on the external boot SSD. (Not unless you do the entire clone "over again")

You need to use a cloning utility to create it -- SuperDuper is probably the "best, easiest" to use.

The external boot drive MUST be an SSD -- I have had no success trying to get this done on a platter-based hard drive.

 

[Ben J.]

"It was my understanding that you can't boot from external storage on the M-based Macs. Is that no longer true?"

I have a 2021 MacBook Pro 14" (m1pro).
I can boot and run from an external USB3.1 gen2 SSD, runs fine.

Provisos:
You CANNOT upgrade the "secure system volume" on the external boot SSD. (Not unless you do the entire clone "over again")

You need to use a cloning utility to create it -- SuperDuper is probably the "best, easiest" to use.

The external boot drive MUST be an SSD -- I have had no success trying to get this done on a platter-based hard drive.

Again, misinformation from you.
You can install macOS from the installer in apps folder, or from the internet booted from the Recovery, on an external drive. You simply select the drive in the installer options. And I installed macOS High Sierra on a spinner just a few days ago, I can't see why recent versions would care if the drive is spinning or solid state.