Difficulty deciding between 512GB SSD or 256GB SSD...

[Ronnoco]

I just sold my 2011 MBA with a 256gb SSD and got a 2013 MBA with a 512gb SSD. If I could have gotten 512 back in 2011, I definitely would have. Yes, it's expensive but a year from now I really doubt that you'll say "damn, my SSD is just too big".

I like to keep as much stuff as possible on my MBA, and I didn't have a big problem with 256 in general, but I had to regularly prune old Logic Pro files to keep them from getting out of hand. And I would have liked a larger iTunes library.

The final straw for me was a video project that I recently did, after a few years hiatus. Within a couple days, my free space went from 110gb to less than 50gb and I had to keep deleting or archiving files to keep it at that level. Sure, you can use an external drive but that destroys the whole beauty of the MBA - the portability and fast SSD.

Unless the economics change, an aftermarket SSD upgrade is not the most cost-effective solution. I kept thinking about that for my 2011 machine, but they aren't cheap and it made more sense to just get a new machine with 512 and take advantage of the faster processor, better battery life, USB 3 and other improvements.

I read somewhere that the 2012 "Ultimate" with 500GB SSD cost $2220.00 as opposed to the 2013 512GB "Ultimate" at $1849.00. That is a $350.00 drop in price to upgrade to the 512 (this may or may not be accurate as I read it on a blog)...If it is indeed true, I would assume there will be an even more dramatic price drop in next years Broadwell 512GB models (or perhaps higher capacity).

 

[iZac]

Personally I run low on space with my 256 air - I even dumped my 50 gig iTunes folder on a microSD (with a stubby Micro SD card reader so i can permanently keep it plugged in the mac) and I still only have ~75 gig free. I have plenty of misc files, CS suite, AutoCAD parallels etc. on it but all my 'media' is on 7TB of external HDs

If you're anything like me, I'd go for the 512gb. Of course, if you really come stuck in a few years - if you're brave enough you can replace your current SSD with a bigger one and companies like OWC will give you a caddy to put your now useless SSD in, to use as an external HD.

Basically you'll pay for the convenience to have a bigger HD now rather than later.

 

[AXs]

I read somewhere that the 2012 "Ultimate" with 500GB SSD cost $2220.00 as opposed to the 2013 512GB "Ultimate" at $1849.00. That is a $350.00 drop in price to upgrade to the 512 (this may or may not be accurate as I read it on a blog)...If it is indeed true, I would assume there will be an even more dramatic price drop in next years Broadwell 512GB models (or perhaps higher capacity).

And in 2008 it cost $1000 to upgrade from 80GB HDD on the Original Air, to 64GB SSD.

Yea, ONE THOUSAND bucks!

It is safe to say that SSD prices are dropping rapidly.

 

[SR71]

Alright, so I have decided on the 256GB SSD. I'm going to use it for the next year or so and see how I do with 256GB of space. If it becomes a problem, I'll just sell it next year for a slight loss and buy the 512GB model (refurbished ones should be out by then and the price should be brought down when next year's models are released, thus making the 2013 model more affordable).

Also, to those who said this was a decision only I could make, that is true, but all of these responses by other members has helped me quite a bit. It allowed me to see how other people who were/are in a similar situation dealt with the lower amount of space. Granted, their uses may be different, for the most part they were nearly the same.

 

[kodeman53]

Good decision and thanks for sharing your financial dealings with your parents.

 

[ajr2348]

Good decision and thanks for sharing your financial dealings with your parents.

F'n hey. I haven't randomly laughed that hard in awhile.

 

[ZBoater]

...My parents still need to pay me back since they borrowed some money from me, but I'm not gonna rush them for it (even though if they paid me back I'd have more than enough for the 512GB) as that would be rude, especially after they've already done so much for me that it just would not be acceptable for me to rush them...

Really? Wow.

(Speechless)