Extra storage for MacBook Pro

[testudoaubreii]

Hello,

I am thinkin about getting a 2015 rMBP 13" i5/8GB/128GB. I would like to know if you all can offer me advice or suggestions about extra storage. Can I use the SD card slot for "temporary" storage? I want to keep something like a 256GB card in there at all times to store stuff I don't want to store on the SSD.

I figured what I would be using the device for I could go this route. I will be mostly streaming movies, TV shows (although some will be played on the device itself) and games from my main rig via Steam In-Home Streaming and PS4 Remote Play. I will occasionally run Photoshop, Illustrator and Dreamweaver when I am away from my main rig.

On a side note, how is the battery life for this type of usage. I actually trying t compare it to a Surface Pro 3 i7/8GB/256GB.

Thank you in advance for all responses.

 

[MRxROBOT]

If you are going for extra storage via the SD slot, you can't go wrong with the JetDrive Lite or Micro SDXC adapter like the Nifty Mini Drive or BaseQi. There are other products like Tardisk (which is just too costly in my opinion) and some cheaper plastic adapters I don't feel are worth mentioning.

The JetDrive Lite is fantastic product. It allows you to add up to 256GB in your SD Slot, but it sticks out about a mm (about as thick as a penny) and has mediocre read/write speeds (write speeds don't live up to manufacturers claims). If storage size is most important to you while maintaining a low profile, this is your product.

The other option is to purchase a Nifty Mini Drive or BaseQi Micro SDXC adapter and stick a UHS I U3 card in there. Micro SDXC cards are available in capacities up to 200 GB (Sandisk Ultra & Lexar 633x). The big benefit to using these adapters is you have the option to connect a high performance card like the Samsung Pro+ in there and attain speeds up to 95 MB/s Read and 90 MB/s Write. It blows the JetDrive Lite out of the water in real world performance (not just manufacturers claimed speeds). The other area these adapters outshine the JetDrive Lite is that they are machined aluminum and more or less look built into the Macbook. If you want speed and a device that looks like it’s part of your MacBook than this is your product. I use the BaseQi pictured below personally.

 

[testudoaubreii]

If you are going for extra storage via the SD slot, you can't go wrong with the JetDrive Lite or Micro SDXC adapter like the Nifty Mini Drive or BaseQi. There are other products like Tardisk (which is just too costly in my opinion) and some cheaper plastic adapters I don't feel are worth mentioning.

The JetDrive Lite is fantastic product. It allows you to add up to 256GB in your SD Slot, but it sticks out about a mm (about as thick as a penny) and has mediocre read/write speeds (write speeds don't live up to manufacturers claims). If storage size is most important to you while maintaining a low profile, this is your product.

The other option is to purchase a Nifty Mini Drive or BaseQi Micro SDXC adapter and stick a UHS I U3 card in there. Micro SDXC cards are available in capacities up to 200 GB (Sandisk Ultra & Lexar 633x). The big benefit to using these adapters is you have the option to connect a high performance card like the Samsung Pro+ in there and attain speeds up to 95 MB/s Read and 90 MB/s Write. It blows the JetDrive Lite out of the water in real world performance (not just manufacturers claimed speeds). The other area these adapters outshine the JetDrive Lite is that they are machined aluminum and more or less look built into the Macbook. If you want speed and a device that looks like it’s part of your MacBook than this is your product. I use the BaseQi pictured below personally.

Thank you very much for your in depth and informative reply.

I will definitely spend a bit more cash for faster speeds and I really like the look of the one in the pictures that you posted. I will look into that one.

Would you be able to answer the side note question I wrote about the battery life?

Thank you again.

 

[AZhappyjack]

I have several "half" cards that I use in the SD card slot.

Both PNY (StorEDGE) and Transcend (JetDrive) make cards with fixed storage sizes. Current models are 64 and 128GB.

TheMiniDrive and Nifty make cards with removable MicroSD cards and currently support sizes up to 128GB.I have several brands, as well.

The StorEDGE has a small lip that sticks out just enough to allow you to grab it to eject the drive. The other versions sit completely flush with the rMPB, and have little slots where you can "hook" them with the provided tool to eject them.

theMiniDrive
Nifty Mini Drive
PNY StorEDGE
Transcend JetDrive


I have not noticed any impact on battery life when using any of these devices...

 

[MRxROBOT]

Thank you very much for your in depth and informative reply.

I will definitely spend a bit more cash for faster speeds and I really like the look of the one in the pictures that you posted. I will look into that one.

Would you be able to answer the side note question I wrote about the battery life?

Thank you again.

This is from Nifty's Page and I assume this would apply to anything in the SD slot.

Because we want the MiniDrive to be available immediately from when you wake your MacBook, it means a small bit of battery is continuously used. We have tested it in all current models of MacBook and found that the maximum wastage from a full charge is between 5-10 minutes.

To be honest I haven't seen any discernible difference in battery life but how would I know if I were to lose 5 minutes anyways. It's negligible really, i wouldn't put too much thought into it.

Nifty make cards with removable MicroSD cards and currently support sizes up to 128GB

The Nifty Mini Drive and BaseQi adapter can support 200 GB but these types of adapters don't actually have storage limitations. Storage capacity is directly tied to whatever capacity of microSD card you insert into the adapter. The bigger the microSD card, the bigger the storage boost. Currently the largest MicroSDXC card is 200 GB but if a 500 GB card becomes available tomorrow, these adapters will support them.

 

[testudoaubreii]

This is from Nifty's Page and I assume this would apply to anything in the SD slot.



To be honest I haven't seen any discernible difference in battery life but how would I know if I were to lose 5 minutes anyways. It's negligible really, i wouldn't put too much thought into it.



The Nifty Mini Drive and BaseQi adapter can support 200 GB but these types of adapters don't actually have storage limitations. Storage capacity is directly tied to whatever capacity of microSD card you insert into the adapter. The bigger the microSD card, the bigger the storage boost. Currently the largest MicroSDXC card is 200 GB but if a 500 GB card becomes available tomorrow, these adapters will support them.

Thank you!

I am sorry for the confusion, but I actually meant the overall battery performance for the activities that I listed. I am just trying to get a general idea of battery life.

 

[MRxROBOT]

Thank you!

I am sorry for the confusion, but I actually meant the overall battery performance for the activities that I listed. I am just trying to get a general idea of battery life.

You are welcome, but I don't actually own a 13.3" Macbook Pro so I'll leave this for someone else to answer.

 

[Samuelsan2001]

Battery life is almost impossible to predict, screen brightness will have the biggest impact, for example a shift from 75% to 100% brightness could lose 2-3 hours for example.

Also it depends which apps and plug ins you use, streaming using safari and html 5 will give great battery life, streaming using chrome and flash could halve it.

Mine generally Last 7-8 hours on a full charge with some mixed browsing, streaming, PDFs etc.

 

[testudoaubreii]

Battery life is almost impossible to predict, screen brightness will have the biggest impact, for example a shift from 75% to 100% brightness could lose 2-3 hours for example.

Also it depends which apps and plug ins you use, streaming using safari and html 5 will give great battery life, streaming using chrome and flash could halve it.

Mine generally Last 7-8 hours on a full charge with some mixed browsing, streaming, PDFs etc.

Thank you for your reply.

It is mostly streaming and downloading with occasional web design/development work (Photoshop, Illustrator and Dreamweaver). I like the screen pretty bright, but I have to keep the SP3 between 50-65% if I want just decent battery life.