Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

Shadwmaster

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Jan 10, 2015
26
0
Wanting to get a MBA that will last me at least 3-4, years with I'm hoping no issues. I'm getting the macbook air 13 inch model with 8gb ram and I am wondering is it worth the extra 350 to get 512gb SSD instead of a 256 or would I be better off buying a good quality hard drive and sticking with 256 gb? Any advice is appreciated thanks
 

MarvinHC

macrumors 6502a
Jan 9, 2014
834
293
Belgium
Wanting to get a MBA that will last me at least 3-4, years with I'm hoping no issues. I'm getting the macbook air 13 inch model with 8gb ram and I am wondering is it worth the extra 350 to get 512gb SSD instead of a 256 or would I be better off buying a good quality hard drive and sticking with 256 gb? Any advice is appreciated thanks

How much storage do you use on your current laptop?
 

Shadwmaster

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Jan 10, 2015
26
0
I imagine I would use at Max like 400gb but I think I might instead of paying the extra 350 just get a 2tb USB 3.0 wd external hdd. And only use the 256gb SSD for basic stuff like documents http://www.computeralliance.com.au/2tb-wd-2.5-usb-3.0-my-passport-ultra-portable-hdd-black-pn-wdbmwv0020bbk-pesn-save-$20
 

motrek

macrumors 68030
Sep 14, 2012
2,634
312
I imagine I would use at Max like 400gb but I think I might instead of paying the extra 350 just get a 2tb USB 3.0 wd external hdd. And only use the 256gb SSD for basic stuff like documents http://www.computeralliance.com.au/2tb-wd-2.5-usb-3.0-my-passport-ultra-portable-hdd-black-pn-wdbmwv0020bbk-pesn-save-$20

You can get those WD external drives for $99 on Amazon FYI.

Again, how much do you use on your current computer?
 

Shadwmaster

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Jan 10, 2015
26
0
I'm currently away but I believe it was about 400gb. I only have a desktop Windows computer so I have a lot of stuff like steam games and a couple movies. I live in Australia so amazon doesn't tend to work for me usually.

----------

The MBA will be for school, and everything in general so have some movies when I'm away and use it for the Internet mainly. I'm hoping to have It through my last two years of school and through University. I figured I can have the movies and if I do get things like steam I can run that all off of the hard drive to save space.
 

motrek

macrumors 68030
Sep 14, 2012
2,634
312
I'm currently away but I believe it was about 400gb. I only have a desktop Windows computer so I have a lot of stuff like steam games and a couple movies. I live in Australia so amazon doesn't tend to work for me usually.

----------

The MBA will be for school, and everything in general so have some movies when I'm away and use it for the Internet mainly. I'm hoping to have It through my last two years of school and through University. I figured I can have the movies and if I do get things like steam I can run that all off of the hard drive to save space.

In that case, unfortunately, there's no easy answer. Often people come on this board and ask if they need a million GB but they describe what they'll be using the laptop for and it's obvious that 64GB would be more than enough for them if they could even buy a drive that small.

But if you're already using 400GB, then who knows what you'd be happy with. Certainly storing data on an external drive is less convenient, but very do-able. So you have to decide for yourself if it's worth the cost vs. convenience trade-off.
 

Shadwmaster

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Jan 10, 2015
26
0
I don't think I would use more then the 256gb if I had a hard drive I'm just more wanting to figure out whether it's worth getting the 512gb storage just for the possible future in case I for some reason need the extra storage. How much storage would you say you use?
 

motrek

macrumors 68030
Sep 14, 2012
2,634
312
I don't think I would use more then the 256gb if I had a hard drive I'm just more wanting to figure out whether it's worth getting the 512gb storage just for the possible future in case I for some reason need the extra storage. How much storage would you say you use?

I primarily use a desktop computer (Mac Mini) with an external hard drive that's always plugged in, so the amount of storage there is never a concern.

I use my MBA when I travel (or go work at Starbucks or whatever) and I only use half of its 128GB drive. I have all of my software and files on it, but very little media. Maybe a movie or two that I might want to watch on a plane and a few CDs worth of songs. Typically I will be somewhere with good Internet access and I will be able to stream as much video and music as I want, so storing such files isn't really a concern.
 

Shadwmaster

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Jan 10, 2015
26
0
Yeah I definitely think I'd be the same, I'll be carrying the Mac around in my bag so it won't be to hard having the small hdd. I was also considering a sleeve that can hold the Mac and has a zip pocket the perfect size for a small hard drive.

----------

I was also thinking off getting a shell to protect the MBA. This one to be precise:http://store.apple.com/au/product/HD576ZM/A/tech21-13-impact-snap-case-for-macbook-air?fnode=50

Is it worth getting a shell case, would it actually protect it?
 

Mike MA

macrumors 68020
Sep 21, 2012
2,090
1,813
Germany
Actually using 256GB of SSD storage with having 50GB or so left. It surely has been more in the past. Started to use iTunes Match a couple of years ago. When listening to music I just stream it. Things I often need are stored locally, backup type of data stored in clouds or Time Capsule. I think that's pretty much how it was thouht to be with this little space available.
 

RawBert

macrumors 68000
Jan 19, 2010
1,729
70
North Hollywood, CA
I recommend getting the program DaisyDisk to manage your internal storage. I was using most of my 128GB MBA space until I got this awesome little app. Now I average 70GB of free space.

I carry a 2TB usb 3.0 portable drive in my bag for most of my files. Plus I keep extra copies of files on that drive on another external drive at work, in case I get my bag stolen or lose it.
*Also use iTunes Match and a 64GB Transcend JetDrive 130.
 
Last edited:
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.