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Is extra storage worth it?

T

TylerYYC

macrumors member
Original poster
May 5, 2020
32
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Tempted to upgrade to 2TB as I do video editing. So far 1TB has been more than enough as I clear off source files after I’m done. However I will probably be getting into more 4K and maybe 8K editing and that will of course require more space.

If I get a thunderbolt 4 SSD, and edit directly off it, will I notice much difference in performance compared to editing directly off the internal SSD? I like this option as I can just buy it if I need it. And not buy it if I don’t run into the need.

Just don’t want regrets.
 
TylerYYC said:
Tempted to upgrade to 2TB as I do video editing. So far 1TB has been more than enough as I clear off source files after I’m done. However I will probably be getting into more 4K and maybe 8K editing and that will of course require more space.

If I get a thunderbolt 4 SSD, and edit directly off it, will I notice much difference in performance compared to editing directly off the internal SSD? I like this option as I can just buy it if I need it. And not buy it if I don’t run into the need.

Just don’t want regrets.
Click to expand...
To upgrade from 1tb to 2tb is $400. The onboard SSD is advertised at 7,400mb/sec!! The fastest external SSD's available are 2,800mb/sec, cost $400, and are known to heat up. I opted for the 2tb. Plenty enough to run a number of music projects without external drives hooked up. In fact, the only thing externals would be needed for is backup/archiving. My money is on the internal SSD.
 
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If you want everything to be portable or local, I say upgrade. I used 200GB on my current 512GB laptop and I could easily delete 50GB off it but went with the 1TB option on the new 16' because as you said, who knows what the future holds.

Apple upgrades are always overpriced but the SSD is apparently fast and it is local so keep that in mind. If you can be fine with little slower speeds, go external and save the $400.
 
AgentAnonymous said:
Deciding between 2TB and 4TB.
Click to expand...

I'm torn too. The incremental upgrade cost to get the additional 2TB is actually very favorable in comparison to market pricing for the Gen4 PCIe SSDs.

I think I'll be fine on just 2TB if I manage my files... and that's actually something I want to force myself to do. If I have endless storage, I'll get lazy and fill it up with garbage and then I'll never be able to find anything.

I want the convenience of more storage, but also need to set incentives for myself to stay on top of my filesystem.
 
I needed 2TB for sure and was torn about the 4TB upgrade too. I ended up biting the bullet because:
  • The larger drive allows me to browse and edit all of my photo and video files locally without depending on external drives. It should be enough for a few years worth of shooting. I hate micromanaging storage with a passion.
  • A high-quality external SSD of that size is not that far from the upgrade price, but Apple's drive is much faster.
 
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Sterkenburg said:
  • A high-quality external SSD of that size is not that far from the upgrade price, but Apple's drive is much faster.
Click to expand...

I don't want to run into that situation either, but I feel some assurance in that I had a chance to try out this scenario on a 13" M1 MBP earlier this year. I ended up returning that machine, but I got a solid feeling of what I can expect from using it.

I'm a Capture One Pro user and I managed and edited a 1TB library of RAW files on that 13" M1 on an external 5Gbps USB 3.1 spec SSD drive. I wasn't expecting good results, but was pleasantly surprised that there wasn't an obvious performance deficit doing routine things.

Granted, I use a 24MP camera. If you're hoisting a medium format with 100MP files, I'm sure your mileage will vary.
 
As long theres no really faster external SSD one should consider paying for the speed.

iMac 24" 8/8 16GB - Internal SSD

Internal SSD.png



OWC Envoy 2TB - external Thunderbolt3 SSD

OWC Envoy Pro.png
 
smirking said:
This is the worst support group ever. :p

"I'm thinking about doing drugs."

"Why not heroin? It's great! You'll love it!"
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You only buy once!
Don't try and manage your files. It'll annoy you constantly.
Sure you still need to keep your files sorted and organised, but having to worry about space is one of the worst things you can do with a computer. I just freed my wife from a 64GB phone with a 256GB XS Max and that's the thing she likes most about going from a 6S+ to the XS Max.
Internal storage should err on the side of B I G!
 
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smoking monkey said:
You only buy once!
Don't try and manage your files. It'll annoy you constantly.
Click to expand...

I have more than enough storage for now. I've got 2TB, but it's not so much that I can get away without managing my photo collection. It does drive me crazy to manage stuff, but I've learned as the years wear on, it drives me even crazier when I have so much stuff I can never find anything without devoting an afternoon to finding it.

I know if I go for the 4TB, there's a strong upside, but there's also a strong downside too, but damnit... you guys are tempting me reeeeeeeal hard! My order doesn't ship for a few weeks. I may crack.
 
Sterkenburg said:
I needed 2TB for sure and was torn about the 4TB upgrade too. I ended up biting the bullet because:
  • The larger drive allows me to browse and edit all of my photo and video files locally without depending on external drives. It should be enough for a few years worth of shooting. I hate micromanaging storage with a passion.
  • A high-quality external SSD of that size is not that far from the upgrade price, but Apple's drive is much faster.
Click to expand...
The ONLY thing you need an external for is backup!!!
 
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smirking said:
I'm a Capture One Pro user and I managed and edited a 1TB library of RAW files on that 13" M1 on an external 5Gbps USB 3.1 spec SSD drive. I wasn't expecting good results, but was pleasantly surprised that there wasn't an obvious performance deficit doing routine things.

Granted, I use a 24MP camera. If you're hoisting a medium format with 100MP files, I'm sure your mileage will vary.
Click to expand...
I am a non-professional photographer with a mid-range camera and I currently have a 2TB Samsung T5 drive to store my RAW files. It's fast enough for my needs, so that was indeed not the main issue, but for $400 the convenience of being able to store and edit everything on the go was hard to pass up :)
 
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The question:
"Is extra storage worth it?"

Fishrrman's reply:
Only if it's going to be used.

I sense a lot of folks buy far more than they'll ever really need.

And that a lot of others pay Apple's hefty "premium" up front for an extra-large SSD that they eventually fill up with "fluff" (such as movies) that does nothing for them except "sit there", seldom if ever used.

Fishrrman "made-it-up-right-here" statistic:
I reckon no more than 20-25% of the people who "max out" laptop storage ever use it productively.
The rest are just "buying it for show"...
 
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Fishrrman said:
And that a lot of others pay Apple's hefty "premium" up front for an extra-large SSD that they eventually fill up with "fluff" (such as movies) that does nothing for them except "sit there", seldom if ever used.
Click to expand...

Actually if you do the math, Apple's made this a tougher decision by not fleecing you for upgrading the storage options. The pricing for each TB after 2TB is $150/TB, which is in line with the going price for a 2TB PCIe Gen4 blade sold on Amazon for $300.

That said, I do agree that lots of people buy more than they need. I am using less storage now than I was 6 years ago by aggressively paring down my old junk and offloading things I haven't even glanced at in years to archival storage. Even if that extra storage isn't coming at a premium, it's still a waste of money if I don't end up needing it.

I feel wise about my needs, but talking to everyone here dreaming about all the adventures we might get into sure has me salivating on springing for the 4TB instead of the 2TB.

I swear one of you is an impostor among us and you're getting commission on these sales. :p
 
smirking said:
Actually if you do the math, Apple's made this a tougher decision by not fleecing you for upgrading the storage options. The pricing for each TB after 2TB is $150/TB, which is in line with the going price for a 2TB PCIe Gen4 blade sold on Amazon for $300.

That said, I do agree that lots of people buy more than they need. I am using less storage now than I was 6 years ago by aggressively paring down my old junk and offloading things I haven't even glanced at in years to archival storage. Even if that extra storage isn't coming at a premium, it's still a waste of money if I don't end up needing it.

I feel wise about my needs, but talking to everyone here dreaming about all the adventures we might get into sure has me salivating on springing for the 4TB instead of the 2TB.

I swear one of you is an impostor among us and you're getting commission on these sales. :p
Click to expand...
"The pricing for each TB after 2TB is $150/TB"... no it isn't:
2 to 4TB = $600, thus @300
4 to 8TB = $1200, thus @300
x1.jpg


But yes, they're still probably 'worth it", given the speed is pushing 8GB/s – nothing externally connected comes close.

However one could also argue, that most users will use a great deal of their storage for content storage, rather than as a scratch drive for editing. So do they need the whole thing to work at 8GB/s speeds; no.

But Apple don't do a cheaper half and half storage machine: say 2TB superfast 8GB/s speeds + 6TB slower SATA or NVMe speeds. Clearly they can't separate the two functions of storage out, which conveniently or not for them keeps the overall prices they can charge (and margins they make) high. C'est la vie, I guess. ?
 
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Fishrrman said:
The question:
"Is extra storage worth it?"

Fishrrman's reply:
Only if it's going to be used.
Click to expand...
Not sure that's the best advice. While I was being flippant earlier in this thread about having no "ragrets", you will regret it if you go too small. You should keep at least 15 percent of your internal HD FREE to run your computer smoothly and actually the more free the better.

So yes. You should consider seriously getting the drive 1 step up from what you think you need now. You won't REGRET it.
 
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4rtemidis said:
Me too... What did you decide? :D
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Haven't decided yet. Something to consider is that 4k HDR movies are around 40GB for a quality copy, and 20GB for an acceptable copy. If you want 10-20% of the drive free for program caches and operating system caches and misc updates and so on, then 1TB is passable but not really enough for a high-end laptop with this kind of resolution in 2021.

2TB seems like the appropriate amount but can be tight too if you create/consume a lot of modern resolution (4k+) media. Games and movies together will make short work of a 2TB drive on Windows (AAA games are usually 50-100GB nowadays) for any power user, though I don't game on macOS. 4TB gives you the freedom to have high-end forward facing use cases without needing to worry about external drives for the most part, but can be in excess if you don't download/import much.
 
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