Latest rMBP w/ 256GB SSD - User Feedback

[alt]

Just curious to how people are dealing with such a small main drive at this point? Now that it's been out for a while.

The $500 dollar upgrade just isn't an option for me so curious to know how everyone is dealing with it. No hate, just askin'

 

[Orlandoech]

Just fine, Im only using like 80GB of it, most my data lives on a USB3 external. I only have my music collection locally stored.

256GB is plenty imo.

 

[Mr MM]

I live with 120gb, dual booting, with 3 partitions, and there is still around 40gb left

 

[alt]

Just fine, Im only using like 80GB of it, most my data lives on a USB3 external. I only have my music collection locally stored.

256GB is plenty imo.

Yeah, I know it wouldn't be a big deal to keep all of stuff on externals and in other places but just seems so low just for everyday use for me. Not sure, I haven't made any decisions yet but I really want this model. I'd like to hear what everyone is saying. Also, I don't want to always HAVE to have my external on me.

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I live with 120gb, dual booting, with 3 partitions, and there is still around 40gb left

This is the other thing I was worried about. I'd like to tri-boot but just seems ridiculous on a 256. I guess it would force me to keep everything tidy O_O

 

[mzjin]

Google Drive
SkyDrive
Dropbox

Music and Videos on External.

Um... yea my 256gb drive basically stays empty. That has been the case for my Imac as well which has run with a 256gb SSD and largely never went below 175-200gb free for a year.

 

[Orlandoech]

but just seems so low just for everyday use for me.

Do you move 500GB files every day or something? How is it too low for "every day" use?

 

[alt]

Do you move 500GB files every day or something? How is it too low for "every day" use?

I don't mean in a single day, I just mean accumulation on a day by day basis. It can add up quickly. I work with a lot of data working in GIS.

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Google Drive
SkyDrive
Dropbox

Music and Videos on External.

Um... yea my 256gb drive basically stays empty. That has been the case for my Imac as well which has run with a 256gb SSD and largely never went below 175-200gb free for a year.

Yeah I will probably just have to face the fact that I will have to carry around my external most of the time, I don't like "The Cloud"...although I use dropbox pretty regularly.

 

[Orlandoech]

I have a two 750GB 720RPM USB3 externals, one I leave at my desk and one plugged in to my Netgear R6300 ReadyShare Router which I have made accessible over my network.

They drives are identical and stay sync'd via CCC once a week.

 

[Mr MM]

This is the other thing I was worried about. I'd like to tri-boot but just seems ridiculous on a 256. I guess it would force me to keep everything tidy O_O

I have to have everything tidy, I use this mbp for work and for everyday stuff.

Basically there is CS5.5, xcode, trade platforms, visual studio 2012, rome total war and my assorted docs (not all of them off course, just a small folder of 12gb).

What I do is to use a NAS, its got 8tb of space now, and a 320gb external

btw for triple booting you are in for a treat. If you put a 4th partition for shared files you are going to have to delete the recovery partition

 

[alt]

I have to have everything tidy, I use this mbp for work and for everyday stuff.

Basically there is CS5.5, xcode, trade platforms, visual studio 2012, rome total war and my assorted docs (not all of them off course, just a small folder of 12gb).

What I do is to use a NAS, its got 8tb of space now, and a 320gb external

btw for triple booting you are in for a treat. If you put a 4th partition for shared files you are going to have to delete the recovery partition

Interesting. Well, the recovery partition doesn't bother me to much. Little more work if something goes wrong but meh.

After the comments and thinking, I am thinking the size won't be a HUGE problem. A lot of my music I keep online now, via amazon mp3, spotify, pandora anyway. Hopefully it will be fine, I just hate the feeling of having that full drive that I am constantly debating what I should and should not store on it.

 

[Dark Void]

Whether or not 256GB is considered "small" is subjective and best determined by the user of course. If you find it to be not enough internal storage there is always external storage.

 

[twietee]

And don't forget about the sd-cards. 128gb is about 120€ here in Europe so expensive but pretty nice for on the road usage.

 

[alt]

And don't forget about the sd-cards. 128gb is about 120€ here in Europe so expensive but pretty nice for on the road usage.

Yeah, I am liking the idea of this. Don't have to lug them around and nice that you don't have to have an extra adapter.


Thanks for all of the feedback everyone. Feeling more comfortable about this decision.

 

[markp99]

The 256GB vs 512GB decision was pretty easy for me. Neither are large enough, but BOTH viable options.

Either option would force me to establish a file management process using external USB 3.0 drives, shuttling active work files (large databases) on and off the SSD as I need them. Music & movies are moved off to their own external USB 3.0, separate from work stuff.

The 512GB option only delays the requirement. So, I went with the 256GB option, putting the extra $$ to 16GB RAM.

 

[alt]

The 256GB vs 512GB decision was pretty easy for me. Neither are large enough, but BOTH viable options.

Either option would force me to establish a file management process using external USB 3.0 drives, shuttling active work files (large databases) on and off the SSD as I need them. Music & movies are moved off to their own external USB 3.0, separate from work stuff.

The 512GB option only delays the requirement. So, I went with the 256GB option, putting the extra $$ to 16GB RAM.

Yeah, I hear you on that.

Do you know how much the battery life is affected, if affected at all, by the 16GB?

 

[bill-p]

16GB doesn't do anything to battery life in my opinions.

Though it's not very necessary either... I had 16GB in my cMBP for a while, and it turned out I didn't use enough of it to justify the $100 difference.

$100 can buy a 1TB external USB 3.0 drive...

 

[alt]

16GB doesn't do anything to battery life in my opinions.

Though it's not very necessary either... I had 16GB in my cMBP for a while, and it turned out I didn't use enough of it to justify the $100 difference.

$100 can buy a 1TB external USB 3.0 drive...

I feel the same way. I was just thinking of the resale value later. I always end up selling to upgrade. 😱

 

[monkeybagel]

I don't like "The Cloud"...although I use dropbox pretty regularly.

Do you mean "The Fog?"

 

[alt]

Do you mean "The Fog?"

Haha yes.

 

[Bebel]

I thought it was a going to be a lot harder, but the 256 gb drive is working out fine. With the MUCH faster USB3 and Thunderbolt interfaces, I can throw any photos/videos that I'm not working on anymore onto an external and it's pretty fast. I couldn't justify the huge cost difference to get 256 gb more storage internally. Overall, I'm very happy! Still praying for no IR though.

 

[stevelam]

Google Drive
SkyDrive
Dropbox

Music and Videos on External.

Um... yea my 256gb drive basically stays empty. That has been the case for my Imac as well which has run with a 256gb SSD and largely never went below 175-200gb free for a year.

Um all of those still keep a local copy of files on your hard drive.

 

[yusukeaoki]

Just get some external HDDs.
I run in 128GB and still have 75GB free.

All others are in my optibay (considering this as external) and a 8TB HDD in RAID1.

 

[boy-better-know]

Just curious to how people are dealing with such a small main drive at this point? Now that it's been out for a while.

The $500 dollar upgrade just isn't an option for me so curious to know how everyone is dealing with it. No hate, just askin'

I am not a data hoarder, so the 256GB was a no brainer for me. I have an external La'Cie 500GB hard drive with all my time machine back ups on. I have 150GB free on my rMBP still. It is completely personal, but for me, 256 is plenty.

 

[Snowshiro]

256GB is non-issue for me. I have a Mac Pro and PC on my desk at home for my main day-to-day work, and a combined storage capacity of about 5TB between them. The MacBook Pro is just for when I'm out on the road, or like today when I'm on a trip and staying in a hotel for a few days. I don't feel the need to take my entire music and movie collection with me - just a few select albums and a few vids which take no time at all to transfer before I leave the house.

If this was my main machine, it would be more of an issue, but many people also have a laptop as a second machine and just need the essentials.

 

[sharkman]

Not an issue. Although, I do have a home linux box that I use for development and storage so..