I'm purchasing an M4 and am trying to decide on the storage size. Right now I use my Mac Studio to store older files (because it has 2TB of storage). It is tempting (although, obviously expensive) to get 2TB on the Macbook Pro, so I could have all of my files with me, all the time. So I'm wondering how many people have an M-series Macbook as their primary or only computer. Thanks.
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M4 Macbook Pro as the primary computer?
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"Right now I use my Mac Studio to store older files (because it has 2TB of storage)."
Are you going to KEEP the Studio?
Or, will the MBP become your ONLY Mac?
If the latter... my prediction is that you are going to find "going down" from 2tb of storage to "something less" could be an unpleasant experience.
I wouldn't buy ANY Mac today UNLESS it had at least 1tb of SSD (and 32gb of RAM).
If you are keeping the Studio, things change.
My MacBook Pro (m1) 14" has 16/512, and it's fine -- because it's NOT my "main Mac", but rather just a laptop for "laptop things" here and there...
Are you going to KEEP the Studio?
Or, will the MBP become your ONLY Mac?
If the latter... my prediction is that you are going to find "going down" from 2tb of storage to "something less" could be an unpleasant experience.
I wouldn't buy ANY Mac today UNLESS it had at least 1tb of SSD (and 32gb of RAM).
If you are keeping the Studio, things change.
My MacBook Pro (m1) 14" has 16/512, and it's fine -- because it's NOT my "main Mac", but rather just a laptop for "laptop things" here and there...
I traded my M1 Studio base model in for an M4 MBP base model, for me I wanted the portability as an option and so far I am loving it almost two months in. The display and extra ports were important to me as I have external storage, so the M4 Air, which hadn't been released yet, wasn't going to be able to option for me anyway. If I need to bring large files with me I can always throw them on an external 2TB SSD and I'm good to go.
Had a fully spec'd M1 Max MacBook Pro as my desktop machine, and a M3 MacBook Air as my portable.
Sold the MBP and replaced with with a M4 Max Studio with ASD.
I still have my MBA but rarely touch it TBH.
I prefer the Studio over the MBP as my main desktop machine.
Sold the MBP and replaced with with a M4 Max Studio with ASD.
I still have my MBA but rarely touch it TBH.
I prefer the Studio over the MBP as my main desktop machine.
I would likely keep the M1 Studio unless I trade it in down the road for an M4 or (eventual) M5 Mac Mini.
In terms of trading it in to Apple, if that is your intention, that window may have already closed with the latest release of the current model Mac Studios, I could be wrong, but I specifically traded mine in before they were released so they didn't either drop the trade in value or not want them anymore at all.
my primary computer is my M1 MBP, except for gaming, and I keep the stuff I don't need on a NAS (Apple doesn't offer enough space on any of their computers anyway) which I can access remotely.
I've been contemplating a NAS drive for years but they all seem very complicated. I don't have that much tech skill. How easy/hard was it to get it set up and maintain? And which one?
Try to go for the 2TB option (it’s what I did). If you absolutely cannot, then you can always add up to a 2TB micro SD card via the SD card slot. Back in the day I bought a flush fitting NIFTY micro SD card holder and use it to store my Photos Library. A bit slow but it works as a storage solution away from my home network.
M4 Pro MBP is my primary computer and 1TB is optimum for me. The 512GB option is definitely too small for my comfort level. If I need more storage I have various external SSDs, NVMe drives, and also a 20TB NAS/private cloud.
I have the m2 studio with 2TB as well and love it but my job is no longer working from home so I bought a m3 pro with 1TB mainly cos it was interest free deal…
I now wish I’d gotten the 2TB or even 4TB to have all my files with me.
Because Apple advanced data protection in uk being removed I’ve switched off iCloud Drive so now it’s really difficult keeping them both synced.
When I purchase again I’ll buy a better laptop
I now wish I’d gotten the 2TB or even 4TB to have all my files with me.
Because Apple advanced data protection in uk being removed I’ve switched off iCloud Drive so now it’s really difficult keeping them both synced.
When I purchase again I’ll buy a better laptop
My 14" M4 MBP is my only computer. Given its portability and capabilities I don't see a reason to buy anything else to complement it at this point.
Most people I know don't have or use computers, they just use their phones or that tablet.
Way back in the day say 15 years ago, I could use a MacBook for only as I did until 2012 after getting a Mac mini just for watching mp4.
I could use a MacBook (or an Asus zen book) only and enjoy my computing life happily!
Way back in the day say 15 years ago, I could use a MacBook for only as I did until 2012 after getting a Mac mini just for watching mp4.
I could use a MacBook (or an Asus zen book) only and enjoy my computing life happily!
I did the "docked laptop as desktop" thing for a few years and grew to dislike it. I tend to have a couple external drives plugged into my desktop setup (one for backup, one for ~2TB of media files) and I found it super inconvenient and kludgy to have to eject and remount those things all the time.
Now I have an iMac which is permanently "on duty" at my desk and an Air that is free to roam about or just be in my backpack ready go at a moment's notice.
Now I have an iMac which is permanently "on duty" at my desk and an Air that is free to roam about or just be in my backpack ready go at a moment's notice.
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Originally this was my concern. In 2022 I purchased a Mac Studio, but due to some issues I returned it and needed a computer at the time. The only comparable one was a 14" MacBook Pro so I purchased that and simply dropped it into the same place as the Mac Studio - which multiple connected drives, ethernet, etc. Luckily the macOS battery management kept the charge at 80% so battery health was fine, but I realized that the few times I took the MacBook somewhere else I really enjoyed using it - but it was a PITA and disabled my Plex server. I also had some drive issues occasionally because they system was restarted semi-often.
I was originally waiting on an M4-series Studio, but then decided that a better set up was an M4 Mac mini to act as a server and a MacBook Pro. Admittedly it's costly up front, but the server should serve me well for 5 to 7 years at least.
Now I have a powerful MacBook Pro docked to my Studio Display when I'm home (which provide ethernet as well) and when I want to I simply disconnect a single cable and go with no disruptions. The Mac mini is set up on a shelf beneath my TV and always on connected to ethernet and 32TB of SSD storage. It acts as a
- Mail.app server to run rules if the MacBook Pro is asleep.
- Plex server
- File server for archive storage
- Wireless Time Machine backup for MacBook Pro
My M2 MBP is my primary computer with 96 GB RAM and 2 TB internal SSD storage ~55% used. IMO RAM is most important by a lot to continue to optimize performance long term and if one needs to spend less it is best to get smaller mass storage SSD and use external SSDs as necessary. It is usually best to have a workflow that includes external HDD/SSD backup anyway.
Cull the non-current files from your current mass storage (by moving defunct files to external mass storage) and see what remains. Build in at least double that remaining amount on the new MBP's SSD. If you intend lots of mobile video work you may need a lot more; YMMV.
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No, you can't have "all of my files with me, all the time", especially not if you own and use a camera that shoots video.
You also never want you primary storage on a portable device that can be lost or stolen.
To solve this problem I bought a Synology NAS and now all my files are accessible on all my devices and the NAS is continuously backed up to a couple different places. But you can have the same effect just by using iCloud.
As soon as you have two devices, say a Mac and an iPad you need a way to synchronise the data so that the same exact files are on both and if you man a change on the Mc, it shows on there iPad. Again iCloud does this or if you have lots of data you can DIY by buying your own cloud.
What you need on the MacBook is the set of files you are using and the big archive needs to be in a safer place
These are all very good points. Thanks. I've never had a laptop that has been lost or stolen but it could happen. I've contemplated getting a NAS (which would solve the problem). I'm concerned that I do not have enough tech knowledge to manage it and definitely not enough patience to figure it out. I always have external drive backups but that doesn't solve the problem of off-site access.
The NAS is the simple solution but as with many tech issues, the user (me) needs to know how to manage it. Thanks though.
I'm surprised that anyone with a MBP, short some professionals who need the power, wouldn't be using it as a primary computer.
I like that you used the correct version of complement.
Modern NASes are pretty user friendly, but being quite complex and feature rich they still require a bit of work to set up. But it's easier done than said, just follow the guides and you'll be ready in no time.
Basically they're all "insert the disks, plug in the network cable, launch the app and click on a few buttons"