MacBook Air M2 256

[phoenix_jet]

Is this really enough storage and are you just adding on an external drive to supplement this issue?

How long do these new laptops last?

I'm running a 2009 Pro where I've upgraded the ram, hard drive and battery. Works well for what it is. I continually keep my external hard drive plugged in b/c I know this could go at any minute.

I hate hate I can't keep these new systems going like my current.

Or am i wrong and actually can do so? Could I actually get 13 years out of a new system the way it's set up?

I welcome your feedback.

 

[russell_314]

Is this really enough storage and are you just adding on an external drive to supplement this issue?

Enough storage for? Only you can answer that question because only you know what files you have. 1 TB might not be enough storage for you. I have a 512 GB on my M2 and I have used 143 GB so I would be fine currently with 256 GB. I prefer having a little bit of extra leeway, but that’s me. Also, SSDs will perform poorly when very close to capacity, so do you want to keep it may be below 90%? I don’t know the exact figure where that performance drops off.

How long do these new laptops last?

I'm running a 2009 Pro where I've upgraded the ram, hard drive and battery. Works well for what it is. I continually keep my external hard drive plugged in b/c I know this could go at any minute.

I hate hate I can't keep these new systems going like my current.

Or am i wrong and actually can do so? Could I actually get 13 years out of a new system the way it's set up?

I don’t think that’s a realistic expectation. I guess it would depend on what you’re planning to do with it but it’s capability compared to newer machines is going to be significantly less. Also, you’re going to have a significant security vulnerabilities with an out of date operating system.

Will you be able to open the webpage and browse the Internet 13 years from now on an M2 MacBook Air? Most likely will it be able to open the same programs? Most likely although they won’t be updated to modern versions. I can open up an office document on my 25-year-old windows 98 PC. That doesn’t mean it’s usable in any modern sense of the definition.

I guess if you’re on a really tight budget or just want to do it to do it, then this makes sense, but not really even in that case because you could probably buy a used MacBook and save more money then try to keep an extremely outdated Mac going. Also, you’d be using a more modern machine. I’d say seven years is a realistic expectations for life expectancy, not counting any kind of hardware failure.

 

[phoenix_jet]

Enough storage for? Only you can answer that question because only you know what files you have. 1 TB might not be enough storage for you. I have a 512 GB on my M2 and I have used 143 GB so I would be fine currently with 256 GB. I prefer having a little bit of extra leeway, but that’s me. Also, SSDs will perform poorly when very close to capacity, so do you want to keep it may be below 90%? I don’t know the exact figure where that performance drops off.


I don’t think that’s a realistic expectation. I guess it would depend on what you’re planning to do with it but it’s capability compared to newer machines is going to be significantly less. Also, you’re going to have a significant security vulnerabilities with an out of date operating system.

Will you be able to open the webpage and browse the Internet 13 years from now on an M2 MacBook Air? Most likely will it be able to open the same programs? Most likely although they won’t be updated to modern versions. I can open up an office document on my 25-year-old windows 98 PC. That doesn’t mean it’s usable in any modern sense of the definition.

I guess if you’re on a really tight budget or just want to do it to do it, then this makes sense, but not really even in that case because you could probably buy a used MacBook and save more money then try to keep an extremely outdated Mac going. Also, you’d be using a more modern machine. I’d say seven years is a realistic expectations for life expectancy, not counting any kind of hardware failure.

Basic everyday stuff that adds up. resumes, tax forms, downloaded docs, photos from my phone which rarely include videos. just basic **** of everyday life. how quickly does that add up in the universe of memory is my question.

 

[ignatius345]

Is this really enough storage and are you just adding on an external drive to supplement this issue?

Get the 512 at least, especially if you're planning on keeping it a while. Every time I skimp on storage, Future Me wishes he could go back in time and retroactively spend the money on the upgrade.

I bought the 256 thinking I was only using it for web, email, text etc. Then my usage changed and I'm making it deal with big graphic files and it's a pain. I'm actually working with a 256 GB flash drive attached because I needed space for my Creative Cloud sync folder.

Anyway, all that said, 13 years is an absurd amount of time to expect a computer to last in regular usage. By that time it will be dog slow and nearly unusable. Surely your time is worth more than that.

 

[russell_314]

Basic everyday stuff that adds up. resumes, tax forms, downloaded docs, photos from my phone which rarely include videos. just basic **** of everyday life. how quickly does that add up in the universe of memory is my question.

Documents and tax forms, unless you work for the IRS aren’t going to take up any space. What takes up space is videos, applications, and pictures.

I always tell people the best person to tell how much space you need is the person that’s asking. Look at your current computer and if you see you’re using for files and wha then I would double that for future use. If it’s things like vacation footage from 2011, you can put that on a separate drive to save space.

You can’t go wrong with getting 512 GB but it is a waste of $200 if you really don’t need it. I chose to waste the $200 because I’m not on a tight budget and I wanted to have some future expansion room.

If you’re trying to keep this computer for as long as possible and not on a super tight budget, my recommendation would be get the 16 GB RAM/512 GB SSD model.

 

[StoneJack]

Get the 512 at least, especially if you're planning on keeping it a while. Every time I skimp on storage, Future Me wishes he could go back in time and retroactively spend the money on the upgrade.

I bought the 256 thinking I was only using it for web, email, text etc. Then my usage changed and I'm making it deal with big graphic files and it's a pain. I'm actually working with a 256 GB flash drive attached because I needed space for my Creative Cloud sync folder.

Anyway, all that said, 13 years is an absurd amount of time to expect a computer to last in regular usage. By that time it will be dog slow and nearly unusable. Surely your time is worth more than that.

Should use 1 tb m2 ssd drive in usb enclosure

 

[LeeW]

Assuming you want to keep it for as many years as possible then go for 512GB to save needing to use any external storage based on your expected usage.

Anything up to 10 years would be a reasonable "how long will it last" assuming no problems with the device.

 

[ignatius345]

Should use 1 tb m2 ssd drive in usb enclosure

Ideally, sure. Of course an NVMe drive would be a lot quicker. But the performance of the flash drive (this one) is actually totally adequate for what I need, and it's as physically compact as possible. I'm already disliking even having this tiny thing plugged in and a full on SSD drive with a cord and everything would be super clunky on a laptop.

I might actually have to bite the bullet and buy another MacBook Air with a bigger SSD so I don't have to do this anymore. What burns me up is that other than the SSD thing, this M1 Air is doing everything quite well and I hate to burn $500-1000 just to fix my misconfiguration :/

 

[jmoore5196]

Well, I got the 2TB and haven't regretted it yet!

I'd echo what Ignatius said: Get the 512 at least and save yourself some grief.

 

[StoneJack]

Or stock plus external drive. Same result even if aestetically not very pleasing but gets job done.