MacBook Pro Retina 128GB or 256GB

[DesertSilver]

I can vouch for the 256GB being faster than the 128GB for the 2015 rMBP 13". I bought a 128GB model first, then decided to go with the 256GB. But before I returned it, I ran the BlackMagic Disk Speed Test.

The reads speeds were pretty much identical, at around 1,400 MB/s, but the write speeds were double on the 256 model (~650 vs ~1,300 MB/s). I'm guessing this is due to the 256 having two 128 modules that it's writing to at the same time.

Whether there is any real world noticeable difference between 650 vs 1,300 MB/s is another story. Moving large files around, probably. But day to day, I'm not sure.

 

[tivoboy]

Hmm

That would seem to contradict what apple puts on their website though?

 

[Steve121178]

I am planning to run parallel/VM/Bootcamp for Windows on the Mac.

I can't believe you are even considering the 128GB model. 256GB is a must.

 

[nj-mac-user]

So which is better out of a 256 or 512 balancing cost and storage. Is 256 really enough?

Depends if an extra 256GB and .2 GHz more is worth the additional $300 to you. With high capacity thumb drives available I personally don't think its worth the extra cost.

 

[JasonR]

256 GB is minimum in my opinion. You'll likely find you'll enjoy it so much it's easy to push the limits of a 256.

Yep, I can fill a 256gb drive up FAST.

I ordered mine with the 512gb.

 

[Modernape]

Or, get the 128GB model and put a 128GB Transcend Jetdrive Lite in it for $74

 

[DesertSilver]

Bottom line is that the only person that really knows what amount of space to get is yourself. I had a Macbook Air for 4 years and never used more than half of the 128GB on it so it just depends on your use case. If you think you only need X amount of storage but can afford to go a bit higher, then you'll have a bit more piece of mind. And when it comes time to resell in the future, you'll most likely recoup a majority of that extra amount you spent on that spec bump, especially with Apple products.

 

[blaine07]

MacBook Pro Retina 128GB or 256GB

I got a 128gb(base model 2015 13") here. Plugged a ole external HD into my USB port on router and set it up as a FTP and got a good FTP client for iPhone and my new rMBP. Works like a charm for me. (I have iPhone 6 with one of Verizon's grandfathered unlimited data plans so always have Internet for MBP)

 

[Agent-P]

Or, get the 128GB model and put a 128GB Transcend Jetdrive Lite in it for $74

Do devices like the Transcend Jetdrive still cause issues with sleep mode resulting in slightly higher battery drain? I would suggest that to the OP as a cheaper alternative if that has been resolved.

 

[Queen6]

256 minimum, 128 is far too limiting and will likely force an upgrade sooner rather than later.

Q-6

 

[adamhenry]

Do devices like the Transcend Jetdrive still cause issues with sleep mode resulting in slightly higher battery drain? I would suggest that to the OP as a cheaper alternative if that has been resolved.

I'm using a Jetdrive for my iTunes storage but I'm not sure how to tell if it is interfering with sleep.

 

[Agent-P]

I'm using a Jetdrive for my iTunes storage but I'm not sure how to tell if it is interfering with sleep.

Do you ever close the lid to put the Mac to sleep overnight when it's not plugged in? How much battery do you lose overnight? If there's no interference, then you shouldn't lose very much battery at all. If it is, then there might be a bigger loss.

There's an Apple support article that says the system doesn't properly go to sleep when an SD card is plugged in, but I haven't seen anyone complain about it recently so I'm hoping it's solved. If so I'll get one for myself.

 

[Hieveryone]

256GB.

The 128GB is too small and its performance is pathetic compared to the 256GB.

That said, I've replied to your other thread and you should be considering a 15", since you're doing electrical/computer engineering with AutoCAD and an IDE.

I agree with this. I will add that you don't really get 128 because of the OS.

 

[dubhe]

I just played with a couple of 2015 rMBP in the Apple Store, they were both 256GB, even though they are just display models. Why?

Apple knows that the 256 is the real rMBP, it places them in store because it is the most popular model, and because they can easily sell them later through refurb. Why not save money and put the 128 in as demos?

 

[tivoboy]

doesn't seem to play out

I can vouch for the 256GB being faster than the 128GB for the 2015 rMBP 13". I bought a 128GB model first, then decided to go with the 256GB. But before I returned it, I ran the BlackMagic Disk Speed Test.

The reads speeds were pretty much identical, at around 1,400 MB/s, but the write speeds were double on the 256 model (~650 vs ~1,300 MB/s). I'm guessing this is due to the 256 having two 128 modules that it's writing to at the same time.

Whether there is any real world noticeable difference between 650 vs 1,300 MB/s is another story. Moving large files around, probably. But day to day, I'm not sure.

So, got our new 128GB model (wife doesn't put photos or big items on her portable machines) the other day and now have it setup.

I can confirm that the 128GB modules, whatever they are perform the same as listed above.

I'm getting 650-661 WRITE and 1309-1321 MB/s READS. I can't say how fast the WRITE would be with the 256GB but I find it hard to believe they would truly be twice the amount. But it appears they MAY be..

Seems a bit of false advertising on the apple front, with such a clear difference between performance for two like spec'd machines. I mean nobody in their right mind would expect the smaller drive to ACTUALLY be .5x SLOWER on WRITE speed

 

[adamhenry]

Do you ever close the lid to put the Mac to sleep overnight when it's not plugged in? How much battery do you lose overnight? If there's no interference, then you shouldn't lose very much battery at all. If it is, then there might be a bigger loss.

There's an Apple support article that says the system doesn't properly go to sleep when an SD card is plugged in, but I haven't seen anyone complain about it recently so I'm hoping it's solved. If so I'll get one for myself.

I put my rMBP to sleep for 13.5hrs. with the Jetdrive inserted and it lost 0% battery while sleeping.

 

[Agent-P]

I put my rMBP to sleep for 13.5hrs. with the Jetdrive inserted and it lost 0% battery while sleeping.

Excellent! That's good to hear. I may be picking up a JetDrive in my near future.

 

[Pootan]

I use the 128, but I only put work related things in there (parallels, win7, office, visual studio, eclipse, Xcode, etc). For me it is more than enough. BUT if you want to use it for any personal purpose like photos, music or video, it will not be nearly enough.

I'd recommend 256 at the least.

 

[maflynn]

I use the 128, but I only put work related things in there (parallels, win7, office, visual studio, eclipse, Xcode, etc). For me it is more than enough. BUT if you want to use it for any personal purpose like photos, music or video, it will not be nearly enough.

I'd recommend 256 at the least.

I tried to live with a 128GB SSD on my 13" MBP, and I found it too constraining. It all depends on your needs.

 

[Anand953]

I love the 128GB option for a secondary machine. If I had an iMac for the horsepower and storage and an MBA for on the go, I probably wouldn't need more than 128GB on the latter. Heck, I'm barely getting the 16GB on my iPad and iPhone full.

A friend of mine bought his first Mac last fall and despite everyone's advice went with the 128GB. He calculated his SSD needs and - as he is an avid photographer - came up with an enormous amount, way past even the top tier 512GB option.
With this in mind, he decided to rather constantly hook up a 1TB external drive for his Lightroom and iTunes libraries and save some money by only buying 128GB internal storage. Mind you, this works for him, because he doesn't use a lot of different software and the data that's eating up his storage can easily be stored and used via an external drive.

I can't imagine any scenarios other than these two, in which 128GB would be sufficient. Myself, I'm struggling with 256GB on my main machine.

Agree with your friend.. I too just bought the mid-2014 model with 128 GB and then separately bought a 1 TB external drive... Works fine for me based on my "ALWAYS REQUIRED" storage need calculations..

 

[Yanman]

I settled on the 256. Going to get a transcend jet drive for media/document storage.

 

[adamhenry]

I settled on the 256. Going to get a transcend jet drive for media/document storage.

That's what I'm doing and I currently have 224GB free on the HD.

 

[dsmedic10]

Maybe unrelated to this post, but those of you with Jetdrives, I have a question. Can you add the Jetdrive and then make a "hybrid" drive out of it and the built-in SSD? As in, I want one volume for everything rather than one SSD and one "external" drive. Is that possible? I know older Macs had the ability to replace the CDROM with an HDD and make a hybrid drive. Can that be done using a Jetdrive?

 

[Modernape]

Do you ever close the lid to put the Mac to sleep overnight when it's not plugged in? How much battery do you lose overnight? If there's no interference, then you shouldn't lose very much battery at all. If it is, then there might be a bigger loss.

There's an Apple support article that says the system doesn't properly go to sleep when an SD card is plugged in, but I haven't seen anyone complain about it recently so I'm hoping it's solved. If so I'll get one for myself.

Transcend have a Jetdrive Toolbox which automatically unmounts the drive when the system sleeps and remounts it upon waking. Zero battery drain, basically.

 

[AFEPPL]

I have all 3, it makes no difference - just use a NAS drive you don't want to rely on a portable device for the safe keep of your files. 128GB will be more than fine, 256 provides better performance - not that is needed or a priority for word processing..