Worth going up to 1TB on 15''?

[UntitledImage]

Look at the $360 in terms of the convenience spread across the potential lifespan of the device. Let's say for argument's sake that it'll be used for just three years. That's 1095 days.

Would you pay 32 cents per day to avoid having to drag around an external hard drive? Naturally, that daily cost shrinks the longer you plan to keep the MBP.

1TB is worth it. There's something about opening your computer and having everything be there and accessible to you.

Thats a good point... When I've had a laptop, I've dragged around my hard drive with my current work on it. My portfolio with massive print ready .tiff files is about 300gb, and then my class work another 100. Then I'm adding about 16gb of raw files to it every week, but I dump those on to a secured backup drive every few weeks. Right now, I only keep what I'm immediately working on on the ssd, but I do go fish around in the external for portfolio and class work quite a lot.

Have you cleaned the current SSD and is it your true use that take up 300GB? Sometimes there can be a ton of stuffs. Like I just found out Garage Band somehow take up 2-3 GB. I never even knew that until now. And I mean support files, the app was removed long ago.

As far as large storage, if I overuse my 512, I'm planning on velcroing the Samsung T3 to the back of the case lid and run a usbc wire in when needed for additional storage. you can also try high capacity usb pen drive, they're up to 512GB now, enough to move project files and much smaller than HDD. If you have a ton ton of files, check the T3, its fast and a real external SSD.

If you can get by with a external drive look at the Samsung T3. It is a small external SSD with up to 2 TB AND a USB-C connector. The 1TB version cost around $300 USD. Transfer rate on my 2015 rMBP is a little over 500 MB/sec. About the size of 2 USB sticks, you can easily stick it in your pocket.

External SSD's are getting cheaper and cheaper.

Have you seen these? http://www.bestbuy.com/site/samsung...rd-drive-black-silver/5072722.p?skuId=5072722

I had not heard of the T3, that looks pretty awesome! Either way I might need to get one for my archive- I wonder what the failure rate is? I use those little portable HD's from sea gate or western digital, but they just quit on me about every 18 months, so I keep redundants of everything, one goes into a fire proof safe, one sits by the computer. A T3 seems like it would be twice the space for the cost though.... hmmm... Not a bad deal. Still a thing to plug in but way faster than an old HD.

Iizmoo, yes, I clean it pretty often, I guess I'm used to the days that kind of stuff would slow a computer down. I don't keep any apps on the computer I don't use and a go through the libraries and look for things that ought to go.

Are you using all the data you have stored on your current machine?

I bought the 512gb simply because no SSD will ever hold all my data. I have a large collection of videos, raw photos, and movies (entertainment) so I have two 2tb drives at home. What's important is that, when I go mobile, I only keep the files I need on my computer. But I personally don't use my computer for storage of anything, just processing and consumption. If you think you can get away with 1tb and no external drives then definitely go 1tb. But if you'll be managing external drives anyway just get a big, fast external and practice good storage trimming.

Its because I shoot with a Sony A7rii- the files are 84mb a piece, then a processed psd is up to 3gb each, and in grad school im writing 5000 word papers or building 25 slide presentations every two weeks. But am I using it when I'm done with it? Not really... just the offloading it to my storage drives is a bit of manual work, and I dont get around to it except maybe every 4-5 months. I agree though, my archive with all the work I've ever done, files going back to 95' (ha!) and all my RAW files and so on are distributed redundantly on 6 2tb drives. It wouldn't be NO external drives, but maybe I could get rid of the one that houses portfolio and current thesis work... but then again, It not like I'm always pulling that stuff up either.

You have to be nutty in the head to order a mbp with the juiced GHZ and the pimpin radeon 460 without at least 1 TB.

I would have ordered the 2 TB, but thats just showing off.

The reasons are:
Day to day convenience of all your files in your laptop.
Resale value (by the time you want to upgrade, your teenie-tiny SSD will make this thing worth not much more than a doorstop)

haha! This is exactly how my second thoughts on it started! Man.... all these upgrades but not upgrading this thing? I feel like maybe I don't *need* it, but yeah, did seem silly not to upgrade that to... then again its feeding the GAS (gear acquisition syndrome).

Side question, based on the response above (and this is an honest question not meant to imply anything if you do this). When you buy a computer, do you make purchasing decisions based on impact on resell cost?

I only ask because I typically hold computers for long enough that they have little resell value. We have a '08 fully loaded iMac and it's probably only worth a couple hundred dollars. My customized '11 MBP with what was a very expensive 512 GB aftermarket SSD (the largest available at the time) and 16 GB RAM may not be worth significantly more. If purchasing a computer with plans to resell, how long do you typically own the computers before reselling to recoup the most value?

Also a very good point and something that got me thinking maybe I should upgrade it: resale value. Lately, Ive been upgrading every year which is bad bad bad. But I used to every 2-3 years and need to get back on that schedule. But in 2-3 time, 512 may sound like 256 does today, where 512 wont be realistic for a lot of people and so I'd have a harder time selling it to help fund a new computer. I think this was actually one of my huge concerns. I have the maxed out iphone for just this reason, so it can support the next iPhone purchase.

I was going to get the 1 TB drive, but couldn't deal with the cost. I'm finding the 512 GB is actually ok now that cloud services are so good. I keep everything on Dropbox, and don't sync the really old stuff to my computer. Works out ok.

I agree, cloud services are getting to be pretty excellent. I use both dropbox and icloud, but I do have pretty low plans. My concern was always what if I need something and I'm not near wi-fi, tethering could put me over my data if I'm not careful, and it always seems like you need the thing you dont have access to!

Do you guys know if you can choose to not sync icloud stuff? Or is that only something you can do via browser in dropbox? I really only use it for sending large files or syncing whatever download text is required in class at the moment... but feel like I should a start making heavier use of it.

 

[Murgatroyd314]

1TB was definitely worth it for me. My current Documents and iTunes folders, which I plan to copy over to my new machine, take up a combined 445GB already, and are only going to grow in the coming years.

 

[shadow82x]

My logic here is I'll likely be bootcamping and playing some games on bootcamp with my eGPU (razer core.) And today games range anywhere from 10GB - 70GB, so getting the 1TB was a no-brainer. I'll likely allocate ~350GB to bootcamp. I would have even considered the 2TB, but hell, that's expensive.

 

[iizmoo]

The Samsung T3 is pretty much like an 850 cut out of the 2.5" form factor, the 850 is basically the most best-regarded SSD out there right now by a combination of sales and reputation. It's not like the old HDD you had that died after 18 months, and I can believe that given how spinning disk just aren't that good. 3 of us mentioned the T3 because it's a really slim 3oz SSD that can handle the shock, and the inside is really that good. I've used various 830, 840, and 850 SSD. The 2013 NVMe SSD in my Macbook Air is made by Samsung. They're kinda the go to vendor for high density and performance SSD storage, even when Apple needed it. SanDisk is kinda the 2nd tier vendor that Apple uses when they want to be economical. I was actually a little dismayed to learn SanDisk SSD were in the new MBP I just ordered.

The other nice thing is Samsung have a version of that for their 2.5" drive that goes up to 4TB. Cost a bit, and the T3 only goes up to 2TB, but that's still a lot of storage in a very small and rugged form factor. I expect in maybe a year for the T3 to have 4TB.

 

[Exile714]

My logic here is I'll likely be bootcamping and playing some games on bootcamp with my eGPU (razer core.) And today games range anywhere from 10GB - 70GB, so getting the 1TB was a no-brainer. I'll likely allocate ~350GB to bootcamp. I would have even considered the 2TB, but hell, that's expensive.

Have you considered running games off an external drive? With Thunderbolt 3 that might be possible.

 

[Zillion]

Why would you upgrade from 2.7 to 2.9? Than SSD or VGA upgrade is relative more worth.

 

[shadow82x]

Have you considered running games off an external drive? With Thunderbolt 3 that might be possible.

Interesting. I didn't know this was a thing, but now that I think of it is, it does seem feasible. I'd be interested to see if that'd impact performance in anyway.

 

[Feenician]

I broke down and pre-orded the 15'' Pro with 2.9ghz and Radeon 460, but I didn't upgrade the storage. In the past, it always seemed pointless when you could buy a bundle of externals for that same price as the larger SSD drive option. Right now I have 512 and have 200gb to spare. But, I'm having second thoughts because of the lack of ports and the need for dongle everything, I'm wondering if it would be better off storing more on the hard drive and icloud from now on rather than relying on connecting HDD's whenever I need. I'm a grad student in fine art, so any given time I am bouncing between safari, photoshop, light room, word and keynote. I'm going this route from an iMac at present because I'm really getting tired of being tied to my desk 8-10 hours a day, and in light of the new P3 color space and LG5k option, this seemed like it might be a better route. But being mobile also means I won't be sitting in front of a stack of hard drives all the time. The cost to go up to 1tb is $360 for students, is it worth it for another 512gb? Opinions?

There's no lack of ports and no need for dongles. Buy whatever external drives you want and if they don't come with USB-C cables spend the whole $15-20 it requires to buy one.

 

[Scary Spice]

Side question, based on the response above (and this is an honest question not meant to imply anything if you do this). When you buy a computer, do you make purchasing decisions based on impact on resell cost?

I only ask because I typically hold computers for long enough that they have little resell value. We have a '08 fully loaded iMac and it's probably only worth a couple hundred dollars. My customized '11 MBP with what was a very expensive 512 GB aftermarket SSD (the largest available at the time) and 16 GB RAM may not be worth significantly more. If purchasing a computer with plans to resell, how long do you typically own the computers before reselling to recoup the most value?

I think there are 2 strategies that are most cost effective: keep you device for a long long time (until is is worthless) or resell and upgrade often (every iteration).

I upgrade often and a loaded apple product holds its resale so well, the daily cost of ownership is very reasonable. 10 years ago I was upgrading every second iteration and it was the most expensive way to upgrade.

If you buy the budget (low end) models, they become antiquated quite quickly and the resale is not nearly as good. (also this way I am always owning the speediest, biggest device too!)

 

[UntitledImage]

Why would you upgrade from 2.7 to 2.9? Than SSD or VGA upgrade is relative more worth.

Because one's computing power and one's storage....?
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There's no lack of ports and no need for dongles. Buy whatever external drives you want and if they don't come with USB-C cables spend the whole $15-20 it requires to buy one.

There is a lack of ports, I often have several drives and and SD card hooked up, there are less plugs if I am also on A/C power when factoring in the missing SD and magsafe. And a lot of the dongle's I'm seeing aren't that cheap... theres a couple few. I must say that the report of certain thunderbolt 3 adapters not working has me worried about buying them unless I can verify.. but who knows.
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I think there are 2 strategies that are most cost effective: keep you device for a long long time (until is is worthless) or resell and upgrade often (every iteration).

I upgrade often and a loaded apple product holds its resale so well, the daily cost of ownership is very reasonable. 10 years ago I was upgrading every second iteration and it was the most expensive way to upgrade.

If you buy the budget (low end) models, they become antiquated quite quickly and the resale is not nearly as good. (also this way I am always owning the speediest, biggest device too!)

That makes a lot of sense actually. I came to that conclusion with the iPhones, but with $3k computers its a bit more painful to think about that eventual upgrade. But yes, it seems like they lose what, 25% per year down to some baseline number. So looking at cost per day, per year... Being I am pretty reliant on technology both for work and school, I can't really afford to get to where my machine is completely outdated. Something to think about.

 

[mrex]

quite expensive way to store documents and photos, i say...

at first you need to pay lots of money to get that 1tb ssd, then another for backups. i would rather get a network attached storage (which i already have) with that amount of money you put to a single ssd and an extra external storage for backups. you get atleast 8tb to store in a nas, even when putting it to the raid1 mode, you still have 4tb (and another 4tb "a backup" disk) free space available and accessible from anywhere by your phone, tablet, comp, atv... of course they are still mechanical harddrives and much slower and keep noise, so if you are planning to move gigabytes of data back and forth daily it takes time. but do your job, saved them to the ssd, then drink a cup of coffee and let the laptop communicate with the nas storing those huge files during your break...

My portfolio with massive print ready .tiff files is about 300gb, and then my class work another 100. Then I'm adding about 16gb of raw files to it every week, but I dump those on to a secured backup drive every few weeks. Right now, I only keep what I'm immediately working on on the ssd, but I do go fish around in the external for portfolio and class work quite a lot.

if you need to access to few hundred gbs daily, then the nas isnt a right choice. it would be way too slow.

 

[jackoatmon]

This is just one opinion, and everyone has a different use-case, but IMO you're better off putting your money into a bigger SSD than a faster CPU. There's an argument to be made for the 8M L3 cache in the 2.7 over the 6M in the 2.6, but honestly the CPU speed differences are pretty small.

It costs just a little more to go from 512 -> 1TB SSD than it does from 2.6 i7 -> 2.9 i7. I'd put my money in the SSD (and in the 460 Pro, easily the best bang4buck upgrade to get), and in fact that's exactly what I did.

I think my inner nerd will always wonder whether I shoulda paid the extra $150 to get the 2.7 for the L3 cache, but in reality it'll probably never matter.

 

[Karnicopia]

I had a tough time with this decision too but just ended up going with the 1 TB. I normally don't go for really high specked storage on things like my phone or ipad but for a laptop I'd like to have the storage. I'm starting to run out of storage on a PC laptop and It's been really annoying trying to optimize it. I have all my data moved off on external storage but at his point it's my program files themselves which sucks. Now that's a pretty old PC with nowhere near 512GB so that isn't going to happen here but I'd just rather have the storage and not have to worry about it. I'd rather be able to keep a lot of files on the PC so I can work offline. Also when I looked at the difference in price between 512 GB PCIe SSD and 1TB PCIe SSD the price apple was charging didn't seem out of line for what we were getting so I just went with it. It also sounds like the SSD apple has is pretty high speed compared to what is out there so if it's a really great SSD may not be a bad idea to just get the bigger one. It was tough seeing the cost go up by $400 but I think it's worth it since you may not be able to go in and upgrade it later (though I guess we'll have to wait for a tear down on one of these to see if that is actually the case).

 

[Scary Spice]

I had a tough time with this decision too but just ended up going with the 1 TB. I normally don't go for really high specked storage on things like my phone or ipad but for a laptop I'd like to have the storage. I'm starting to run out of storage on a PC laptop and It's been really annoying trying to optimize it. I have all my data moved off on external storage but at his point it's my program files themselves which sucks. Now that's a pretty old PC with nowhere near 512GB so that isn't going to happen here but I'd just rather have the storage and not have to worry about it. I'd rather be able to keep a lot of files on the PC so I can work offline. Also when I looked at the difference in price between 512 GB PCIe SSD and 1TB PCIe SSD the price apple was charging didn't seem out of line for what we were getting so I just went with it. It also sounds like the SSD apple has is pretty high speed compared to what is out there so if it's a really great SSD may not be a bad idea to just get the bigger one. It was tough seeing the cost go up by $400 but I think it's worth it since you may not be able to go in and upgrade it later (though I guess we'll have to wait for a tear down on one of these to see if that is actually the case).

I hate the 'data swap shuffle'. I have cruised along for the last 2 years with about 150 GB to spare on my 1TB mbp but if I started to run out of storage I would have bought my new mbp 15" with 2TB regardless of the price.

Relying on the cloud is not a way to a happy life.