256 or 512 GB flash storage?

Hi -- I'm about to purchase a 13-inch MacBook Pro. I WAS gonig to go with the regular (so to speak) hard drive, as I have more than 500 GB on my existing 2008 aluminum unibody MB and had to upgrde the hard drive in that one last year. Obviously, I like my stuff with me!
However, I've been talked into the retina display and flash storage as the wave of the future, and my daughter (who is in grad school) loves the Air she/we got her last fall, and that has flash storage.
I'm seriously thinking of upgrading to 512. Yes, I know I can put stuff in Dropbox and on externals, but given my propensity to have everything with me, would I be not wasting money to bump up to 512 GB?
Decisions, decisions...
Mostly this laptop stays home, but I take it on client visits 2-3 times a month, and to a jobsite 2-3 times a month.

yes - you can upgrade your standard hard drive to ssd.
see images below for speed differences - first image - 1TB 5400 RPM Hard Drive - second image - 240GB SSD.
you can play the waiting game if you're not in a rush and your old macbook is still working for you.
good luck.

Similar Messages

Transferring data from 750GB backup drive to new MacBook Pro with 256 Gb PCI-e flash storage?

Yesterday my late-2008 aluminium unibody MacBook died - absolutely and definitively. I've tried SMC reset multiple times to no avail. However, it served me well for almost six years and it's now time to move on. I've decided to buy a 13 inch MacBook Pro Retina with 256Gb PCI-e flash storage. Obviously, it will come with Mavericks installed as the operating system.
When it died, my MacBook was running OS X 10.8.5, the original hard drive had been replaced with a Western Digital 750GB, 7200 rpm drive of which I believe about 350GB was used. I keep two x 1Tb Lacie Rugged backup drives, each of which has both Time Machine and SuperDuper Bootable Clone backups.
My questions are these -
1.     How should I proceed to transfer my data from my external backup drives to my new MacBook Pro Retina, given the difference in storage capacity of my existing backup drives and my new MacBook Pro?
2.     I have over 32,000 photos in my iPhoto Library which, obviously, consume a big slab of disk space. I'm not sure how I go about 'quarantining' the iPhoto Library so that it doesn't use all the flash drive storage.
3.      One of the Lacie Rugged's has a 'triple interface' - i.e. USB 2, Firewire 400 and Firewire 800. The other has a USB 2 and 2 x Firewire 800 (IIRC).    The MacBook Pro Retina has two USB 3 ports and two Thunderbolt 2 ports. I want to continue to use the Lacies as my backup drives. Am I better off to use the USB ports or should I invest in a Thunderbolt to USB cable? Does it make any real difference in terms of backing up (which, in my case, doesn't have to be all that speedy).
4.     What else should I be thinking about? I know I'm bound to have overlooked the most obvious problems but can't think what they may be ...
Cheers
Tricia

Patricia Henwood wrote:
3.      One of the Lacie Rugged's has a 'triple interface' - i.e. USB 2, Firewire 400 and Firewire 800. The other has a USB 2 and 2 x Firewire 800 (IIRC).    The MacBook Pro Retina has two USB 3 ports and two Thunderbolt 2 ports. I want to continue to use the Lacies as my backup drives. Am I better off to use the USB ports or should I invest in a Thunderbolt to USB cable? Does it make any real difference in terms of backing up (which, in my case, doesn't have to be all that speedy).
USB3 is backwards compatible with USB2, so you can use the old USB cables. For faster data transfer rates, Firewire 800 would be available using this adapter:
http://store.apple.com/us/product/MD464ZM/A/apple-thunderbolt-to-firewire-adapte r
Firewire 800 is about twice as fast as USB2, theoretically.
Ciao.

Do I need 256 or 512 flash storage?

Hello.
I'm getting a MacBook Pro 13" Retina Display but I'm not sure if I need 256 or 512 for flash storage.
I'm going into health studies for college, so I won't be required to have a lot of fancy softwares I think, but still. I make films for a hobby.
I only use Final Cut Pro, iMovie and iPhoto and the films are just travel or family and friends videos. I use a high resolution camera for most of my shots.
so with college work, casual web surfing and video editing should I buy 256 and save money or would the 512 be a good investment?
thank you for reading, cheers!

You have a couple of options. You could go with the 512, with what you're indicating you'll be using the computer for might still not be enough. What you could do (and probably what I'd do if I was looking to save a dime) is grab the 256, and with the money I save, grab a larger external hard drive. Store any non-critical images/videos on there to keep the internal space free.
Regards,
Gnomish8

How much flash storage is available to user?

Of the 128 GB, 256 GB, etc. of flash storage, how much is taken up with operating system and how much is available for my stuff?

roughly 8 gigabytes
A new 128gig Air will new from box show 121+ GB free.
8gig of recovery partition, OS files, and other resident APP files.
So youll have 121 gig free for use, or 247gig on a 256gig SSD.
Keep roughly 20-30% free
this means you keep folders for large imported or created data and you ritually offload and archive this data for safekeeping, not only to safeguard the data in case your macbook has a HD crash, or gets stolen, but importantly in keeping the ‘breathing room’ open for your computer to operate, expand, create files, add applications, for your APPS to create temp files, and for general operation.

256 or 512 GB of flash storage?

Hi all,
I'm about to buy an iMac 27" for my work. I work as a cinematographer and editor.
Should I go with the 256 or 512 GB of flash storage? It's a difference of € 300,- (in the Netherlands).
I know 256 GB is enough space for applications and other stuff while keeping my media on an external 4TB HDD.
But that's for now... So my question is; do I need more storage for future applications, the operating system or cache files?
Is it worth the € 300,- of extra space for the 4-5 years I'm going to use this computer?
Thanks!
Teun

I would say yes, future needs are hard to predict and often exceed current estimates.

Is 256 gb flash storage enough on the retina display Mbp?

I am going to college and can't decide between the baseline 15 inch MacBook pro with 500 gb hard drive and the baseline retina display. While the speed and slender design of the retina display are certainly appealing, I am concerned that the 256 gb of flash storage will not be enough in the long run. I mean, I will not be running the entire adobe suite, but I will definitely be running the entire Microsoft office for Mac suite (word, excel, powerpoint, and outlook),as well as the adobe photoshop cs6 extended program. I will also run iTunes with a library of roughly 800 songs, as well as various apps that may exceed 30 to 40 gbs potentially. I will also store some photos and movies on there, and I am looking into getting an external hard drive to backup my computer to. So for your basic college student that will mainly be using office, surfing the web, and using iTunes, is 256 gb enough? I also am seeing a lot of complaints about defective retina display computers on the discussion boards, and I was wondering if those are making up a large portion of retina displays being sold.

It feels to me like Apple intended the Retina MBP for users who would be using cloud storage a lot more than people have in the past. For example, if your media is purchased from iTunes, it stays in the cloud instead of taking up space on your hard drive, so you don't need as much onboard storage.
I've often wondered if this was wishful thinking on Apple's part, hoping that people would start using iTunes and iCloud more, and it remains to be seen if that will be the case. I really think the Retina MBP was designed for that.
I'm not trying to discourage you from getting one. It's more like, I'm hoping these thoughts (and I may be wrong), will help you make a good decision based on your usage habits. It's an awfully large investment, after all, and one that you'll have to live with for a long time.

I'am from Argentina. I'm trying to place an order to buy a MacBook Air Core i7 8 Mg ram and 512 flash storage. I'll be in US in november and I don't know how to do. What suggest me

Im sorry. I'm from Argentina and I'll be in New York and Boston during the first week of November. I'd like to buy a Mac Book Air 13,3 with core i7 processor 8MG Ram and 512 flash storage. I'll pick it up at the Boylston Store in Boston. I'd like to place an order for the time I'll be there

Call the Boylston Apple Store in Boston...they may have stock.

MacBook air 128 or 256 flash storage

Should I go with the MacBook air with 128 or 256 flash storage?

I should just follow Dominic23 around the MacBook Air and post this link everywhere -
http://eshop.macsales.com/shop/SSD/OWC/Aura_Pro_Air_2012
So yes it is possible to upgrade your MacBook Air with a larger SSD if you decide in the future that the current capacity is inadequate.
Without knowing your needs, it's really impossible to determine if the upgrade is necessary. Do you have a lot of media (Music, Movies, Photos) on your current computer? Do you intend to continue to add to this collection? What is your purpose for the machine? How about applications, do you use multimedia applications or application suites that require a significant amount of installation space?

Hi, I am planning to buy an MBA with 256 GB flash storage. I was wondering if external hdd's will be compatible with it?

Hi, I am planning to buy an MBA with 256 GB flash storage. I was wondering if external hdd's will be compatible with it?

Yes, any HDD will work, but as stated above, you should probably go for a more portable unit. My personal preference is for units that are powered by the USB or Thunderbolt connection, so I don't have to worry about a power cord.
I'm using a G-Tech 500GB Slim Drive for $90. They also make a 1 TB model for $150.
http://store.apple.com/us/product/H9996VC/A/g-tech-1tb-g-drive-usb-30-mobile-har d-drive?fnode=5f
It's about the size of a paperback book, and the thickness of an iPhone. Great for travel if you want to back up photos! Team it up with a 12 inch USB cord and you'll be set.

Suggestion for a new macbookair flash storage capacity for dual OS

I'm planning to buy my first MBA. I'll work using logic pro and office for mac. But I also have one app that need run on win7. This app size is max 200mb.
To keep my final working file, I plan to buy external storage.
My question, looking at my work needs, pls advise what is the ideal flash storage size I should pick ? Is it 128, 256 or 512Gb ? Ideal for me means, not overcapacity flash storage.
Tx all

Hi Dikanug,
Out of interest, so I can further select the best capacity of Flash Storage, how many document do you plan to save on the computer using Office and how often are you going to use Logic Pro?
This will help determine the best capacity.
Obviously the Logic Pro files will need to stay on the Mac however it is probably cheeper to have a Small Flash Storage and store any file that does not need to be on the actually Macintosh Drive, stored on a large external Hard Drive with files such as Office files.
Obviously the Logic Pro files will be anywhere from 10mb -up and therefore this will be needed to be taken into consideration when purchasing the Flash.
Just for your sake: 14 tracks of audio, 10 of which are drums and a song that is about 5 minutes long, could be at least 25mb in file capacity.
Remember once you have bought the device you cannot make the capacity bigger and thereofre it is better to have more than not enough however do not waste your money if you do not need it.

Is the 256GB flash storage enough for me? Can I install a bigger SD?

Hi there, I am transferring from a Dell (which I love) to the Macbook Air 256. However, I'm very concerned about the storage. I've had my Dell for 10 years and never gotten near the storage capacity. It has 285Gb and I've used 215GB of it. I figured the 256 would be enough, but I've only transferred 1 year of pictures over to my MAC, and the storage space is already HALF FULL!!!! I barely deleted 50 photos, and you can see the storage space free up by a couple GBs. Does flash storage not hold as much as regular hard drives? I'm a novice at mac computers and am getting really frustrated that this computer might not hold anything. Everything is also on an external drive, but I like it all on my computer for easy access. I also heard that I can put SD cards into my Macbook air to give me more storage. Is this true and if so, where do I get that? Thank you so so much for your help!

firebox is only $30 at walmart, if you dont have a safe deposit box.
theft is more about HIDING IT than vaulting it, buy a fireproof SLEEVE on Ebay for $30 and hide it under etc etc something, very easy to do.
you can buy your own private website, which is what I do, I have several   Cost is roughly $120 per year unlimited storage..
(see godaddy.com or otherwise)
However safety has to be put in place to prevent others from accessing your data, also very easy.
Its all about redundancy #1 and #2 longevity (DVD professional archival) for very important information that cant degrade over short term and rated for at least 60+ years.
All these points are explained in detail in the link I posted you as User Tip.
Online archives
Drawbacks:
1. Subject to server failure or due to non-payment of your hosting account, it can be suspended.
2. Subject, due to lack of security on your part, to being attacked and hacked/erased.
Advantages:
1. In case of house fire, etc. your data is safe.
2. In travels, and propagating files to friends and likewise, a mere link by email is all that is needed and no large media needs to be sent across the net.
3. Online archives are the perfect and best-idealized 3rd platform redundancy for data protection.
4. Supremely useful in data isolation from backups and local archives in being online and offsite for long-distance security in isolation.
5. *Level-1.5 security of your vital data.
As for hard drives, dont make the HUGE mistake others make, only having ONE off computer copy on a HD, thats a tragedy in waiting, 2 copies is 1, and 1 is none, ....and the data on the computer doesnt count in the 2-copy scheme.
Hard Drive Warning (all makes and models)
Ironically but logical, new hard drives are far more fragile than one that has been working for several months or a couple years. So beware in your thinking that a new hard drive translates into “extremely reliable”!
Hard drives suffer from high rates of what has been termed "infant mortality". Essentially this means new drives have their highest likelihood of failing in the first few months of usage. This is because of very minor manufacturing defects or HD platter balancing, or head and armature geometry being less than perfect; and this is not immediately obvious and can quickly manifest itself once the drive is put to work.
Hard drives that survive the first few months of use without failing are likely to remain healthy for a number of years.
Generally HD are highly prone to death or corruption for a few months, then work fine for a few years, then spike in mortality starting at 3-4 years and certainly should be considered end-of-life at 5-7+ years even if still working well. Drives written to once and stored away have the highest risk of data corruption due to not being read/written to on a regular basis. Rotate older working HD into low-risk use.
The implication of this is that you should not trust a new hard drive completely (really never completely!) until it has been working perfectly for several months.
Given the second law of thermodynamics, any and all current mfg. HD will, under perfect storage conditions tend themselves to depolarization and a point will be reached, even if the HD mechanism is perfect, that the ferromagnetic read/write surface of the platter inside the HD will entropy to the point of no viable return for data extraction. HD life varies, but barring mechanical failure, 3-8 years typically.
Hard drive failure and handling
The air cushion of air between the platter surface and the head is microscopic, as small as 3 nanometers, meaning bumps, jarring while in operation can cause head crash, scraping off magnetic particles causing internal havoc to the write surface and throwing particles thru the hard drive.
Hard drives are fragile in general, regardless, ... in specific while running hard drives are extremely fragile.
PDF: Bare hard drive handling generic instructions
hard drive moving parts
Some of the common reasons for hard drives to fail:
Infant mortality (due to mfg. defect / build tolerances)
Bad parking   (head impact)
Sudden impact   (hard drive jarred during operation, heads can bounce)
Electrical surge   (fries the controller board, possibly also causing heads to write the wrong data)
Bearing / Motor failure   (spindle bearings or motors wear during any and all use, eventually leading to HD failure)
Board failure   (controller board failure on bottom of HD)
Bad Sectors   (magnetic areas of the platter may become faulty)
General hard drive failure

Thinking of MacBook Air - flash storage enough?

I currently have a MacBook Pro 15-inch. I've had it for a couple of years and love it. I have all my files and apps on it and do back-up regularly. Howver now, I'm looking at a MacBook Air to replace it. I'm wondering the size of the hard drive or is that MBA only has Flash Storage - 256gb max. I plan on using it for email, word processing, internet, photos, some design work, plus a few other things. I just wondeirng if I get it, it won't give me enough storage for my apps & files.
Any thoughts?

My previous MacBook Pro had over 300 Gb of storage being utilized. But when transitioning to the Air, it was simply a matter of reorganizing some of the less often needed material and archiving to an external portable disk.
For the descriptive uses you mention, I sincerely doubt that you will be even inconvenienced by the 256 Gb drive. The benefits will far outweigh everything else.
Now, if you had said that you had a 150 GB iTunes music library, and a plethora of HD movies that your "have to " have on hand at all times, maybe I would alter my opinion here.

Question about operating systems and flash storage

im looking to buy an 11 mac air and would like to know what the difference between 2.ghz,i7,128 flash storage,4000 graphics and the 1.3 ghz,i5,256 flash storage, 5000 graphics. ??

Go to Apple's website and study the specs.

How much flash storage do I need for 13" Air for work/business?

Hello - I have a 2010 15" MBP that I use for home and business, but I've decided a need a lighter, more portable notebook to take to/from the office, on business trips, etc. I'm not familiar with flash storage, but I've been fairly happy with my current MBP response times. It has 4GB of storage which is nearly at capacity with my entire iTunes library and a number of movies I have stored on it, but I don't need the MBP optical drive and all of those media files with me when on the road. I would primarily use my MBA for Keynote or PPT presentations, playing short form video, MS Office and Web access. I plan to keep my MBP as my main workhorse PC at home for as long as it holds out, and use the 13" Air as a portable notebook.
So... do you think the standard 256 GB of flash storage likely sufficient for me, or should I spend the extra $500 for additional capacity?
And is it reasonable to assume I'll be able to transfer working files easily between my Pro and my Air 2-3x/month via a Thunderbolt/Firewire adapter, or should I just move everything to the Cloud?
Thanks!

As long as you aren't planning on storing a large collection of large movies and you have reasonably sized media (iPhoto/iTunes) libraries, you should have no trouble working with 256GB of storage.
As for transferring things, I would say that anything that is "mission critical" should still be retained (and backed up!!) locally. But for general documents, iCloud and other cloud services (Dropbox, etc.) work just fine (and have the added advantage of making things available to view/edit on mobile devices).
Also, in regard to transferring files, you might want to consider AirDrop, which you can read more about here: http://support.apple.com/kb/PH11376
Hope you enjoy your MacBook Air!

Should I get Fusion Drive or just plain Flash Storage on an iMac with 5K Retina Display?

I know fusion drive is good but I don't know if the OS is put on the SSD or the mechanical hard drive. I'm leaning towards the pure flash storage put I'm not sure. Which one should I get?

If you can afford it, get the SSD, but get either the 512 GB or 1 TB storage size, if your budget allows.

256 or 512 GB flash storage?

Similar Messages

Maybe you are looking for