macbook minimum internal hardrive space when using an external hardrive
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- KVRer
- Topic Starter
- 6 posts since 30 Apr, 2017
just curious what everybody is using. I’m looking to get a 2.5 ghz i7 with 16gb ram. but the thing i am struggling with is what size internal hardrive i realistically need. It will just be running cubase 10.5 pro and abelton 9. everything else like kontakt libraries will be on a 2tb external ssd.
is 500gb big enough? what do you guys run?
is 500gb big enough? what do you guys run?
- KVRAF
- 4822 posts since 25 Jan, 2014 from The End of The World as We Knowit
Internal SSD upgrades are cheap now, so put all libraries on the much-faster-internal SSD, and buy a cheap HDD for backup and archives.
Same total cost, better performance.
That’s what I did.
Same total cost, better performance.
That’s what I did.
H E L P
Y O U R
F L O W
Y O U R
F L O W
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- KVRer
- 6 posts since 3 Dec, 2019 from Montréal
The 2012 Macbook Pro with a Quad core i7 is ideal if you want a Mac. It's the last Macbook with 2.5" SSD support. I have a 2TB SSD installed on mine and it's perfect. That way you don't need external anything.
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thecontrolcentre thecontrolcentre https://www.kvraudio.com/forum/memberlist.php?mode=viewprofile&u=76240
- KVRAF
- 35190 posts since 27 Jul, 2005 from the wilds of wanny
This ^^ ... I have 3 x 1TB SSDs in my laptop (built 4 years ago). These days I would buy 2TB internal SSDs.
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- KVRian
- 1021 posts since 3 Oct, 2011 from Christchurch, New Zealand
the 2012-2016 mbp’s are now sanely upgradable using nvme to apple proprietary adaptors (and the recent releases of macos that support nvme) - I’ve done a few and it’s a complete win-win - much much cheaper than the only ‘apple compatible’ upgrade AND also much fasterguyana-disk wrote: ↑Tue Dec 03, 2019 4:42 pm The 2012 Macbook Pro with a Quad core i7 is ideal if you want a Mac. It's the last Macbook with 2.5" SSD support. I have a 2TB SSD installed on mine and it's perfect. That way you don't need external anything.
installation on the 12-16 mbp is painless (pop off the bottom cover and install - 5mins max), installation on the same period iMacs not so much (apart from the fun of having to cut the adhesive holding the screen in, they require complete disassembly of the internals since some bright spark put the ssd socket on the BACK side of the motherboard)
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- KVRer
- 6 posts since 3 Dec, 2019 from Montréal
That’s great news! Do you have a link to the adapter that you used?jdnz wrote: ↑Tue Dec 03, 2019 5:48 pmthe 2012-2016 mbp’s are now sanely upgradable using nvme to apple proprietary adaptors (and the recent releases of macos that support nvme) - I’ve done a few and it’s a complete win-win - much much cheaper than the only ‘apple compatible’ upgrade AND also much fasterguyana-disk wrote: ↑Tue Dec 03, 2019 4:42 pm The 2012 Macbook Pro with a Quad core i7 is ideal if you want a Mac. It's the last Macbook with 2.5" SSD support. I have a 2TB SSD installed on mine and it's perfect. That way you don't need external anything.
installation on the 12-16 mbp is painless (pop off the bottom cover and install - 5mins max), installation on the same period iMacs not so much (apart from the fun of having to cut the adhesive holding the screen in, they require complete disassembly of the internals since some bright spark put the ssd socket on the BACK side of the motherboard)
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- KVRian
- 905 posts since 1 Mar, 2007
Aren't the SSDs for the 2013 pricier and more limited in size? I have a 2011 MacBook Pro 17" with a 2TB SSD and that SSD was around $500 when I bought it.jdnz wrote: ↑Tue Dec 03, 2019 5:48 pmthe 2012-2016 mbp’s are now sanely upgradable using nvme to apple proprietary adaptors (and the recent releases of macos that support nvme) - I’ve done a few and it’s a complete win-win - much much cheaper than the only ‘apple compatible’ upgrade AND also much fasterguyana-disk wrote: ↑Tue Dec 03, 2019 4:42 pm The 2012 Macbook Pro with a Quad core i7 is ideal if you want a Mac. It's the last Macbook with 2.5" SSD support. I have a 2TB SSD installed on mine and it's perfect. That way you don't need external anything.
installation on the 12-16 mbp is painless (pop off the bottom cover and install - 5mins max), installation on the same period iMacs not so much (apart from the fun of having to cut the adhesive holding the screen in, they require complete disassembly of the internals since some bright spark put the ssd socket on the BACK side of the motherboard)
I didn't realize the 2012-16 were upgradeable. I suppose I always thought the pre 2013 models were only upgradeable because the hard drives were too pricey years ago. Didn't realize prices had gone down, but I'm seeing some mSata SSDs with 2TB at more reasonable prices, as I look today.
Is the RAM easily upgradeable too in these models? Is there any site that lists good compatible SSDs and RAM for these models that anyone knows of?
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- KVRian
- 1021 posts since 3 Oct, 2011 from Christchurch, New Zealand
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32996568898.htmlguyana-disk wrote: ↑Fri Dec 06, 2019 2:07 am That’s great news! Do you have a link to the adapter that you used?
Used some of the earlier (short) ones too - but they limit you to just one length of m2 card
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- KVRian
- 1021 posts since 3 Oct, 2011 from Christchurch, New Zealand
'12-'16nmacbooks require m2 nvme, not m2 sata - and yes there are compaibility caveats even then (stick to intel or samsung and you should be ok). Also requires a late-ish version of MacOS - high sierra or laterstikygum wrote: ↑Sat Dec 07, 2019 2:06 am I didn't realize the 2012-16 were upgradeable. I suppose I always thought the pre 2013 models were only upgradeable because the hard drives were too pricey years ago. Didn't realize prices had gone down, but I'm seeing some mSata SSDs with 2TB at more reasonable prices, as I look today.
Is the RAM easily upgradeable too in these models? Is there any site that lists good compatible SSDs and RAM for these models that anyone knows of?
Sadly on the 12-16 RAM is soldered in - no upgrade path for that
- KVRist
- 63 posts since 5 Dec, 2019
I've personally stuck to 1TB flash memory in my 2015 MBP and 2018 Mac mini. I run my projects and sample libraries from 2 Samsung T5 external SSDs. Super smooth.
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- KVRAF
- 2797 posts since 26 Jul, 2015 from Philadelphia
Depends a lot what you are doing other than making music. I found that the minimum for me is 1 TB internal, even with having almost everything music related on an external SSD.
Btw, if money is not an issue, the new MacBook can be maxed out with an internal 8TB SSD.
Btw, if money is not an issue, the new MacBook can be maxed out with an internal 8TB SSD.
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