Why You SHOULD Upgrade the SSD on your Mac



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This questions pops up all the time in the comment section, it’s time we discussed it and looked into the benefits you may see from upgrading your Mac’s SSD.

Related videos:
⮕ How to make your own budget SSD drive: https://youtu.be/FGkN7QCVmrI
⮕ How long the SSD in your MacBook will last: https://youtu.be/KBQ8XBxtgkk

Products featured in this video:
⮕ M1 MacBook Air: https://geni.us/m1air
⮕ 14″ M1 Pro MacBook: https://geni.us/m1pro14
⮕ 16″ M1 Pro MacBook: https://geni.us/m1pro16
⮕ Aluminum Laptop Stand: https://geni.us/mstand
⮕ Dell U2720Q 4K Monitor: https://geni.us/4kdisplay
⮕ Anker USB-C Hub: https://geni.us/ankerhub8in1
⮕ Samsung T5 Portable SSD: https://geni.us/t5drive
⮕ CalDigit Thunderbolt 3 Dock: https://geni.us/tbdock

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00:00 Introduction
00:28 Typical Storage Scenario
01:26 Speed and Performance
02:20 Value
03:53 Sponsor
04:55 Swap Memory
06:58 Your SSD Will Last Longer
09:13 Convenience Factor
11:00 Should You Upgrade RAM or SSD?

#mac #macbook #createdtech

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This Post Has 39 Comments

  1. Anjuman

    Please show your support for Palestine 🇵🇸

  2. chrisspain

    Please do not forget, when you upgrade via Apple, you get the 4TB for $1000. The External drive costs $800, so it looks like you save $200 for slower speed. However, you forget the 1TB you already got in your Macbook, so really you end up with 5TB. Just a thought. You do save more.

  3. Velanche Stewart

    This has really been on my mind, and this video dropped at a good time! After an eight-week wait, got my 14” M1 MacBook Pro about a month ago, upgrading from my late-2013 MacBook Pro. Due to a sudden windfall, I was able to spec it out: M1 Max chip with 10-core CPU, 24-core GPU, 64GB memory and a 4TB SSD. I’m a DJ, do music production, and have a YouTube channel. My previous MBP, and then my M1 Mac mini, both had 1TB SSD drives, but I found, often, that I needed at least an external SSD for storing my sample library, sound libraries for both Logic and Ableton, as well as plugins, and folders of videos, because when the internal drives cross the 100GB threshold, I’d eventually see the message that my storage was low. With the 4TB storage option, even though I initially gnashed my teeth at paying for this option, the convenience, the peace of mind, the fact that I don’t have to worry about extra drives and the like, is just that much less to worry about. Seeing the amount of space I have on the internal SSD, currently over 2.5TB of space available, is really satisfying. Yes, the extra money for storage might initially sting a little, but given that I am planning to hold onto this laptop for years, and given that I do make money through using my computer, the convenience cannot be overstated. Great overview in your video; thanks!

  4. VegasGuy1975

    As the guy who I bought the original M1 MBP and upgraded to the 512 SSD, I say never buy anything under a Terabyte. It turns out that with the extra speed and power available, my workflow has changed to ignore optimizing files before saving them. There’s no real reason to send a 600dpi oversized Photoshop files inserted into an InDesign document to print. But because there is zero speed and processing penalty, I do it anyway. I also find I’m keeping unused variations of files more often as a “just in case” kind of scenario. Rare but it happens.

    The con of this is that it eats up drive space much more quickly.

    Definitely buy more SSD. I’d go so far as to say buy more SSD, before spending money on the Unified Memory.

  5. nameischarles

    I bought a brand new 16" M1 Pro base model (512gb) but upgraded the ram only. I don't really like to keep any files on my Mac. Anything I need access to are on my NAS and DropBox.

  6. codenameGRS9

    Apple needs to be taught a lesson and that lesson needs to be taught soon !!!
    People need to stop buying demonic Apple products for 1 year or maybe 2. Straight , no macs , iphones , heck , no adapters nothing!!!!

    i have a Macbook Pro late 2014 since 2015 and i love using logic pro x and final cut But: they soldered the SSD onto the motherboard ever since 2016. I recently went to an apple certified repair shop and asked them : what if i get a m1pro macbook pro and as soon as the warranty expires , the ssd fails me . How do u go about repairing it ? They said it ll cost me a hefty sum cause they replace the whole board . I was like WhAT ? Like dayum , replace 5-6-7 parts just cause one don’t work , there ain’t nuthin logical about that . Another point is : on windows : 1tb ssd —-> roughly 110$/€ . 2 tb ——> roughly 2x 110 $/€ . @demonic-apple ——> 2tb costs 800$ …?!?! What ? And you can t even replace it . I have a dream : :” that for 1 year straight up nobody buys any apple products , not even an adapter . Let s see those execs shit their pants and start asking questions like : oh my … what are we doing wrong ? To me they seem like money hungry apes that can not quench their thirst for money . It walks along the lines of unethical . There s isn’t even any real advantage to having the ssd soldered. I ve heard people say that it s faster . No it s not . We have the internet . Anybody can check the numbers and the speeds of different ssd s out there. Oh and just to put the cherry on top : iphone 13 : amazing processor and hardware but it s rocking the lightning port 🤣 usb 2.0 speeds . Apple 🍎 i really hope u get yours and the EU puts you in place with regulations on ports and on right to repair . They got hundreds of billions offshore like liquidities …. This got outta pocket a long time ago … out of their consumers pockets to be exact. They answer to no one and lack moral discernment . Take care y’all 😃🙏🏻🤗. But the processors are amazing and I respect the integration of the cpu and gpu and RAM 🐏 . Cause that actually wields a big boost in performance. I hope somebody serves them good .. money hungry apes 🦧

  7. Matthew Huizing

    The TB3 drive I just assembled seems to be up to twice as fast at random reads than the internal drive on my 14" MBP.

  8. Michael Latta

    4t 16” max with 64GB would be my 2nd cheapest laptop in my career. Apple laptops have gotten much cheaper than the “good old days”, and a 2TB m1 is a bargain.

  9. Michael Latta

    With the new m1 computers the speed is really fast and the price is not super high vs the pcie4 drives.

  10. Tom Pike

    one thing that is interesting is that Macs seems to use their storage differently than PCs. I could probably get away with a 256GB SSD in my personal MacBook but 500GB in the last dells XPS I had started feeling a bit cramped after just a few weeks.

  11. Growlord GT

    I'd say ram is better to upgrade than ssd as you can easily just use external ssds. You can utilise swap but it is slower and reduces ssd lifespan

  12. Verzire

    I think upgrading ssd & ram for silicon Macs is only for those who works with large data. For majority of users, base model will work just fine, faster storage read or write isn't necessarily needed by everyone. An external ssd or hdd will work just fine to store less frequent accessed data. So only important data that's frequently used will be stored inside Mac's internal ssd.

    But for those who have extra bucks to spend, spending a few hundred is going give you convenience. Is it really worth the extra bucks? Yes for some, not for everyone.

  13. cmfrtblynmb

    Dude you were hinting why we should buy the base model at the beginning

    Anyways, I understand. people change their positions. But this 'let's solder all on the motherboard" approach pushed me away from Apple as fast as the M1 had pulled me back.

  14. Melvs Amores

    The first and only time I upgraded my storage was with my 2011 MBP. Simply because it's using the good old HDD. No regrets there. Boot time (from OFF) in 18 sec after the upgrade. Definitely worth it.

  15. Iklan Hits

    Unfortunately m1 macbook can't upgrade ssd 😭😭

  16. I think paying Apple an extra 200 bucks (even for the 2020 M1 models) to jump to the 512gb or 1tb makes better sense with the Macbooks as opposed to the desktop Macs when you consider that buying a decent 500gb external SSD costs around 100 bucks on Amazon (and you'll only get around 600mbs of sustained speeds unless you go Thunderbolt) and if you want to get speeds comparable to the internal SSD you'll have to pay around 200 bucks for a Thunderbolt SSD, even if you want to build your own as a decent Thunderbolt enclosure costs about a hundred bucks. Buy with all those options you have the inconvenience of dragging am external SSD and a cable everywhere you go just to save a hundred bucks on a T7 500gb SSD. I think for that extra 100 bucks you pay to Apple for the storage upgrade you get a lot for paying that extra 100 bucks over a T7 as you get faster speeds and much better portability, plus the longevity of the Internal drive will be much high than the Lower storage options which is important to consider for people who plan to keep it for 8 or 10 years and are concerned thar 8 years of heavy use will cause their SSD to fail, especially as these can't be replaced when they do fail. It'll already likely increase the resale value as apps, updates,and projects become larger over time and people avoid 256gb models like the plague, just as they do with old 128gb Macbooks that are hard to sell on the secondhand market these days as you can do much less with 128gb than you got a few years ago due to the much large chunk of partition reserved for the system than a few years ago

    I think going with external storage over paying Apple for the upgrade only makes sense if you need more than 500gb or 1tb of storage.

    I think when you consider that choosing the external SSD option means upto have to spend at least 100 bucks for a decent drive, giving Apple an extra 100 bucks isn't that mitch considering what you get for that money, especially if you plan on keeping it for 8 years. When you factor in the much better speeds, better portability, and extended longevity of upgrading to Apple's higher storage options, I think the extra hundred bucks over what you'll need to spend on an external SSD makes a lot of sense, especially the longer you plan to keep the device.

    With all those times considered, I chose the 1tb Macbook Pro with 16gb RAM on the Apple refurbished store, that means I basically saved 300 bucks and that effectively gave me the 1tb upgrade for free over buying it new. Even if it's outside your budget, it's better to save a little bit more and get at least 16gb ram and 512gb storage if this if your primarily computer and you plan to keep it for many years. I think what many YouTubers who recommend the Base storage so so because they tend to upgrade their hardware frequently and don't consider that some people keep that Macbooks for a decade and how thr Base storage or RAM, while okay now, may be a problem in 6 years time. When you choose your Mac, I think it's important to think about 8 years time rather than what you need now as you don't want to be forced to sell it for a fraction of what you payed for it just because you ran out of storage to save 200 bucks a few years back

  17. Sinus Lebastian

    I’d rather just have a base model and get a nas. Which I did lol

  18. Jerome Ley

    Dont need insanely fast storage, so i can just use external ssds

  19. 谭dx

    Upgrading RAM is better imo, I just use an external ssd for more storage.

  20. VPWedding

    Are you kidding? Cloud storage is glacially slow! Backing up a hard drive to it can take days, and the cost for a year would be more then getting a new drive. Turning on iCloud by mistake can render a system unusable.

  21. Nathan Jones

    Misleading title. There is no "upgrading" of Mac SSDs (which aren't actually SSDs because they don't have controllers on them, so they're flash).

  22. RunForPeace 2020

    Just prolonging the longevity of the SSD is worthwhile. 1TB is 2x the write leveling of the 512GB SSD. Much better resale value when you upgrade compared to a 512GB that get closer to the limits of the wear level 5-7yrs down the road.

    All because you are to cheap to spend an extra $200 on SSD is just stupid IMHO.

  23. Arthur

    I'll use my Mac for composing on Logic, how much should I get of RAM and storage ? I was thinking of 16GB RAM and 512GB SSD (base model of Macbook Pro 2021). Is it enough ?

  24. Mario Plumber

    If you're dealing with Apple then don't complain about the price, you already know you're gonna pay the "Apple Tax". The rule with Apple is "Buy it nice or buy it twice". Stop crying, put up the money or go buy a Windows machine.

  25. Steve Mehew

    Don't bother with Odoo unless you are really small, there are issues with their platform.

  26. J.D. Floyd

    A lot of YouTube tech channels "tell" you to do something, or "tell" you to buy something based simply on price. I understand when users have limited budgets. However, "…being cheap, does not mean being efficient." I am one who has always bought the largest capacity drive available when initially purchasing a device, because as George Carlin famously said in a comedy skit, "Crap expands to fit the space available." Yes, getting a 256 of 512gb internal, and hanging external SSD's onto a computer is "cheaper", it is not more "efficient". As you mentioned, speed, convenience, and portability outweigh budgets.

  27. clark light

    I have a sandisk extreme, so I am on a base 14inch MBP 👍

  28. RecordedByRico

    I wish I could buy a external drive and call it a day. But until we can install software or in my case plugins on external drives I always get 1TB these days. The faster our computers get the bigger software gets (seems like)

  29. Hard Truth

    Buy as much Ram and ssd as you can. Ram is a given but the internal MaC ssd’s are 2-4 times as fast as the external ssd’s.

  30. Sigur Smith

    Thought it was 2GB that had the speed increase (not 4GB) ?

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