Right now I have a MacBook Air 11.6" and I'm looking to add an 27" iMac for more intensive work such as video editing and photo work. I'm debating whether to spec one with the 256SSD+2TB HDD or to just get one with the 256SSD and then use an external HDD that can be accessed by my MacBook Air also. Getting the 256SSD+2TB HDD would probably be cheaper and more space efficient not having to deal with another whole piece of equipment. The advantage of getting an external would be that the iMac wouldn't have to be on for my MacBook Air or any media extenders to access music and videos stored on the external.
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256SSD+HDD or 256SSD+External
- Thread starter Nahmeanz
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You seem to have answered your own question!
Only you know your personal requirements etc, so, why ask?
I ask just in case there are pros and cons of each setup that I haven't pointed out myself.
No, you're on the right tack. You just have to decide if you want the easy portability of the external, or the clear speed advantage of storage on the iMac.
Personally, I am sorry that I do not have the SSD+1TB option on my iMac.
I bought a refurb, and it was just too good a buy to resist.
Option 1.
You could have an iMac SSD + 2TBHDD plus another external 2TB hdd. They are cheap.
Option 2.
I'm not sure how easy it is to add/remove drives from the new iMacs, but if you feel comfortable doing it, you can just have a single 2TB hdd, and put it in the iMac/ remove it later to put in an external enclosure, (or vice versa) as your workflow. If you don't feel comfortable opening up your iMac, get it with the 2TB in now. You can always buy an external 2TB later.
re NAS boxes - generally cheap NAS boxes are dog slow. Directly attached storage (USB/firewire/internal) is much faster. You might not be able to play properly a full quality rip stored on a NAS. You may not be able to edit video stored on a cheap NAS. (not sure about the new iMovie).
Think of them as like renting a storage space down the road. Nice to have, and somewhere to put all your junk, but getting something out involves a trip down the road. If it's a large file, it'll take a fair bit of time to transfer.
You could have an iMac SSD + 2TBHDD plus another external 2TB hdd. They are cheap.
Option 2.
I'm not sure how easy it is to add/remove drives from the new iMacs, but if you feel comfortable doing it, you can just have a single 2TB hdd, and put it in the iMac/ remove it later to put in an external enclosure, (or vice versa) as your workflow. If you don't feel comfortable opening up your iMac, get it with the 2TB in now. You can always buy an external 2TB later.
re NAS boxes - generally cheap NAS boxes are dog slow. Directly attached storage (USB/firewire/internal) is much faster. You might not be able to play properly a full quality rip stored on a NAS. You may not be able to edit video stored on a cheap NAS. (not sure about the new iMovie).
Think of them as like renting a storage space down the road. Nice to have, and somewhere to put all your junk, but getting something out involves a trip down the road. If it's a large file, it'll take a fair bit of time to transfer.