Did any of you choose an 8TB internal SSD?

[Riot Nrrrd]

So, I’m the OP and I guess I should comment. 😂

In my particular case there’s been a plot twist. Every year, usually in May and/or November, Chase Bank (USA) has a month-long promotion where you can use Chase Rewards Points to buy Apple stuff at a higher exchange rate (1.5¢/point instead of the usual 1¢). I’ve been saving up my points for awhile and have enough to get US$1,000 off on anything. That’s a far better deal than I could get any other way, e.g. Microcenter discount, Apple Education Store Refurbished, Amazon sales, etc.

The catch? The SKUs are limited; only current product and only base models are available. For example, they have 3 M4-based Mac minis listed, but all have 512GB which is too small. Another example, they have M4-based MacBook Pros with 1TB SSDs but no nano-texture screen models.

Also, I have an LG 34” 5K2K Ultrawide monitor which is subject to the dreaded no-default-3840x1620-scaled-HiDPI issue if paired with any M4-based Mac. (Sigh.)

I could solve both issues with an M3 Ultra Mac Studio, but that’s paying double for complete overkill and the total opposite of my use case (I don’t edit videos or do much of anything that needs multi-core performance).

 

[splifingate]

If you find yourself primarily doing basic Accounting when deciding on your purchase, my advice would be to postpone your purchase

 

[Tozovac]

I would love to switch and same some money but not at the expense of my workflows etc.

If you have any ideas or options please share.

Hey thanks. I have zero options to suggest...I myself pay $100+/year for 2TB of iCloud and 2TB of dropbox. I would love to use just one of them.

The iCloud is so my entire family has enough backup coverage overall. But I do not trust using iCloud for files or photos across devices. It's way too buggy and, sadly, too often in the past 10 years, it seems Apple tries to do what it thinks you want (or what it thinks is best) but is completely NOT what I want. It's interesting that I can get a new iPhone, turn off Photos in the iCloud settings from the start, yet I see some random grouping of historical photos on the Photos app on the phone. Worse, when I try to get rid of them, they won't leave my phone!! And 10 years ago when I tried iCloud as a "solution" to live with only 128gb on my 2014 MBA, I almost lost a lot of important files because I couldn't access or download them when I decided to NOT use iCloud after a month trial. Separate topic but don't even get me started on Apple's Music app on MacOS or the Photos app on mobile devices.

Dropbox on the other hand SEEMS more stable and it seems I can get dropbox do "do what I want" easier than I can make iCloud "do what I want." I wish it weren't so.

 

[EssentialGadget]

...

Dropbox on the other hand SEEMS more stable and it seems I can get dropbox do "do what I want" easier than I can make iCloud "do what I want." I wish it weren't so.

Seems like we have had similar experiences. I have the 2TB iCloud plan for backups and app syncing, plus photos. I have seen some squirrelly photo stuff but I figure it is probably the app especially since most of it was pre iCloud.

My last analysis about 10 years ago showed ranked iCloud below one drive and google.

What do you use instead of iPhotos? We have stuck with iPhotos since the family is used to it.

DropBox has been rock solid for me. I don't use the online only option and have not turned on the latest file system enhancements. More concerned about MacOS issues than dropbox. They did a big file reorganization awhile ago. Wasn't really happy with the structure change but all the files survived.

Good luck with this stuff.

 

[Tozovac]

Seems like we have had similar experiences. I have the 2TB iCloud plan for backups and app syncing, plus photos. I have seen some squirrelly photo stuff but I figure it is probably the app especially since most of it was pre iCloud.

My last analysis about 10 years ago showed ranked iCloud below one drive and google.

What do you use instead of iPhotos? We have stuck with iPhotos since the family is used to it.

DropBox has been rock solid for me. I don't use the online only option and have not turned on the latest file system enhancements. More concerned about MacOS issues than dropbox. They did a big file reorganization awhile ago. Wasn't really happy with the structure change but all the files survived.

Good luck with this stuff.

I try to have my photos ONLY on my main computer (M1 Max MBP), where I download photos every 2 months from my iPad and iPhone. I don't need access to all my photos from all devices, I much prefer seeing on my iPhone ONLY the photos I took on that device, etc. until I offload them. Same for my music files, I want to see ONLY my many custom mp3/aac files in the Music app on my MBP, where the majority of what I have is not available on Apple Music. Photos and Music are two areas where Apple thinks it knows what I want but is completely off-mark, and when I try to make it do what I want, the operating systems seem to fight me. For instance on my iPhone I have Photos unchecked for iCloud and still see a random assortment of photos on my phone that are years old. And I'm afraid to delete them on my iPhone for fear apple may think I want them deleted in Photos on my MBP (which also has iCloud unchecked). I just don't trust Apple. Wish it still Just Worked.

 

[dmccloud]

I try to have my photos ONLY on my main computer (M1 Max MBP), where I download photos every 2 months from my iPad and iPhone. I don't need access to all my photos from all devices, I much prefer seeing on my iPhone ONLY the photos I took on that device, etc. until I offload them. Same for my music files, I want to see ONLY my many custom mp3/aac files in the Music app on my MBP, where the majority of what I have is not available on Apple Music. Photos and Music are two areas where Apple thinks it knows what I want but is completely off-mark, and when I try to make it do what I want, the operating systems seem to fight me. For instance on my iPhone I have Photos unchecked for iCloud and still see a random assortment of photos on my phone that are years old. And I'm afraid to delete them on my iPhone for fear apple may think I want them deleted in Photos on my MBP (which also has iCloud unchecked). I just don't trust Apple. Wish it still Just Worked.

If you're only moving photos over every two months, what would you do if your iPhone or iPad was damaged/destroyed/stolen in the interim? You wouldn't have the photos backed up anywhere, so would you try to go through data recovery or just take the loss? As far as the Music app is concerned, iTunes Match is what allows you to sync music obtained from outside iTunes with your library.

 

[Queen6]

Buy a stock SKU, dont go with a custom build will be far easier to deal with in the event of a failure. Storage just buy as much external as you want or need. Also consider a lower spec backup Mac such as a base Air, if the primary has issue you'll be happy you have an alternative.

FWIW I've lived and worked in the tropics & sub tropics for decades. Frequently working in isolated location's, always travelled with two notebooks, never had a break in workflow.

Q-6

 

[Tozovac]

If you're only moving photos over every two months, what would you do if your iPhone or iPad was damaged/destroyed/stolen in the interim? You wouldn't have the photos backed up anywhere, so would you try to go through data recovery or just take the loss?

If it’s a truly important photo I’d save it sooner than later. Otherwise, if I lose 100 photos it’d be ok. After 20 years zero issues so far.

As far as the Music app is concerned, iTunes Match is what allows you to sync music obtained from outside iTunes with your library.

Half of my music files are from live recordings, or copies of personal cassettes from my youth, burns of small-volume cds or albums not on Apple Music. If I were new to Apple devices AND didn’t have so many custom files then I could see value in Apple Music.

Buy a stock SKU, dont go with a custom build will be far easier to deal with in the event of a failure. Storage just buy as much external as you want or need. Also consider a lower spec backup Mac such as a base Air, if the primary has issue you'll be happy you have an alternative.

FWIW I've lived and worked in the tropics & sub tropics for decades. Frequently working in isolated location's, always travelled with two notebooks, never had a break in workflow.

Q-6

What works for you works for you.

 

[guymauve]

@EssentialGadget this one is pretty much liked in Europe https://www.pcloud.com/fr/cloud-storage-pricing-plans.html?period=lifetime

 

[EssentialGadget]

@EssentialGadget this one is pretty much liked in Europe https://www.pcloud.com/fr/cloud-storage-pricing-plans.html?period=lifetime

This looks very interesting. I will investigate. Thank you.

 

[Queen6]

If it’s a truly important photo I’d save it sooner than later. Otherwise, if I lose 100 photos it’d be ok. After 20 years zero issues so far.



Half of my music files are from live recordings, or copies of personal cassettes from my youth, burns of small-volume cds or albums not on Apple Music. If I were new to Apple devices AND didn’t have so many custom files then I could see value in Apple Music.



What works for you works for you.

Is just simpler that way. BTO has an issue in an isolated area can get complex and incur time delays. Stock models are easily replaced and you can work with Apple. On top of that I'm not much for the eggs being in one basket, preferring to have my data on multiple SSD's and large HDD for backup purpose at home/office.

Q-6

 

[jogosatiro]

In my particular case there’s been a plot twist. Every year, usually in May and/or November, Chase Bank (USA) has a month-long promotion where you can use Chase Rewards Points to buy Apple stuff at a higher exchange rate (1.5¢/point instead of the usual 1¢). I’ve been saving up my points for awhile and have enough to get US$1,000 off on anything. That’s a far better deal than I could get any other way, e.g. Microcenter discount, Apple Education Store Refurbished, Amazon sales, etc.

The catch? The SKUs are limited; only current product and only base models are available. For example, they have 3 M4-based Mac minis listed, but all have 512GB which is too small. Another example, they have M4-based MacBook Pros with 1TB SSDs but no nano-texture screen models.

Also, I have an LG 34” 5K2K Ultrawide monitor which is subject to the dreaded no-default-3840x1620-scaled-HiDPI issue if paired with any M4-based Mac. (Sigh.)

I could solve both issues with an M3 Ultra Mac Studio, but that’s paying double for complete overkill and the total opposite of my use case (I don’t edit videos or do much of anything that needs multi-core performance).

Given your situation, the Chase Rewards promotion is a great deal, but the limited SKUs make it tough. Since your current monitor doesn’t play well with M4 Macs and base models don’t meet your storage needs, going for an M3 Ultra Mac Studio would be expensive and overpowered for your actual use. Instead, consider using your points on a more flexible Apple product—like an iPad or MacBook Air—and reselling it at or near retail value. Then use that cash to custom-order the exact Mac you want. That way, you still benefit from the 1.5¢/point value without compromising on specs.

 

[ignatius345]

On top of that I'm not much for the eggs being in one basket, preferring to have my data on multiple SSD's and large HDD for backup purpose at home/office.

If you're not backing up, your data is no safer on multiple drives than it is on one. Having stuff spread across more drives just means you have to put extra thought and work into backing up each and every one of those.

IMO working off one big drive makes it simpler to design a backup: you just invest in a couple more big external drives and back up your working drive to those as often as practical/possible, ideally with one kept in a separate location from your working drive.