So I am set on going for the ssd. I have been constantly on these boards about the MBA. I am pretty much set on buying it but then the topic of hdd and ssd came up. I thought 64gigs wouldnt be enough but I checked out my laptop (pc) and I'm only using 25gigs out of 120 and that includes my music. I do have an external just in case. Are other people struggling with storage issues on the MBA? I know the majority of people who own it probably own an external as well. I was considering just sticking it out till Jan and see about any Rev B's possibly for a processor bump but I keep hearing how zippy it is so does someone who just needs basic computing need to really wait for the latest and greatest processor?
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How are you managing with your ssd space?
- Thread starter ercanbas
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I think 64GB is plenty. Even if the "usable" space is theoretically 55GB.
I currently use 44GB on my MacBook Air but that includes by entire 16GB iTunes library with several TV shows I purchased. It Also includes my 10GB iPhoto library, of which 2/3 are photos I imported for backup purposes. If I were to cut those things down I could probably fit in under 32GB (you can get a 32GB SSD 3rd party for ~$500).
I just checked my iMac, which is my workhorse machine I use for downloading anything I ever need to download as well as do all my serious work on, and it only has 55GB of used space.
Keep in mind that both computers have copies of Adobe CS3 suite installed on them, iWork & MS Office 2008 Home & Student, full iLife '08 suite, and on the iMac I also have VMWare (though Windows rests in another partition).
I store all my non-iTunes purchased movies and TV shows on an external hard drive, which does have 100-150GB of them, but it isn't always connected to my computer (only when I want to watch something). I never did understand those people who buy a ton of storage for their primary boot drive to store things they will view maybe a few times if even that.
I think if you only keep the stuff you immediately use on your computer and even some files you MAY need at some point like your music library and such, you should still have PLENTY of space left over.
The ONLY exception I can think of is if you do a lot of serious video editing since those files tend to fill up space quick. But if you are not a professional video editor then the 64GB SSD should be MORE than enough.
I currently use 44GB on my MacBook Air but that includes by entire 16GB iTunes library with several TV shows I purchased. It Also includes my 10GB iPhoto library, of which 2/3 are photos I imported for backup purposes. If I were to cut those things down I could probably fit in under 32GB (you can get a 32GB SSD 3rd party for ~$500).
I just checked my iMac, which is my workhorse machine I use for downloading anything I ever need to download as well as do all my serious work on, and it only has 55GB of used space.
Keep in mind that both computers have copies of Adobe CS3 suite installed on them, iWork & MS Office 2008 Home & Student, full iLife '08 suite, and on the iMac I also have VMWare (though Windows rests in another partition).
I store all my non-iTunes purchased movies and TV shows on an external hard drive, which does have 100-150GB of them, but it isn't always connected to my computer (only when I want to watch something). I never did understand those people who buy a ton of storage for their primary boot drive to store things they will view maybe a few times if even that.
I think if you only keep the stuff you immediately use on your computer and even some files you MAY need at some point like your music library and such, you should still have PLENTY of space left over.
The ONLY exception I can think of is if you do a lot of serious video editing since those files tend to fill up space quick. But if you are not a professional video editor then the 64GB SSD should be MORE than enough.
No problems here..... First thing I did when I brought my 1.8 SSD home was to reinstall the OS, thus eliminating things I knew I would not ever need or want. That freed up a little more HD space. I also thought a lot before loading additional software into this machine.
My MBA is not my primary computer. I have a Mac Pro for doing the heavy lifting and storage of digital images, and I have a couple other Macs for keeping and working with other important files. I also have external drives for backup and storage. This machine is meant for hanging out on my balcony (as I'm doing now) or for hanging out in my bedroom late at night or for taking on trips......primarily it keeps me up to date on my email and takes me on visits to my favorite websites.... Yes, in a pinch I could upload images to it and post-process them, or I could add important files, but that really is not the primary reason I bought this machine and it is not the way in which I use it.
For me the smallish HD size of the 1.8 SSD has not been a serious issue.
Now, when we're talking about ports on this thing, well, there I DO have some concerns. <whine> Why couldn't Apple have provided us with a FW port? Or even a second USB port?!!!
My MBA is not my primary computer. I have a Mac Pro for doing the heavy lifting and storage of digital images, and I have a couple other Macs for keeping and working with other important files. I also have external drives for backup and storage. This machine is meant for hanging out on my balcony (as I'm doing now) or for hanging out in my bedroom late at night or for taking on trips......primarily it keeps me up to date on my email and takes me on visits to my favorite websites.... Yes, in a pinch I could upload images to it and post-process them, or I could add important files, but that really is not the primary reason I bought this machine and it is not the way in which I use it.
For me the smallish HD size of the 1.8 SSD has not been a serious issue.
Now, when we're talking about ports on this thing, well, there I DO have some concerns. <whine> Why couldn't Apple have provided us with a FW port? Or even a second USB port?!!!
I have about 30 gigs free, got it around launch. I have way too many pictures on it, so maybe i'll clean some stuff up. Plus i have adobe lightroom, 5-8 gigs of music, and a few gigs of vids. it is however, a second computer. i have a windows desktop as well.