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Is 128GB enough storage on the MacBook Pro?

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CatherineVeraGat

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May 6, 2017
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I'm thinking of getting the new entry level MacBook Pro that costs $1,299. Is 128GB enough storage on the MacBook Pro?

I'm also thinking that if I'm running low on space, I will just buy a external storage device that offers 1TB for just $59.99.
 
It really depends on what you're going to use it for. I use cloud-based storage for many things, but not for work items. I'm using 83 GB on my MacBook Pro, plus a 36 GB Windows/Boot Camp partition.

So I could squeeze in to 128 GB (I have 256,) if I needed to. (Also, if I only had a 128 GB SSD, I'd probably have a smaller Windows partition.) I have my photos stored "in the cloud," and Photos.app is smart enough to clear local storage when needed - it's taking 25 GB right now, but if I were to really run low on space, it would delete more from my local storage.
 
CatherineVeraGat said:
I'm thinking of getting the new entry level MacBook Pro that costs $1,299. Is 128GB enough storage on the MacBook Pro?

I'm also thinking that if I'm running low on space, I will just buy a external storage device that offers 1TB for just $59.99.
Click to expand...

Personally, I don't think it's enough. The reason for this is that it harms the user experience. You'll worry about managing your files, and that isn't fun. Just spend the extra money, or wait.
 
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I agree with the previous post. Since the flash storage drive is soldered to the logic board, there's no updating the drive later on. And external storage is never as fast or convenient as the on board one. Get the 256 GB.
 
I also recommend 256 GB. When I was getting my rMBP, I opted for 256 over 128. I don't use a ton of space, but I just didn't want to have to worry about it. Currently, I've used just a bit over 100 GB.
 
Apple is up to their old tricks I see; lowering the storage to advertise a lower starting price, knowing that 128 GB isn't enough for most people and they'll end up having to go to the next tier for more storage anyway and pay the same amount as before.

Unless your usage is very basic (web browsing, document storage, maybe a small amount of compressed photos/videos), or plan to use with an external drive most of the time, 128 GB will fill up very fast. Considering the MacBook Pro is meant to be a portable machine, having to carry around the external drive is an added hassle; and performance is not as good as the internal SSD when trying to access those files.
 
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CatherineVeraGat said:
I'm thinking of getting the new entry level MacBook Pro that costs $1,299. Is 128GB enough storage on the MacBook Pro?

I'm also thinking that if I'm running low on space, I will just buy a external storage device that offers 1TB for just $59.99.
Click to expand...
No. believe me the storage will go fast with downloads, pictures, music, etc. get an iPad if you only want 128. For a Pro model which most people consider an investment I would go with higher capacity on the MBP.
 
CatherineVeraGat said:
I'm thinking of getting the new entry level MacBook Pro that costs $1,299. Is 128GB enough storage on the MacBook Pro?

I'm also thinking that if I'm running low on space, I will just buy a external storage device that offers 1TB for just $59.99.
Click to expand...

Not really. These days a good rule of thumb is to buy one step up from base on any Apple product. Apple offers the base models to hit price points, but the next step up is usually a more livable config. 128 GB goes faster than you think. Modern apps are really bloated. MS Office is 7.5GB - for creating text and spreadsheets!!! If you have an iPhone, your photos are very high resolution and will suck space if you sync with your Mac. And don't forget that you need to keep at least 20% of your drive free for MacOS to use for virtual memory. That's 24 GB! Otherwise your whole computer will be slow. Unless you are buying as a secondary computer, get at least 256 GB.
 
For me 128 gigs isn't gonna work, I've got about 125 gigs on my rMB and that's after I removed files I wasn't using anymore.
 
For me, 256GB is just too tight for what I bought it for. There's just not enough room to do programming and run a small windows bootcamp.
I would suggest that you weigh up what you're going to use it for, and see how large the apps are on the MAS, then add 10% for virtual memory and add in the MacOS.
However, if you are always on an unlimited wifi network & you don't mind leaving things on iCloud (which may mean being locked to a subscription), then you could get away with a smaller SSD and just put up with slow reloading of iCloud documents.
 
CatherineVeraGat said:
I'm thinking of getting the new entry level MacBook Pro that costs $1,299. Is 128GB enough storage on the MacBook Pro?

I'm also thinking that if I'm running low on space, I will just buy a external storage device that offers 1TB for just $59.99.
Click to expand...
Not for me, but maybe for you.
 
CatherineVeraGat said:
I'm thinking of getting the new entry level MacBook Pro that costs $1,299. Is 128GB enough storage on the MacBook Pro?

I'm also thinking that if I'm running low on space, I will just buy a external storage device that offers 1TB for just $59.99.
Click to expand...

128GB is plenty for the OS and key files/applications, but for everything else you will soon be relying on external storage. In fact, if you go that route I'd suggest planning data division from day one. However, while parking an SD card or low profile USB drive in an otherwise rarely used port wasn't a big deal on the 2015's do you really want to tie up one of your only two ports on the nTB MBP?
 
If you take lots of photos and have a large video and music collection, then the answer is 'No.' You can save most of those items on an external drive and plug it in when you need those items or collections. If you are going to be doing any multi-media production you will likely want additional storage but can work with external drives (it will slow down rendering time). If you need to run Windows on your machine, with either BookCamp or Parallels then you will definitely need more built-in storage.
 
Currently working @128GB MBA 11".
Its no fun at all.
The moment I try to import my GoPro videos from a day full of adventures the 128gb are a real bottleneck.
I do not have many programms nor do I have a lot of other stuff.
Just the OS, some photos/files and the GoPro vids I try to import.

I would recommend 256gb.
This should be the sweet-spot.
U can quickly import things without any worries.
Coming home u can transfer them to an external drive.
 
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I try to keep all my data externally to the device (on two replicated NAS drives) for both security and ability to use across multiple device reasons. My 128GB MBP has @70GB free, so yes its more than doable. But as always it depends on your workflows and if its to be your only device.
 
I bought MacBook Air few years ago for light use like writing, paper preparation and watching movies with 128gb. It only 1 year before I finally upgrade the storage to 256gb, even though I already brought 2 TB external disk everywhere. It's just inconvenience to plug every time you use the computer.
 
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Point of order:
I used a 2010 MacBook Pro from April of that year until December 2016 -- and only used up about 45gb of the total drive space over 6.5 years.
BUT… it wan't my "main machine". Strictly for portability and light browsing. Little of importance ever kept on it.
YMMV...
 
CatherineVeraGat said:
I'm thinking of getting the new entry level MacBook Pro that costs $1,299. Is 128GB enough storage on the MacBook Pro?
Click to expand...

It depends entirely what you're doing.

If you're doing email, wordprocessing, spreadsheets, browsing and social media - probably. You'll probably be OK for a modest music and photo collection, too.

Anything else, you're likely to want 265GB or more.

The contents of your current hard drive should give you a clue...

Yes, there's always external storage, but you're paying for an ultra-portable notebook, so carrying around a separate drive shouldn't be your first choice. Also, remember that the entry-level MBP only has two holes to plug things in, one of which is needed for the charger, so if you're not careful you'll be carrying a drive and a multi-port hub to connect everything.
 
i am all for saving money but that amount of storage is very low. The great thing about Macs is they last a very long time, and over the long time, you will want to store all your documents, photos, and videos on the device (must quicker than an external drive). I recommend going a step up with storage.
 
My take is a little different and it might be because I am biased (I bought a128gb MacBook Pro). But my logic to justify that is the following. Wireless activity and cloud based solutions are on the rise. NAS server at home, that I already use and also increasingly Store most of my important documents on Google Drive. That leaves us with Movies and Music - both I stream. Apple Music, Spotify, Netflix, & Amazon Prime video and Music. I don’t think there is a need to store data anywhere anymore. Not in large volumes anyway , unless you are a professional video editor dealing with 4K files and large RAW images. I click and edit RAW from my DSLR sometimes but that’s just a one off. Can’t justjfy spending $250 extra today.
 
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Larger SSDs have longer life expectancy. Anyone planning to keep using one for a long time, should get a higher capacity drive than they need.
 
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