Is 1TB enough in 2024?

[AdmiralKirk]

I’ve purchased a MacBook Pro 14 M4 Pro 48gb 1TB and I think I’ve made a mistake?

I’m a heavy user of Microsoft Office, so I guess that should be ok for that?

BUT, I am also looking to learn how to code and I have the full adobe creative suite on a very cheap subscription for the next 12 months. I’m looking into developing a website and creating video and image content, and I am a heavy AI user.

Ideally I want this MacBook to last me until Apple stop supporting it in around 5/6 years.

Have I made a mistake with 1TB? I am switching back to Mac from 10 years of forced PC use for work and changing my work drastically with my new machine, so it’s very hard for me to work out how much space I’ll need?

Grateful for any help 🙏🏻

 

[PotentPeas]

I thought you'd be fine until you mentioned video content ... depending on the quantity and quality of the video assets that you'd be dealing with, that can eat up a fair amount of space.

But 1 TB is a lot of space and won't fill up quickly.

You could just get an external SSD for supplemental storage and use it to store bulky or archival stuff that you don't need ready access to at any given moment.

 

[raythompsontn]

I’m a heavy user of Microsoft Office, so I guess that should be ok for that?

You should be fine. Word documents do not take up that much space.

creating video and image content

Since that type of data does not really need quick access those files can be stored on a USB-C external SSD. Such drives actually being quite fast. A 2TB external drive can be had for about $150.00 from Amazon.

Have I made a mistake with 1TB?

I would say no. 1TB is really quite a lot of space.

 

[LogicalApex]

No you didn't make a mistake. 1TB is fine. Especially given the absolute rip off Apple storage upgrades are.

If you need more storage invest that same money in external storage. It could be a NAS that you access from multiple devices or just TB storage you plug directly into your MacBook. Either will work fine depending on your specific needs.

 

[Adora]

I thought it is when I bought my M3 iMac in early 2024, but it wasn't. I will soon try to use an external faster Thunderbolt drive with 2 or 4TB as my main drive.

I told the story several times, but those four drives I purchased (2x2TB and 2x4TB) that are FASTER than my internal one were all together (without TB4 enclosures for each) cheaper than the upgrade from 256 to 1TB by Apple.

USB drives are not recommended to boot from on Apple Silicon Macs.

I have a real big Proton Drive (several TB) and that is in the Library. I can't really use it for everything I want to store on- and offline at the same time. Mostly video content.

 

[Alpha Centauri]

Would a NAS (eg. Synology, et al) work for you for storage? I unfortunately couldn't go that route as it was simply not feasible to place the NAS in a remote location to my living room. If you go w/less with this, I guess much may depend on your required access speed but I'll let someone more knowledgeable chime in on this part.

I bought my M2 with 2 TB internal, knowing my projected use hasn't changed since well over a decade. I also keep the hardware for a long time.

 

[Neil J. Squillante]

I’ve purchased a MacBook Pro 14 M4 Pro 48gb 1TB and I think I’ve made a mistake?

For me, 2 TB is the current minimum. How you get there depends on your budget. If you partition your SSD to separate applications from data, it’s nice to give macOS and your apps 500 GB and your data 1.5 TB.

 

[GooseInTheCaboose]

Nope. BUT 1) Apple storage is exorbitantly expensive and 2) if you are a serious/enthusiast photographer, shooting lots of RAW or 4k+ video, you will easily surpass 2TB of content.

Meaning: beyond 1TB or so you should really start looking into external SSDs for your libraries, because they will grow fast.

I used to keep all my files on my mac but the rude awakening for me was that this practice is completely impractical and unaffordable once I got serious about photography (and had serious storage demands..)

 

[tonywalker23]

Consider the upgrade cost, then divide it by how many years you plan to keep it, and then see if it is a little easier to stomach. My M1 Pro has 1tb and is about half full with all files downloaded and all photos in full resolution. the only thing ’in the cloud’ is the Apple Music songs. if it was just that I would be fine.
but, part of my job is making a small local tv station broadcast of our church sermons. im often using multiple church service recordings to stitch together one broadcast, and then factor in the exported file, etc. it would be so nice to do that all on internal storage. but currently I use the mbp in my office hooked up to a 12 tb raid. the card from our sound booth, I download the services from that card to the raid. so when im working on my mobile device, I still have to be tied to the raid box in my office. I don’t need the 12 tb right then, but I do need more than my current 500gb free.
so if there is anyway possible whenever I upgrade to whatever in the future, im hoping I can bite the bullet and get a 2tb just to make life easier.

short version: if you can afford it and you plan to keep it for many years, you won’t regret making your life easier when you get perhaps into computer uses you right now might not be using.

edit: re read your post about using it 5 years. roughly $8 a month to have double the internal storage, that’s one way to look at it.

 

[UnifiedMelody]

1TB is more than fine. I use a 4TB external SSD from Samsung (T9) and it's only 500AUD. With 2000/2000 R/W speeds it's amazing in comparison to other SSD's with 1/2-1/4th the RW speed at only a few dollars less.

 

[fessura]

Only you can decide. Over the months and years you might find new uses -- music, video, film, ebooks, photography, etc. --, and find you'll need more. Anyone that says it is or is not enough means it is for them. I got 1 TB last time and now it's not enough.