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Is 2TB SSD worth $433 in the mini?

H

hoya87eagle91

macrumors member
Original poster
Apr 29, 2005
76
1
I can get a refurbished mini with employee discount. In your opinion, Is it worth quadrupling internal storage to 2TB from 512 (the minimum I would consider) for the extra $433 pre tax?

My Alternative storage option is using a bunch of external HDDS in a 2009 Mac Pro set up as NAS.

Thanks for your educated opinion.
 
It's only worth it if
  • You expect to need that much storage. Ideally you'll keep about 25% of the SSD free. If you'll use up more than 75% of the 1TB you should go 2TB
  • You can't bear the thought of having external storage on a desktop and are willing to pay extra to avoid it.
 
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Depends a bit what you are doing with it but I would say not. I have a 2018 mini as a network file server and just basic 512GB plus several USB3 drives hanging off it. Plenty fast enough for my needs. Even if you need a lot of very fast storage you can always use expensive Thunderbolt 3-based flash storage (like Samsung X5 etc) still cheaper than Apple internal.
 
cMP tower running as a NAS sounds like a total waste of space and electricity, so in the interests of Feng Shui I'd say upgrade that Mini if you can afford it.
 
So this is just for use as a NAS? If so, no way. You can get a 10TB drive for a lot less than the cost of that 2TB upgrade. Heck, 4TB spinning drives are close to $100 these days. I'd go with an off-the-shelf NAS or build your own linux box to use as a NAS.
 
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hoya87eagle91 said:
I can get a refurbished mini with employee discount. In your opinion, Is it worth quadrupling internal storage to 2TB from 512 (the minimum I would consider) for the extra $433 pre tax?
Click to expand...

That's not a bad discount when the Apple price for 512 to 2TB is $600, so if you really must have 2TB and it really must be SSD so, if $430 isn't going to break the bank, maybe. However, you're still paying a lot of money for convenience.

Otherwise, 512GB for system, applications, temp. files and work-in-progress plus an external 2TB+ hard drive or NAS for storage is perfectly workable - and actually better in some circumstances.

As @frou said - an old Mac Pro tower as a NAS is (a) a bit bulky and (b) will make itself known in your electricity bill, so I'd tend to go for a more modern NAS box, or build something with a low-power processor.
 
theluggage said:
As @frou said - an old Mac Pro tower as a NAS is (a) a bit bulky and (b) will make itself known in your electricity bill, so I'd tend to go for a more modern NAS box, or build something with a low-power processor.
Click to expand...

For anyone thinking of this.

Just at idle. The cMP will draw 1,000 KWh to 1,500KWh per year (115W to 171W). An efficient modern NAS will draw 88KWh to 175KWh per year to (10W to 20W) at idle. This is before you factor in additional draw from hard drives and power consumption under load. The Mac Pro can easily go to a 300W under a typical NAS load while a modern home NAS will go to a about 35W.

A cMP as a standalone NAS makes no economic sense.
 
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RyanXM said:
100% worth it at that cost. It will sell for more down the road with the 2TB SSD.
Click to expand...
Probably by about $100 more than similar systems with less space, depending on when you're selling. If you hold on to the system until its bitter end, maybe you wouldn't even get that much.

Don't buy technology like it's an investment, because the value goes down very quickly. Apple systems may hold their value better than PCs, but it's not like it used to be. If you have a use for 2 TB onboard in SSD form, go for it. If not, forget resale value, you're wasting your money: go with a smaller capacity and get a standard HDD for a better cost:space ratio.
 
Hard Yes. But only with the discount.

An external 2TB SSD that performs respectably compared to the internal SSD is going to cost at least $300. At this point you're only looking at another $100 in Apple Tax, that's worth it imo.
 
Seems like a no brainer to me. If you're handling that much content, larger internal storage would be a better option if you could afford it. I always go for the largest amount when purchasing a new computer (if it's within your price range)
 
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