Just got the Macbook Pro 15" 2017 512gb (help)

[jeanha124]

Hey, just got the Macbook Pro 15" tb with the financing option from Barclays

I was wondering, how can you check what the speed of your wifi connection is. I felt like my download speeds were a lot slower than I thought it should've been.

Also, I know that the return period is in 14 days, but is there a chance I can swap this out with the 1tb one? I've been kinda iffy on what storage I should have bought, I know that I probably won't be able to use the whole amount of data, but like there is no point in using up the whole thing, since you don't want your system to slow down later on due to no storage left. I'm not even sure if those configured ones are regularly just sold in the apple stores without pre-ordering them online. <-- this part is just a what if case.

I just wanna be able to check everything about my macbook pro so that I know that it doesn't have a problem before I lock it in to keeping it LOL.

Any and all advise are welcome...

- - - - edit

what i forgot to mention was that i have unlimited cloud storage on my drive account through my university, so i'm set for that, and I do have external drives as well.

 

[LoudMacFan]

I returned my 13 inch TB MBP for the base model 15 inch with 256gb. I have a late 2013 MBP 13 inch with the same amount of storage and I never even came close to using half of it. I guess it really depends on what you do but for me it wasn't worth spending the extra money.

 

[Frankfurt]

Personal Choice. I took 1T, but I plan to keep the MBP for 8 years and already have 250GB of data.

 

[Patcell]

There really is no way for us to tell you which storage option is needed/ wanted in your case. What will you be using the machine for? Will you need fast access to large media files on the go? Are you opposed to using an external drive to store data?

Personally, I think 512GB is a nice compromise. For my use-case, 512GB is enough and it offers a good split between price and amount of storage space. Again, this is for my needs...

The flip side is that these drives are extremely fast and it is not possible to upgrade them down the line - they are soldered onto the logic board.

 

[jeanha124]

Personal Choice. I took 1T, but I plan to keep the MBP for 8 years and already have 250GB of data.

On my macbook pro 2013, I actually went over the limit of 256gb and had to delete a lot of programs and stuff to get it working again... oh i see, 1T xP. Yea, still thinking about it. I think 500 will be enough, but I'll still have to think about it for the next few days...
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There really is no way for us to tell you which storage option is needed/ wanted in your case. What will you be using the machine for? Will you need fast access to large media files on the go? Are you opposed to using an external drive to store data?

Personally, I think 512GB is a nice compromise. For my use-case, 512GB is enough and it offers a good split between price and amount of storage space. Again, this is for my needs...

The flip side is that these drives are extremely fast and it is not possible to upgrade them down the line - they are soldered onto the logic board.

Yea that's what I noticed when I kept researching online. I'm currently worried about the speed of my macbook atm. If my macbook isn't running as fast as it should be, I should return it for another one... Storage for me is just bleh cuz I do have cloud storage and externals.

The part with the soldered part gave it away...if my macbook dies, then it's poof*

I didn't get apple care yet, but not sure if I should...
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I returned my 13 inch TB MBP for the base model 15 inch with 256gb. I have a late 2013 MBP 13 inch with the same amount of storage and I never even came close to using half of it. I guess it really depends on what you do but for me it wasn't worth spending the extra money.

LOL, I actually have the same Macbook Pro 13" 2013 as you haha, mine actually went over the limit somehow and I had to delete everything. Currently i have less than 140gb of stuff on it so that I don't overdo it again =.=;; Keeping my stuff on the cloud...

 

[LoudMacFan]

LOL, I actually have the same Macbook Pro 13" 2013 as you haha, mine actually went over the limit somehow and I had to delete everything. Currently i have less than 140gb of stuff on it so that I don't overdo it again =.=;; Keeping my stuff on the cloud...

Well I don't have it anymore after this morning. I have plenty of access to cloud storage as well as a plethora of external drives.

 

[pixelatedscraps]

You're fine with 512Gb unless you're a professional videographer / editor in which case go for the 1tb / 2tb.

If you need more fast storage later, just pick up a Thunderbolt 3 external SSD drive.

 

[ZapNZs]

The 1 TB is not necessary unless you need high speed storage beyond what SATA 3 SSDs can provide or the use of cloud storage and/or external devices are not practical/convenient for your needs. If your drive is already almost filled, and you do NOT want to move some of those files to a cloud (that does not store all files locally), NAS, or an external drive, then you should get the larger size because 512 in that case is not convenient for your needs. I've noticed that local OS SSDs begin to slow down once they are about 75% full and, by the time they reach 90% full, this slowdown is substantial and sometimes weird system problems occur as they become increasingly more full. Extremely full SSDs tend to wear faster, although this probably is a moot point given the endurance of the SSD Apple has used in your system.

Should you be going into a field where ultra high speed storage (ex: over 1,000 MB/s) is absolutely necessary, then you have Thunderbolt 3 as an option, but in this case upgrading the internal SSD to 1 TB or 2 TB may actually be less expensive because of the high cost of Thunderbolt storage (and the tendency for TB enclosures to be very large and require an external power source.) As of right now, TB3 options are limited in selection and pricing.

As a compromise between TB3 and single SATA SSDs, there is also the option of external RAID0 SATA SSDs using USB 3.1 gen 2, which the MacBook Pro supports. Sustained speeds upwards of 7-800 MB/s is possible with products like the Atom RAID, and yet unlike TB3, this type of storage is still (reasonably) affordable. It is also compact and bus-powered.

There is a SpeedTest App in the App Store, and you can also use the Wireless Diagnostics built into macOS to ensure your settings are optimal and to look for certain causes that can result in slower speeds. You can also hold 'D' at startup to run Apple Diagnostics to check all of the hardware for errors, and can use a SMART program like DriveDX to check and continuously monitor your local SSD and external hard drives for signs of failure.