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SD card, memory stick or external SSD to supplement M1 MacBook Pro 16" 2021
- Thread starter hajime
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I purchased a SanDisk 1TB, same size as the MacBook SSD, Amazon has 2 models available. I also purchased this adapter to keep it all the time in, and it is flush, you will not even notice is in there.
BaseQi Aluminum microSD Adapter for MacBook Pro Retina 13"
* Perfectly match to MacBook Pro Retina 13" ! * Keep aesthetic of MacBook Pro Retina 13" and increase the storage! Plug-in-and-Forget BASEQI is a short / low profile Micro SD adapter designed exclusively for MacBook Pro Retina 13". Just insert Micro SD card and slide in to MacBook Pro Retina 13" ...
www.amazon.com
Always prefer internal storage to any external options. I got a 512GB flush microSD card to go along with my 1TB configuration. The internal storage is mega fast and reliable. The SD card is super slow.
I am using the SD card to store my downloads folder (which tends to get crowded), along with storing my old photos/videos collections, downloaded movies, etc. Basically things that don't require a fast speed to be useful.
If I had to pick between 1TB internal or 512GB SSD + 512GB SD I would pick the 1TB internal every time. Not even close.
I have a 2TB external SSD but I use that mainly for data backups, not for any day to day use. I plug it in once in a blue moon.
The best part of getting more internal storage is that when the 1TB gets overwhelmed, you can always add another 512GB or 1TB SD later. You can never add more internal storage to the same unit so prioritize that at the time of purchase.
The only problem with external SSD is having another thing and cable to carry everywhere. The SD card can live in the MacBook indefinitely so it’s more seamless.
It can but don't assume it's the same class of storage as the internal SSD. I'm not talking about speed here, which is mostly a non-issue for larger volumes, but reliability. The reliability guarantees of the SD card hardware interface, the protocol and the quality of the cards are far far worse than you might realise.
This won't even be noticed until you suffer from filesystem corruption which is a somewhat more regular than it should be situation with SD cards I have found.
Your options are usually:
1. Cheap out on internal SSD size, boost with SD card. Positive: cost. Negative: reliability, performance, SD slot gone.
2. Buy enough SSD to start with. Positive: reliability, performance, SD card slot empty. Negative: cost
3. Dangle an SSD off it. Positive: reliability, SD card slow empty, cost, performance. Negative: convenience
Using an SD card is almost universally the wrong solution to this. Pay up front or suffer a bit more inconvenience.
Ask yourself: what's your data worth if you lose it?
Agreed. Critical data should be stored on the internal SSD always - and backed up to the cloud and in other places.
The extra storage is for storing things that are "nice to have with you" but don't necessarily use every day. As I mentioned, I am storing my Safari downloads folder, some media, and old photo backups that I like to look back at sometimes. None of those things are critical and none of them require fast speed.
The full Photo backups I have (1TB worth of personal and family photos going back to 2005) live on an external mechanical drives and an SSD backup drive I have in another location outside my home (not to mention the Cloud). So this is just a backup of a backup, and an incomplete one at that (just the 'favorites' really).
If the SD becomes unreliable or loses data, I haven't lost anything major. I personally haven't yet suffered an SD data failure and I have been using them on my digital cameras for a long, long time. So while they may be less reliable than other forms of storage it doesn't feel like a high risk.
Can you clarify which BASEQI card reader? The page you linked says specifically "Will ONLY FIT The MacBook Pro Retina 13". I want one for the newest MBP 14" machines with SD slot.I purchased a SanDisk 1TB, same size as the MacBook SSD, Amazon has 2 models available. I also purchased this adapter to keep it all the time in, and it is flush, you will not even notice is in there.
BaseQi Aluminum microSD Adapter for MacBook Pro Retina 13"
* Perfectly match to MacBook Pro Retina 13" ! * Keep aesthetic of MacBook Pro Retina 13" and increase the storage! Plug-in-and-Forget BASEQI is a short / low profile Micro SD adapter designed exclusively for MacBook Pro Retina 13". Just insert Micro SD card and slide in to MacBook Pro Retina 13" ...www.amazon.com