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256GB or 512GB? Here’s the short answer: get the 512GB. The 256GB fills up faster than you think, and it’s actually slower too.
On the M6 Mac mini it’s just $200 more, and for most people that’s the upgrade I’d buy before even upgrading the RAM. Below I go through what storage actually is, what fills it up, the speed test I ran, and who should get 256GB, 512GB or 1TB.
Get the 512GB if you are not sure. It gives you twice the room, it was faster in my test, and on the M6 Mac mini it costs $200 more. Only get 256GB if you do most of your stuff in a web browser.
- Twice the room for apps, Messages and Photos
- The 512GB drive read files 80% faster and wrote them 58% faster in my test
- A 256GB drive slows down even more when it gets close to full
- Upgrading costs less than a good external drive
- It costs $200 more on the M6 Mac mini
- 256GB is fine if you mostly use a web browser
- 1TB is nicer for big projects, it just gets pricey
What storage actually is
Storage is your Mac’s closet. It’s the place that keeps your photos, videos and apps, and all your files live there, even when the Mac is turned off.
It’s not the same thing as RAM. RAM, or memory, is the desk that you work on. It’s the amount of space you have to get stuff done. Storage is where everything goes when it gets put away. I’ve got a whole guide on how much RAM your Mac needs too.
You’ll see the letters SSD in a lot of places. That’s really just the name for the storage inside your Mac.
What fills it up
I’ve found the storage on a 256GB Mac can fill up really fast. It’s not one big file that takes up all the space. It’s all the everyday small files that add up.
- Apps: each of them can be 5 to 8 gigs or even more, and some come with extra files or plug-ins.
- iMessage: it can easily take up 10 to 30 gigs or more with all the photos and videos people send you.
- Apple Photos: your library can take up 20 gigs on your Mac, even when your photos are stored in iCloud. That’s just the previews of the images.
Add in your everyday files, and 256GB on a computer goes really fast. You can check yours in System Settings, General, Storage.
Smaller is also slower
Another thing most people don’t know: the 256GB drive is slower than the 512GB. In real life that means opening large files, copying things over, installing apps and even rebooting your computer can take a bit longer.
And there’s one other big thing to note. When your Mac runs out of memory, it borrows space from the storage to keep going. On a slower drive you’re going to feel that even more as things go back and forth between the RAM and the SSD. Things start to hang and you get the spinning beach ball.
It also gets worse as it fills up. When a 256GB drive gets close to full, it slows down even more. So the smaller drive starts slower, and it’s the one that fills up first.
My speed test
I’ve done this test on several different Macs. Here’s the M4 Mac mini in Blackmagic Disk Speed Test, in megabytes per second:
Blackmagic Disk Speed Test, M4 Mac mini
Blackmagic Disk Speed Test, M4 Mac mini
The 512GB read files about 80% faster and wrote them about 58% faster. You can see more drive results on my Mac tests page.
What about an external drive?
You can always plug an external drive into your computer for extra room. But if you want a solid external drive for your Mac, it’s going to cost you at least $150 to $200, and a 2TB or 4TB is going to be way more expensive. Going from 256GB to 512GB on your Mac costs less than that.
An external drive is still a great way to add room later. Keep the projects you’re not working on every day on it. My favorite fast one is the Oyen U34 Bolt, and if you want help picking one, try my SSD guide.
Which one should you get?
Get 256GB only if you do most of your stuff in a web browser and don’t put a ton of apps on your Mac.
Get 512GB if you’re not sure. It’s the one I recommend for most people.
Get 1TB if you do a lot of big projects, you’re on the go a lot, and you don’t want to keep shuffling files between iCloud, an external drive and your Mac.
The bottom line
So that’s the short answer: get the 512GB. It’s $200 more on the M6 Mac mini, you get twice the room, and it’s faster.
If you’re still not sure what computer you need, tell me how you’re going to use your Mac and I’ll give you personalized Mac buying advice. You can also see every Mac I’ve tested.
Still deciding? My guide on how much RAM your Mac needs covers the other upgrade, and my best external SSDs for Mac are the easy way to add room later.
