How to choose the best external storage for MacBook Air M2

abby_s28 wrote:

3. Could you explain on each so I knew how they worked and which would be best for me?

Sure. Basically, if you want to run apps from the external drive, the drive's data transfer rate will be the critical element. In this case you will want one that can support rates greater than 2000 - 2500 MB/s. For basic file storage, that requirement is much lower with 100 - 150 MB/s as a minimum.

The issue for the first case will be price as 1TB models start around $250. (An example would be the OWC Express 1M2). For the latter, you can find drives starting at around $55. (An example would be the OWC Express)

If I were to keep some apps open at the same time like Safari, Discord, and Roblox, would 8gb of RAM be able to satisfy that?

It should, but I have no way to verify that for you as I don't have a M2 MacBook Air to test that for you. Only a M1 model ... but that model is equipped with 16GB of RAM & a 1TB SSD.

abby_s28 wrote:

More specifics would be great if you’d be interested in looking for them.

I can make some recommendations, but I will need to know three things:

1. Your price cap?
2. The amount of storage size? 1TB, 2TB, etc.?
3. Are you planning on booting up your Mac from it or running apps from it ... or just using it for file storage?

Also about the RAM, if I wanted more installed on my Macbook, is that under Memory? Or is RAM something else?

Sorry. Yes by RAM I am referring to internal memory for your laptop. The base M2 MBA model comes with 8GB of RAM (Random Access Memory) & a 256GB SSD drive. Again, both are not upgradeable, so it pays (literally) to get what you need when you purchase your Mac. Either of these add $200 to the price tag. If your limit is $1000, you are already there, unless you also need to pay sales tax.

Then you still need to budget for that external drive. These can range in price significantly.

Just want to make sure you are not disappointed with your purchase. The good thing is, if you are, Apple has a 14 days from the purchase date, to return it for a full refund ... but based on what you provided so far, I don't think this will be necessary.

Ok, both 2023 M2 MacBook Air models come with Thunderbolt/USB 4 ports. That would mean that to get the best performance from an external drive, you will want a drive that uses similar ports.

However, USB 4 being the latest technology, comes at a higher price point. You can easily get great performance with USB 3 or USB 3.2 drives.

As such, I suggest you start your search at OWC as they have numerous external drive options. Disclaimer: I do not work for OWC, but have been a customer of theirs for years and have never had any issues with their offerings.

Ref: https://www.owc.com/solutions/external-drives

Also, one thing to consider. If you decide to equip your new Mac with the smallest internal drive, you should consider getting more RAM memory. The reason is that when you attempt to run multiple apps simultaneously, if there isn't a sufficient amount or RAM, those apps will be swapped out to the internal drive. This will affect the laptop's overall performance. It will also "wear out" the internal drive quicker. (SSDs have a limit to the number of writes to them.)

Without the additional RAM, which you cannot add later, you would be limited to running fewer apps simultaneously. Not a real issue, if you only run a few at a time or run ones that are not memory intensive.

abby_s28 wrote:

#2: About the prices, is it possible I could find a Sandisk that works well like an OWC on Amazon? I watched a few YouTube videos to educate myself on SSDs, specifically ones oriented for Macs, and all of them recommended Sandisks. I think they'd be more in my price range.

Sandisk is a great brand as well (they're sold under Western Digital now). Like this one. Again, whatever fits your budget. Just a note, the only real difference between the drives for Windows vs. Macs, is their initial formatting ... which can be changed via the Disk Utility on the Mac ... so, if the one for Windows is "cheaper" go for it.

Looks like I was still editing my reply to you when you posted again. Was I able to answer your questions about drive recommendations?

I can offer more specifics if you need them.

You're very welcome!