Hello, I have a MacBook Pro 2019 since it came out . I currently have the 8 Ram with 128 gb is storage . I use it for school and sims with extra downloads, along with watching YouTube and movies and ect . I’m thinking about upgrading to the 16 ram with 512 gb of storage or should I just purchase an external hard drive and save my money ?
MacBook Pro 13″, macOS 12.7
A mid-2019 13" MacBook Pro has the RAM and storage soldered on and so cannot be upgraded. 8GB RAM should, as TKS said, be sufficient for normal use, but 128GB is rather skimpy for storage. If you just need backup, an external drive with a magnetic (spinning) hard drive would be sufficient and the least expensive option. If you need to have more storage for working documents, then a good solid-state drive (SSD) would be the best choice. There are a number of good vendors, including OWC (aka MacSales) who I've used for years. What you choose will depend on your use - for instance, working with video demands the best performance - and your budget.
Regards.
Regards.
A mid-2019 13" MacBook Pro has the RAM and storage soldered on and so cannot be upgraded. 8GB RAM should, as TKS said, be sufficient for normal use, but 128GB is rather skimpy for storage. If you just need backup, an external drive with a magnetic (spinning) hard drive would be sufficient and the least expensive option. If you need to have more storage for working documents, then a good solid-state drive (SSD) would be the best choice. There are a number of good vendors, including OWC (aka MacSales) who I've used for years. What you choose will depend on your use - for instance, working with video demands the best performance - and your budget.
Regards.
Regards.
Readers are discovering that for MacOS Ventura and later, 8 GB RAM is only enough to support MacOS itself in an appropriately-responsive way. Almost anything else you add, expect perhaps Mail, causes Paging and use of the Swap file, and your Mac slows down dramatically.
If buying new, 8 GB Macs should be thought of as 'for student use ONLY'. EVERYONE else should buy more built-in RAM.
if you buy too little storage, you CAN add external storage, and although that can be more expensive, there are more and more quasi-portable storage options.
The 8GB RAM should be sufficient for you, but upgrading the internal drive from 128GB to at least 256GB (if your Mac supports upgrades) would be a good idea.
An external drive, however, is best used as a backup drive. Using it to run 'live' data, such as storing your Photos Library, may slow down your Mac.
Upgrade or purchase an external hard drive
