Question about going from a 1TB to a 256GB Mac Mini

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I see good prices on the 256GB models.

There is only 324GB left available on my current system so I have a lot more data than a 256GB can hold.

I am totally okay with getting an external drive for the new computer but can I transfer everything to the new system since the base configuration is only 256GB?
 
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I see good prices on the 256GB models.

There is only 324GB left available on my current system so I have a lot more data than a 256GB can hold.

I am totally okay with getting an external drive for the new computer but can I transfer everything to the new system since the base configuration is only 256GB?
Depending on what you do on a regular basis, you might be able to get away with that much storage, but be ready for a lot of slowdowns, and if you don’t have that much memory either, be ready to spend money for a replacement SSD in less than the life expectancy of your Mac.

A lot of the storage on the startup drive that’s not obvious to you is the amount used for temporary caches, snapshots, and memory swaps. Those do not show up on the amount of used space on your drive. When the system starts to swap between RAM and disk space, a lot of load is placed on the SSD, in addition to slowing down processes overall. You could try and transfer as much of your data to an external drive, but if you decide to use iCloud storage for Photos, Music, Books, Desktop, Apple apps file storage, etc., those will have to be stored on your main drive to mirror what you have in iCloud. And if you choose Optimize Storage in System Settings, even more load is placed on your Mac.

And keep in mind that internal memory and storage are NOT upgradeable from Apple. Of course.
 
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Depending on what you do on a regular basis, you might be able to get away with that much storage, but be ready for a lot of slowdowns, and if you don’t have that much memory either, be ready to spend money for a replacement SSD in less than the life expectancy of your Mac.

A lot of the storage on the startup drive that’s not obvious to you is the amount used for temporary caches, snapshots, and memory swaps. Those do not show up on the amount of used space on your drive. When the system starts to swap between RAM and disk space, a lot of load is placed on the SSD, in addition to slowing down processes overall. You could try and transfer as much of your data to an external drive, but if you decide to use iCloud storage for Photos, Music, Books, Desktop, Apple apps file storage, etc., those will have to be stored on your main drive to mirror what you have in iCloud. And if you choose Optimize Storage in System Settings, even more load is placed on your Mac.

And keep in mind that internal memory and storage are NOT upgradeable from Apple. Of course.

I don't think I could have a computer where memory and storage were not upgradable. If the drive goes bad, do you just throw the computer away?
 
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I don't think I could have a computer where memory and storage were not upgradable. If the drive goes bad, do you just throw the computer away?
You send it in to be repaired, either with Apple or a qualified technician. Either way, I doubt if you can ask for a larger drive or more RAM. If the repair service is not AASP (Apple Authorized Service Provider), they will not be able to order parts from Apple and non-Apple parts will probably not work with your Mac. AppleCare can save you some money, if you decide to make that investment.
 
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I am an elderly person, and I think I will live out my life using older Macs. This late 2012 mini seems to work just fine. I still have one of those big old Powermacs with the side door where everything could be easily removed and replaced. I don't use it much; I just like having it around.
 
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At present I am booting an iMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, Late 2014) into Big Sur from an external Samsung SSD 1 Tb drive. It works well. I get occasional slow-downs as the OS pauses to think or do some cleaning, but it did that before I moved to an external drive.
Apple's refusal to provide adequate on-board storage is presumably part of an overall pricing strategy, but if so, that strategy is not in the interests of its users.
 
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I could not agree more with J. A modern computer having a 1980s amount of storage is beyond ludicrous. Having to pay hundreds of dollars more than the base to have a respectable amount of storage; either that or having to pay for an external, sacrificing speed, are both decisions cost us money over and above the expense of the Mac. That is not a customer friendly strategy. More than likely you will have to pay for new cables as well as Macs don't have the typical ports that any modern computer should have. I get that they want the sleekest, slimmest computer that they can make; it just seems like they have thrown out too much to hit the mark they desire.
 
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I could not agree more with J. A modern computer having a 1980s amount of storage is beyond ludicrous. Having to pay hundreds of dollars more than the base to have a respectable amount of storage; either that or having to pay for an external, sacrificing speed, are both decisions cost us money over and above the expense of the Mac. That is not a customer friendly strategy. More than likely you will have to pay for new cables as well as Macs don't have the typical ports that any modern computer should have. I get that they want the sleekest, slimmest computer that they can make; it just seems like they have thrown out too much to hit the mark they desire.
I know, right? This is Apple’s way of creating the illusion that their Macs are as “affordable” as PCs compared to their ridiculous prices in the 80s and 90s. So their first offering will have below the minimum requirement of the average user, and if you know better, you are forced to pay more for “options.” A lot more, because their upgrades are ridiculously expensive.

The Studio Max is priced at $2,000. When I ordered mine, opting for 32 cores, 2 terabyte SSD, and AppleCare, it ended up costing about $3,000. I promised myself to get a 4-TB SSD, but that would have added another $600. And, sorry, you cannot get that as an after-market upgrade. They solder those chips to the motherboard. And we know that Apple pays pennies to the dollar of what they charge.

Then, I had to buy a couple of Thunderbolt 4 long cables for $159 each! I considered it paying the price of doing business, but don’t tell me that Macs are as cheap as PCs.
 
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As far as external storage go's, you can put every thing you produce onto them and keep the box soles for your OS, the up and down load speed to the externals will depend on the products you buy to use as storage,
 

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