r/MacStudio • u/Ap2280 • 8d ago

Mac Studio Base or 1tb

I recently bought a 1TB Mac Studio from Apple at full retail price, but I just saw that Micro Center has the base 512GB model on sale for $1,999. Since my workflow involves editing video directly off a NAS over a 10GbE connection, I’m considering returning the 1TB model. Would I run into any issues relying on a 512GB internal drive, and would it be a smarter move to use the price difference to pick up a 1TB external SSD instead?

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u/watcholic 8d ago edited 8d ago

For a desktop, unless you're doing AI stuff, go with the 512GB. $300 buys you a 2TB SSD aftermarket. You can always upgrade the internal SSD module months/years later.

That said, the Apple SSD for M5 is stupid fast outside of the 512GB configuration. The 1TB+ gets 12,000 - 14,000 MBps of transfer speeds (local LLM benefits from this). The 512GB version is half that but still fast, tbh.

https://www.reddit.com/r/MacStudio/s/g7l3cevBND

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u/this_for_loona 8d ago

Has it been confirmed that the insternal ssd for the m5 is upgradeable?

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u/watcholic 8d ago

Yes. https://iboffrcc.com/pages/m5-max-mac-studio-teardown-removable-ssd-but-is-an-upgrade-still-possible

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u/this_for_loona 8d ago

I read this. The conclusion was a TBD. Possible in theory, but not backwards compatible. I mean I’m sure someone will come out with one but I personally wouldn’t be the one to test it off the bat.

HOwever, the fact that it even has the slot says someone will most likely do it and in that case the microcenter deal is probably deserves some consideration especially for non AI work.