A:AnswerI use 2 redundant drives for timeshare backup and 2 really fast (ssd with thunderbolt connections) for my pictures. Those were hard to find. They are rugged mini ssd by LaCie. The second LaCie drive is just a redundant one. I edit photos using Photoshop right on the drives. It's extremely fast.
A:AnswerI don't think you can upgrade once you have the 512. I use external drives with ssd and thunderbolt ports for speed. They are fast enough to work off directly.
A:AnswerGiven everything you've said, I would look into a Mac mini or a Mac Studio. The apple studio monitor is quite a bit bigger. External drives are also a solution, particularly if they are ssd with thunderbolt ports. It's a cheap fast way of extending your storage space.
