Can I upgrade the SSD in a 2014 or 2015 MacBook Air?

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MacBook Air 13" Early 2015

The March 2015 update of Apple's 13" MacBook Air features fifth generation Intel Core i5 and i7 processors, resulting in slightly increased performance and battery life.

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waltphillips @waltphillips

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Postado: 20 de mar de 2015

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Can I upgrade the SSD in a 2014 or 2015 MacBook Air?

Hi,

I'm considering buying a brand new 2015 or 2014 13" MacBook Air. I would prefer to upgrade the SSD myself.

1. Will any standard "M.2" (form factor) SSD module fit the socket connector on this logic board?

2. Or, is the socket connector a totally proprietary connection on on these 2014/2015 MacBook Airs?

I'm planning on purchasing the following "M.2" SSD:

Samsung XP941 Series [Generation 2 PCIe "4 Lanes"] 512GB M.2 SSD.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.as...

From iFixit's teardown of the 2015 MacBook Air it seems like it should be easy to simply pop out the factory "M.2" style SSD and swap in a new "M.2" style SSD module.

Please let me know if this is true.

Thanks!

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Sadly no, Apple uses a custom interface, while simular to M.2 it is not the same.

9 de abr de 2016 por Dan

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Sadly no, Apple uses a custom interface, while simular to M.2 it is not the same. — Dan

jkingsnorth @jkingsnorth Rep: 623 7 3 2 · Answer 1 · 2015-03-20T09:36:30-07:00

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jkingsnorth @jkingsnorth

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You can but the not with the item you posted. The connector pins are a different layout.

MacBook Air 11" (2013-2015) 13" (2013-2017) MacBook Pro Retina 13" and 15" (2015) SSD

Produto

MacBook Air 11" (2013-2015) 13" (2013-2017) MacBook Pro Retina 13" and 15" (2015) SSD

$39.99

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Jeffrey Honig @jchonig Rep: 61 1 · Answer 2 · 2016-03-08T11:05:18-07:00

Jeffrey Honig @jchonig

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Available now at http://eshop.macsales.com/shop/ssd/owc/m...

Thanks.

Jeff

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That's keeping a eye out ;-)

8 de mar de 2016 por mayer

This will most probably not work. It's even unclear whether a stock SSD from a 2015 MBPr would work on a 2014 MBA (Ref my question Are SSD PCIe exchangeable between MBP and MBA ).

2 de set de 2015 por EDPR

FYI: Here's a good write up on the different interfaces Apple is using: SSD Form Factors

3 de set de 2015 por Dan

I can confirm a 2015 PCI-E SSD from a 2015 Macbook Pro will work in a 2014 Macbook Air, with the added bonus of working at almost double the speed!

I have personally installed an SSD from a 2015 Macbook Pro 13" into a Macbook Air 13" Mid-2013 and it worked great at PCI-E 4X (the original SSD from the MBA was PCI-E 2X). Read Speeds were over 1000MB/s up from around 600MB/s with the original SSD.

Basically, the SSDs are interchangeable between the PCIE MacBooks, providing that they physically fit (the only reason I mention this is I know that there are some wider ones that may not fit into certain MacBooks).

24 de fev de 2016 por martincrickett

Awesome Answer! Has anyone found out if there are even faster and compatible PCI-E SSDs for the MacBook Pros/Airs at this time? 12/5/16 Thanks. Also, wondering if anyone has had the courage to see if it's possible to solder new ram onto the an old Macbook Air? Don't know if it would recognize a 16GB Ram chip or not even on a newer board, but you never know with Apple. I'm using a Unibody White Macbook that was only supposed to max out at 8GB ram and I'm using 16GB. Still a great laptop, just a bit heavy for air travel.

5 de dez de 2016 por lyn

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EDPR @edpr Rep: 193 5 4 · Answer 3 · 2015-03-20T13:43:07-07:00

EDPR @edpr

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AFAIK there are (not yet) 3rd party aftermarket SSD upgrades available for any MBA's from the 2013 model year on.

I mostly doubt that that Samsung SSD you pointed out would work, as Apple use a proprietary technology for its PCIe SSD's.

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Brother in another video by IFixit for upgrade SSD for MBA Early 2015, the SSD which was by default present in MBA Early 2015 is branded as Samsung.

5 de mar de 2018 por Kevin Gorule

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SJ @sj519 Rep: 37 1 · Answer 4 · 2016-04-11T05:51:29-07:00

SJ @sj519

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Yes you can! OWC just recently released their long awaited SSD upgrades that are compatible with all 2013-Present Macbook Airs: http://eshop.macsales.com/shop/ssd/owc/m...

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This drive fails if the MBA Early 2015 7,2 goes into hibernation mode. I would wait until another one comes out with this. OWC is aware of the issue but has not done anything about it.

20 de out de 2016 por Glen Worthing

experiencing the same fail/freeze after sleep/hibernation now.. What can we do to have OWC address and fix this!?!

21 de mar de 2017 por ari

I've placed multiple calls with OWC and they are not doing anything about it. I will never buy anything from http://www.MacSales.com again. A company should address an issue when 2 or more people experience the same problem and they aren't doing ANYTHING! Sad. Where is the good customer service these days? If you find another solution, I would love to hear about it. Thanks for posting.

21 de mar de 2017 por Glen Worthing

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sleep @sleepyone Rep: 25 1 · Answer 5 · 2017-08-05T22:57:05-07:00

sleep @sleepyone

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The sintech adapter found here: http://eshop.sintech.cn/ngff-m2-pcie-ssd... (and on amazon for less with prime shipping) works with nvme drives if you are running High Sierra.

I am using a 960evo with the adapter in my 2015 macbook air.

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Are you having any kernel panic issues or loading issues from sleep? I purchased the 960evo and am waiting on my adapter and also have a 2015 macbook air I am wondering if you are experiencing any issues with your setup?

4 de nov de 2017 por Daniel Jenkins

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Jeffrey Honig @jchonig Rep: 61 1 · Answer 6 · 2017-09-06T11:25:19-07:00

Jeffrey Honig @jchonig

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Another option is coming: http://appleinsider.com/articles/17/08/2...

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Sébastien @aem Rep: 3,6 mil AEM (ANIMA EX MACHINA) 30 6 6 · Answer 7 · 2018-09-09T12:12:35-07:00

Sébastien @aem

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There is new option since ~ 6 month with Transcend SSDs.

JetDrive 855 / JetDrive 850

JetDrive 825 / JetDrive 820

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Scott Fitch @scottffitch Rep: 11 · Answer 8 · 2015-09-02T11:12:13-07:00

Scott Fitch @scottffitch

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Currently, there are no aftermarket (3rd party) solutions for the SSD in the 2013-2015 MacBook Air models. Your best bet is to check OWC (macsales.com, http://eshop.macsales.com/shop/SSD/OWC) periodically as they're likely to be the first to offer them to aftermarket buyers.

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gary @gary16208 Rep: 1 · Answer 9 · 2015-12-29T21:58:47-07:00

gary @gary16208

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I'm having the same issues. Unfortunately from what I've seen on two web sites selling Samsung both the XP941 and the Samsung SM951 SSD PCIe M.2 neither is compatible with the early 2015 Macbook Air.

In each case they state: Works with most Z97 and X99 motherboards and Mac Pro models. Not compatible with the MacBook Air, Retina MacBook Pro or Cylindrical Mac Pro

Unfortunately I still haven't found what will work nor do I have an explanation. I was hoping any drive would plug in and work just like a standard SATA drive does in my Macbook mid 2012.

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Sorry to say the M.2 standard is not as fixed as the SATA standard was which makes it a mess! As it wants to be an everything interface instead of being focused on storage. The other fact here is Apple controls its SSD firmware and you need to interface with the OS SSD driver which adds added complexity. The older 2 Lane PCIe SSD's are now available from a few 3rd party suppliers. This series uses a 4 Lane PCIe SSD which is why Apple is the sole supplier of the devices presently for this series. I'm sure someone is reverse engineering the firmware so within a year some options will appear.

30 de dez de 2015 por Dan

@Gary - OWC just posted availability of thier SSD's, check them out!

8 de mar de 2016 por Dan

yes,SM951 can't work,it is PCIe 3.0 version,but XP941 can work,you can use this one:http://eshop.sintech.cn/ngff-m2-pcie-ssd...

28 de ago de 2016 por jolisa

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jquart @jquart Rep: 1 · Answer 10 · 2016-04-01T08:38:33-07:00

jquart @jquart

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hello,

it's possible with MacbookAir connecter to M.2 for recent Macbook Air

http://forum.macbidouille.com/index.php?...

best regards

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7 comentários:

Sorry No, the Apple Blade SSD is using a propriety connector which does look like the M.2 interface. Apple also has custom firmware on their SSD's as well. The good news here is OWC now offers a replacement SSD for the MacBook Air. OWC SSD Upgrades for MacBook Air 11" & 13" Mid 2013 — Current

1 de abr de 2016 por Dan

Finally they're there! But don't celebrate too much. There's a reason why they just put the "Up to 8x the capacity of the original drive"-logo next to the picture. I guess the "Up to 3x slower than the original drive"-logo wouldn't be too good for business. I'm sure there still is a market for it, as long as you're ok to trade speed for storage.

2 de abr de 2016 por EDPR

hello,

in the macbidouille forum, they tested this adapter

http://eshop.sintech.cn/ngff-m2-pcie-ssd...

6 de abr de 2016 por jquart

@EDPR Can you quantify that? For those of us that have the 128GB SanDisk SSDs this might be comparable performance.

9 de abr de 2016 por Jeffrey Honig

@jquart I tried reading that forum with Google translating the French to English. I gather that one person has tried it out and it seems to work. There are allusions to potential issues, but it's hard to follow. Do you have a better summary?

The Sintech option looks like it would be a bit less expensive than the OWC option, but a bit more risk.

9 de abr de 2016 por Jeffrey Honig

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Jeffrey Honig @jchonig Rep: 61 1 · Answer 11 · 2016-04-14T11:39:15-07:00

Jeffrey Honig @jchonig

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Gizmodo just posted a review of the installation: http://gizmodo.com/you-can-upgrade-a-mac...

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jolisa @jolisa Rep: 1 2 1 · Answer 12 · 2016-08-28T08:09:27-07:00

jolisa @jolisa

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you can use Sintech NGFF M.2 PCIe SSD Card as 2013 2014 2015 MacBook SSD,

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does this make the drive bootable? I have a MAC air mid 2013 with no SSD drive. I need to add one thats bootable. would this adaptor work? http://eshop.sintech.cn/ngff-m2-pcie-ssd...

30 de set de 2016 por Sammy

No! Very different physical interface

30 de set de 2016 por Dan

Samsung XP941 (MZHPU128HCGM - I installed this drive the adaptor listed above. It works however whenever the macbook air goes sleep, it freezes. The startup screen will load up, however I cannot login. It also takes a long time to load up. Only solution is to restart. Is this because of the 3rd party SSD? What specs should I be looking for in an SSD that would match the original SSD that came with the machine other then pin set.

30 de dez de 2016 por Sammy

Any thoughts?

7 de jan de 2017 por Sammy

you can set it as never sleep.

7 de jan de 2017 por jolisa

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