Will the Seagate Momentus XT 500GB Hybrid SSD work in the new MBA?

Barcelona1107 · Dec 2, 2010

Hi,

I just purchased a new MBA. I thought that the 256GB SSD would work for me, but, it doesn't. Now I'm attempting to find the least expensive way in which to upgrade the internal drive.

As I was about to purchase a new 512GB SSD, the reseller informed me that I should try the Seagate drive referenced above. He said that it would work in the MBA with no problem. The price difference is huge. Axiom SSD = $1500, Momentus Hybrid SSD = $120. I'm not concerned about speed. I'm just tired of carrying my itunes library on an external USB drive.

I would appreciate any advice that's given. I love the new MBA. I just need more disk space in the unit. Here's a link to the drive in question: http://www.seagate.com/www/en-us/products/internal-storage/momentus-xt-kit/

Hellhammer · Dec 2, 2010

MBA uses a custom "blade-type" SSD. There is and has never been space for 2.5" HD. The previous models used 1.8" HDs

There is not much you can do. Do you really need all that music with you all the time? How about encoding them to smaller bitrate to save space?

alust2013 · Dec 2, 2010

Unfortunately as HH said, the only type of drive that will work is a blade-type SSD, and I believe the 256GB is the largest version of that currently.

Barcelona1107 · Dec 2, 2010

Hellhammer said:
MBA uses a custom "blade-type" SSD. There is and has never been space for 2.5" HD. The previous models used 1.8" HDs

There is not much you can do. Do you really need all that music with you all the time? How about encoding them to smaller bitrate to save space?

I've tried. I just like having room to play with.

Does an upgrade blade ssd exist for purchase?

Thanks for the information.

Hellhammer · Dec 2, 2010

Barcelona1107 said:
I've tried. I just like having room to play with. Does an upgrade blade ssd exist for purchase?

Thanks for the information.

Currently the biggest one is 256GB. They aren't widely available yet so maybe in future there will be bigger one.

Barcelona1107 · Dec 2, 2010

Thanks everyone. I'll continue to take my external drive along until a better alternative is available. This exercise saved me tons of money and time.

KPOM · Dec 2, 2010

Eventually you'll be able to use the SDXC slot for higher capacities, but right now you can get a 64GB card for about $200.

WorldIRC · Dec 2, 2010

Why isn't the 256GB Blade sold as an option for the 11 "?

BeyondtheTech · Dec 2, 2010

Totally forgot about that SD card slot. That would have been sweet for us 11.6" Air users. Right now, I've got a 160GB 2.5" SATA drive tethered to it with my iTunes and iPhoto library. Hope they come out with something sooner, or I'm going to have to velcro the damn thing to the bottom of my Air.

Hellhammer · Dec 2, 2010

WorldIRC said:
Why isn't the 256GB Blade sold as an option for the 11 "?

Possibly because 64GB and 128GB are one-sided (4x16GB or 4x32GB) but the 256GB model seems to be double-sided (8x32GB)

One-sided:

Double-sided:

Or Apple just wants people to pay more for the high-end 13"

MacManTexas56 · Dec 2, 2010

Barcelona1107 said:
Hi,

I just purchased a new MBA. I thought that the 256GB SSD would work for me, but, it doesn't. Now I'm attempting to find the least expensive way in which to upgrade the internal drive.

As I was about to purchase a new 512GB SSD, the reseller informed me that I should try the Seagate drive referenced above. He said that it would work in the MBA with no problem. The price difference is huge. Axiom SSD = $1500, Momentus Hybrid SSD = $120. I'm not concerned about speed. I'm just tired of carrying my itunes library on an external USB drive.

I would appreciate any advice that's given. I love the new MBA. I just need more disk space in the unit. Here's a link to the drive in question: http://www.seagate.com/www/en-us/products/internal-storage/momentus-xt-kit/

like another poster said, why not get an SDHC? you could even get this for a microSD

http://www.amazon.com/elago-Mobile-microSDHC-Memory-Reader/dp/B002HGFKR8/ref=pd_cp_e_1

crashnburn · Apr 28, 2012

Do the newer Macbook Airs have the same limitation? Unable to use standard market SSDs? & Hybrid HDDs like the XT?

simsaladimbamba · Apr 28, 2012

crashnburn said:
Do the newer Macbook Airs have the same limitation? Unable to use standard market SSDs? & Hybrid HDDs like the XT?

Which new MBAs? The 2010 MBA and 2011 MBA share the same form factor, and since the 2010 MBA can't accept 2.5" S-ATA HDDs or SSDs the 2011 MBA can't either.
The 2008 and 2009 MBAs accepted 1.8" S-ATA HDDs and SSDs.

Read the thread again to learn more about that, as Hellhammer is kind enough to go into more detail.

theSeb · Apr 28, 2012

crashnburn said:
Do the newer Macbook Airs have the same limitation? Unable to use standard market SSDs? & Hybrid HDDs like the XT?

Where do you propose a 2.5" drive should fit into the MBA exactly?

crashnburn · Apr 28, 2012

theSeb said:
Where do you propose a 2.5" drive should fit into the MBA exactly?

I dont have a MBA. I use a Thinkpad X series for portability/ travel.

I have MBA on my radar but not being able to use standard market cost effective parts is an obvious issue, and the reason why I am hesitating going to a MBA.

How will they fit it in? I honestly dont claim to know. But, if/ when the prices for these special SSDs are close to normal Market SSD prices, I'd consider going down the MBA path.

Are they fairly / market value priced?

simsaladimbamba · Apr 28, 2012

crashnburn said:
Are they fairly / market value priced?

See for yourself.

All Taken · Apr 28, 2012

crashnburn said:
I dont have a MBA. I use a Thinkpad X series for portability/ travel.

I have MBA on my radar but not being able to use standard market cost effective parts is an obvious issue, and the reason why I am hesitating going to a MBA.

How will they fit it in? I honestly dont claim to know. But, if/ when the prices for these special SSDs are close to normal Market SSD prices, I'd consider going down the MBA path.

Are they fairly / market value priced?

If you buy a Blade X SSD from eBay it is actually cheaper than 2.5" form factor SSD tech in the same capacity. Market being smaller.

crashnburn · Apr 28, 2012

All Taken said:
If you buy a Blade X SSD from eBay it is actually cheaper than 2.5" form factor SSD tech in the same capacity. Market being smaller.

I guess yes and no

There are some which are slightly higher priced on Ebay and used/ pulled ones are equally priced.

Thanks for the insights though. Gives me some mental comfort

One question if you have the answer. Can these SSDs be used inside the normal laptops.. somehow? With an adapter or so?

256 GB ones especially. Maybe inside a Thinkpad.. for now. If I get a MBA next year then I could migrate it.

cube · Apr 28, 2012

This is why I won't buy an MBA or a normal ultrabook.

The Aspire S3 is better.

bolen · Apr 28, 2012

OWC sells a 480 GB replacement drive for the Air (it's also faster SATA III):
http://eshop.macsales.com/item/Other World Computing/SSDAPE6G480/

Not cheap though..

shenan1982 · Apr 30, 2012

WorldIRC said:
Why isn't the 256GB Blade sold as an option for the 11 "?

They're not? My MB air 11" has 256... ????

lil' brudder · Apr 30, 2012

rmhop81 said:
like another poster said, why not get an SDHC? you could even get this for a microSD

http://www.amazon.com/elago-Mobile-microSDHC-Memory-Reader/dp/B002HGFKR8/ref=pd_cp_e_1

Correct me if I'm wrong, but 2 potential problems:
#1, SDXC isn't featured on the MBA as far as I know - that's only on the MBP. I think it is just SDHC, though even that would be an improvement.

#2, does the OP have an 11" or a 13"? If the former, this is obviously not an option.

EDIT: Just actually looked at the link. That is super weird.

Just some thoughts.

All Taken · Apr 30, 2012

crashnburn said:
I guess yes and no There are some which are slightly higher priced on Ebay and used/ pulled ones are equally priced.

Thanks for the insights though. Gives me some mental comfort

One question if you have the answer. Can these SSDs be used inside the normal laptops.. somehow? With an adapter or so?

256 GB ones especially. Maybe inside a Thinkpad.. for now. If I get a MBA next year then I could migrate it.

With a blade x to sata converter yes, they cost on average 30 GBP delivered. I actually run a 128GB MacBook air toshiba ssd in my iMac with the said adaptor. M-sata to sata is not the same thing I case you see a claim of it being possible for air ssd.

screensaver400 · Apr 30, 2012

WorldIRC said:
Why isn't the 256GB Blade sold as an option for the 11 "?

It is: http://store.apple.com/us/configure/MC969LL/A?

You can't get it with just 2GB of RAM, though (that's the only other difference between the base and high-end 11" MBA).

raftr · Apr 30, 2012

rmhop81 said:
like another poster said, why not get an SDHC? you could even get this for a microSD

It might be worth noting, SD slot is a USB 2.0 connection, it is always going to be slower. This shouldn't be a problem for storage, but if, for instance, you want to store photos on it, browsing them will not be anywhere as fast as on the SSD.

Will the Seagate Momentus XT 500GB Hybrid SSD work in the new MBA?

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