MBA Rev. C SATA interface?

[kntgsp]

Is the MBA Rev. C SATA II or SATA I? Can't seem to find the info on the wiki. Would make a difference if I decide to pop in one of the new Intel 34nm X-18's when they finally release. They'll blow the stock SSD Apple includes out of the water.

As far as I can tell they use SATA II, and have since Rev. B. But after that whole SATA I MBP debacle last year, I just wanted to make sure.

 

[spinnerlys]

The "debacle" was solved by a firmware upgrade, and now all the SATA 3Gbps interfaces actually show up and act as SATA 3Gbps interfaces.

Also it was the June update this year, that brought up the problem of confused SATA interfaces.

 

[kntgsp]

The "debacle" was solved by a firmware upgrade, and now all the SATA 3Gbps interfaces actually show up and act as SATA 3Gbps interfaces.

Also it was the June update this year, that brought up the problem of confused SATA interfaces.

Right but I thought it involved units built in 2008, that's why I said last year.

Anywho, the Air wasn't part of that issue as far as I remember. So does the Rev. C use SATA II or SATA I? That was the question.

 

[ayeying]

It uses a SATAII interface.

And no, the air's wasn't involved in the 1.5gbps/3.0gbps problem as the MBP's suffered

 

[duky]

This would be great if possible. Anyone have any experience with swapping the SSD in the Air?

 

[stoconnell]

The only issues will be:

1) the thickness of the Intel drive -- only if it is not 5mm (I haven't looked). The the MBA is designed for a 5mm thick drive rather than 8mm; however, with an SSD, you can possibly install the thicker drive without padding.

2) the interface. despite being SATA 2 (both Rev B and Rev C), the cable from the motherboard to the drive expects the drive to have a SATA-LIF socket on it rather than a standard SATA or micro-SATA interface. It's not impossible to get around this limitation as there is a thread in this forum where a user was able to solder a micro-SATA adapter onto the ribbon cable and install an SSD.

 

[maroulis]

The "debacle" was solved by a firmware upgrade, and now all the SATA 3Gbps interfaces actually show up and act as SATA 3Gbps interfaces.

Also it was the June update this year, that brought up the problem of confused SATA interfaces.

this is from system profiler on my Rev C. 128GB SSD version....

NVidia MCP79 AHCI:

Vendor: NVidia
Product: MCP79 AHCI
Speed: 3 Gigabit
Description: AHCI Version 1.20 Supported

APPLE SSD SM128:

Capacity: 113 GB
Model: APPLE SSD SM128
Revision: VAM0BA1Q
Serial Number: SExxxxxx45
Native Command Queuing: No
Removable Media: No
Detachable Drive: No
BSD Name: disk0
Mac OS 9 Drivers: No
Partition Map Type: GPT (GUID Partition Table)
S.M.A.R.T. status: Verified
Volumes:
Macintosh HD:
Capacity: 112.68 GB
Available: 65.19 GB
Writable: Yes
File System: Journaled HFS+
BSD Name: disk0s2
Mount Point: /

 

[darrellishere]

I wonder if apple would replace a broken HDD in the air with an SSD. They must carry the parts. And charge reasonably for the after sale upgrade?

 

[stoconnell]

I wonder if apple would replace a broken HDD in the air with an SSD. They must carry the parts. And charge reasonably for the after sale upgrade?

They might be willing to for a price differences; however, you might have better luck with an independent authorized repair shop. I vaguely recall a forum reader in the UK reporting that they had asked one about it and were able to get a quote for an HDD to SSD upgrade (not even a repair, IIRC).

 

[macres]

This would be great if possible. Anyone have any experience with swapping the SSD in the Air?

RunCore introduced a product designed for Air Rev. B&C:
http://www.runcore.com/content/products/productdetail.aspx?ProductName=RunCore%20Pro%20IV%201.8”%20SATA%20II%20LIF%20Solid%20State%20Drive%20SSD%20for%20Macbook%20Air%20Rev%20B%20&%20C&ProductDescription=Compatible%20with%20Apple%20MacBook%20Air%20Revision%20B%20and%20C&ProductURL=http://www.runcorestore.com/ProductDetail.jsp?LISTID=800000BE-1249411461&ProductImageSmall=http://www.runcorestore.com/product_images/RCP-IV-LA1800-Cth.jpg&GBSize=32GB-128GB

 

[jimboutilier]

I wonder if apple would replace a broken HDD in the air with an SSD. They must carry the parts. And charge reasonably for the after sale upgrade?

Apple policy is no upgrades. They'll replace anything defective with the same capacity but will not add more memory or a larger hard drive. They'll send you to a third party that has apple techs like Best Buy.

 

[Runcore]

Rev C has a SATA bus with a LIF interface there is deffinatly no room for a LIF to SATA adapter if there is such a thing.

Take a look at the Runcore Pro IV SATA LIF SSD.

Here is a link to a thread about the upgrade.

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/810517/

Matt Dawson
Runcore