MacBook Air history question (specifically concerning Mid 2013, Early 2014, and Early 2015 generations)

[Yebubbleman]

Hi. Quick question regarding MacBook Air history. On 13" MacBook Air models (and I guess 11" MacBook Air models for that matter), specifically those from the Mid 2013, Early 2014, and Early 2015 generations, was 8GB of RAM ever a standard option? Or was it exclusively configure to order (CTO/BTO)? I know that on the 2017 models (which are basically the exact same systems as the 2015 models except with a higher clocked Core i5), was standard on all models across the board. But I'm not recalling how it was with 2013-2015 models and sadly, MacTracker, Apple's own specs pages and Wikipedia all seem to imply that 4GB was standard and that 8GB was a CTO/BTO option, but they don't outright state as much (hence me asking here for clarification).

I ask as I'm now on the hunt for a MacBook Air within those generations and am wondering how common finding one with 8GB of RAM might be on the used market compared to finding one with 4GB.

 

[chscag]

I'm not recalling how it was with 2013-2015 models and sadly, MacTracker, Apple's own specs pages and Wikipedia all seem to imply that 4GB was standard and that 8GB was a CTO/BTO option,

Those models you refer to all were standard configured with 4GB. Configurations to 8GB were optional. Mac Sales (OWC) offers memory upgrades for some of those models.

 

[Jack Neill]

Those models you refer to all were standard configured with 4GB. Configurations to 8GB were optional. Mac Sales (OWC) offers memory upgrades for some of those models.

What Air had user upgradeable ram?

 

[Yebubbleman]

Those models you refer to all were standard configured with 4GB. Configurations to 8GB were optional. Mac Sales (OWC) offers memory upgrades for some of those models.

You mean SSD upgrades?

 

[Yebubbleman]

I'm not caring as much about the SSD size as I'm almost certainly buying an OWC SSD upgrade to either 512GB or 1TB on whatever I get on this machine. The RAM is more an issue to me seeing as that's not upgradable.

 

[Jack Neill]

I'm not caring as much about the SSD size as I'm almost certainly buying an OWC SSD upgrade to either 512GB or 1TB on whatever I get on this machine. The RAM is more an issue to me seeing as that's not upgradable.

I have a 4GB ram Air and it runs great on Big Sur, however I would certainly prefer to have 8 to have better multitasking.

 

[Yebubbleman]

I have a 4GB ram Air and it runs great on Big Sur, however I would certainly prefer to have 8 to have better multitasking.

The purpose of the Air would be to run apps of mine that didn't make it past Mojave (due to being 32-bit), at least while Mojave is relatively safe to run and is still getting security updates. All 64-bit Intel apps will go on my Early 2015 13" MacBook Pro (which is currently on Catalina, but will soon be moved to Big Sur once I get more time) and only the stuff that is 32-bit will get installed on this Air (so, mainly select Steam games).

I'm hoping that the non-retina resolution will help offset that the GPU in tow is the Intel HD 5000 (or 6000, in the case of the 2015 model) and not Intel Iris, Intel Iris 6100, or any form of Intel Iris Pro. But the games I'd be playing aren't bleeding edge (Valve games, Batman Arkham Asylum, Civilization IV, original Torchlight [as Torchlight 2 is 64-bit native, despite Steam not listing it as such], discontinued Aspyr games that pre-date the PowerPC to Intel transition but are Intel-native in their final form, etc.).

If I can get older Adobe releases and/or Final Cut Pro 7 on it, I might try it for kicks (seeing as Retina displays sort of sucked for non-optimized versions of those apps). This is basically going to be a giant legacy Mac software machine as Apple has pretty much gated what will run on Catalina and newer Macs.

 

[mwidjaya]

I'm almost certainly buying an OWC SSD upgrade to either 512GB or 1TB on whatever I get on this machine. The RAM is more an issue to me seeing as that's not upgradable.

That is right. RAM upgrade to 8GB is a CTO at purchase point.

As for SSD, go read this thread.

Upgrading 2013/2014 Macbook Pro SSD to M.2 NVMe

This thread is about upgrading MacBook Airs & Macbook Pros (2013-2015) with new high speed and/or high capacity NVMe SSDs. This thread was one of the first to talk about MacBook Pro NVMe SSD upgrades on Macrumors, and was started by user "maxthackray", which we can thank and give tribute for...

forums.macrumors.com

 

[chscag]

You mean SSD upgrades?

Yes, SSD (blade type) upgrades. Not memory.

 

[Heatherra]

Way back when, I ordered a mid-13 13” air custom with 8gb of ram and it was a dream. Surprisingly, it still is. To this day I use it as my daily driver (work-virtual machine, zoom/Webex calls, photo editing, YouTube, etc) and it runs great! If you can find one in good condition you won’t be disappointed! If you have any specific questions on what it can do/hardware specs let me know!

 

[Yebubbleman]

That is right. RAM upgrade to 8GB is a CTO at purchase point.

As for SSD, go read this thread.

Upgrading 2013/2014 Macbook Pro SSD to M.2 NVMe

This thread is about upgrading MacBook Airs & Macbook Pros (2013-2015) with new high speed and/or high capacity NVMe SSDs. This thread was one of the first to talk about MacBook Pro NVMe SSD upgrades on Macrumors, and was started by user "maxthackray", which we can thank and give tribute for...

forums.macrumors.com

Are there any mounting issues by going that route, instead of, say, the OWC route? I've never had issues with OWC drives (though they are a tad pricey). M.2 NVMe SSDs aren't as cheap as their M.2 SATA counterparts, so I am wondering how much I even save by going this route.

Way back when, I ordered a mid-13 13” air custom with 8gb of ram and it was a dream. Surprisingly, it still is. To this day I use it as my daily driver (work-virtual machine, zoom/Webex calls, photo editing, YouTube, etc) and it runs great! If you can find one in good condition you won’t be disappointed! If you have any specific questions on what it can do/hardware specs let me know!

I've always loved the 2011-2017 era of MacBook Airs! Great machines. I think the only question I had was about whether the 8GB was ever a stock model option or exclusively CTO, and it seems like it's CTO on all models from 2013-2015.

One thing I might be curious about is whether or not Intel HD 6000 is that much more of an improvement over Intel HD 5000. My searching suggests it's not that much of one.

The only other question I'd have would pertain specifically to the 2015 model and whether CSM support is gone from that model (and whether or not this forces me to install Windows 10 via the Boot Camp Assistant if I want Windows, rather than having the option of wiping the drive clean and installing only Windows and manually installing the Boot Camp Support software later).

But neither question is terribly relevant to the 2013 and 2014 models (save for the first question using them as a frame of comparison).

 

[mwidjaya]

Are there any mounting issues by going that route, instead of, say, the OWC route? I've never had issues with OWC drives (though they are a tad pricey). M.2 NVMe SSDs aren't as cheap as their M.2 SATA counterparts, so I am wondering how much I even save by going this route.

Haven't gone that route.

OWC ones are pricey because the connector in MacBookAir of that generation is custom.

That thread is exploring using cheaper, standard PCIe NVMe SSD and using an adapter to fit into MacBookAir's custom slot.

The savings add up if you are after larger capacity like 2TB.

Something to think about. I have yet to need an upgrade, so no action on that front.

 

[Yebubbleman]

Haven't gone that route.

OWC ones are pricey because the connector in MacBookAir of that generation is custom.

That thread is exploring using cheaper, standard PCIe NVMe SSD and using an adapter to fit into MacBookAir's custom slot.

The savings add up if you are after larger capacity like 2TB.

Something to think about. I have yet to need an upgrade, so no action on that front.


View attachment 1693541

2TB M.2 NVMe drives were still crazy expensive last I checked. Hell, even 2TB M.2 SATA drives were pretty pricey too (albeit not as bad). Not that OWC's 2TB drives aren't also expensive. Though, considering my purpose for this Mac would be to load up my collection of 32-bit apps (and otherwise omit pretty much every 64-bit native app I own in favor of having those reside on my Early 2015 13" MacBook Pro), I'm probably fine with 1TB, if not 512GB.

 

[r6mile]

I bought my 2013 Macbook Air - which I just handed down my to my younger sister - with 8GB of RAM for an extra £90. Among the best £90 I ever spent - allowed me to get excellent usage for many years out of this machine, and even run Big Sur very well.
I kept mine on the standard 128GB SSD, but used it permanently alongside a 64GB JetDrive SD card that sat flush on my machine and stored my music library and a few other media files.

A few months ago I also upgraded the SSD to a 256GB SSD pulled from a Macbook Pro 2015 for about £35, which not only doubled my onboard storage but also my read/write speeds due to being a more modern drive. You can install more modern NVMe drives on this model I think, but you lose proper sleep which is too high a price in my view. The 2015 MBP did have SSDs of up to 1TB available as CTO, so you might be able to find one of these drives on eBay to install.

I also had to replace the battery which failed. But otherwise a truly excellent machine, which I would have kept until it died if my sister's laptop hadn't also died and she needed one (I now use an iPad Air 4 as my portable device, and a 2012 Mini as my desktop/home server).

I will say though, the machine does run hot and the fans do go crazy if you ever try to run a game or something like that on it.

 

[Yebubbleman]

I bought my 2013 Macbook Air - which I just handed down my to my younger sister - with 8GB of RAM for an extra £90. Among the best £90 I ever spent - allowed me to get excellent usage for many years out of this machine, and even run Big Sur very well.
I kept mine on the standard 128GB SSD, but used it permanently alongside a 64GB JetDrive SD card that sat flush on my machine and stored my music library and a few other media files.

A few months ago I also upgraded the SSD to a 256GB SSD pulled from a Macbook Pro 2015 for about £35, which not only doubled my onboard storage but also my read/write speeds due to being a more modern drive. You can install more modern NVMe drives on this model I think, but you lose proper sleep which is too high a price in my view. The 2015 MBP did have SSDs of up to 1TB available as CTO, so you might be able to find one of these drives on eBay to install.

I also had to replace the battery which failed. But otherwise a truly excellent machine, which I would have kept until it died if my sister's laptop hadn't also died and she needed one (I now use an iPad Air 4 as my portable device, and a 2012 Mini as my desktop/home server).

I will say though, the machine does run hot and the fans do go crazy if you ever try to run a game or something like that on it.

I mean, it's an ultrabook; I'm expecting the fans to not be so stoked on my 32-bit Mac gaming habits. Though, we're talking games that haven't been updated in forever, so maybe it won't be so bad (StarCraft II, Hearthstone, Diablo III, Warcraft III Reforged, StarCraft Remastered all won't be coming along on this ride). The worst I can see might be the Half-Life 2 games, or Doom 3 based games (Doom 3, Quake 4, Prey, etc.). But I may also redo the thermal paste on whichever one I buy when I upgrade the SSD so that the cooling is ready for more use.

I'm definitely leaning towards OWC drives. I've had good luck with them. Plus, I'd prefer to not go with a used drive (otherwise the OEM MacBook Pro 1TB drive would be definitely appealing). The adapter + NVMe drive route is intriguing, though.

 

[mwidjaya]

but you lose proper sleep which is too high a price in my view.

This hibernation issue is fixed up in the latest boot rom that came with Big Sur.

So this route of adapter + NVMe PCIe SSD is viable.

 

[r6mile]

This hibernation issue is fixed up in the latest boot rom that came with Big Sur.

So this route of adapter + NVMe PCIe SSD is viable.

Interesting - I had missed this. In which case NVMe is clearly a better option as you get a new drive.

 

[Audit13]

Look at this thread before upgrading the SSD to NVMe: https://forums.macrumors.com/thread....2034976/page-316?post=29374753#post-29374753

 

[NewUsername]

Originally, 2GB was the minimum. 4GB RAM was standard starting from the 2012 models (the 13" had 4GB standard but the 11" still had 2GB standard in 2011). The original 2015 models still came with 4GB. In April 2016 I believe, the 4GB model was dropped, so the minimum became 8GB (though I believe the 11" still was 4GB until it was dropped altogether in October 2016). This was not an official new model though, it was still the 2015 model.

 

[wordsworth]

My early-2015 thirteen-inch MacBook Air (bought in August 2016) came with 8GB as standard. If I remember correctly Apple increased the RAM from 4GB to 8, tweaked the processor, and maybe the graphics capability too (I'm a little vaguer on that score). As NewUsername states, it was the original 2015 model updated. The eleven-inch Air (of which I have one, too) did indeed remain at 4GB memory. I continue to use both machines regularly. I run Mojave on both so that I can continue to run an older version of Pages. They're lovely machines.

 

[airbatross]

After disastrous connection problems of my MX keys and mouse and my Dell UHD screen, I returned my M1 Mini and bought a second hand mid-2013 MacBook Air today. It's spec'd out to max- 8gig ram, 500 ssd, i7 3.2 processor..

You can find it, but I guess they're rare. And people who know its value usually prices them higher than rest. I bought mine for A$500. I just installed Big Sur and the machine is flying!.. No bluetooth problems, plays nice with my U2520D - what more can I ask.. It'll be enough for next 2 years until this M1 transition is complete..

 

[xboxbml]

Hi. Quick question regarding MacBook Air history. On 13" MacBook Air models (and I guess 11" MacBook Air models for that matter), specifically those from the Mid 2013, Early 2014, and Early 2015 generations, was 8GB of RAM ever a standard option? Or was it exclusively configure to order (CTO/BTO)? I know that on the 2017 models (which are basically the exact same systems as the 2015 models except with a higher clocked Core i5), was standard on all models across the board. But I'm not recalling how it was with 2013-2015 models and sadly, MacTracker, Apple's own specs pages and Wikipedia all seem to imply that 4GB was standard and that 8GB was a CTO/BTO option, but they don't outright state as much (hence me asking here for clarification).

I ask as I'm now on the hunt for a MacBook Air within those generations and am wondering how common finding one with 8GB of RAM might be on the used market compared to finding one with 4GB.

So, it looks like lots have stated the option answer.. I'll tell you, the 8gb IS a bit rare. I was fortunate finding this one when I did, and the girl I bought it from had taken relatively good care of it. I think I paid 430$ for it. The only bummer was it only had 128gb storage. I believe people at that time were opting for the 8gb option but not upgrading storage unfortunately... Within a couple weeks, I found a local shop and had a 512gb Apple drive put in it. That lasted me for almost 2 years. This past Sept I got this ADATA 2tb drive. I think I'll be good for another 4-5 years on it I think. My thing is all my movies onboard, and my photo library of currently over 15000 pics and vids. We have granddaughter now and another grandkid on the way, so that will be growing of course.. I'm on Catalina and prolly won't go to Big Sur. I don't like where that is going. I may even go back to Mojave at some point.. See sig. I really like this machine. I really wanted an i7, but those were even harder to find, and seemed to eat battery a bit faster. I just put a new battery in this, so that should also last the 4-5 years. In those year models, your best bet, of course, is to find the 2015. Good luck.

 

[MBAir2010]

OWC is good and i have purchased many items from them since 2001. A weird thing happened this year were my account got so screwed up, they insisted i use my original email (xxxxxx@iwon.com) which was shut down then. After a few days of them trying to figure out who i am and not accepting my account number and order number from a 2019 purchase, i gave up trying to purchase a 265gb drive for the macbook air late 2010 and went with a company called Fledging and ordered a ssd drive from them through my (now deleted) amazon account. The drive entitled “feather” is great, has a red and blue light, a set or real screwdrivers AND promise that Mojave will work on the drive, which does.

now that i have moved, and the OWC has returned to normal,i might try to save my account and continue to purchase items from then again. They are faster as delivery and have a great warrantees on their products.

 

[MBAir2010]

After disastrous connection problems of my MX keys and mouse and my Dell UHD screen, I returned my M1 Mini and bought a second hand mid-2013 MacBook Air today. It's spec'd out to max- 8gig ram, 500 ssd, i7 3.2 processor..

You can find it, but I guess they're rare. And people who know its value usually prices them higher than rest. I bought mine for A$500. I just installed Big Sur and the machine is flying!.. No bluetooth problems, plays nice with my U2520D - what more can I ask.. It'll be enough for next 2 years until this M1 transition is complete..

i saw a 13” 2012 MacBook air for $100 on craigslist with a few scratches and arrow keys not working. I would buy that just for the great price, but have 2 already .

 

[Yebubbleman]

So, it looks like lots have stated the option answer.. I'll tell you, the 8gb IS a bit rare. I was fortunate finding this one when I did, and the girl I bought it from had taken relatively good care of it. I think I paid 430$ for it. The only bummer was it only had 128gb storage. I believe people at that time were opting for the 8gb option but not upgrading storage unfortunately... Within a couple weeks, I found a local shop and had a 512gb Apple drive put in it. That lasted me for almost 2 years. This past Sept I got this ADATA 2tb drive. I think I'll be good for another 4-5 years on it I think. My thing is all my movies onboard, and my photo library of currently over 15000 pics and vids. We have granddaughter now and another grandkid on the way, so that will be growing of course.. I'm on Catalina and prolly won't go to Big Sur. I don't like where that is going. I may even go back to Mojave at some point.. See sig. I really like this machine. I really wanted an i7, but those were even harder to find, and seemed to eat battery a bit faster. I just put a new battery in this, so that should also last the 4-5 years. In those year models, your best bet, of course, is to find the 2015. Good luck.

Somehow I lucked into winning two different eBay auctions for two 2013 Airs. Both have the 1.7GHz Haswell Core i7, 8GB of RAM, and 512GB SSD, so I may not even be getting an aftermarket drive! Though, we'll see how many 32-bit apps and games I put on one or both. Still not 100% decided on what I'm going to do with the second one. Might sell it. Might use it to beta test things. I might also keep it as a hot-spare PC/Mac. That's actually one thing about the 2015/17 model that worried me; I'm under the impression that attempting to install Windows as the only OS gets a bit harder with 2015 and onwards (but that may just be with Macs where the SSD is soldered to the main logic board. I have tried it on a 2017 12" Retina MacBook, but have found that Windows really doesn't want to be installed as the only OS and/or without the setup done in advance by the Boot Camp assistant. At first I thought this sort of annoyance was due to the T2, but the 2017 12" Retina MacBook doesn't have either a T1 or a T2.

OWC is good and i have purchased many items from them since 2001. A weird thing happened this year were my account got so screwed up, they insisted i use my original email (xxxxxx@iwon.com) which was shut down then. After a few days of them trying to figure out who i am and not accepting my account number and order number from a 2019 purchase, i gave up trying to purchase a 265gb drive for the macbook air late 2010 and went with a company called Fledging and ordered a ssd drive from them through my (now deleted) amazon account. The drive entitled “feather” is great, has a red and blue light, a set or real screwdrivers AND promise that Mojave will work on the drive, which does.

now that i have moved, and the OWC has returned to normal,i might try to save my account and continue to purchase items from then again. They are faster as delivery and have a great warrantees on their products.

I thought the 2010 Air capped at High Sierra.

I've heard of Fledgling. Been intrigued, but OWC has always worked out for me in the past, so I've always just gone with them. Glad to hear they don't suck. We could always use more options for aftermarket Mac SSDs (while the option for such a thing still exists on some older machines).

i saw a 13” 2012 MacBook air for $100 on craigslist with a few scratches and arrow keys not working. I would buy that just for the great price, but have 2 already .

I'm wary of the 2012's bad SSDs. I'd imagine OWC's drives rectify that (though I don't recall if the issue was the drive or the logic board). Though, it would be nice to get something that has a little bit more graphics than the Intel HD 4000. Also, it would be nice to have something that can at least run Big Sur (or possibly newer) for when I eventually abandon this Mojave volume (as Mojave only has support for another 10 months at best).