Replacement SSD Advice

[9822737]

Hi all,

I have a mid-2011 MacBook Air 11" and while it is an old machine, it is nearly perfect for my needs. However, the 128GB internal SSD is very restricting. I would like to remove the SSD and replace it with a 256GB SSD.

I am planning on doing the replacement myself by following the guide off iFixIt.

So the question I want to ask is if any of you have any advice on which model I should buy. I am based in the UK so British shops/links would be more appropriate.

Thanks and if you have anymore questions please ask.

Andy

 

[MagicBoy]

The SSD is a proprietary Apple fitment, so standard parts will not work. Luckily there's a couple of companies that make third party replacements - Transcend and OWC. Unsure on UK suppliers, suggest you check their respective websites.

Only other option would be to try and locate the 256GB Apple part via an auction site.

 

[9822737]

The SSD is a proprietary Apple fitment, so standard parts will not work.

I did not know this so cheers for the reply. This is going to be more difficult than I thought.

 

[Weaselboy]

So the question I want to ask is if any of you have any advice on which model I should buy. I am based in the UK so British shops/links would be more appropriate.

Transcend Jetdrive 500 on Amazon UK is what you want.

 

[jweinraub]

I just bought the OWC for my early 2012 MBPr, got the 1 TB. Chose to get the enclosure with it, so I can have a 512 GB external SSD drive, which is pretty awesome! So after work tonight I will be setting it up. While I do own Wiha pentalobe drivers, they give you two drivers for the MBP opening with it, which is pretty cool of them too.

 

[kohlson]

I just bought the OWC for my early 2012 MBPr, got the 1 TB. Chose to get the enclosure with it, so I can have a 512 GB external SSD drive, which is pretty awesome! So after work tonight I will be setting it up. While I do own Wiha pentalobe drivers, they give you two drivers for the MBP opening with it, which is pretty cool of them too.

I upgraded my daughter's 2011 MBA from 256 to 480 GB, using an SSD from OWC. It works great. OWC sells a kits that includes what you need to swap it for a few dollars more. I'm pretty comfortable opening these things and the physical swap out took just 20 minutes or so.

 

[flowrider]

IMHO, OWC stuff is crap. My experiences Post #203, in this thread:

https://forums.macrumors.com/thread...macbook-air-retina-macbook-pro.1729071/page-9

And read this thread:

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/owc-ssd-upgrade-2012-macbook-air-buyer-beware.1459847/

Lou

 

[blake2]

Another vote for Trancend, if they are for the same price.

I like many of OWC products like the Ministack series and the Elite Pro mini, but I've been hearing a lot of complaints about their Sandforce-based SSD's. I also have a Mercury Electra 3G (240GB) that slowed down badly and had to be secure erased to restore its performance.

Looking at their product page,

http://eshop.macsales.com/item/OWC/SSDA116G960/

The SSD for MBA 2011 looks like it uses the Silicon Motion controller so it'll hopefully be better than the SF, but I would choose Transcend unless OWC is a lot cheaper. A quick search in amazon.com shows that Transcend is actually cheaper than OWC...

 

[9822737]

Cheers for all this information and replies. Still considering my options. The laptop is quick enough for my needs I just need to double the storage to 256GB to get another year or so out of it before upgrading.

Andy