- Apple External Ssd Drive
- Ssd Hard Drive For Macbook Pro 2010
- Ssd Hard Drive For Macbook Pro Early 2011
- External Ssd Hard Drive For Mac
Mac Specs > By Capability > Mac Storage Upgrades > MacBook Air Models
Oct 22, 2019 Not to be confused with the Samsung T5 that I have mentioned in other posts, the Samsung’s X5 is the Thunderbolt 3 SSD model and highly rated by Mac users. It doesn’t come cheap, but you can get.
Storage info for each MacBook Air — details on speed, dimensions, and hard drive and SSD interface specifics — is listed below along with common identifiers suitable to identify a MacBook Air in order to determine which hard drives and SSDs are compatible.
Note that MacBook Air models released in 2018 and later cannot have the internal storage upgraded at all after purchase.
If you are not sure which MacBook Air you have, and the Model Identifier and EMC Number below are not sufficient for identification, you also may look it up with other identifiers -- including its Serial Number -- with EveryMac.com's Ultimate Mac Lookup feature and the EveryMac app. If you need more help, refer to Mac Identification.
- External Hard Drive Vs SSD: Which one is good for MacBook Pro? Whenever it comes to a primary storage solution for computers, HDD and SSD’s are the only solutions we have. However, in the last couple of years, the usage of HDD has dropped drastically, and people are not moving to SSD’s for better performance.
- Mac hard drives are available in three primary forms: solid-state drives (SSDs), flash memory and traditional hard disks. SSDs are high-speed, and that makes them the go-to memory option for ardent gamers, graphic designers, and other professionals who value speed over all else.
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Click the triangle to the left of a system to open 'Quick Specs' -- the two most relevant identifiers for storage, standard hard drive and/or SSD details, storage dimensions and connector type(s), and links to buy compatible storage from site sponsors -- and click on the name or image for complete specifications.Asterisks indicate important details on the complete specs page.
1Apple ComputerStorage InterfaceMacBook Air 'Core 2 Duo' 1.6 13' (Original)Parallel ATA (ZIF)
Model ID: | MacBookAir1,1 | EMC No: | 2142* |
Std. Storage: | 80 GB HDD | Std. Speed: | 4200 RPM |
Dimensions: | 1.8' (5.2 mm) | Connector: | Parallel ATA (ZIF) |
Buy Storage: | US & Intl |
Model ID: | MacBookAir1,1 | EMC No: | 2142* |
Std. Storage: | 64 GB SSD | Std. Speed: | N/A |
Dimensions: | 1.8' (5.2 mm) | Connector: | Parallel ATA (ZIF) |
Buy Storage: | US & Intl |
Model ID: | MacBookAir2,1 | EMC No: | 2253* |
Std. Storage: | 120 GB HDD | Std. Speed: | 4200 RPM |
Dimensions: | 1.8' (5.2 mm) | Connector: | Serial ATA (1.5 Gb/s) |
Buy Storage: | US & Intl |
Model ID: | MacBookAir2,1 | EMC No: | 2253* |
Std. Storage: | 128 GB SSD | Std. Speed: | N/A |
Dimensions: | 1.8' (5.2 mm) | Connector: | Serial ATA (1.5 Gb/s) |
Buy Storage: | US & Intl |
Model ID: | MacBookAir2,1 | EMC No: | 2334* |
Std. Storage: | 120 GB HDD | Std. Speed: | 4200 RPM |
Dimensions: | 1.8' (5.2 mm) | Connector: | Serial ATA (3 Gb/s) |
Buy Storage: | US & Intl |
Model ID: | MacBookAir2,1 | EMC No: | 2334* |
Std. Storage: | 128 GB SSD | Std. Speed: | N/A |
Dimensions: | 1.8' (5.2 mm) | Connector: | Serial ATA (3 Gb/s) |
Buy Storage: | US & Intl |
Model ID: | MacBookAir3,1 | EMC No: | 2393 |
Std. Storage: | 64, 128 GB SSD | Std. Speed: | N/A |
Dimensions: | Proprietary (2.2 mm) | Connector: | Mini SATA (6 Gb/s) |
Buy Storage: | US & Intl |
Model ID: | MacBookAir3,1 | EMC No: | 2393 |
Std. Storage: | 128 GB SSD | Std. Speed: | N/A |
Dimensions: | Proprietary (2.2 mm) | Connector: | Mini SATA (6 Gb/s) |
Buy Storage: | US & Intl |
Model ID: | MacBookAir3,2 | EMC No: | 2392 |
Std. Storage: | 128, 256 GB SSD | Std. Speed: | N/A |
Dimensions: | Proprietary (2.2 mm) | Connector: | Mini SATA (6 Gb/s) |
Buy Storage: | US & Intl - Canada |
Model ID: | MacBookAir3,2 | EMC No: | 2392 |
Std. Storage: | 256 GB SSD | Std. Speed: | N/A |
Dimensions: | Proprietary (2.2 mm) | Connector: | Mini SATA (6 Gb/s) |
Buy Storage: | US & Intl - Canada |
Model ID: | MacBookAir4,1 | EMC No: | 2471 |
Std. Storage: | 64, 128 GB SSD | Std. Speed: | N/A |
Dimensions: | Proprietary (2.2 mm) | Connector: | Mini SATA (6 Gb/s) |
Buy Storage: | US & Intl - Canada |
Model ID: | MacBookAir4,1 | EMC No: | 2471 |
Std. Storage: | 128 GB SSD* | Std. Speed: | N/A |
Dimensions: | Proprietary (2.2 mm) | Connector: | Mini SATA (6 Gb/s) |
Buy Storage: | US & Intl - Canada |
Model ID: | MacBookAir4,2 | EMC No: | 2469 |
Std. Storage: | 128, 256 GB SSD | Std. Speed: | N/A |
Dimensions: | Proprietary (2.2 mm) | Connector: | Mini SATA (6 Gb/s) |
Buy Storage: | US & Intl - Canada |
Model ID: | MacBookAir4,2 | EMC No: | 2469 |
Std. Storage: | 256 GB SSD | Std. Speed: | N/A |
Dimensions: | Proprietary (2.2 mm) | Connector: | Mini SATA (6 Gb/s) |
Buy Storage: | US & Intl - Canada |
Model ID: | MacBookAir4,2 | EMC No: | 2469 |
Std. Storage: | 64 GB SSD | Std. Speed: | N/A |
Dimensions: | Proprietary (2.2 mm) | Connector: | Mini SATA (6 Gb/s) |
Buy Storage: | US & Intl - Canada |
Model ID: | MacBookAir5,1 | EMC No: | 2558 |
Std. Storage: | 64, 128 GB SSD | Std. Speed: | 246/264 MB/s* |
Dimensions: | Proprietary | Connector: | Proprietary* (6 Gb/s) |
Buy Storage: | US & Intl - Canada |
Model ID: | MacBookAir5,1 | EMC No: | 2558 |
Std. Storage: | 128, 256 GB SSD | Std. Speed: | 246/264 MB/s* |
Dimensions: | Proprietary | Connector: | Proprietary* (6 Gb/s) |
Buy Storage: | US & Intl - Canada |
Model ID: | MacBookAir5,2 | EMC No: | 2559 |
Std. Storage: | 64 GB SSD | Std. Speed: | N/A |
Dimensions: | Proprietary | Connector: | Proprietary* (6 Gb/s) |
Buy Storage: | US & Intl - Canada |
Model ID: | MacBookAir5,2 | EMC No: | 2559 |
Std. Storage: | 128, 256 GB SSD | Std. Speed: | 184/203 MB/s* |
Dimensions: | Proprietary | Connector: | Proprietary* (6 Gb/s) |
Buy Storage: | US & Intl - Canada |
Model ID: | MacBookAir5,2 | EMC No: | 2559 |
Std. Storage: | 256, 512 GB SSD | Std. Speed: | 184/203 MB/s* |
Dimensions: | Proprietary | Connector: | Proprietary* (6 Gb/s) |
Buy Storage: | US & Intl - Canada |
Model ID: | MacBookAir6,1 | EMC No: | 2631 |
Std. Storage: | 128, 256 GB SSD | Std. Speed: | N/A |
Dimensions: | Proprietary | Connector: | Proprietary* (PCIe 2.0 x2) |
Buy Storage: | US & Intl - Canada |
Model ID: | MacBookAir6,1 | EMC No: | 2631 |
Std. Storage: | 128, 256 GB SSD | Std. Speed: | N/A |
Dimensions: | Proprietary | Connector: | Proprietary* (PCIe 2.0 x2) |
Buy Storage: | US & Intl - Canada |
Model ID: | MacBookAir6,2 | EMC No: | 2632 |
Std. Storage: | 128, 256 GB SSD | Std. Speed: | N/A |
Dimensions: | Proprietary | Connector: | Proprietary* (PCIe 2.0 x2) |
Buy Storage: | US & Intl - Canada |
Model ID: | MacBookAir6,2 | EMC No: | 2632 |
Std. Storage: | 128, 256 GB SSD | Std. Speed: | N/A |
Dimensions: | Proprietary | Connector: | Proprietary* (PCIe 2.0 x2) |
Buy Storage: | US & Intl - Canada |
Model ID: | MacBookAir6,1 | EMC No: | 2631 |
Std. Storage: | 128, 256 GB SSD | Std. Speed: | N/A |
Dimensions: | Proprietary | Connector: | Proprietary* (PCIe 2.0 x2) |
Buy Storage: | US & Intl - Canada |
Model ID: | MacBookAir6,1 | EMC No: | 2631 |
Std. Storage: | 128, 256 GB SSD* | Std. Speed: | N/A |
Dimensions: | Proprietary | Connector: | Proprietary* (PCIe 2.0 x2) |
Buy Storage: | US & Intl - Canada |
Model ID: | MacBookAir6,2 | EMC No: | 2632 |
Std. Storage: | 128, 256 GB SSD | Std. Speed: | N/A |
Dimensions: | Proprietary | Connector: | Proprietary* (PCIe 2.0 x2) |
Buy Storage: | US & Intl - Canada |
Model ID: | MacBookAir6,2 | EMC No: | 2632 |
Std. Storage: | 128, 256 GB SSD* | Std. Speed: | N/A |
Dimensions: | Proprietary | Connector: | Proprietary* (PCIe 2.0 x2) |
Buy Storage: | US & Intl - Canada |
Model ID: | MacBookAir7,1 | EMC No: | 2924 |
Std. Storage: | 128, 256 GB SSD | Std. Speed: | N/A |
Dimensions: | Proprietary | Connector: | Proprietary* (PCIe 2.0 x2) |
Buy Storage: | US & Intl - Canada |
Model ID: | MacBookAir7,1 | EMC No: | 2924 |
Std. Storage: | 128, 256 GB SSD | Std. Speed: | N/A |
Dimensions: | Proprietary | Connector: | Proprietary* (PCIe 2.0 x2) |
Buy Storage: | US & Intl - Canada |
Model ID: | MacBookAir7,2 | EMC No: | 2925 |
Std. Storage: | 128, 256 GB SSD | Std. Speed: | N/A |
Dimensions: | Proprietary | Connector: | Proprietary* (PCIe 2.0 x4) |
Buy Storage: | US & Intl - Canada |
Model ID: | MacBookAir7,2 | EMC No: | 2925 |
Std. Storage: | 128, 256 GB SSD | Std. Speed: | N/A |
Dimensions: | Proprietary | Connector: | Proprietary* (PCIe 2.0 x4) |
Buy Storage: | US & Intl - Canada |
Model ID: | MacBookAir7,2 | EMC No: | 3178 |
Std. Storage: | 128, 256 GB SSD | Std. Speed: | N/A |
Dimensions: | Proprietary | Connector: | Proprietary* (PCIe 2.0 x4) |
Buy Storage: | US & Intl - Canada |
Model ID: | MacBookAir7,2 | EMC No: | 3178 |
Std. Storage: | 128, 256 SSD* | Std. Speed: | N/A |
Dimensions: | Proprietary | Connector: | Proprietary* (PCIe 2.0 x4) |
Buy Storage: | US & Intl - Canada |
Model ID: | MacBookAir8,1 | EMC No: | 3184 |
Std. Storage: | 128, 256 GB SSD | Std. Speed: | Onboard |
Dimensions: | Soldered | Connector: | Onboard* (PCIe*) |
Buy Storage: | US & Intl |
Model ID: | MacBookAir8,2 | EMC No: | 3184 |
Std. Storage: | 128, 256 GB SSD | Std. Speed: | Onboard |
Dimensions: | Soldered | Connector: | Onboard* (PCIe*) |
Buy Storage: | US & Intl |
Model ID: | MacBookAir9,1 | EMC No: | 3302 |
Std. Storage: | 256 GB SSD | Std. Speed: | Onboard |
Dimensions: | Soldered | Connector: | Onboard* (PCIe*) |
Buy Storage: | US & Intl |
Model ID: | MacBookAir9,1 | EMC No: | 3302 |
Std. Storage: | 512 GB SSD | Std. Speed: | Onboard |
Dimensions: | Soldered | Connector: | Onboard* (PCIe*) |
Buy Storage: | US & Intl |
Model ID: | MacBookAir9,1 | EMC No: | 3302 |
Std. Storage: | 256, 512 GB SSD | Std. Speed: | Onboard |
Dimensions: | Soldered | Connector: | Onboard* (PCIe*) |
Buy Storage: | US & Intl |
Model ID: | MacBookAir10,1 | EMC No: | 3598 |
Std. Storage: | 256 GB SSD | Std. Speed: | Onboard |
Dimensions: | Soldered | Connector: | Onboard* |
Buy Storage: | US & Intl |
Model ID: | MacBookAir10,1 | EMC No: | 3598 |
Std. Storage: | 512 GB SSD | Std. Speed: | Onboard |
Dimensions: | Soldered | Connector: | Onboard* |
Buy Storage: | US & Intl |
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Back in the early days of AAAD, our late-2009 iMac was the center of our connected home. It held all of our photos, our iTunes library, and our documents. We replaced the late-2009 iMac with a 27' retina iMac a few years ago. My dad took the old iMac and used it in his office.
Last week, he let me know that the iMac was having issues, and that he'd bring it to me to check it out.
No Apple logo, no cursor, no pinwheel... not even a bomb icon. I'd never repaired an iMac before. Was it worth trying to fix this one?
Repair vs. Trade-In
This was a pretty easy decision. The Official Apple Trade-In Value for a 2009-era iMac is $0. They'll recycle it for you, but that's it.
I had a pretty strong hunch that the internal hard drive had finally died.
It was an old SATA drive, and after 11 years, that's the most likely point of failure.
A 250 GB SSD with SATA connectors would cost $28.99 at Amazon.... Wait. $28.99? The price of SSDs has apparently dropped quite a bit.
At that price, it seemed silly NOT to attempt the repair.
Opening the iMac
iMacs have a reputation for being difficult to open. After all, the screen covers up all of the internal components.
I'd assumed that the glass screen was glued down - but it's not, it's held in place with strong magnets.
Getting the glass screen off was simple - just pull the glass up a little but with your fingernails, slide a credit card in there, and pry it up.
Then, you have to get past the actual LED screen. This involves removing a number of small screws - very straightforward.
However... the screen is attached to the CPU in multiple places. Less than straightforward. Best practice would be to disconnect the LED screen entirely.... but the hard drive was right there..... I could probably do this without removing the screen.
I got a couple of pint paint cans to prop up the screen, and got to work.
Replacing the Hard Drive
The hard drive in a 2009-era iMac is held in place with a steel bracket across the top. Remove that bracket.
It has a standard SATA connector - simply unplug the old drive and plug in the SSD.
There's one additional plug from the old drive, that will NOT fit into your SSD. That's the temperature/fan control. We'll get to that later.
The SSD is much smaller than a 3.5' hard drive, and can't be held in place with the old bracket.
You can purchase a SSD iMac adapter bracket.... but you don't really have to.
Fortunately, it's tiny and weighs almost nothing. It can be secured in place with a piece of Velcro (available at Home Depot.)
NOTE - I forgot to format the SSD, which caused a ton of extra work at the end. When you're installing the SSD, make sure you've already formatted it. (ATFS format, GUID Partition Map scheme.)
Booting Up
I closed up the iMac, basically doing the disassembly steps in reverse, plugged in the iMac, and booted it up.
Nothing - obviously, there's no operating system.
I tried to boot up in Recovery Mode (using a USB keyboard... the Magic Keyboard wasn't communicating with the iMac, because Bluetooth wasn't online in 'White Screen of Death' mode.)
Nothing.
This SSD wasn't going to be able to download macOS.
I was going to have to try to make a USB boot disk.
Making a USB Boot Disk
But... it's still not that easy. This is an old Mac! It can't run Catalina. It can't run Mojave. Apple confirmed that High Sierra was the final supported OS for Late-2009 iMacs.
Back to the Retina iMac, to make a High Sierra boot disk on a USB stick.
I was able to download a copy of High Sierra from the macOS App Store, using a link I found here.
Making a boot disk is a LITTLE tricky - it requires the use of Terminal and the Disk Utility - but the procedure is straightforward, and it's set out very well, right here.
Once I had my High Sierra USB drive ready to go, I plugged it into the 2009 iMac and tried to boot in Target Mode.
After some trial and error, the High Sierra boot disk worked!
(Of course, the iMac couldn't see the SSD until I formatted and re-installed it.)
You Can Do This.
For $30, we took a worthless iMac, and created.... well, an almost-worthless 11-year-old iMac with a low-res screen, but one that is running a little faster because it's an SSD now!
One final note - remember how we weren't able to connect that Temperature / Fan Control plug to the SSD?
I just secured it inside the iMac when I closed it up, which means that the fan was running at 100% all the time.
Apple External Ssd Drive
To get around that problem, download 'SSD Fan Control', which will key the fan speed to the CPU usage. It's a pretty seamless workaround.
Ssd Hard Drive For Macbook Pro 2010
What's Next?
Ssd Hard Drive For Macbook Pro Early 2011
Our next 'Mac Salvage' effort will be a 2011-era MacBook Pro, which had a swollen battery actually warp the case.
The battery was removed and safely disposed - and who are we to let a crisis go to waste?
External Ssd Hard Drive For Mac
New battery, max out the RAM, swap the HDD for an SSD.... should be a pretty solid MacBook Pro!