HOW TO FORMAT MACBOOK AIR MID 2012 PRO
HOW TO FORMAT MACBOOK AIR MID 2012 MAC

How easy is installation? Except for the older first- and second-generation MacBook Airs, the process is incredibly simple: you generallyВ use a Pentalobe screwdriver to remove 10 screws from the AirвЂ™s bottom, then a Torx T5 screwdriver to unscrew one screw on the SSD. Fifth-generation MacBook Airs (11вЂі and 13вЂі sold starting early-2013) switched to faster PCIe SSDs, which are not yet being offered by Transcend or OWC for this particular laptop.

HOW TO FORMAT MACBOOK AIR MID 2012 PRO

Fourth-generation MacBook Airs (11вЂі and 13вЂі, sold starting mid-2012) shouldВ go with theВ 4.8/5-Star reviewed Transcend JetDrive 520 models ( 240GB/$169, 480GB/$299, 960GB/$540), which promise 460-570MB/second speeds.В Mixed reviews ofВ OWCвЂ™s 240GB Aura Pro ($239)В and 1TB Aura 6G ($549)В would give me pause.

OWCвЂ™s Aura/Aura Pro seriesВ for this particular MacBook Air has had comparatively poor reviews, but a 1TB OWC drive for the same computer can be had for $549 through Amazon.

Third-generation MacBook Airs (11вЂі and 13вЂі, sold between late 2010 and mid-2011) use blade-style SATA III SSDs that look similar to RAM boards.В 9to5MacвЂ™s Seth Weintraub added a $190 240GB Transcend JetDrive 500 SSDВ to his wifeвЂ™s 2011 MacBook Air last year the same drive now sells for $170 on Amazon, with a 480GB model at $300, and a 960GB SSD at $540.

Other World Computing/OWCвЂ™s Mercury Aura Pro comes in 120GB ($134), 240GB ($218), or 480GB ($348) versions with promised read/write speeds in the 275-285MB range.

Second-generation 13вЂі MacBook AirsВ (sold between 2008 and mid-2009) can be upgraded to a 1.8вЂіВ SATA drive with between 120GBВ to 480GB of capacity.

Add this external enclosure for only $14 if you planВ to keep using your old drive after the SSD swap, or want to ease the migration process from your old drive to the new one. Expect speeds in the 50-90MB/second range.

First-generation 13вЂі MacBook Airs (sold between 2008 and mid-2009) can be upgraded to a 1.8вЂі SSD with a ZIF connector.В On price, your best choice is a 64GB ($56) or 128GB ($95) KingSpec drive,В each of which have a 4.4/5-star Amazon rating.

There areВ five key generations of the MacBook Air that use different types of solid state drives. MacBook Air: Replacing Your Old Hard Drive or SSD Many MacBook Air and Retina MacBook Pro SSDs come with kits that help you transfer the contents of the old drive to the new one, open your computer, and keep the old SSDВ around as an external drive if you want it. Today, the lowest-end MacBook Airs and Retina MacBook Pros ship with a 128GB SSD as standard AppleвЂ™s 256GB SSD addsВ $200, versus $500 more for 512GB, or $800 more forВ aВ Pro-only 1TB SSD.Д«ut those are Apple prices third-party drives are much more affordable.В Following some relatively straightforward guidelines, you can bump an originalВ MacBook Air up toВ 128GB for $95, orВ enhanceВ newer MacBooks forВ $170 (240GB), $300 (480GB), or $550 (1TB). BackВ in 2008, Air buyers could add aВ 64GB SSD forВ a whoppingВ $1,300 premium over the ultra-thin computerвЂ™sВ normal price, and there was no consumer 1TB driveВ capable of fitting inside a laptop -В a desktop 1TB SSD sold for $4,000. The original MacBook Air was designed with solid state memory as an option, not a mandate. Below, IвЂ™m going to show those tools to you, as well as the MacBook-readyВ SSDs that are worth consideringвЂ¦

Assuming your MacBook is old enough to be out of warranty -В except for a few specific models -В youвЂ™ll find that pretty much anyoneВ can handle this swap with the right tools. A new SSD in one of these machines could have two, four, eight, or sixteen times the original storage, plusВ two to four times faster speeds.ДЄpple shipped most MacBook Airs and all Retina MacBook Pros with solid state storage, so upgrading these machines for extra capacity and speed is generally as simple as picking a new drive, then using two specialВ screwdrivers during the installation process. TodayвЂ™s guide looks at the easiest SSD installations of all: the MacBook Air and Retina MacBook Pro.

HOW TO FORMAT MACBOOK AIR MID 2012 MAC

Over the past two weeks, IвЂ™ve written about the (surprisingly easy) process of addingВ solid state drives (SSDs) to radically speed up older iMacs, and the varied challenge levels of adding SSDs to older Mac Pros, Mac minis, and non-Retina MacBooks.

How to format macbook air mid 2012