Macbook Air Upgrade Questions

[murd0c]

So I just received a new MacBook air through work but it's only the 128gb version. Since that's the case I'm thinking about selling it and buying a pro but I'm wondering if it would be worth while to upgrade the hard drive and memory?

This is my first Mac so this is all new to me. I have over 60gb alone in music so the 128 isn't going to work at all and I would rather not have to hook up a external hard drive all the time right off the bat.

[Mr.HappySilp]

Before selling I would check with your work is it ok to sell it or even modify it. Also if they said is ok, have it writing. Better to protect yourself than be sorry.

I would wait till next month, that's when Apple ancoumenet later to show off their new products and they might have some new products coming out.

[mos_skeeto]

I have a large music collection and ended up getting a Pro for that reason. However from what I experienced, my pro became my new home desktop (rarely left the house) and I ended up getting something lighter for on-the-go. Disclaimer: my pro is a few years old and the newer ones are significantly lighter.

If the mac you're getting is your only computer I would get a bigger hard drive. If you have something else at home I wouldn't worry as much unless music is that important to have on the go. Even then you have some options (itunes subscription syncs all your music to all computers so you can download on demand). I find that I only need to have a few gigs of music with me outside the house which is all on my phone.

More memory is nice but if all you're doing is surfing, email and music you don't really need to beef up that much.

[BrRsn]

I forget if the macbook air has an easily removed harddrive -- I know with the older pros it was super easy. Here's an easy solution that's not very involved at all:



1) You could get a large + fast SD card and just plug it into the side:
Leave-In Compact SD Cards Boost Your MacBook's Storage Capacity

2) Or, you could buy this adaptor for your SD card slot (You have to have the bigger macbook air for it to work check here)
Amazon.com: The MiniDrive | microSD Adaptor | MacBook Air/Pro/Retina: Computers & Accessories
and pick up any microSD card from 64-128 Gb for cheaper than the PNY card + it sits flush with the side so it will look OEM.
You can shop around but here is an example of a memory card that would work with the adapter I posted:
http://www.memoryexpress.com/Products/MX52300
For $40 + $20 Adapter you can have 64 gigs of fast removable storage which will sit flush inside your laptop and requires no opening of the laptop. That's kind of a crappy memory card i linked to, but if you shop around you should be able to find better quality with the same size/speed for a comparable price

As long as the quality of the card you use is pretty fast (class 10 or something similar) you should have pretty fast transfer rates. If you want a laptop/portable computer I'd stick with what you have -- it's one of the best lightweight laptops IMO. I've had my macbook pro 15' since 2011 and it's a heavy mofo, I'll likely be upgrading to an air/retina in the future as well

[murd0c]

Originally Posted by Mr.HappySilp

Before selling I would check with your work is it ok to sell it or even modify it. Also if they said is ok, have it writing. Better to protect yourself than be sorry.

I would wait till next month, that's when Apple ancoumenet later to show off their new products and they might have some new products coming out.

This my own computer and has nothing to do with my work, a customer actually hooked me up with it. Damn a month? I can't wait that long dammit lol

Originally Posted by mos_skeeto

I have a large music collection and ended up getting a Pro for that reason. However from what I experienced, my pro became my new home desktop (rarely left the house) and I ended up getting something lighter for on-the-go. Disclaimer: my pro is a few years old and the newer ones are significantly lighter.

If the mac you're getting is your only computer I would get a bigger hard drive. If you have something else at home I wouldn't worry as much unless music is that important to have on the go. Even then you have some options (itunes subscription syncs all your music to all computers so you can download on demand). I find that I only need to have a few gigs of music with me outside the house which is all on my phone.

More memory is nice but if all you're doing is surfing, email and music you don't really need to beef up that much.

I have a 8 year old desktop and this is what I want to have for my main computer. I don't need to beef it up all that much but why not do it now rather then later?

Does any one even know how much Apple would charge for upgrades?

[BrRsn]

Originally Posted by murd0c

This my own computer and has nothing to do with my work, a customer actually hooked me up with it. Damn a month? I can't wait that long dammit lol



I have a 8 year old desktop and this is what I want to have for my main computer. I don't need to beef it up all that much but why not do it now rather then later?

Does any one even know how much Apple would charge for upgrades?

AFAIK Apple will not upgrade the harddrive in the macbook air (correct me if I'm wrong).

The SSD in the macbook air isn't a sata based one like most computers, it uses a pci-e connector so it may be harder to source a new one.

How to Upgrade MacBook Air SSD: Mid-2013/Early 2014 @ EveryMac.com

Here's a site with aftermarket compatible parts for macs:
http://www.macsales.com/

[Spectre_Cdn]

^Apple doesn't upgrade any parts of the MBA after it's sold. They'll only open it up if it needs repairs.

If you open it yourself to add an SSD this like one, you'll void the warranty. They're also pretty expensive.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/APPLE-OEM-SSD-HARD-DRIVE-UPGRADE-256GB-PCIe-FOR-2013-MACBOOK-AIR-AND-MACBOOK-PRO-/151309508310?pt=US_Solid_State_Drives&hash=item233abfded6
You could just get a Transcend JetDrive SD card -- they're designed to sit almost flush with the side of the Air when plugged in.
Amazon.com: Transcend JetDrive Lite 130 128GB Storage Expansion Card for 13-Inch Macbook Air (TS128GJDL130): Computers & Accessories

[murd0c]

That's actually pretty nice and seems like a perfect card and with the price you can't really go wrong. What other upgrades do you think I should make if any at all?

[Spectre_Cdn]

There really aren't many upgrade options for the Air after it's built. If you plan to use it as a desktop replacement at home, maybe look into a monitor, keyboard, mouse, stand etc.

[Presto]

Have you considered the Surface Pro 3? It packs a lot of punch, and it's lighter than the Air.

[murd0c]

Originally Posted by Presto

Have you considered the Surface Pro 3? It packs a lot of punch, and it's lighter than the Air.

I already have the lap top and from getting it from work I mean one of my customer's gave it to me for free

[AAnthony]

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[Hehe]

Originally Posted by AAnthony

Glad I read this thread, I bought a 13" Pro Retina last month I was kind of pissed at myself for not upgrading. It was $300 more to upgrade from a 2.4 to a 2.6 ghz processor and from a 256 gb to a 512 gb hard drive. I was already $1,700 deep so I said fuck it.

I bought an external hard drive today, went with the LaCie porsche design. You can get it at the apple store for $100. From my research it's one of the best for the price. Unless of course you go to a thunder bolt, which are $200+ for 1 tb. https://www.lacie.com/ca/products/product.htm?id=10588.

Is anybody running an SD card in their SD slot? I was thinking about getting the 128mb but they're pricey! A kingston card is about $120 + the $30 for the nifty adapter, I should have just spent the extra $300 to get double that memory in solid state form!

This design has been knocked off by a few companies, but Nifty seems to be the only flush, quality looking adaptor. The others all seem to have large gaps. They even sell it at the apple stores in Europe.
Nifty MD3-RP-R13SR4G MiniDrive microSD Card Adapter... in stock at OWC

I have the PNY one to store shared docs between home and work MBP. Speed is very decent (gets near to 100MB/s) and fairly reliable given all the usage I do with it. The only thing is that for newer rMBPs, the length of SD slot is a bit shorter, so the card actually extends a bit out (about 1cm). Which is still ok for me.

Transcend is coming out with a new one that has the right length for rMBP and newer MBAs. But I need the backward compatibility of older MBP, so that's a no for me.

As for the nifty, it's good if you rarely take it out. But I need to access the card once every 2 days, so the "hide-completely" is actually a problem for me.

[AAnthony]

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[twitchyzero]

is there a way to stream music off icloud? that would solve your need to upgrade if you're constantly connected to the internet

[godwin]

or just get iTunes Match $28 /year..

Originally Posted by twitchyzero

is there a way to stream music off icloud? that would solve your need to upgrade if you're constantly connected to the internet

[Hehe]

Is bringing your entire music library on the go crucial for you?

I have about 140GB worth of music (mostly loseless from the 400CDs I have collected over the years) that sits permanently in my NAS.

And I keep another library that's about 4GB in the SSD, which are basically songs I am listening lately.

When I'm home, I switch to the main library (just press option and click on iTunes), and when I'm away, I listen to the one on SSD.