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External storage for MacBook Air 128 GB 2015 model, all legit & updated to latest Mac OS.

S

Subu

macrumors regular
Original poster
Jan 10, 2013
247
6
Dear Folks

Good day

I own a 2015 Mac Book Air 128 GB, an Iphone 7+ , an Iphone XR and Ipads in addition to a Win Laptop. I'm basically a windows user on laptops, but slowly moving to Mac Book Air

My basic usage of the Mac Book Air is for web browsing, web mail, apple mail client, apple numbers, apple pages , apple presentations, PDF etc, in addition to listening to some music (of course will use anti virus if necessary) . *Very little photos * and NO Photo editing, NO gaming

The 128 GB on the mac is not good enough so I need an external drive storing downloaded stuff and *in some limited / NOT so sensitive cases, I'll be working on the drive itself* - example some spread sheets or files that can be easily replicated IF lost

I am open to HDD or SSD , max 1 TB

May I request user experiences and suggestions for external storage media - both HDD vs SSD and brands if any

Max 1 TB, should work on Windows, and MacBook Air => these are essential
and (if possible iOS also) , but iOS backup is optional

I would consider cloud as a third or fourth alternative only as I see "iCloud" is the most integrated but falls short of speed and features, while google one / google drive has some good features but is NOT so integrated with Macs and many backup clouds are NOT integrated to work directly on them. However IF most here feel cloud is the best alternative, I'm open to that too

*thanks in adv*
best regards
Subu
 
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Audit13 said:
I would replace the 128 Apple SSD with a 512 to 1 TB NVMe drive + adapter.
Click to expand...

With my limited Technical knowledge It took me time to even understand what you said !! :)

But once I understood it, this looks like the best option.

Could you please help me with the BEST tutorial / web links explaining
(a) how to clone my existing 128GB SSD to a USB drive (max matter would be less than 32 GB)
and
(b) physically opening the MacBook Air, replacing the drive etc

I'm assuming that cloning will make it bootable, but if that ain't true, please help with links to a more detailed write up

Yes I searched you tube etc., but there are so many versions, hence this request

TIA
regards
Subu
 
Last edited:
Audit13 said:
Which drive did you use? Your Air was also an early 2015? Did you load the NVMe fix?
Click to expand...
i tried it in my 2015 mbp. first tried a 2tb pny 2280, literally watched the battery % go down every minute, then swap in a intel 660p, it was more efficient but i still got like 1-2 hours shorter battery life. followed the instructions from the nvme thread, i don't think my model needs a nvme fix. correct me if i'm wrong ofcourse.
 
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Audit13 said:
The NVMe fix is not intended to fix issues with hibernation in non-2015 Airs and Pros. The NVMe fix is to enable APST with macOS and a NVMe drive.
Click to expand...
interesting, can you link me the patch.

i didn't ran into technical issues like hibernation, everything works fine just the battery life sucked big time.
 
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ilikewhey said:
i'm currently out of country so i'll get back with the results in 2 months lol.

did you try this yourself? did it solve the battery drain issue?
Click to expand...
I can't try it at the moment. I have my 13" 2015 Air to my niece who is using it for her university studies. I'm back to using a mid-2014 Pro 13".

Some people have reported good results while others have reported little or no change. This doesn't surprise me given the wide variety of drive makers and drive firmware revisions available in the market.
 
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If you just need a little more onboard storage, have thought about a Transcent JetDrive Lite? If you don't use the SD card slot regularly, it's essentially a little SD card that sits flush with the MBA and doesn't stick out. I've been using a 64GB one for nearly 6 years and works great for things like media storage. You can now get a 256GB version for less than £50, which strikes me as excellent value for things like media, documents, etc.

www.amazon.co.uk

Transcend 256GB JDL130 JetDrive Lite 130 Expansion Card for MacBook Air 13" (Late 2010 - 2017) up to 95/55 MB/s TS256GJDL130

Introducing Transcend's JetDrive Lite storage expansion cards, for MacBook Air and MacBook Pro with Retina display. JetDrive Lite expansion cards are a quick and easy way to gain the additional space you need without adding any bulk to your MacBook.
www.amazon.co.uk
 
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Audit13 said:
I can't try it at the moment. I have my 13" 2015 Air to my niece who is using it for her university studies. I'm back to using a mid-2014 Pro 13".

Some people have reported good results while others have reported little or no change. This doesn't surprise me given the wide variety of drive makers and drive firmware revisions available in the market.
Click to expand...

thanks a ton ! Really thanks a TON for this whole thread and help
I was almost about to go to a local Mr Fixit (with a WD or SAMSUNG 500+ GB SSD , connectors) and open the MBA
Wow ! .... Now I will pause !!
I'm have very little technical knowledge & I will go bonkers IF I see things like battery drain after a SSD change !
Hmm ...

thanks everyone
regards
Subu
 
r6mile said:
If you just need a little more onboard storage, have thought about a Transcent JetDrive Lite? If you don't use the SD card slot regularly, it's essentially a little SD card that sits flush with the MBA and doesn't stick out. I've been using a 64GB one for nearly 6 years and works great for things like media storage. You can now get a 256GB version for less than £50, which strikes me as excellent value for things like media, documents, etc.

www.amazon.co.uk

Transcend 256GB JDL130 JetDrive Lite 130 Expansion Card for MacBook Air 13" (Late 2010 - 2017) up to 95/55 MB/s TS256GJDL130

Introducing Transcend's JetDrive Lite storage expansion cards, for MacBook Air and MacBook Pro with Retina display. JetDrive Lite expansion cards are a quick and easy way to gain the additional space you need without adding any bulk to your MacBook.
www.amazon.co.uk
Click to expand...

Strikes me as a Great Idea

I think I'll live with the extra 256 GB for a long time and think of anything else (SSD replacement) AFTER that

for example I'll go for : SanDisk, Ultra microSDXC, 256GB

Other folks, pls chip in on the pros and cons of this - memory card route and especially the above product

My basic use of extra SSD / Memory card / extra space would remain as mentioned in the first post, i.e. to store Spread sheets, documents, presentations, PDF files, few songs, Video etc... NO games on this MBA, NO video editing

regards
Subu
 
Last edited:
As an Amazon Associate, MacRumors earns a commission from qualifying purchases made through links in this post.
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Subu said:
Strikes me as a Great Idea
I think I'll live with the extra 256 GB for a long time
and think of anything else (SSD replacement) AFTER that

Other folks, pls chip in on the pros and cons of this - memory card route.

My basic use of extra SSD / Memory card / extra space would remain as mentioned in the first post, i.e. to store Spread sheets, documents, presentations, PDF files, few songs, Video etc... NO games on this MBA, NO video editing

regards
Subu
Click to expand...

For that sort of usage - ie stuff which doesn't involve lots of read/writes - a memory card is a great option. Obviously you should ALWAYS have a backup if it's stuff you'd rather not lose, so you may want to get an external hard drive for regular backups if you don't have one already. P
 
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r6mile said:
For that sort of usage - ie stuff which doesn't involve lots of read/writes - a memory card is a great option. Obviously you should ALWAYS have a backup if it's stuff you'd rather not lose, so you may want to get an external hard drive for regular backups if you don't have one already. P
Click to expand...
thanks !
Following earlier post, I'm planning to go with SanDisk, Ultra microSDXC, 256GB
Will that work with a MBA 2015 ? ... any experience / ideas
really appreciate your time / this community and help !!!!!!!
best regards
Subu
 
Subu said:
thanks !
Following earlier post, I'm planning to go with SanDisk, Ultra microSDXC, 256GB
Will that work with a MBA 2015 ? ... any experience / ideas
really appreciate your time / this community and help !!!!!!!
best regards
Subu
Click to expand...

I would strongly advise to go with the Transcend JetLite 130 that I recommended - this is a special memory card that will sit flush in your MBA and not stick out. Great if you just intend to leave it there and forget about it. Any other SD cards (like the SanDisk that you mention) will work but stick out which I think is not great.
 
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Transcend JetLite 130 indeed seems like a good starting choice. Only around 55eur for 256GB. Slower than external SSD, but much more convenient and faster (mostly) than HDD.
 
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SmOgER said:
Transcend JetLite 130 indeed seems like a good starting choice. Only around 55eur for 256GB. Slower than external SSD, but much more convenient and faster (mostly) than HDD.
Click to expand...

Yes, as I mentioned I've been using a 64GB one since 2015 or so, to host my iTunes library mostly, and it's worked great. Fit normal file storage like the OP describes it will do just fine.
 
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