None of the nvme drives support power saving in macOS.Wel, you still have 7hrs ! I got 4hrs only.
On other thinking, the 970 may not has lack communication with MacOS to saving energy.
Thanks, So all MBA has no NVME SSD from Apple?None of the nvme drives support power saving in macOS.
It's been documented by other users that the Samsung drives use more power during idle and normal use; therefore, people have used non-Samsung drives to minimize power consumption. Also, the Air has a PCIe 2.0 bus that will limit the Samsung's read/write speeds.
Mid-2013 to 2017 Air drives are AHCI and appear as SATA/SATA Express in System Report.Thanks, So all MBA has no NVME SSD from Apple?
As z2000 mentioned using the Samsung drives will drain the battery more because they are high performance drives. I enjoy having the 1400MBs drive speeds and am willing to have the sacrifice in total battery life. For my use I do not require max battery life of my MacBook Air. I'm okay having 7hrs of battery life on my 11inch Air vice 9hrs. I have access to AC power if I need it so going with the Samsung 970PRO drive is the way to go for me. If battery life is not of huge concern then keep these drives in mind. You won't regret using them.
My doubt was if 970PRO was the way to go or go with another recommendation.
The write speed will increase with the Samsung 970 drive but the read/write speed of the Samsung will always be limited by the PCIe 2.0 bus in the Air.Ok guys, sorry if this has been explained before but I would like to ask again... I'm new around here...
I have a 13" MBA early 2015, 1.6 GHz i5. 4GB RAM and original 250GB SSD (Apple SSD 0256G) running latest Mojave Os. I'm thinking to upgrade to 970 evo 500GB or 1TB and Sintech adapter.
I want to do the upgrade because MBA it feels sluggish, so my questions are:
1) Is this the "best" way to go? If not, what would you suggest?
2) will I get better speed of what i'm getting right now: 488.8 MB/s write - 1360.9 MB/z read
3) I read something about battery drainage
4) Also read something about boot room and firmware updates, do I have to do this? How you do that?
...By the way, I'm not that "techie" but last week I upgraded my late 2013 27" iMac original 1TB HD to a 1TB 970 EVO SSD and the improvement was so great that it feels I have a new computer!!! I haven't had any issues as other users reported. My readings before upgrade: 95.3MB/s write - 121.6MB/s read and after, 725.4MB/s write - 774.7MB/s read
Because the success and improvement with the iMac is why I want to do it in the MBA
Thank you in advance and any help or suggestion will be greatly appreciated!!
There are other options as for using NVMe M.2 storage drives and Audit13 has mentioned a few other solutions for storage drives. I just prefer using the Samsung 950PRO/970PRO/970EVO storage drives. I like the high performance and Samsung reliability but using these drives come at a cost but if your laptop is near an AC source then battery life really does not matter so I say go with the Samsung drives. There is enough information in this thread what you have to do to install an NVMe M.2 drive. I have detailed them earlier in this thread.
The write speed will increase with the Samsung 970 drive but the read/write speed of the Samsung will always be limited by the PCIe 2.0 bus in the Air.
Two issues that people have experienced with the Samsung drives: increased heat even during idle and increased battery usage.
Another limiting factor in overall speed of your air is the 4 GB of ram as you open more programs.
The Air must be running at least a high Sierra bootrom before you can use a nvme drive. I recommend updating to the latest Catalina or Mojave before installing the Samsung.
You will not have to worry about bootrom updates with your Air and a nvme drive as this combination will accept rom updates as long as the Air is running the latest Catalina or Mojave.
Good luck with the upgrade.Thank you Audit13 for your feedback.
Yes, I know the 4GB ram will be a limiting factor but for what we use the Air is enough. Hoping to make it less "sluggish" with the upgrade and if the increase isn't much, well, I'll end up with more space I think!
Thank you Macdctr, I think I will go with 500GB 970PRO !
You will also need a Sintech adapter. Details where you can get one are in this thread.
Thank you Audit13, for the reply and the link.The 970 and 980 will cause a noticeable drop in battery life with the 980 being very noticeable.
If you want the 970, make sure it's running the latest firmware; otherwise, it won't work in a Mac.
The speed provided by the 970 and 980 will be limited by the PCIe 2.0 bus in the Air.
Have a look at this thread: https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/upgrading-2013-2014-macbook-pro-ssd-to-m-2-nvme.2034976/
The potential issue with a 1 TB NVMe drive is the width of the PCB. The dimensions of the NVMe drive needs to match the dimensions of the SSUBX which is an Apple OEM drive.Thank you Audit13, for the reply and the link.
I have actually gone through the thread before and that's where my question about whether there is space for 1TB arises. It's different from quite a few websites I have read. Would you be so kind to confirm for me that my Macbook air 2017 can take on a 1TB SSD please?
Considering the limited PCIe2.0 will have on the speed, I was suggested to have 860EVO in the first place, however I can't find any stock.
My Macbook air 2017's battery has over 600 counts so it isn't lasting very long and I am worried about the drop in battery life with either 970 or 980. I thought the heatsink in 980 would help with the battery life, wouldn't it?
I am ready to get the Sintech adatpor from Amazon! And I also see that 980Pro Heatsink is with a discount!
Which one would you suggest to go for if you have a Macbook air 2017 like mine?
Thanks again
My Macbook air 2017's battery has over 600 counts so it isn't lasting very long and I am worried about the drop in battery life with either 970 or 980. I thought the heatsink in 980 would help with the battery life, wouldn't it?
Oh cool and thanks!Looks like there is an adapter for the 2011 Air: http://eshop.sintech.cn/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=130_100&products_id=1122
If the cost isn't too high, it may be worth it if it's a computer you will use on a regular basis.Oh cool and thanks!
Would you think it's a silly thing to do to upgrade the 2011 air, as it cannot be updated anymore?
The main use will be Chrome/ Safari to browse and to stream movie, and at most the Pages.
I thought the 1 TB SSUBX drive didn't fit the 2017 MacBook Air either. Is that true?The potential issue with a 1 TB NVMe drive is the width of the PCB. The dimensions of the NVMe drive needs to match the dimensions of the SSUBX which is an Apple OEM drive.
Except Samsung SSUBX you mean...Personally, I would not use any Samsung SSD in an Air or Pro.
Apparently, some 1 TB SSUBX drives from non-MacBooks had a wide PCB that precluded use in a the mid-2013 to early to 2017 Air. I can't confirm since the largest OEM drive I have ever used is a 256 GB.I thought the 1 TB SSUBX drive didn't fit the 2017 MacBook Air either. Is that true?
BTW, I just installed a 256 GB SSUBX in my wife's 2017 13" MacBook Air. I was sick of cleaning out System Data. She doesn't have that much personal data, so her 128 GB drive should have been fine, but her System Data folder kept on getting bloated. Anyhow, it was an inexpensive upgrade, less than US$30 locally. Drive had just over 40 TB on it with 87% health and no errors according to DriveDx.
I wasn't sure, but I thought FileVault would decrease performance, so I kept that turned off when I installed Monterey.
Except Samsung SSUBX you mean...