What is actually upgradeable in the new Macbook Air

[ippikiokami]

Hello All,

looking into getting a new MBA 13" but was wondering of the harddrive and memory, which are user upgradeable?

 

[OllyW]

Hello All,

looking into getting a new MBA 13" but was wondering of the harddrive and memory, which are user upgradeable?

Only the 'hard drive', the memory is soldered onto the board.

 

[Cheffy Dave]

Only the 'hard drive', the memory is soldered onto the board.

True, and you can go all the way up to 360 GB in an SSD if you go to OWC, if you dont mind spending $1179.89

http://eshop.macsales.com/shop/SSD/OWC/Aura_Pro_Express

 

[nick9191]

I thought the SSD chips were soldered to the board as well?

 

[HiddenGem]

I thought the SSD chips were soldered to the board as well?

Nope. I've seen a video on youtube showing exactly how to upgrade to an OWC SSD.

 

[b-rad g]

Nope. I've seen a video on youtube showing exactly how to upgrade to an OWC SSD.

I watched the video on replacing the "hard drive" in the new Air and it looks SUPER easy!! Cant wait until these start coming down in price.

 

[jamesryanbell]

I thought the SSD chips were soldered to the board as well?

No, they're not. Go to macsales.com and check out the upgrades. 180GB, 240GB, and 360GB.

 

[Scottsdale]

You can never upgrade the RAM and CPU in the future, and RAM should be everyone's primary concern. I suspect the $99 RAM upgrade can double the MBA's useful lifespan. I wouldn't buy a Mac without at least 4GB of RAM.

The 1.86 to 2.13GHz CPU upgrade is only available with the 256GB SSD on 13" and 1.4 to 1.6GHz with 128GB on 11" MBA. You can always put a bigger SSD in it later, but I suspect prices will stay up until competing brands use the same SSDs.

If money is no object go ultimate, but if money is a problem a base model with 4GB RAM leads to seriously capable Macs.

 

[ZipZap]

I watched the video on replacing the "hard drive" in the new Air and it looks SUPER easy!! Cant wait until these start coming down in price.

Yeah, they are pricy and only available from one place (that I found), so there is no competition.

But, I wonder what a realistic, competition based, price might really be.

After all, only one manufacturer makes them, right?

 

[Gemütlichkeit]

This is why you go big or go home when buying an Air.

Plus the extra 2g of ram for $100 isn't that bad

 

[nafinator]

had no idea that you could upgrade the flash memory in a MBA. while its a viable option, its an expensive one right now. im sure down the line they'll drop in price but it offers some expansion hopes for people considering it like myself.

might pull my hair out waiting for a press release on the sb/ib MBA so may plunge on it

 

[jamesryanbell]

might pull my hair out waiting for a press release on the sb/ib MBA so may plunge on it

It's going to be a long time, and quite honestly, Sandy Bridge won't be the next big thing to buy. Ivy Bridge WILL be...and that's probably end of 1st quarter of 2012ish. (That's the best speculation we have now)

Just buy. It's better to be using one than not.

 

[jimboutilier]

Yeah, they are pricy and only available from one place (that I found), so there is no competition.

But, I wonder what a realistic, competition based, price might really be.

After all, only one manufacturer makes them, right?

There are lots of manufacturers of conventional notebook sized sata SSDs and if you look they are about the same price as the MBA units of similar size so I would not expect competition to have much impact on pricing.

 

[Cheffy Dave]

I thought the SSD chips were soldered to the board as well?

Nope

There are lots of manufacturers of conventional notebook sized sata SSDs and if you look they are about the same price as the MBA units of similar size so I would not expect competition to have much impact on pricing.

Except all are encased in a shell, as far as I know ,OWC, makes them the same way as apple, lined up on a sleeve, connecting tabs on one end, and one screw hole on the other

You can never upgrade the RAM and CPU in the future, and RAM should be everyone's primary concern. I suspect the $99 RAM upgrade can double the MBA's useful lifespan. I wouldn't buy a Mac without at least 4GB of RAM.

The 1.86 to 2.13GHz CPU upgrade is only available with the 256GB SSD on 13" and 1.4 to 1.6GHz with 128GB on 11" MBA. You can always put a bigger SSD in it later, but I suspect prices will stay up until competing brands use the same SSDs.

If money is no object go ultimate, but if money is a problem a base model with 4GB RAM leads to seriously capable Macs.

I know SD, but Apple won't offer a 256 in an 11", so it's OWC for me

 

[Scottsdale]

I know SD, but Apple won't offer a 256 in an 11", so it's OWC for me

Did you really buy one or were you just messing with me in the other thread when you mentioned this? Cheffy, that is a lot of money. If I wasn't battling cancer and related health problems, and I was back to work, I would be all over one! I just cannot justify the pricing yet.

I hope to get back to working full time in 2012, then Apple will hopefully have 4GB RAM standard and 128, 256, and 512GB options. Apple really needs to give its users more upgrade opportunities. I believe with Lion, Apple will need 2GB minimum RAM in Macs, and selling them with minimum RAM doesn't make a lot of sense. That should force 4GB standard, and hopefully encourage Apple to give us an 8GB RAM option.

The prices of RAM have dropped considerably, and it will be doable. I think when the MBAs were introduced in 2010, Apple had to use 2GB RAM standard to get to the $999 and $1299 price points which was more important than including 4GB RAM. And for everyone just running Snow Leopard, 2GB of RAM is plenty.

In all honesty, the MBAs are so underpriced vs their prior price points that it's more affordable than ever to be an ultraportable Mac owner. The greatest Mac ever has a C2D in is faster to the average user because Apple is smarter than the consumers that beg for Sandy Bridge.

 

[jamesryanbell]

I think the 360GB upgrade is absolutely insanely overpriced. However, I could conceive of upgrading to the 240GB version. The 180GB version is too close in price to the 240GB.

(just personal opinion of course)

 

[KPOM]

I think the 360GB upgrade is absolutely insanely overpriced. However, I could conceive of upgrading to the 240GB version. The 180GB version is too close in price to the 240GB.

(just personal opinion of course)

Hopefully the existence of the 240GB OWC drive prompts Apple to add a 256GB option to the 11" MacBook Air with the next revision. In any case, I'll want Thunderbolt, as well.

I think Sandy Bridge is a given (unless Apple holds off until Ivy Bridge) as there is no other way to boost the CPU power within the voltage specs of the 11" model. AMD has decent GPUs but their CPUs have some ground to make up.

 

[Cheffy Dave]

Did you really buy one or were you just messing with me in the other thread when you mentioned this? Cheffy, that is a lot of money. If I wasn't battling cancer and related health problems, and I was back to work, I would be all over one! I just cannot justify the pricing yet.

I hope to get back to working full time in 2012, then Apple will hopefully have 4GB RAM standard and 128, 256, and 512GB options. Apple really needs to give its users more upgrade opportunities. I believe with Lion, Apple will need 2GB minimum RAM in Macs, and selling them with minimum RAM doesn't make a lot of sense. That should force 4GB standard, and hopefully encourage Apple to give us an 8GB RAM option.

The prices of RAM have dropped considerably, and it will be doable. I think when the MBAs were introduced in 2010, Apple had to use 2GB RAM standard to get to the $999 and $1299 price points which was more important than including 4GB RAM. And for everyone just running Snow Leopard, 2GB of RAM is plenty.

In all honesty, the MBAs are so underpriced vs their prior price points that it's more affordable than ever to be an ultraportable Mac owner. The greatest Mac ever has a C2D in is faster to the average user because Apple is smarter than the consumers that beg for Sandy Bridge.

Nope SD I wasn't messing with ya, Infact since I am going to swap it out anyway, and I LOVE the 11" so, I am now considering , an 11" refurb with a 64GB SSD and springing for the 360 from OWC.
So sorry to hear about your health issues, my friend, I will keep you in my thoughts and prayers.
I so look forward to your posts, you above all else have persuaded me as well as some friends to look at and fall in love with the MBA.
The BEST to you my MBA Brother!

 

[gglockner]

Sorry for stating the obvious, but there are no 'user-replaceable' parts inside a MacBook Air. While there exist kits to upgrade the hard drive, you risk voiding the warranty. That may or may not matter to you.