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You are here: MacNN Forums > Hardware - Troubleshooting and Discussion > Mac Notebooks > Early 2015 MBA - Any issues with SSD upgrades?

Early 2015 MBA - Any issues with SSD upgrades?
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shifuimam
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Sep 9, 2022, 09:21 PM
 
I don't want to pay the upcharge for an SSD with the dumb nonstandard PCIe connector, so I'm getting an adapter to use with an NVME SSD. My question is pretty simple: is there anything I need to know about picking an SSD with regards to hardware compatibility?

I'm either getting this Sabrent Rocket NVME drive or this TeamGroup drive, assuming no issues with these specific drives.

Thanks!
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ghporter
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Sep 9, 2022, 10:00 PM
 
It looks like a doable task. iFixit has a great guide for the task. I linked to the 13” version, but the 11” version looks like the same process with a slightly smaller case. Note that this procedure is with an Apple SSD, so be aware of differences.

I used their guide to both swap the CPU and replace the hard drive in my 2007 iMac, which are rated as “difficult” and “moderate” respectively (you have to get past the hard drive to get to the system board to swap the CPU) versus “moderate” for the MBA tasks.

As always, keep track of which screws came from where, keep your work area free of anything but the task at hand, and take your time with each step. I’m not a patient type of person, but slowing down really helped - after the first “oops” where I had to backtrack several steps, that is.

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shifuimam  (op)
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Sep 9, 2022, 10:40 PM
 
I'm more concerned with hardware compatibility. I have a MBP that is unbelievably twitchy about RAM.

Will I have *issues* with either one of those in terms of OS stability and support?
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ghporter
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Sep 10, 2022, 02:08 PM
 
Here’s an Apple Insider article about using NVME drives in Macs. It looks like it’s not a problem.

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shifuimam  (op)
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Sep 11, 2022, 10:25 PM
 
Thanks! I'm liking this little guy so far. I remember when they came out in 2010. It definitely feels speedier than my non-Retina 13" i7 MBP...that NVME SSD makes a world of difference.

I'm waiting for now (to buy an SSD) to see if prices dip a bit - allegedly there's a coming glut of chips as the shortages drop off. We'll see.

I also have a Dell XPS 13 from the same era (5th gen i5), so it's been interesting to compare the two.
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