Upgrade macbook pro hard drive and ram
However, some people might consider attaching the unit to the lid of their MacBook with adhesive strips.
#Upgrade macbook pro hard drive and ram mac
The unit itself is small enough to be portable, but you might not want to leave it connected to your Mac all the time. You also get four useful ports: one HDMI out with support for 4K at 30 Hz., two USB 3.0 Type-A, and one USB Type-C (which you can use to power your MacBook).ĭue to the shockproof nature of an SSD, you can throw the Minix NEO in your bag without worrying about damaging your data. Inside the hub is a 240 GB M.2 SSD, which supports read and write speeds of up to 400 MB per second. The Minix NEO is the world’s first USB Type-C hub that adds both ports and storage to your MacBook. So, why not get one with an integrated SSD? This means you’ll likely need a hub to get access to a decent range of ports. The newest MacBook Pro and Air models only come with USB Type-C connectors. Nothing quite like it exists in USB Type-C form-not yet, anyway. This results in a drive that looks more like a wireless dongle, and you can leave it attached to your MacBook at all times. USB Type-A is a larger port, and manufacturers have been able to take advantage of the size to squeeze in flash memory. USB Type-C MacBook owners are, unfortunately, out of luck. It comes in sizes up to 256 GB for around $70. According to one (verified) Amazon reviewer, its write speed is 30 to 80 MB per second. This isn’t high-speed storage, like the SSD in your MacBook, but it’s nifty enough to store documents and media. It has a speedy USB 3.1 interface that attains read speeds up to 130 MB per second. They’re also one of the cheapest ways to increase your machine’s total storage. These small devices fit into a spare USB slot and protrude slightly from the side of your MacBook.
If your MacBook has USB Type-A connectors (the old USB standard, not the new reversible one), then you can use a low profile USB drive to add storage.
#Upgrade macbook pro hard drive and ram upgrade
RELATED: Can You Upgrade the Hard Drive or SSD In Your Mac? Low Profile USB Drives You might wince at the cost, but you’ll be thankful for the years of use you get out of all that space. If you do buy a new MacBook, opt for a larger, solid-state drive rather than the bare minimum. You might be better off just buying a new MacBook. That’s a pretty old machine, though, so consider whether the upgrade is worthwhile. M1 Mac owners may be keen to see if the process behind these upgrades is refined over time and becomes a more viable option.If your Mac is old and still has an optical drive (like a pre-2012 MacBook Pro), you might be able to upgrade your drive and add a second or third one if you replace the optical drive to create space. The possibility of upgrading the memory and storage of M1 Macs, albeit in an invasive and risky procedure, therefore seems to be a significant discovery.ĭue to the difficulty of upgrading the RAM or SSD, almost all M1 owners will likely still have to rely on the memory and storage configuration that they chose at the point of purchase, with upgrades being confined to a minority of enthusiasts, although it has been suggested that M1 Mac memory and storage upgrades in Asia will be available through unofficial channels. This invasive unofficial upgrade also undoubtedly breaches Apple's warranty.Īpple has made it increasingly challenging for users to upgrade their own Macs over the years, and it was thought that the M1 Mac represented a final solidification of this move, with all of the M1 Mac's computing components being heavily physically integrated. The RAM and SSD components on Apple's M1 Macs are soldered in place, making the procedure extremely challenging, and there is reportedly a high chance of failure. Technicians in Guangzhou, China have discovered that it is possible to detach the RAM from the M1 chip and its nearby SSD module and replace them with larger capacity components, which are correctly recognized by macOS, without breaking the device.Īs proof, a large number of images showing the process of a base model M1 MacBook Air with 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage being upgraded to 16GB of RAM and 1TB of storage, and this change being correctly shown in macOS Big Sur, have been shared online. Reports of maintenance technicians being able to expand the memory and storage of M1 Macs began circulating on Chinese social media over the weekend, but now international reports have started to clarify the situation. Technicians in China have reportedly succeeded in upgrading the memory and storage of the M1 chip, suggesting that Apple's integrated custom silicon for the Mac may be more flexible than previously thought.