macbook air rev. b - replacing SSD?

[shleepy]

Can anyone point me to some reliable info about what SSD's/HDD's can fit in the current generation of Macbook Air? I know that they use SATA, rather than the original MBA's PATA/ZIF connector.

I would think that this is common knowledge, but I can't find any more reliable info than a random forum post somewhere saying that standard 1.8" SATA SSD's won't fit, since it's a "SATA ZIF" connector... I've never even heard of such a thing. I thought ZIF can only be a variant of PATA drives.

So, can someone confirm (or hopefully, the opposite) that an Intel X18-M won't work?

 

[TheStu]

Originally posted by: CannibalisticH0b0
Can anyone point me to some reliable info about what SSD's/HDD's can fit in the current generation of Macbook Air? I know that they use SATA, rather than the original MBA's PATA/ZIF connector.

I would think that this is common knowledge, but I can't find any more reliable info than a random forum post somewhere saying that standard 1.8" SATA SSD's won't fit, since it's a "SATA ZIF" connector... I've never even heard of such a thing. I thought ZIF can only be a variant of PATA drives.

So, can someone confirm (or hopefully, the opposite) that an Intel X18-M won't work?

Alright, the original MacBook Air used ZIP PATA 1.8" drives. Both the platter and SSD used this connector based on my research.

The Rev B and Rev C models have switched over to LIF (Low Insertion Force) SATA connectors. They are still 5mm tall, 1.8" wide drives however. You can put in a MicroSATA drive, but it will require you to do some soldering, so not sure how you feel about that.

You cannot use a MicroSATA 1.8" drive, but instead must use a LIF SATA drive. You can get them from RunCore. They are expensive as all get out, $190 for 32GB, almost $500 for the 128GB. I mean, these are itty bitty drives, and using a non-standard connector to boot, but they are allegedly (according to the info on their site) faster than the SSDs that Apple uses, so if the speed is worth it to you, then crazy go nuts.

You can get a guide for taking apart Air at iFixit.com.

 

[shleepy]

Good info, thanks! Can you please link or describe what kind of soldering is needed to "convert" a MicroSATA drive to a LIF drive? What I had in mind was an 80Gb Intel X18-M, which is 5mm thick and should therefore be OK. Not sure how comfortable I'd be with soldering it, but I might be willing to do it if it's a fairly simple procedure.

 

[TheStu]

Originally posted by: CannibalisticH0b0
Good info, thanks! Can you please link or describe what kind of soldering is needed to "convert" a MicroSATA drive to a LIF drive? What I had in mind was an 80Gb Intel X18-M, which is 5mm thick and should therefore be OK. Not sure how comfortable I'd be with soldering it, but I might be willing to do it if it's a fairly simple procedure.

You can look at MacForums, there is someone there that has a full guide posted.