External Harddrive for 2014 Macbook Air?

LJMERC on 27/05/2017 - 00:03

My girlfriend has asked me for some help with her Macbook but I know nothing about Macs so hoping you guys can help me find the right bargain.

She has a 2014 model Air with a 128GB SSD that is now full. Whats the best way to get her more space? Is it possible to install another SSD? Or would it just be easier to buy an external HDD?

At the moment I'm thinking of just going to MSY and buying a cheap WD external. I found this 1TB drive from officeworks for only $68 though: https://www.officeworks.com.au/shop/officeworks/p/western-di…

Will this be the best/cheapest solution?

Thanks in advance

Computing

Comments

  • Apple96 on 27/05/2017 - 00:24

    Is it possible to install another SSD? yes, as a replacement https://www.ifixit.com/Guide/MacBook+Air+13-Inch+Early+2014+…, but it would be cheaper and easier to buy an external HDD. plus less risk of you damaging her MacBook

  • scrimshaw on 27/05/2017 - 02:38

    SD cards are cheap and readily available and are a lot more portable than USB drives.
    The 2014 Macbook luckily has an SD card slot (can't believe it doesn't even exist in the newer Macs now).

    High capacity SDXC cards like 64GB Samsung Evo UHS-1 with 48 megabit read speeds can be had for around $30 dollars and 128GB for $60 dollars. Write speeds typically vary from 13~18mbps.

    You may have to pay a hefty premium for cards with higher write speeds and even then there's no guarantee your Macbooks SD card slot will actually write at a speed fast enough to justify the purchase.

  • ihbh on 27/05/2017 - 08:15

    that is now full

    How much does she value her data? If she does, make sure she backs it up before adding more storage space.

  • KitchenSink on 27/05/2017 - 10:48

    If she has a 13" Macbook Air it has an SD card slot. The 11" don't have SD card slots. One way to "expand" the storage is using a SD card as a secondary drive. One solution I like is the transcend Jetdrive Lite drives that sit flush with the Macbook Air. You can check them out. Link here. There are other brands that do it too.

    With regards to removing the SSD and replacing it, it would be relatively expensive since the only way to upgrade it is to get the proprietary ones for that certain model off eBay or whatever. It can be hard to source. Sadly, Transcend and OWC make aftermarket SSDs for various Macbook Airs/Pros but only for certain models and the Macbook Air 2014 isn't one of them. They only support models from 2010-2013.

    Otherwise, the easiest way to "upgrade" is to buy an external Hard drive or go Cloud storage is another option.

    • epicttiimm on 27/05/2017 - 11:50

      All MacBook Airs can have their SSD upgraded mate. I've upgraded my 2014 MacBook Air from the stock 128gb to a 480gb from OWC. Its actually very easy, the SSD is one of the first things you see after taking the bottom cover off.

      https://eshop.macsales.com/shop/ssd/owc/macbook-air/2013-201…

      • KitchenSink on 27/05/2017 - 13:58

        Ahh you're right, I didn't know OWC had SSDs for the 2014 models and above. They originally had the models with SATA drives.

      • Apple96 on 28/05/2017 - 22:15

        Easy is defined by experience, like it is easy for anyone who has worked on computers before, but if they havent they could worst case, damage the computer to the point of not working.

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