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EssentialParado

macrumors 65816
Original poster
Feb 17, 2005
1,162
48
I need to upgrade my meager 80gb into at least 250gb – does such a size drive exist yet? Does anyone know?
 

jdechko

macrumors 601
Jul 1, 2004
4,230
325
That's an 8mm drive with a micro-SATA connector. The Air uses a 5mm drive with a LIF (rev B,C)/ZIF (rev A) connector. Also, with an 80GB drive, you'd be upgrading from a Rev A, which uses a PATA drive, not a SATA drive. The 240GB drive linked to in the engadget story is PATA, but it's 8mm.

You need a single-platter (5mm), PATA-ZIF drive.
 

EssentialParado

macrumors 65816
Original poster
Feb 17, 2005
1,162
48
That's an 8mm drive with a micro-SATA connector. The Air uses a 5mm drive with a LIF (rev B,C)/ZIF (rev A) connector. Also, with an 80GB drive, you'd be upgrading from a Rev A, which uses a PATA drive, not a SATA drive. The 240GB drive linked to in the engadget story is PATA, but it's 8mm.

You need a single-platter (5mm), PATA-ZIF drive.

uhhh…………


I have no idea what you just said, but do you know the largest drive for the Air? Anything close to 250gb? Any plans? Anything? Shall I stick with 80gb forever?
 

Hellhammer

Moderator emeritus
Dec 10, 2008
22,164
582
Finland
uhhh…………


I have no idea what you just said, but do you know the largest drive for the Air? Anything close to 250gb? Any plans? Anything? Shall I stick with 80gb forever?

He means that the 250GB drive has wrong connector and is physically too big. Those HDs are quite hard to find from vendors so wait if someone has found something
 

jdechko

macrumors 601
Jul 1, 2004
4,230
325
What Hellhammer said. The current largest drive you can find for your MacBook Air is the one you already have installed.
 

BlizzardBomb

macrumors 68030
Jun 15, 2005
2,537
0
England
Next MBA maybe??? SATA too, that's awesome, I remember looking and all I could find was a 160 PATA-ZIF. Maybe tear apart one of the big iPod classics, they were 160s.

It's too thick. Apple won't go backwards and add a thicker, heavier hard drive. Very few companies are spending money on R&D for 1.8" HDDs as 1.8" SSDs become very price competitive around the 64 - 128 GB mark. 1.8" 5mm HDDs only top out at 160 GB 120 GB so it's not that far ahead, and given the other benefits of SSD, companies are forgetting about these tiny Hard Drives.
 

jdechko

macrumors 601
Jul 1, 2004
4,230
325
1.8" 5mm HDDs only top out at 160 GB so it's not that far ahead, and given the other benefits of SSD, companies are forgetting about these tiny Hard Drives.

I thought they topped out at 120GB, which is why that's the Max in the HDD Rev B/C Air. I think that the 160GB drives are dual-platter (80/80) which is why they're to tall.
 

Mactagonist

macrumors 65816
Feb 5, 2008
1,084
144
NYC - Manhattan
uhhh…………


I have no idea what you just said, but do you know the largest drive for the Air? Anything close to 250gb? Any plans? Anything? Shall I stick with 80gb forever?

Sell your Rev A Air, add that money to the money you are prepared to spend on a new HDD and buy a Rev B with either the 120gb HDD or the 128gb SSD. It will likely be cheaper and definitely be less frustrating then trying to upgrade the Rev A Air. Not to mention the many other benefits of the Rev B Air like its far better Nvidia graphics.
 

MacModMachine

macrumors 68020
Apr 3, 2009
2,476
392
Canada
I thought they topped out at 120GB, which is why that's the Max in the HDD Rev B/C Air. I think that the 160GB drives are dual-platter (80/80) which is why they're to tall.

your right.

thats why the 240gb is comprised of 2 of those 120gb platters....i have never heard of a 160gb single platter....1.8"
 

jdechko

macrumors 601
Jul 1, 2004
4,230
325
I have never heard of a 160gb single platter....1.8"

Neither have I. I really don't think we will either. It's an interesting thing to note on the Air that the SSD surpassed the HDD in capacity (obviously). I know that manufacturers are focusing more on the SSD now, rather than HDD for the 1.8" segment, and without reading too much into anything, I wouldn't be surprised if the next MBA lineup ditched the HDD completely and went 100% SSD with 128(160?) on the low end and 256GB on the top end.

Also, given the lack of improvements in the 1.8" HDD, I'm wondering how long the iPod classic will stick around. I would be willing to bet that after the 64GB iPod Touch is released, we may see ~1 more year of the old classic form factor. A sad day to be sure but one that most of us have been (at least in part) expecting since the launch of the iPod Touch.
 

EssentialParado

macrumors 65816
Original poster
Feb 17, 2005
1,162
48
Okay, thanks a lot guys.

I might take the suggestion of selling it. It's too small for me at 80, but I know that's plenty for other people.
 

designgeek

macrumors 65816
Jan 30, 2009
1,064
1
"Town"
It's too thick. Apple won't go backwards and add a thicker, heavier hard drive. Very few companies are spending money on R&D for 1.8" HDDs as 1.8" SSDs become very price competitive around the 64 - 128 GB mark. 1.8" 5mm HDDs only top out at 160 GB so it's not that far ahead, and given the other benefits of SSD, companies are forgetting about these tiny Hard Drives.

I guess that makes sense. It's probably too thick to put in an iPod classic as well. I wonder if those will move to flash chips as well or if that style is on it's way out.
 
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