Best Ssd for Macbook Pro & Macbook – This depends on what kind of MacBook Pro it is you are using. If it was made in 2013 or earlier, you will need a SATA SSD while those using MacBook Pros made later require PCIe SSDs. There are many in each category but above we have looked at the best. Think of what capacity it is you want and choose one that suits you from the picks above and upgrades your Mac’s storage.
We’ve selected a few of our favorite drives for Macs below; for more, check out our main list of best external hard drives and our top picks for SSDs.
ROUND UP
1.Kingston 240GB A400
Pros & Cons
- Fast start up, loading and file transfers
- More reliable and durable than a hard drive
- Multiple capacities with space for applications or a hard drive replacement
2.LaCie Rugged SSD Pro
Pros & Cons
- Harness top Thunderbolt 3 speeds with the 1TB Seagate FireCuda NV Me SSD for playback/recording of up to 2800MB/s on 6K, 8K, and super so-so video
- Tackle any terrain with extreme IP67-rated water resistance, three-meter drop tolerance, two-ton car crush resistance, and dust resistance in a palm-sized external SSD Drive
- Includes a Thunderbolt 3 cable for easy connectivity with USB-C or Thunderbolt 3 on both Mac and Windows computers
- Take advantage of a one-month complimentary membership to Adobe creative cloud all apps plan for access to awesome photo and video editing apps
- Enjoy long-term peace of mind with the included five-year limited product protection plan featuring Rescue Data Recovery services
3.SanDisk SSD
Pros & Cons
- Easy upgrade for faster boot up, shutdown, application load and response (As compared to 5400 RPM SATA 2.5” hard drive; Based on published specifications and internal benchmarking tests using PCMrark vantage scores)
- Boosts burst write performance, making it ideal for typical PC workloads
- The perfect balance of performance and reliability
- Read/write speeds of up to 535MB/s/450MB/s (Based on internal testing; Performance may vary depending upon drive capacity, host device, OS and application.)
- Shock resistant for proven durability: Even if you drop your computer (Shock resistant (up to 1500G) and vibration resistant (5gRMS, 10 2000 HZ/4.9 gRMS, 7 800 HZ), temperature (from 0 degrees Celsius to 70 degrees Celsius))
- 3 year limited manufacturer warranty
- Order with your Alexa enabled device; Just ask 'Alexa, order SanDisk microSD'
- Compatible Devices: Desktop
4.Crucial MX500 1TB
Pros & Cons
- Sequential reads/writes up to 560/510 MB/s and random reads/writes up to 95K/90K on all file types
- Accelerated by Micron 3D NAND technology
- Integrated Power Loss Immunity preserves all your saved work if the power unexpectedly gets cut
- Aes 256-bit hardware-based encryption keeps data safe and secure from hackers and thieves
- Crucial 5-year limited warranty
5.480GB Premium SSD
Pros & Cons
- Unirex SSDs are compatible with laptops and desktop computers of all makes, models and operating systems, whether they're a Mac or PC. They're quick and easy to install, so you can start saving what matters as soon as possible!
- Gone are the days of Hard Drive failure! Solid State Drives are faster, more efficient, and more durable. Compared to classic Disc-based hard drives, Unirex SSDs feature no moving parts that can break, faster load times and lower temperature and power consumption.
- We have tech specialists to help you with any issues you may have regarding your product's hardware. Additionally, our SSDs can easily be formatted to any Operating System that you need; it can be set to all of the usual formats incluiding NTFS and exFAT.
- Unirex SSDs are made in Taiwan and packaged in the United States, so you can rest assured that your products are always in top condition when they arrive at your door.
- This SSD measures 2.5 in x 7mm and uses a standard 2.5" 7mm SATA connection. With sequential read speeds up to 540 MB/s and sequential write speeds up to 450 MB/s, this SSD is the perfect replacement drive for your everyday laptop.
6.SK hynix Gold P31
Pros & Cons
- Top-tier performance – Read speeds up to 3,500 MB/s and write speeds of up to 3,200 MB/s with proprietary SK hynix HYPERWRITE cache technology
- Pioneering thermal efficiency – allowing the Gold P31 to run extremely cool while being primed for performance
- 5-year warranty, superior reliability and stability – Tested and validated through 1,000 hours of HTOL (Stress Test) with MTBF reaching 1.5 million hours, up to 1,200 TBW (TeraBytes Written)
- Premium SSD powered by the global top 2 memory manufacturer, a tech leader since 1983
- Easy installation across multiple devices, pairing with our custom SK hynix edition Macrium cloning software
7.WD Blue SN550
Pros & Cons
- Product 1: Boost your system's performance with next-gen NVMe SSDs
- Product 1: Over 4 times faster than our SATA SSDs
- Product 1: Western Digital designed controller and firmware for optimized performance
- Product 1: Western Digital SSD dashboard constantly monitors the health of your SSD
- Product 2: Vengeance LPX memory is designed for high performance overclocking; The heat spreader is made of pure aluminum for faster heat dissipation, and the eight layer PCB helps manage heat and provides superior overclocking headroom
- Product 2: Compatible with Intel 100 Series, Intel 200 series, Intel 300 series, Intel X299,AMD 300 Series, AMD 400 Series
- Product 2: Compatibility tested across 100 series motherboards for reliably fast performance
- Product 2: XMP 2.0 support for trouble free, automatic overclocking. Heat Spreader: Anodized Aluminum
8.Odyson – 512GB SSUAX
Pros & Cons
- Description: 512GB SSUAX SSD (PCIe 2.0 x2)
- Compatibility: MacBookPro11,1 Late 2013 (ME864LL/A, ME866LL/A), Mid 2014 (MGX72LL/A, MGX92LL/A)
- Compatibility: MacBookPro11,2 Late 2013 (ME293LL/A), Mid 2014 (MGXA2LL/A)
- APN: 661-7010, 661-7286, 661-8139
9.ACASIS USB C
Pros & Cons
- [For Apple SSD Mobile SSD Enclosure] - USB 3.0 Type-C NVMe hard disk enclosure for MacBook Air / Pro converts the original MAC hard disk into a mobile hard disk. Only compatible with original Apple SSD. Third party SSDs (including OWC SSDs) are incompatible. ACASIS enclosure is specially designed for factory SSDs installed in Apple MacBook Air and MacBook Pro, and retina display in mid-2013 and later. SSDs are built in MacBook Air 2013-2017 and other versions.
- [Warm Tips] Not support 1 TB SSDs. The internal size of enclosure is L108mm * W32mm * H13mm. Please ensure that your SSD is suitable for it before ordering. It can only be used on Apple system computers. Data may be lost when used under Windows system. You need to duplicate multiple files to succeed.
- [5Gbps High-Speed Data Transmission] - Type C to type C 5Gbps transmission speed, measuring continuous reading and writing, and can read high-speed transmission up to 452Mb/S.
- [Simple Installation] Please push hard, it will makes a clicking sound means the ssds will be fully inserted into the PCBA card slot. Portable external memory for Apple flash SSD. Plug and play, support hot plug.
- [Aluminum Alloy Shell] - Aluminum alloy shell has the advantages of fast heat dissipation, light weight and convenient carrying.
10.Buffalo MiniStation
Pros & Cons
- Perfect for creative professionals and multimedia enthusiasts
- Time Machine compatibility
- Includes high performance USB 3.0 port
- Interface speeds up to 10 Gbps
- Thunderbolt 2 interface with cable included
- Comes formatted in HFS+ for use with Macs
- Can be formatted to NTFS for use with PCs
- TAA compliant - Made in Japan
best ssd upgrade for macbook pro
Best Ssd for Macbook Pro & Macbook – BUYER’S GUIDE
SSDs vs hard drives
Cost per gigabyte is the main stumbling block. You might pay £340 for a 1TB portable SSD, whereas a 1TB external hard drive costs around £50.
That’s 34p per gigabyte in SSD land, or 5p with a hard drive.
This is because hard drives use relatively cheap spinning platters to store data. SSDs employ NAND memory chips. They are pricier, but also faster and allow for much smaller enclosures.
If you decide in favour of hard drives, see our roundup of the best Mac hard drives.
2.5in or ultra-portable?
SSD performance varies from around 300-500MB/s read speeds all the way up to 3000MB/s, but there are three basic physical forms of SSD. And two can be considered portable.
‘Naked’ SSD boards plug directly into PCIe or SATA interfaces. These are the kind you might use to replace the SSD in a laptop, or add to a desktop. They are not really portable.
2.5in SSDs offer a mix of portability and internal use, and are the cheapest way to get a portable drive. They have a plastic casing, avoiding damage to the components, but use SATA connectors rather than USB.
You can buy an enclosure to get more protection and that all-important USB or Thunderbolt interface, or even just use a SATA-to-USB cable. We use one of these cables in the office to ferry around test files on a 2.5in SSD.
For the ultimate portable experience you need a ‘pocket’ SSD, though, not one based on 2.5in drive dimensions. These are designed to be used with USB or Thunderbolt connectors, not those found inside a Mac or MacBook.
You’ll mostly find this kind below. They are incredibly small and convenient. However, they are more expensive than 2.5in-style drives, so you may want to consider the larger type if lower spend is a top concern.
Shock-proof, and rugged?
SSDs are more durable than hard drives. They have no moving parts, and won’t be damaged if they are moved or knocked while writing data. While modern hard drives have some level of shock protection, it’s still a big issue.
You can treat an SSD pretty mean before it starts complaining.
Some portable SSDs even offer water resistance. You can also get ruggedisation in a specialised drive enclosure, if you choose to go down the 2.5in drive route.
This is a huge portability benefit. But if they are sat still all day, are SSDs more reliable than HDDs? Hard drives tend to fail mechanically. For example, the motor that spins the platters might burn out. SSDs’ memory cells age, which can lead to failure. Both kinds require specialist recovery. As ever, back up important data.
However, for our purposes, as people who occasionally have to fling drives in rucksacks and plug them in while sat in an airplane seat, SSDs are the clear winner.
Matching SSD performance to your connectors
How fast can you expect SSD file transfers to be? The top external SSDs can read and write at up to around 550MB/s.
However, to get these speeds you need a port on your Mac or MacBook that can handle this bandwidth.
If you’ve got a recent model with a Thunderbolt 3 USB-C port, you’re set. While external SSDs use USB 3.1 standards rather than Thunderbolt, the port also supports USB 3.1 Gen 1 and Gen 2, which is what we’re after.
Have an older machine with USB 3.0 or USB 2.0 ports? You’ll see some speed compromise.
USB 3.0 can hack most of an external SSD’s speed, with theoretical max of 625MB/s, or a chunk lower in real-world use. Think twice if your computer is rather old, say a 2011 MacBook Pro, and only has USB 2.0 ports. These max out at 60MB/s, which just can’t do justice to these ultra-fast SSDs. In that case, consider a hard drive instead.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much storage do I need?
Recent external SSDs tend to come in three or four capacities: 250GB, 500GB, 1TB and in some cases 2TB.
You’ll want to think carefully about the capacity you need, as the cost difference between 500GB and 1TB models is usually stark. There aren’t the same relatively minor price leaps seen in 1-4TB hard drives.
We can’t answer this one for you, but it’s a good idea to do a quick mental calculation. For example, 4K footage from a Panasonic Lumix GH4 camera eats up 4GB every five minutes. Video editors who work in 4K need a lot of storage.
WRAP UP
If you’re constantly saving documents, photos, or videos to your MacBook Pro, it’s likely to fill up quickly. Since we all depend on our computers for work, school, and entertainment, expanding your storage space is essential if you want to maximize use of your Mac. If so, a great option to free up room on your hard drive is to add a solid-state drive (SSD). An SSD is a storage device for your computer, similar to a USB— but with much more space.
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