PCIe-based flash storage

Can the PCIe-based flash storage in the new Macbook pros be changed out?

Apparently it can. However there are no 3rd party options just yet.
OWC are working on one and have this great buying guid for the new MacBook Pro range.
http://blog.macsales.com/20816-owcs-definitive-quick-guide-to-making-the-most-of -2013-macbook-pro-with-retina-display

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Is the "512GB PCIe-based Flash Storage" on the new mac worth the extra cost? I am comparing with a refurb with better specs (faster CPU, larger hard drive) and from what I undersand the PCIe flash storage is the big differentiator in cost.

hello - i am considering two macbook pros
NEW - http://store.apple.com/us/buy-mac/macbook-pro?product=ME294LL/A&step=config#
REFURB - http://store.apple.com/us/product/G0ML1LL/A/refurbished-macbook-pro-27ghz-quad-c ore-intel-i7-with-retina-display
The refurb actually has a faster processor and a larger hard drive. From what I understand, the big difference in cost is the new macbook pro contains "512GB PCIe-based Flash Storage" versus the refurb "768GB Flash Storage".
Is the PCIe flash storage really worth the extra cost (and smaller size)?
PS - Also I believe the brand new one has 2 GB graphics memory as opposed to 1 GB graphics memory. I don't really care about that as much as I won't be doing a lot of video editing or gaming.

RestonManJavaLuver wrote:
Is she wrong - are these actually going to people's homes, being used, then returned and resold?
Some are some are not. Otherwise Apple has a ton of Mac's sitting around that have been returned by customers under their 14 day No Questions Asked return policy.
But they not just Returned and Resold. They go back to Apple, checked out (Tested) any parts that are not up to spec replaced and then repackaged in a plain white box to be sold as refurbs.

How to buy the 1TB PCIe-based Flash Storage ?

Hi,
I own a MacBook Pro retina 2012/2013 with 256GB ssd,
I want to upgrade to the new 1TB PCIe-based Flash Storage.
I tried talking to apple support and was told they wont upgrade my macbook.
And that i should buy the SSD as a stand alone part and install it myself.
I have no problem installing it myself but I cant find it as a stand alone product.
The guy in support told me I can get it in the apple store. I went there and they dont sell it.
Anyone have the same problem?
Thanks

I want to upgrade to the new 1TB PCIe-based Flash Storage.
Honestly, do you NEED 1tb SSD?
You need to change the premise of your SSD use.
see here:
Your Solid State Drive and having enough space inside your Macbook Air & Pro
Solid State Drive usage premise, or the “more space / upgrade SSD” question
There have been questions posed and positions taken by many people who are trying to use their Macbook Air or Pro’s solid state drive (SSD) as a mass media storage device, for either pictures, videos, massive music collections or all three combined; but this should not be the working premise of a ‘limited’ SSD and its use.
In which, it’s the case of those users with either 128GB, 256GB, or even 512GB of internal SSD space, that have or are running “out of space”, that questions are raised. The immediate premise of some users can sometimes be “(how to / if) upgrading my SSD” when in fact in nearly all instances another approach is the logical and sensible one that needs to be looked into and exercised.
Any Macbook containing a SSD should be idealized as a ‘working platform’ notebook containing all your applications, documents, and weekly or bi-weekly necessary files. All collections of media files such as pictures, music, and videos, unless directly needed should be kept off the notebook and on an external hard drive or likewise. While the ‘working platform’ premise is also the case with larger internal conventional hard drives of 1TB+, its implementation isn't as critical except in terms of data protection.
Realistically, you should at most coordinate roughly 20 to 25% of your total SSD space to all audio-video personal use media (picture / music / video collections), leaving the remaining amount on an external HD.
Nobody should consider any notebook a data storage device at any time under any circumstance, rather a data creation, sending, and manipulation device; and in the case of a SSD, this is more important for purposes of having sufficient working space on the SSD and reducing SSD ‘bloat’ in which cases someone is wrongly attempting to use the SSD space as a large media storage nexus.
The rare exception to the collective usage and premise of SSD use in which a much larger SSD is truly needed are for those in video and photography professions that require both the extremely fast speeds of the SSD and the onboard storage for large and or many video and photography files. However this also falls under the premise of a ‘working platform’ for such peoples rather than the intent of many who are using the SSD as passive and static data storage for media files very infrequently needed or accessed.
All on-notebook data collections should be logically approached as to necessity, and evaluated as to whether it is active or passive data that likely doesn’t need to be on the notebook, allocations of space-percentages to as-needed work and use, apportioning space for your entertainment media, and questioning whether it should it be on the notebook for more than short-term consumption.
Considerations should be made in the mind of any user in differentiating the necessary system data (System hub) comprising the Mac OSX, applications, necessary documents that both must and should be on your internal SSD, and that of the users personal data (Data hub) comprising created files, pictures, music, videos, PDF files, data created or being created and otherwise, that likely unless being used soon or often should be parked on an external hard drive for consumption, or temporarily loading onto the internal SSD.
You both can and should purchase whichever SSD size you need or see fit, but even in the case of the largest of SSD, unless use-considerations are made, and SSD spaces are allocated as should be the case indicated above, one can easily and immediately run into this quandary of “needing more internal SSD space”, in which instance a different approach in usage must then be implemented.
However it is almost always the case, that such large media files are wanted to be stored internally rather than actually needed, in which case the external HD is both prudent as well as necessary. Additionally costs per MB are infinitely less on an external HD than an internal SSD in any consideration of data expansion needs.
A Professional Example
In the case of a Macbook Air or Macbook Pro Retina with ‘limited’ storage on the SSD, this distinction becomes more important in that in an ever rapidly increasing file-size world, you keep vital large media files, pics, video, PDF collections, music off your SSD and archived on external storage, for sake of the necessary room for your system to have free space to operate, store future applications and general workspace.
You should also never be put in the position of considering “deleting things” on your Macbook SSD in order to ‘make space’. This is especially what your external HD is for.
Professionals who create and import very large amounts of data have almost no change in the available space on their notebooks internal SSD because they are constantly archiving data to arrays of external or networked HD.
Or in the case of the consumer this means you keep folders for large imported or created data and you ritually offload and archive this data for safekeeping, not only to safeguard the data in case your Macbook has a SSD crash, or gets stolen, but importantly in keeping the ‘breathing room’ open for your notebook to operate, expand, create files, add applications, for your APPS to create temp files, and for general operation.
Slim USB3 1TB external hard drive
External Hard Drives
External hard drives are both extremely cheap and regardless of the size of your internal SSD (or even internal hard drive if the case), you need an external hard drive with your SSD equipped Macbook for several reasons:
1. Data backup and protection.
2. Redundancy for important data.
3. Necessitated ideal space for large media files for collections of pictures, videos, and music etc.
While ever changing in price, typical portable 2.5” external hard drives in USB3 run roughly $65 for 1TB or $120 for 2TB small portable USB3 hard drives. Such drives range in thickness between 5mm and 15mm, with recent improvements in storage of 500GB drives in 5mm profiles.
There is almost no premise in which a small 12mm thick 1 Terabyte USB hard drive cannot be taken along with any Macbook as an external large storage extension inside any Macbook carry case or pouch. Typically such external HD profiles are not much bigger than a deck of cards.
External hard drives are a foregone necessity for purchase with any Macbook for at the very least Time Machine backups, data redundancies, and ideally for large media storage.

How to read from 256GB PCIe-based flash storage

The logic board on the new 15 inch macbook pro retina is busted. I need to recover the data from my 256GB PCIe-based flash storage. Since the macbook pro doesnt boot up - there is no way for me to recover this data. It would be great if there is way to recover this data through a reader or using it as an external hard drive ?

OWC has their slimline, external Envoy enclosure for receiving the PCIe storage card from a MacBook Pro (2012 - Jan. 2013) models. In red ink, they emphasize it is not to be used for Fall 2013 or later MBP technology — so that solution is out.
Here is an iFixit guide on how to remove the PCie storage card from a 2014 MacBook Pro, in case you need to go there.
Out of town right now, so don't have access to a traditional SATA machine to test if Target Disk Mode still works with new 2014 PCIe machines.

Hard disk drive versus PCIe-based flash storage

I am trying to decide whether or not I want to get a regular MacBook Pro or a MacBook Pro with retina. I understand that the SSDs have less of a chance of failure (which is great because I've had a hard drive crash before) and that they run faster, but I don't know if I can deal with less storage space. If it's really worth it, I guess I would be able to fork over more for the higher storage SSDs, but I want to first know more about my options (ie, about how much stuff can I really fit onto each of the storage levels, does the storage amount go further on the SSDs, etc). Personal opinions are welcome! Thank you!

If your storage needs will fit on an SSD and you can afford it then it will speedup your Mac considerably.
Consider the size of your storage needs carefully. New rMBPs are not upgradable so you would need to live with the size of the SSD you would choose. How much storage do you use now on your Mac or PC? Are you planning to increase your media use (music, photos, movies)? Media is the biggest disk space usage for many users.
Personally, when I had a 128 GB SSD I was cramped. I upgrade to a Mac with a 256 GB SSD and now my 140 GB of used space fits OK. I have about 60 GB of music and photos and not much used for movies. I have a lot of old files going back a decade and half that I don’t bother to clean out because that would be a pain. My girlfriend uses only 60 GB and I plan to upgrade your machine to a 128 GB SSD. A 512 GB SSD would be wonderful but they are pricey.
On reliability: SSDs will survive shocks better but they have their own failure modes. I have had one fail in my Mac. So whichever way you go, backups are essential. Maintaining two backups is prudent.
13” rMBP prices: Purchasing at least 8 GB of RAM is prudent. If you count that in then a 256 GB SSD costs only $100 more.

What speed 1TB PCIe-based Flash Storage? in 13inch retina

I was order (pick-up 6 november) 13" 1tb 16gb and want know what speed have SSD?
or this STORE not SSD?
Thank you!

"...the drive is capable of nearly 2GB/s sustained transfer rates. "
http://9to5mac.com/2012/01/17/owc-gives-mac-pro-users-the-first-pci-express-ssd- option/

Transferring data from 750GB backup drive to new MacBook Pro with 256 Gb PCI-e flash storage?

Yesterday my late-2008 aluminium unibody MacBook died - absolutely and definitively. I've tried SMC reset multiple times to no avail. However, it served me well for almost six years and it's now time to move on. I've decided to buy a 13 inch MacBook Pro Retina with 256Gb PCI-e flash storage. Obviously, it will come with Mavericks installed as the operating system.
When it died, my MacBook was running OS X 10.8.5, the original hard drive had been replaced with a Western Digital 750GB, 7200 rpm drive of which I believe about 350GB was used. I keep two x 1Tb Lacie Rugged backup drives, each of which has both Time Machine and SuperDuper Bootable Clone backups.
My questions are these -
1.     How should I proceed to transfer my data from my external backup drives to my new MacBook Pro Retina, given the difference in storage capacity of my existing backup drives and my new MacBook Pro?
2.     I have over 32,000 photos in my iPhoto Library which, obviously, consume a big slab of disk space. I'm not sure how I go about 'quarantining' the iPhoto Library so that it doesn't use all the flash drive storage.
3.      One of the Lacie Rugged's has a 'triple interface' - i.e. USB 2, Firewire 400 and Firewire 800. The other has a USB 2 and 2 x Firewire 800 (IIRC).    The MacBook Pro Retina has two USB 3 ports and two Thunderbolt 2 ports. I want to continue to use the Lacies as my backup drives. Am I better off to use the USB ports or should I invest in a Thunderbolt to USB cable? Does it make any real difference in terms of backing up (which, in my case, doesn't have to be all that speedy).
4.     What else should I be thinking about? I know I'm bound to have overlooked the most obvious problems but can't think what they may be ...
Cheers
Tricia

Patricia Henwood wrote:
3.      One of the Lacie Rugged's has a 'triple interface' - i.e. USB 2, Firewire 400 and Firewire 800. The other has a USB 2 and 2 x Firewire 800 (IIRC).    The MacBook Pro Retina has two USB 3 ports and two Thunderbolt 2 ports. I want to continue to use the Lacies as my backup drives. Am I better off to use the USB ports or should I invest in a Thunderbolt to USB cable? Does it make any real difference in terms of backing up (which, in my case, doesn't have to be all that speedy).
USB3 is backwards compatible with USB2, so you can use the old USB cables. For faster data transfer rates, Firewire 800 would be available using this adapter:
http://store.apple.com/us/product/MD464ZM/A/apple-thunderbolt-to-firewire-adapte r
Firewire 800 is about twice as fast as USB2, theoretically.
Ciao.

What does pcle based flash storage mean

Hi
i am looking to buy the MacBook Air instead of the iPad but I do not know what 128 gb pcle flash based storage means can anybody tell me please.
also what should I get the mac air or iPad Air ?
i Do not know much about apple but love their products.
many thanks
tracey

PCIe, is a high-speed serial computer expansion bus standard that is more efficient than prior ones. Foe technical details, refer to thsi article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PCI_Express
Traceykate wrote:
i am looking to buy the MacBook Air instead of the iPad but I do not know what 128 gb pcle flash based storage means can anybody tell me please.
!28 GB refers to the capacity of the internal storage. It indicates how much data can be stored on that SSD drive.
also what should I get the mac air or iPad Air ?
Not knowing your needs and preferences, I cannot give you any meaningful advice. They both have their virtues and limitations. The MBA is more powerful and is a true notebook computer. The iPad is very compact and will be less powerful that the MBA and smaller, but also at less cost. The best option is to go to an Apple store and look at both.
Ciao.

Can PCI flash storage on the new MBPs be replaced with a HDD?

I'm looking to buy a new Macbook Pro. Apple's store has several available, all but one of which use PCI-based flash storage as opposed to SATA drives.
My question is, if I buy one of these, is it possible to swap out the flash storage drive for a hard drive, or does it use a different kind of connection? I seem to remember that the entire bus has been overhauled for these new PCI ones meaning that it's no longer as simple as simply swapping an SSD for a HDD manually.
Does anyone know if it can be done?

RestonManJavaLuver wrote:
Is she wrong - are these actually going to people's homes, being used, then returned and resold?
Some are some are not. Otherwise Apple has a ton of Mac's sitting around that have been returned by customers under their 14 day No Questions Asked return policy.
But they not just Returned and Resold. They go back to Apple, checked out (Tested) any parts that are not up to spec replaced and then repackaged in a plain white box to be sold as refurbs.

Can I upgrade my RAM/Flash Storage on my late 2013 13" retina display macbook pro?

I had just purchased my first macbook on Christmas and it came on January 3, 2014. I realized that I only had 128GB of flash storage and 4GB of RAM. Now I am wondering if I can upgrade to 8GB of ram and 256GB (for future purposes)? If so, how much will it cost? If not, what do you recommend to save/gain flash storage?

If you exchange it, the Apple Store will assist you in migrating your data. Just, obviously, make sure to ask before the actual exchange occurs. You can alternatively make a Time Machine backup of your current machine and use Set-up assistant on the new machine.
The cost of flash storage/GB is dropping rapidly, but you are so much better off exchanging it if you are still able too. Most importantly, the new PCIe based flash storage for your model has not yet surfaced outside Apple. So, currently, 1) it wouldn't make sense to perform this upgrade, 2) you can't, to my knowledge. See:
How to Upgrade Retina MacBook Pro SSD Storage (13-Inch ...

HT5446 if i order a new imac with 1tb flash is that pcie based to where i could add a 3.5 ssd and does it still have the bracket and sata cable to add one in it

if i order a new imac with 1tb flash is that pcie based to where i could add a 3.5 ssd and does it still have the bracket and sata cable to add one in it

Be advices that the newest iMac's are basically SEALED Units and taking it apart in any way, other than removing the Memory slot cover to add more RAM (That is on the 27" model. The 21.5" is completely sealed), will void the warranty on it.
Not only that but the screen is Glued to the aluminum casing and if you do pry it off with damaging it you'll need new adhesive strips to remount it.
Not worth the efford or the cost when you can buy mat any other brand computer for less money and do all the upgrading you would ever want without ever voiding the warranty or breaking something in the process.

Can the flash storage hard drives in the brand new 15inch Macbook Pro Retina Display laptops (10.22.13) be upgraded/replaced in the future?

Can the flash storage hard drives in the brand new Macbook Pro Retina Display laptops that were just released a few days ago (10.22.13) be upgraded/replaced in the future? I will need more than the basic 256GB for sample libraries using music software, among other things, but currently larger flash drives from Apple are too expensive. I ask because I'm in the process of buying one of the new 15inch Macbook Pro Retina Display laptops right now (or at least right after I get an answer to this question).
I saw in the Mac store when I started looking at the build options for ordering the Macbook Pro that under Memory it said the memory was built into the computer and therefore could not ever be replaced or upgraded in the future. So I was wondering if something similiar might be the case with the flash storage drives even though the same wasn't written under the hard drive options? If these flash drives can be replaced in the future then I would just purchase the starting 256GB drive and suffer through using connected external hard drives, as unwieldy as that would be, until there were potential replacement flash drives with larger storage capacties available on the market or through Apple for more reasonable prices. But if the hard drives in these laptops can't be replaced/upgraded I would go for the 500GB drive option (even though paying an additional $300, before taxes, for just 244GBs more storage space is absolutely outrageous no matter how great flash drives are with their read/write speeds, no moving parts to break, and lighter weight/thinner builds allowing for an overall thinner laptop). I would even go for the larger 1TB option, which is really what I need, except that costs an additional $700 which is more than enough to buy me a new 50inch, HD, flatscreen TV from a reputable brand if I were so inclined! (And yes, I understand the youth of the technology, current limits to flash drive capacities, and the reason for the high prices. I know I'm not getting bilked...)
So yeah, does anybody have an answer to this question? Can the flash hard drives in the new Macbook Pro Retina Display laptops, just released, be upgraded/replaced in the future? Any answers are greatly appreciated and will save me some much needed cash on my purchase of one of these laptops! And I should also ask, if so, can they be replaced by the laptop owner with the normal toolset through the normal, easily done methods of hard drive replacement in laptops that has been common, or would I have to bring the laptop to a Apple technician?
Thanks everybody!

The modules are proprietary. They are installed in a slot secured with a tiny screw.
macsales.com has been working on providing aftermarket modules for the older models that were on the SATA Bus.
These newer ones are likley directly on the PCIe Bus. That will take some time to develop.

What's the difference between flash storage and solid state drive in MacBook Pro?

What's the difference between MacBook Pro with flash storage and MacBook Pro with solid state drive?

A SSD is packaged like any other notebook drive. Flash storage uses a different design and layout that connects directly to the motherboard using PCIe. It is faster than a normal SSD.
SSD vs HDD: What's the Difference? | PCMag.com
what are the differences between solid state drive and flash storage ...

Which is better to upgrade...processor or flash storage?

Buying a new 2013 MBA and have already upgraded to the 8GB but didn't know if I should upgrade to the 1.7GHz or the 512GB Flash Storage....
My uses are:
-heavy email usage
-Windows Parallel for Microsoft Office usage
-LOTS of music
-LOTS of Photos and some minor photo editing
Thoughts?
I appreciate any feedback offered.
Thanks!

Well, you've opened yourself up to receiving plenty of opinions ... here's mine:
You already hit the most important upgrade by far - 8GB RAM. I would say if you're going to upgrade anything, that is the first choice.
If you think you might need more than 256GB Flash, then I think that would be second choice, based on your workload description. I don't feel exceptionally strongly about this, except to say it would be ugly if you got close to your Flash drive's capacity.

Is 256 gb flash storage enough on the retina display Mbp?

I am going to college and can't decide between the baseline 15 inch MacBook pro with 500 gb hard drive and the baseline retina display. While the speed and slender design of the retina display are certainly appealing, I am concerned that the 256 gb of flash storage will not be enough in the long run. I mean, I will not be running the entire adobe suite, but I will definitely be running the entire Microsoft office for Mac suite (word, excel, powerpoint, and outlook),as well as the adobe photoshop cs6 extended program. I will also run iTunes with a library of roughly 800 songs, as well as various apps that may exceed 30 to 40 gbs potentially. I will also store some photos and movies on there, and I am looking into getting an external hard drive to backup my computer to. So for your basic college student that will mainly be using office, surfing the web, and using iTunes, is 256 gb enough? I also am seeing a lot of complaints about defective retina display computers on the discussion boards, and I was wondering if those are making up a large portion of retina displays being sold.

It feels to me like Apple intended the Retina MBP for users who would be using cloud storage a lot more than people have in the past. For example, if your media is purchased from iTunes, it stays in the cloud instead of taking up space on your hard drive, so you don't need as much onboard storage.
I've often wondered if this was wishful thinking on Apple's part, hoping that people would start using iTunes and iCloud more, and it remains to be seen if that will be the case. I really think the Retina MBP was designed for that.
I'm not trying to discourage you from getting one. It's more like, I'm hoping these thoughts (and I may be wrong), will help you make a good decision based on your usage habits. It's an awfully large investment, after all, and one that you'll have to live with for a long time.

PCIe-based flash storage

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