How to Upgrade Your Macbook Pro Retina SSD Drive
When the Macbook Pro Retina came out, Apple said that this was the least repairable or upgradable computer we have ever seen. The reason for this is because they glued the battery to the case and the screen to the glass. There are a lot of things you could not replace, but there is something you can easily replace – the SSD drive. One mistake that Apple made when they shipped the MacBook Pro Retina was the SSD size. There were two models one with 128 GB and the other with 256 GB. The needs of the users did increase and upgrading one’s Macbook Pro Retina SSD drive is now a must. In this article we will go through all the steps you will need to do to replace the SSD on your MacBook Pro Retina (also applying on all Macbook Airs).
Before we go through the process of how to upgrade your Macbook pro, you should get the required info on which SSD drive is the most suitable for you. Basically, on the market, there are two right SSD choices: OWC and Transcend. Transcends offers the Jedrive 720 MacBook Pro SSD upgrade kit with a 720 GB and all the necessary tools needed to upgrade your laptop. The best one comes from OWC: the 1.0 TB Aura 6g SSD and it is the fastest and easiest to install.
As aforementioned, the MacBook Pro Retina is a sealed case, but you can easily upgrade the SSD. In addition, bare in mind that you should identify your MacBook because not all laptops have the same flash storage system. The only kits that are currently on the market are from the “Mid 2012”, “Late 2012” and “Early 2013” MacBook Pro 13 and 15 inch Retina display models. Apple has a quick guide on their website that can help identify if your model and the current operating system are compatible with the SSD drive.
After the identification process is finished, the next step is copying all the data from the old SSD to your new one. There are a lot of applications which can help you do that, such as Carbon Copy Cloner that will copy all of your data to your new SSD. The cloning data may take up hours so be patient till the next step. And now, last but not least, it is time to perform the upgrade. Compared with the data copying, the upgrade can take you up to 30 minutes which is pretty short. Get your anti-static mat, open the Laptop and go step by step like it is shown in the video bellow.
In the end, you will upgrade your MacBook Pro Retina SSD and get the extra storage will need. The process is quite easy and simple and the only thing you will need is patience and the right kit to perform the task.
