Mabook Air SSD into a 2009 27" iMac?

[Paul F.]

So, a Macbook Air at work has a keyboard that has died a "Death by coffee"... and we may write it off and replace it.
So I'm thinking, if the SSD in it (which is removable, I checked) isn't dead, is there an adapter to strap that puppy in an old 2009 27" i7 iMac that I have here that is just lacking a HD?

*Edit: It may be a 2011 iMac.... now I don't recall.

[Gareth]

Need to know the year of the MacBook Air also, as the 2010-2011, 2012, 2013-2017 have three different connectors/sizes.

[Paul F.]

The Air in question is a MacbookAir7,2, not sure which year that makes it.

[Gareth]

But 2009 and 2011 27" iMacs both appear to only use 3.5" hard drives as storage. The 2010-2011 and 2012 MBA SSDs are SATA (with "Apple" connectors"), so you could find an adapter to take them to a 2.5"/3.5" SATA connector to install in the iMac (or put it in an USB case).

The 2013-2017 MBA SSD is PCIe, so it would be harder to find a SATA adapter (if they even exist), but you could still put it in a USB case.

[GGD]

This site will give you a lot of info to help you determine if there is compatibility between them.

https://beetstech.com/blog/apple-proprie...d-upgrades

[Gareth]

Paul F. wrote:
The Air in question is a MacbookAir7,2, not sure which year that makes it.

2015 https://everymac.com/systems/apple/macbo...specs.html - so USB case is your best option.

[sekker]

Gareth wrote:
[quote=Paul F.]
The Air in question is a MacbookAir7,2, not sure which year that makes it.

2015 https://everymac.com/systems/apple/macbo...specs.html - so USB case is your best option.
I think you need something like the Envoy Pro from OWC.

https://eshop.macsales.com/item/OWC/MAU3ENPRPCI/

[Robert M]

Paul,

What is the capacity of the SSD? If it's just 128GB or 256GB, I wouldn't invest in an Envoy box for it. Too much money for an older, low-capacity drive. I'd be inclined to try thisbox first:



Robert

[Gareth]

Robert M wrote:
I'd be inclined to try thisbox first:

That's the wrong case for the SSD from a 2015 MacBook Air - it won't work. Sadly, there aren't very many economical options for the Apple PCIe SSDs.

Ah, I see the confusion, that vendor says it's a PCIe case, but it's not, because it's only compatible with the 2012 Air SSD's, which are actually SATA. But a lot of the manufacturers don't know or don't care (or assume the consumer doesn't know) that the drives are SATA.

[Robert M]

Gareth,

You sure? It lists the specific model of that MBA in the description. There is another model from the same company for other versions of the MBA. Wouldn't go with the OWC box because it's just too much money. You can buy a modern NVME M.2 SSD of similar capacity and USB 3.1 Gen 2 box for it for about the same price or just a little more than the Envoy box and it'll be a much faster drive.

Robert