Testing conducted by Apple in May 2022 using pre-production 13-inch MacBook Air systems with Apple M2, 8-core CPU, 10-core GPU and 24GB of RAM, and production MacBook Air systems with Apple M1, 8-core CPU, 8-core GPU and 16GB of RAM, all configured with 2TB SSD, as well as production 1.6GHz dual-core Intel Core i5–based MacBook Air systems with Intel UHD Graphics 617, 16GB of RAM and 1TB SSD. Final Cut Pro 10.6.2 tested using a 55-second clip with 4K Apple ProRes RAW media, at 4096x2160 resolution and 59.94 frames per second, transcoded to Apple ProRes 422. Performance tests are conducted using specific computer systems and reflect the approximate performance of MacBook Air. SSDs are a form of storage media that saves persistent data on solid-state flash memory. Unlike a hard disk drive ( HDD), an SSD has no moving parts to break or spin up or down. The M.2 SSD interface specification was originally known as the Next-Generation Form Factor, but the name was changed to M.2 (pronounced M-dot-2). M.2 SSDs are useful for someone who is building or upgrading a personal computer (PC) or laptop for use cases such as gaming, 3D animation, video editing or large file transfers. Liu, Zhiye (6 August 2019). "Toshiba Unveils XFMEXPRESS Form Factor for NVMe SSDs". Tom's Hardware . Retrieved 10 July 2022. inch MacBook Air with M2 chip is designed with the following features to reduce its environmental impact: 6

Testing conducted by Apple in April and May 2023 using pre-production 15-inch MacBook Air systems with Apple M2, 8-core CPU, 10-core GPU and 24GB of RAM, and production MacBook Air systems with Apple M1, 8-core CPU, 8-core GPU and 16GB of RAM, all configured with 2TB SSD, as well as production 1.6GHz dual-core Intel Core i5–based MacBook Air systems with Intel UHD Graphics 617, 16GB of RAM and 1TB SSD. Tested with Pixelmator Pro 3.3.2 using a 216KB image. Performance tests are conducted using specific computer systems and reflect the approximate performance of MacBook Air. L pA,mis the mean A-weighted sound pressure level measured at operator position (rounded to the nearest 1 dB). Testing was conducted by Apple in April and May 2023 using production 13-inch MacBook Air systems with Apple M2, 8-core CPU, 8-core GPU, 8GB of RAM and 256GB SSD, pre-production 15-inch MacBook Air systems with Apple M2, 8-core CPU, 10-core GPU, 8GB of RAM and 256GB SSD, as well as Intel Core i7–based PC systems with Intel Iris Xe Graphics, 16GB of RAM, 512GB SSD and the latest version of Windows 11 available at the time of testing. Bestselling 15-inch Intel Core i7 PC laptop is based on publicly available sales data over the prior 12 months. Adobe Photoshop 24.3.0 tested using the following filters and functions: select sky, oil paint, adaptive wide angle, picture frame and tree. Open source project built on macOS with Xcode 14.3 with Apple Clang 14.0.3; open source project built on Windows with Clang 14.0.6. Premiere Pro 23.3.0 tested using a 55-second clip with 4K Apple ProRes RAW media, at 4096x2160 resolution and 59.94 frames per second, transcoded to Apple ProRes 422 at 29.97 frames per second. Performance tests are conducted using specific computer systems and reflect the approximate performance of MacBook Air. Mujtaba, Hassan (2 July 2013). "Intel SSD 530 Series Arriving Next Week – Feature NGFF M.2 Interface". Wccftech . Retrieved 14 September 2013. However, the 990 Pro comes with its caveats. Its current limited capacity options might deter some, though we anticipate more choices soon. Additionally, while its price matches high-performance PS5 SSDs, it sits higher than budget-friendly SSDs like the Adata XPG SX8200. Those strictly budget-focused might consider the more affordable Samsung 980 or 970 Evo.

WD Black SN850X NVMe SSD

One last caveat to drop in before we get to our product recommendations surrounds Intel's SSD line. Intel for a while sold a family of M.2-based storage products under the brand name Optane, in two very distinct types of drive. Intel'sOptane SSDsare SSDs like any other, bootable drives that can serve as a stand-alone boot drive or as secondary storage. They were discontinued for consumers in 2021, but you may still see them around. (Incidentally, Intel ultimately sold its SSD business at the end of 2021 to SK Hynix, which has spun it off into a new Hynix subsidiary, Solidigm.) Carbon reductions are calculated against a baseline scenario: 1) No use of clean electricity for manufacturing or product use, beyond what is already available on the grid (based on regional emissions factors). 2) Apple’s carbon intensity of key materials as of 2015 (our baseline year for our 2030 product carbon neutrality goal). Carbon intensity of materials reflects use of recycled content and production technology. 3) Apple’s average mix of transportation modes (air, rail, ocean, ground) by product line across three years (fiscal years 2017 to 2019) to best capture the baseline transportation emissions of our products. Of all the M.2 SSD's on this list, the Samsung EVO Plus is the most expensive, in some cases (against XPG SX8200, for example) by a good margin. If you have the money to spend and you want the fastest SSD your PCIe 3.0 board can handle, then you can't go wrong with the Samsung EVO Plus.

M.2 is commonly referred to as an mSATA replacement, but mSATA SSDs still exist and may continue to for some time -- especially in laptop platforms that support that form factor. Because M.2 and mSATA cards are different and have different connectors, they cannot be plugged into the same devices -- meaning they both still have their use cases. Smaller-capacity 32GB and 64GB M.2 SSDs are also available for use in embedded applications or for SSD caching, but these are of marginal interest to upgraders or PC builders. Pricing on these drives ranges anywhere from 10 to 75 cents per gigabyte, and the biggest factor affecting price is the bus type of the drive. macOS is the most advanced desktop operating system in the world. And with macOS Sonoma, work and play on your Mac are even more powerful — with new ways to elevate your video presentations, boost your gaming performance, and personalize your device. But first, the shape issue. Any M.2 drive you are looking at will be labeled with a four- or five-digit number as part of its specifications or model name. It's a measurement, in millimeters: The first two numbers define the drive's width, the second two the length. An M.2 SSD is a small form factor solid-state drive ( SSD) that internally mounted storage expansion cards use. M.2 SSDs conform to a computer industry specification and are designed to enable high-performance storage in thin, power-constrained devices, such as ultrabook laptops and tablet computers. They are generally smaller than other comparable SSDs, such as the mini Serial Advanced Technology Attachment ( mSATA).M2P4S M.2 (NGFF) PCIe base SSD to PCIe ×4 Adapter". HW Tools. 14 February 2014 . Retrieved 22 June 2014. For example, M.2 modules with two notches in B and M positions use up to two PCI Express lanes and provide broader compatibility at the same time, while the M.2 modules with only one notch in the M position use up to four PCI Express lanes; both examples may also provide SATA storage devices. Similar keying applies to M.2 modules that utilize provided USB3.0 connectivity. [5] [11] [22]

The Patriot Viper VP4300 is a major contender for the best SSD crown with its impressive sequential and random speeds, fast copy operations, and low operating temperature. But most of all, this SSD is built for the long haul with a best-in-class 1000TBW endurance rating for a 1TB drive, and a 2000TBW rating for a 2TB one. Testing conducted by Apple in May 2022 using pre-production 13-inch MacBook Air systems with Apple M2, 8-core CPU, 10-core GPU and 24GB of RAM, and production MacBook Air systems with Apple M1, 8-core CPU, 8-core GPU and 16GB of RAM, all configured with 2TB SSD, as well as production 1.6GHz dual-core Intel Core i5–based MacBook Air systems with Intel UHD Graphics 617, 16GB of RAM and 1TB SSD. Tested with Pixelmator Pro 2.4.1 using a 216KB image. Performance tests are conducted using specific computer systems and reflect the approximate performance of MacBook Air. a b c d e f g h i Handy, Jim; Tanguy, Jon; May, Jaren; Akerson, David; Kim, Eden; Coughlin, Tom (20 September 2014). "SNIA Webcast: All About M.2 SSDs" (PDF). SNIA . Retrieved 15 July 2015. MicroSD cards are the smaller-sized version of SD cards and the biggest difference between the two is the form factor. They’re also more versatile since they’re often available with an SD adaptor that allows you to use microSD cards in hardware devices that only support SD cards. MicroSD cards are more commonly used to expand the storage system of smartphones, drones, gaming devices and cameras. If you're a custom PC builder with RGB-lighting fever, and have RGB-ified just about every inch and corner of your system, perk up: ADATA has brought pretty lights to the internal SSD final frontier. The XPG Spectrix S40G is the most flamboyant NVMe drive we've seen to date. With its exceptional 4K write speeds, top-notch sequential-read speeds, and respectable durability rating, ADATA makes having a top-of-the line, over-the-top SSD affordable and fun, in one fell swoop. Who It's ForAccessibility features help people with disabilities get the most out of their new MacBook Air. With built-in support for vision, hearing, mobility, and learning, you can create and do amazing things. recycled rare earth elements in the enclosure magnets, representing 46% of the rare earth elements in the device

The displays on the 14-inch and 16-inch MacBookPro have rounded corners at the top. When measured as a standard rectangular shape, the screens are 14.2 inches and 16.2 inches diagonally (actual viewable area is less).We estimate the percentage of electricity-related emissions in our manufacturing that is sourced from clean electricity by attributing to our carbon model clean energy procured by our suppliers in the prior fiscal year, based on the supplier manufacturing allocations at time of product launch. Included in this number is only clean electricity that Apple or its suppliers have procured as part of Apple’s Supplier Clean Energy Program. Generally, M.2 SSDs are 22 millimeters wide and 60 mm or 80 mm long; although, card lengths can vary. The card size is identified by a four- or five-digit number. The first two digits are the width and the remaining numbers are the length. For example, a 2260 card is 22 mm wide and 60 mm long. Longer M.2 drives usually hold more NAND chips for extra capacity. Other sizes include the following: a b Wassenberg, Paul (19 June 2013). "SATA Express: PCIe Client Storage" (PDF). SATA-IO . Retrieved 2 October 2013.