1

Weight differences of MBA with 256GB, 512GB, and 1TB SSDs?

 1 year ago
source link: https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/weight-differences-of-mba-with-256gb-512gb-and-1tb-ssds.2349454/
Go to the source link to view the article. You can view the picture content, updated content and better typesetting reading experience. If the link is broken, please click the button below to view the snapshot at that time.

Weight differences of MBA with 256GB, 512GB, and 1TB SSDs?

Saturn007

macrumors 6502a

Original poster

Jul 18, 2010
I have a vintage 2015 MacBook Air that was upgraded with a 1 TB SSD. It is noticeably heavier than a similar MBA with a 256GB SSD. Also, the weight distribution is different and it's more awkward to hold.

Anyone have a fix on how weight varies in an M1 MBA with different size SSDs?

It's a minor concern, for sure, but I just picked up my MBA was struck, once again, by how heavy it felt compared to the original!

(Hint: No need for any snarky, prosaic responses about this being de minimis. I know it is, but this is a tech forum, and little things often occupy our attention. Plus, what's little to one person might be important to others -- e.g., the tapered front edge of the real MacBook Airs vs. the squared-off, rectangular front edge of the M2 pseudo MBAs! )
Reactions: calstanford

Hey Now

macrumors regular
Apr 7, 2010
they start off the same but get heavier as the hard drive fills up. This is why many people choose low capacity hard drives for the 16” MacBook Pro as it is already a heavy machine before any data is added

BeatCrazy

macrumors 68040
Jul 20, 2011 3,539 2,363

unrigestered

macrumors member
Jun 17, 2022 M$ Headquarters

Mr.Blacky

macrumors 68000
Jul 31, 2016 1,554 2,045 Austria
You could remove single keys from the keyboard until your MacBook Air is as light as one with a 256GB SSD. 🤔

TheManOfSilver

macrumors regular
Oct 26, 2004 Canada
I mean … the OP's not wrong. It likely does weigh more.

Here's a link to specs on an NVMe SSD. The higher capacity drives are 40% heavier!

… of course that only translates to < 3g, but still! 😉

jav6454

macrumors Core
Nov 14, 2007 20,757 4,699 1 Geostationary Tower Plaza
I have a vintage 2015 MacBook Air that was upgraded with a 1 TB SSD. It is noticeably heavier than a similar MBA with a 256GB SSD. Also, the weight distribution is different and it's more awkward to hold.

Anyone have a fix on how weight varies in an M1 MBA with different size SSDs?

It's a minor concern, for sure, but I just picked up my MBA was struck, once again, by how heavy it felt compared to the original!

(Hint: No need for any snarky, prosaic responses about this being de minimis. I know it is, but this is a tech forum, and little things often occupy our attention. Plus, what's little to one person might be important to others -- e.g., the tapered front edge of the real MacBook Airs vs. the squared-off, rectangular front edge of the M2 pseudo MBAs! )
If you are being serious:
No, there is no weight differences.

BeatCrazy

macrumors 68040
Jul 20, 2011 3,539 2,363
I mean … the OP's not wrong. It likely does weigh more.

Here's a link to specs on an NVMe SSD. The higher capacity drives are 40% heavier!

… of course that only translates to < 3g, but still! 😉
So worst case, it's basically having the additional mass of one US penny inside the MacBook.

But for @Saturn007 it's "it's more awkward to hold". I'd recommend he get a job at a carnival guessing weights or similar endeavor where that level of detection can be put to good use for humanity. Or earn him enough to buy a set of barbells.

chrfr

macrumors G4
Jul 11, 2009 11,679 5,219
I have a vintage 2015 MacBook Air that was upgraded with a 1 TB SSD. It is noticeably heavier than a similar MBA with a 256GB SSD. Also, the weight distribution is different and it's more awkward to hold.
There's something else going on. The weight difference, if any, between SSDs of different capacities is imperceptible.
Reactions: dwig

fisherking

macrumors G3
Jul 16, 2010 8,960 3,259 ny somewhere
my cousin filled his 256G air with heavy metal songs, after which it took 4 of us to move his mac from his desk to the couch....

Chateaunole-du-Pape

macrumors member
May 25, 2022
I have a vintage 2015 MacBook Air that was upgraded with a 1 TB SSD. It is noticeably heavier than a similar MBA with a 256GB SSD. Also, the weight distribution is different and it's more awkward to hold.

Anyone have a fix on how weight varies in an M1 MBA with different size SSDs?

It's a minor concern, for sure, but I just picked up my MBA was struck, once again, by how heavy it felt compared to the original!

(Hint: No need for any snarky, prosaic responses about this being de minimis. I know it is, but this is a tech forum, and little things often occupy our attention. Plus, what's little to one person might be important to others -- e.g., the tapered front edge of the real MacBook Airs vs. the squared-off, rectangular front edge of the M2 pseudo MBAs! )
To me, "Air" implies light. You do realize that the M2 Air is the lightest 13" Air Apple has ever made, no? Hardly sounds like a "pseudo" Air to me.

JMacHack

macrumors 68000
Mar 16, 2017 1,959 2,403

MajorFubar

macrumors 6502a
Oct 27, 2021 1,331 Lancashire UK
I feel like I'm being 'had' responding to this, but no, the weight difference is going to be less than 5-10 grams at most, based on the weight of the extra chips on the larger models. And considering they weigh a good few pounds to start with, that's zero.

Hey Now

macrumors regular
Apr 7, 2010
Hard drive weight effect is more pronounced in windows machines due to the FAT format

mxrider88

macrumors 6502
Mar 8, 2019 Sydney, AU
If I needed it as a travel laptop I wouldn’t go with the 512..

dwig

macrumors 6502a
Jan 4, 2015 Key West FL
There's something else going on. The weight difference, if any, between SSDs of different capacities is imperceptible.
True. If there really is a weight and/or balance difference then the two "similar" MBPs aren't very similar and differ somewhere other than their SSDs. Perhaps there is a processor difference that brought along a cooling system difference which resulted in differing weights.

erikkfi

macrumors 6502
May 19, 2017 1,107
I mean … the OP's not wrong. It likely does weigh more.

Here's a link to specs on an NVMe SSD. The higher capacity drives are 40% heavier!

… of course that only translates to < 3g, but still! 😉
Hey if you're a hummingbird, 3 grams is a lot!
I have a vintage 2015 MacBook Air that was upgraded with a 1 TB SSD. It is noticeably heavier than a similar MBA with a 256GB SSD. Also, the weight distribution is different and it's more awkward to hold.

Anyone have a fix on how weight varies in an M1 MBA with different size SSDs?

It's a minor concern, for sure, but I just picked up my MBA was struck, once again, by how heavy it felt compared to the original!

(Hint: No need for any snarky, prosaic responses about this being de minimis. I know it is, but this is a tech forum, and little things often occupy our attention. Plus, what's little to one person might be important to others -- e.g., the tapered front edge of the real MacBook Airs vs. the squared-off, rectangular front edge of the M2 pseudo MBAs! )
I hope you are newest and the term “opening a door”, because everyone is stepping through it.😂😂😂

PsykX

macrumors 68000
Sep 16, 2006 1,704 1,700
With 1TB of data, your entire data can weigh 4X as much as 256GB
Reactions: GuruZac and cr2

chrfr

macrumors G4
Jul 11, 2009 11,679 5,219
True. If there really is a weight and/or balance difference then the two "similar" MBPs aren't very similar and differ somewhere other than their SSDs. Perhaps there is a processor difference that brought along a cooling system difference which resulted in differing weights.
They all got the same cooling system so it's not that either.

adrianlondon

macrumors 68040
Nov 28, 2013 3,661 4,543 Switzerland
I don't know why people are treating this thread as a joke. Weight minimisation is very important.

I have my screen on full brightness to remove as many photons from inside the display as possible.

Bobby Smallwood

macrumors member
Jan 4, 2020
Hey if you're a hummingbird, 3 grams is a lot!
Or a pot head

avichou

macrumors 65816
Sep 19, 2021 1,062
the more storage increases ,the lighter your wallet gets ,it's scientific
always remember: even 1TB is not a ton nowadays!
One TON of bytes is in the name, silly.

Too bad we can't get a 999GB drive instead: 999 GRAMS of bytes.

999 Grams weighs much, MUCH less than 1 Ton in a laptop.
Last edited: Yesterday at 3:49 PM
Hard drive weight effect is more pronounced in windows machines due to the FAT format
So Microsoft being Microsoft presumably wanted to fix that by offering drives without the FAT... choosing to call the new, improved ones ExFAT. However, because they could store bigger files than FAT drives, the Ex apparently is secretly short for Extra.

Beware the Extra Fat format... even more so on 1 TON of bytes drives.

report

Recommend

About Joyk


Aggregate valuable and interesting links.
Joyk means Joy of geeK