Timetec 1TB Portable External SSD USB3.2 Gen2 Type C Up to 550MB/s Ultra-Light Aluminum Mini External Solid State Drive with USB C to A Cable/USB A to C Adapter for Desktops/Laptop/Mac/Mobile - Black

My macbook is brand new now!

This portable SSD meets the need. It has decent storage space, and I like that it comes with a USB C adapter in case you need to plug it into something that doesnt have a USB A port.

Most of the SSD upgrades I found for the 2012 MacBook Air consisted of an adapter that you plugged into the MacBook in which you could insert a traditional M.2 SATA SSD. I tried one of those first, and after a couple of weeks my Air wouldnt turn on at all. After reinstalling the original drive, it started working again, but I still needed the extra space. This was the best price/performance option I found that had the proprietary native interface that was only used in the 2012 MacBook Air and its worked perfectly :-)

Easy to install, software loading in recovery mode with automatic internet recovery worked well. Very happy with the purchase.

This is exactly what it says it is. A 256gb external SSD, it’s made out of a nice aluminum material that feels almost like a MacBook! It feels great and looks super high quality. For the price it’s definitely worth it. Works like a charm and has great read/ write speeds.

Ill start with the unknown first. Logevity. Who knows if this SSD is really premium or if its just a false claim. Ive never heard of Timetec before and if it was my own money being put on the line, I probably would not have given this brand a shot until others gave their 2 cents. Seeing as this is a review unit and I didnt have to pay for it, I was more than happy to see if gems can be found in the SSD space from little known companies. When you read the product description you probably noticed their claim of 530 MBps reads. If you take a look at my attached pics youll see those claims are true and a little more when connected to a SATA port on your motherboard. I did two sets of Crystal Disk Mark tests. a 64 MiB and 1 GiB test connected to SATA and the same tests connected to a USB 3.0 to SATA adapter. USB has some overhead so for the most part, its pretty much always going to be a little slower. That is until we see much higher speed devices. (10, 20, 40 Gbps) Now for the reason why this drive is as fast as it is right now. For one, its empty. When SSDs become close to full, they can slow down significantly. Especially those with SLC caching vs a DRAM cache. Whats the difference? DRAM Cache: It is a separate high speed chip on the PCB of the SSD. A DRAM chip is akin to the memory in your computer, which temporarily stores data for the purpose of accelerating processing. Also, because of this temporary storage function, many read/write processes can directly use the data in the temporary storage, which will be much faster than having to move data to DRAM. However, just like computer memory, the data will be erased automatically when the power is off. SLC Cache: It is not a separate external chip. Since it’s called Cache, it means that it is not really an SLC NAND Flash chip, but a part of the SSDs space in the TLC or QLC’s NAND Flash to simulate the SLC writing method (only 1 bit of data can be written in each Cell), which can effectively improve the read/write performance of the SSD. However, I don’t know if you have noticed the keywords, “a part of the space”? When the sequential write capacity reaches the upper limit of “a part of the space”, (meaning its too close to full) the read/write speed will drop back to the original value of TLC NAND Flash, which is much slower. For SSDs without DRAM Cache, the indicated read/write speeds are basically measured using the SLC Cache function at its optimum. (meaning an empty drive) Compared to DRAM Cache, SLC Cache is stored in TLC NAND Flash, so if it is not erased purposely, the data can be saved continuously and will not disappear due to the drive losing power. Conclusion: Should you get one? I just dont honestly know the answer to that yet. If you are on a REALLY tight budget and you are good about backing up your data, I dont see why you shouldnt give it a shot. If you arent good about backing up and you use your computer/laptop for mission critical things, well, I know all brands are imperfect and can have lemons in the lineup, but you may want to look at a very well known brand like Samsung or Crucial in that case. I will update this review as time goes on or if it prematurely dies on me.

This product is an excellent buy i am totally satisfy and reccomend this to anyone who seek to replace their memory, with this memory my system is working as brand new.

The first drive decided to brick. Couldn’t format it, nor did the computer recognize it. Manufacturer sent label to return the old drive, and they sent us a new one once they received the old drive. While the replaced drive didn’t brick transferring data, the message “there are errors on your drive, recommend scan and repair” did occur, but it did scan and repair, and so far has been working as advertised.

This is a good portable SSD but the main issue Ive been experiencing is while its connected to my PC it would randomly disconnect and reconnect making the folder for it open and cover what Im doing making it annoying. Other than that it functions how you would expect a portable SSD to with no major issues.

I installed memory to upgrade my 13in Macbook air 2012. to 256. It was very easy to do from physical install to transferring files. I used the cloud method. It has made a huge difference. Like I have a new computer. I 100% recommend, with no doubts. 15 June 2020: Update. Since installing this memory my computer seems to be running hotter. I dont know if it is another issue, or related to this part. But it started after this upgrade.