Select ‘Backup -all files’ to make a clone. There’s a free version that will enable to clone your drive. Using Carbon Copy Cloner, select your boot drive as the target Disk and then select ‘Backup Everything’:Ĭlick ‘Clone’ and your boot disk will be created on the SSD disk. You can’t do this by hand – there are hidden files that need to be copied, so need to make what is called a ‘Clone.’ Apple’s built-in Disk Utility won’t do this so you will need an app like Carbon Copy Cloner or Super Duper. Now you need to copy your entire drive onto your SSD drive. Format the SSD Drive using disk utility.Īfter your SDD drive is plugged in you’ll need to use Disk Utility to format it – Mac OS Extended (Journaled):Ĥ. Plug the SSD into the enclosure, and then into the Mac, and it should appear on the desktop as an ‘Untitled’ drive.ģ. The external drive enclosures for normal hard disks should also work with an SSD. They are only about $20 and they look like this: Temporarily connect the new SSD Drive to your Mac.įor this you will need a cable to connect your SSD drive to your USB port. I’ve also got a Samsung EVO drive running in a 2012 Macbook pro and it’s running fine. The second place I would recommend is . If you do get a Crucial SSD you can go for the MX or BX series. When I first wrote this article a 480G SSD drive was $1579.99! (I have signed up to be an affiliate of Macsales so I get a commission if you use these links.) Last check a 1TB drive was under $400.

Just click here and you will be asked what mac you have, follow the prompts. They have a screen where you choose your macintosh computer, and it tells you which SSD drive is compatible. I have one of their OWC Mercury SSD drives in 2 of my laptops. There have been issues in the past with SSD drives and there have been some brands not working with OSX, so make sure you get a good one. I’d suggest you upgrade your entire hard drive to SSD. The difference is that an SSD drive uses RAM chips instead of a spinning hard disk to store information. SDD stands for ‘Solid State Drive.’ SSD drives are the same shape and size as a traditional drive. In terms of bang for dollar, upgrading to an SSD drive is by far the best upgrade you can do. Boot time went from 60 seconds to under 30 seconds, and applications launch instantly – no bouncing dock icon. Upgrading the boot drive on my Mac Mini to an SSD drive was by far the biggest speed enhancement I’ve experienced on any computer! The speed increase is incredible – almost hard to believe.

I have just updated it given that SSD prices have dropped dramatically in the last 3 years. This article was originally written in 2015 but it is still relevant.

Solid state backup drive for mac