Other World Computing a leading zero emissions Mac and PC technology company, announced today the availability of new Aura Pro X SSDs, integrating the latest NVME, 3D MLC, and SLC NAND for superior data performance of up to 1600MB/s with exceptional power efficiencies. The Aura family of drives has always been the best way to upgrade a PCIe equipped Mac, with guaranteed compatibility and storage space to spare. Now, with up to 100% better performance, up to 16x the capacity, and with improved power efficiency for longer battery life, the new Aura Pro X line of SSDs takes performance to a brand new level. (See OWC’s entire SSD lineup here.)
Innovative, Dependable, and Designed for Mac first
Built around an advanced NVME controller, the Aura Pro X Series requires the latest Apple 10.13 ‘High-Sierra’ MacOS. All OWC SSDs fully enable the advanced features of APFS including strong encryption, copy-on-write metadata, space sharing, cloning for files and directories, snapshots, fast directory sizing, atomic safe-save primitives, and improved file system fundamentals.
Aura Pro X SSDs begin shipping later this month in capacities of 240GB to 1.0TB,. The 2.0TB capacity version is expected to ship in mid-November/Q4 2017.
Availability and Pricing
The Aura Pro X1 line debut includes:
- 240GB OWCS3DAPB4MB02 $279.99
- 480GB OWCS3DAPB4MB05 $419.99
- 1TB OWCS3DAPB4MB10 $649.99
- 2TB OWCS3DAPB4MB20 $1,279.99 (Availability expected Q4 2017)
For users who do not want to upgrade to macOS 10.13 High Sierra, the original Aura line of SSDs is still available for purchase.
The new Aura Pro X SSDs support more than 50 million Macs in the field, including:
- MacBook Air (Mid-2013 – 2017)
- MacBook Pro (Retina, Late 2013 – Mid 2015)
- Mac Pro (Late 2013)
“When we introduced our first Aura SSDs over 7 years ago, they were a groundbreaking first – and the first of many firsts for this line up. An Aura SSD upgrade is the solution that gives users appreciably more space to create and work – and extends the life and capabilities of the Mac you already have,” says Larry O’Connor, Founder and CEO of OWC. “Aura SSDs’ sizable capacity and performance boost allows users to manage and improve efficiency in their workflow, giving them the ability to store and edit vast video, photo and audio libraries, keeping that content secure and intact. At OWC, we are proud to continue the tradition of helping customers get the most out of their Macs with this new line of Aura Pro X SSDs.”
An easy DIY upgrade
Replacing the PCIe-based flash drive in a Mac can be as simple as removing a few screws. OWC’s free comprehensive video installation guides mean an OWC expert is alongside every step of the way.
Aura SSDs are designed in Austin, TX, and are backed by a 5-year warranty as well as a lifetime of free, award-winning U.S.-based support.
I have a late 2013 Retina MacBook pro and would like the 2 TB as I nearly filled my present 1 TB. However, the specifications seem to state that the 2TB really has only a little over 1 TB useable capacity. Am I misunderstanding something here?
Hi, Phil. The Aura Pro X has up to 2TB of usable capacity.
is it compatible with iMac 14.2?
Hi, the Aura Pro X supports the articles listed in the above article:
• MacBook Air (Mid-2013 – 2017)
• MacBook Pro (Retina, Late 2013 – Mid 2015)
• Mac Pro (Late 2013)
Thank you, it was strange, this post listed
The new Aura Pro X SSDs support more than 50 million Macs in the field, including:
MacBook Air (Mid-2013 – 2017)
MacBook Pro (Retina, Late 2013 – Mid 2015)
Mac mini (Late 2014)
iMac (Late 2013 – 2017)
Mac Pro (Late 2013)
in Feedly somehow.
If I get this drive, will I still be able to partition the drive and install Ubuntu and Windows?
Apparently, the Aura Pro X lost support for iMac sometime between October 17 and October 25 (https://blog.macsales.com/42697-owc-aura-pro-x-ssds-for-most-2013-later-macs-now-available). Is the 2017 iMac compatible with the Aura Pro X?
So Macbook Pro retina mid-2012 is out of the game!
SSDs have been available for those for years. They are different than these.
I see that certain machines are having problems. I have an Excelsior as my bootup in a mid 2012 tower. Can I upgrade to high sierra ? I see that the 2013’s have a lot of problems but nothing on my year.
Thank you for asking! We have not seen any problems upgrading to High Sierra on the 2012 Mac Pro with the compatible OWC Mercury Accelsior SSD.
As for the troubles seen with the 2013 MacPro, we have been working with Apple and expect a resolution soon.
Is there any news on this issue?
Yes, I’ve been waiting for years. Is Big Sur possibly going to stop my MacPro from randomly restarting?
Announcement states tht it is an NVME controller. Since other NVME SSDs are not bootable I assume there is something special with these?
“For users who do not want to upgrade to macOS 10.13 High Sierra ….” 1TB are you implying my OWC Accelsior ProQ will not be compatible with High Sierra
I have Aura 2TB upgrade on my MacPro (late 2013) and have ben unable go upgrade to High Sierra. I would like to replace my existing 2TB SSD with this one just announced which requires High Sierra. OWC should taker back my Aura 2TB SSD in trade on a new on
Hi, Kenneth. Please feel free to reach out to our customer service team for assistance.
Kenneth, I have a 4TB Aura in my MacPro 2013 and could not get 10.13 to install on it. Turns out that the MacPro needs a firmware update that the 10.13 installer performs. The way I got around it was put my old 128GB Apple SSD back in and install 10.13 on it. Then swap my Aura back in and 10.13 installed fine on it since the firmware was updated.
Does this new drive take advantage of the full 4 lane PCIe interface of the (2015) Air7,2 ?
Great question! The new Aura Pro X will take full advantage of the 4 lane PCIe interface.
Please feel free to contact our Technical Support Team if you have any further questions.
Will the new Aura Pro X be faster than the OEM (Apple) 128GB drive?
Great question! The Aura Pro X will have sustained data rates of up to 1352 MB/s Read and 1052 MB/s Write. We tested the OEM SSD from Apple with speeds right around 1350 MB/s Read and 650 MB/s write.
Your Apple readings are similar to mine; 616MB/s Write and 1438MB/s Read.
I have ordered the Aura Pro X and will post speed test results when it arrives.
This is the speed tests I got with my Early 2015 Macbook Pro:
Before
Write was 607 MB/s
Read was 1395 MB/s
After installation:
Write is 964 MB/s
Read is 1024 MB/s
Using Blackmigicdesign Disk Speed Test
Does the same test used on the Apple drive confirm the Aura Pro X numbers you have quoted as I notice in the OWC literature they are qualified with a bracketed statement (compressed data)
The same speed tests were used! Please feel free to contact our Technical Support Team if you have any further questions!
I purchased the 480 GB Aura drive last year, not thinking that this would limit my ability to upgrade to the latest Mac OS. Will there be an upgrade price or trade-in for this so that I will be able to install High Sierra?
Hi, Wayne. We are working closely with Apple and expect a resolution soon that will allow you to install High Sierra on your current Aura drive. Please feel free to contact our customer service team if you have any further questions. Thanks!
Sequential and random (IOPS) read and write speeds? How does it compare to Samsung 960 Pro?
There is no 960 Pro available for these models so you can’t really compare them accurately.
“For users who do not want to upgrade to macOS 10.13 High Sierra, the original Aura line of SSDs is still available for purchase.”. Well, this line raises doubt for those OWC users who can not upgrade to HC. Would appreciate more detailed clarification. Cheers
How could you possibly be confused?
“the Aura Pro X Series requires the latest Apple 10.13 ‘High-Sierra’ MacOS”
If you can’t upgrade to High Sierra, these won’t work. The article couldn’t be clearer.
If this supports the 2014 Mini, you should upgrade the SSD page for those.
Will there be some type of rebate or price reduction for those of us who have the original AURA drives that will not work on High Sierra?? Need to know what our fix is please.
A rebate of sorts would be appreciated, considering I bought the drive about a year ago. I am even considering the 2 TB drive….
Paul
So, will these drives support Apple File System?
All OWC SSDs fully enable the advanced features of APFS including strong encryption, copy-on-write metadata, space sharing, cloning for files and directories, snapshots, fast directory sizing, atomic safe-save primitives, and improved file system fundamentals.
So the earlier issue with Macs seeing Aura SSDs as rotational drives has been fixed?
This was emphatically not the case with OWC Aura SSDs when High Sierra was released. As an Aura owner who contacted OWC tech support about this problem I would hope to have heard something if that had changed. I haven’t seen an update on that issue. The line later in this ad copy that reads “For users who do not want to upgrade to macOS 10.13 High Sierra, the original Aura line of SSDs is still available for purchase” doesn’t fill me with hope.
It says above “For users who do not want to upgrade to macOS 10.13 High Sierra, the original Aura line of SSDs is still available for purchase.”
This means the existing Aura SSD’s can not make use of APFS yet?
Did you even read the article?
Yes…I read the article and post my question prematurely…..thumbs down to me for not reading the article before posting. ;-)
Paul