OWC reveals Mercury Aura Pro 480GB SSD for MacBook Air

Posted on Thursday, May 05 2011 @ 22:53 CEST by Thomas De Maesschalck
OWC introduced a 480GB solid state disk for the Apple MacBook Air 2010 model:
First and only SSD upgrades for 11.1" and 13.3" models starting at $479.99 now available in four models – 180GB, 240GB, 360GB, and 480GB – with up to nearly 4X greater capacity over factory options

Uses award-winning SandForce technologies and Tier 1/Grade A NAND to deliver up to 68% faster real-world performance and up to 3.5X faster 4K random reads/writes than factory options

May 5, 2011 Woodstock, IL -- Other World Computing (OWC®) http://www.macsales.com, a leading zero emissions Mac® and PC technology company, today announced its OWC Mercury Aura™ Pro Express Solid State Drive is now shipping in an industry largest 480GB capacity for all 2010 Apple® MacBook® Air models. First announced at the 2011 Consumer Electronics Show this past January, the OWC Mercury Aura Pro Express line now offers up to 4X greater capacity and up to 68% faster real-world performance than factory available options. This new 480GB model introduction continues OWC’s position as the only aftermarket SSD manufacturer for the 2010 MacBook Air and the most comprehensive U.S. manufacturer of industry leading SandForce® processor based SSDs available today with OWC Mercury Pro brand SSD models available for nearly every Mac and PC produced over the past decade.

Four Models Starting At $479.99 MSRP
The OWC Mercury Aura Pro Express is available immediately for same day order fulfillment in four capacities compatible with all 11.1" and 13.3" 2010 MacBook Air models:

  • 180GB Mercury Aura Pro Express with 7% over provisioning & three year warranty - $479.99
  • 240GB Mercury Aura Pro Express with 7% over provisioning & three year warranty - $579.99
  • 360GB Mercury Aura Pro Express with 7% over provisioning & three year warranty - $1179.99
  • 480GB Mercury Aura Pro Express with 7% over provisioning & three year warranty - $1579.99

    For more information on the OWC Mercury Aura Pro Express line, including reseller inquires, visit: http://eshop.macsales.com/shop/SSD/OWC/Aura_Pro_Express

    More Speed, Capacity, and Options Than Factory SSD
    The OWC Mercury Aura Pro Express offers owners of and those interested in the 2010 MacBook Air models a SSD upgrade path that delivers higher performance, functionality, and reliability. With peak data rates of 275MB/s, the Mercury Aura Pro Express was benchmark test proven by The Storage Review to offer up to 68% higher speed than factory installed SSDs. The OWC Mercury Aura Pro Express is available in four sizes -180GB, 240GB, 360GB, 480GB – for more upgrade choices and nearly 4X higher data storage/backup capacity than factory SSD options when compared to 11.1" model factory options up to only 128GB and 13" model factory options up to 256GB.

    Doesn’t Slow Down With Use Like Ordinary SSDs
    Ordinary SSDs offer fast read/write performance during first initial uses, but then experience significant write speed degradation over repeated usage. Independent simulation tests conducted by leading drive performance experts like MacPerformanceGuide confirm OWC Mercury Aura Pro Express SSD’s ultra-efficient Block Management & Wear Leveling technologies are able to eliminate virtually any reduction in data transfer speeds over heavy long term usage of the drive and without dependency on less than effective OS TRIM management.

    Up To 100X Greater Data Protection
    Utilizing SandForce DuraClass™ technology, the OWC Mercury Aura Pro Express is able to provide up to 100X higher data protection than provided by ordinary SSDs as well as leading enterprise class hard disk drives. By combining the highest level of Error Correction Code (ECC) and SandForce RAISE™ (Redundant Array of Independent Silicon Elements) technology along with 7% over provisioning, the Mercury Aura Pro Express provides RAID like data protection and reliability without loss of transfer speed due to parity.


  • About the Author

    Thomas De Maesschalck

    Thomas has been messing with computer since early childhood and firmly believes the Internet is the best thing since sliced bread. Enjoys playing with new tech, is fascinated by science, and passionate about financial markets. When not behind a computer, he can be found with running shoes on or lifting heavy weights in the weight room.



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