Transcend 1TB JDL330 JetDrive Lite 330 Expansion Card for MacBook Pro 2021 up to 95/75 MB/s TS1TJDL330

This is not my first of these - I previously owned the 128Gb model, but after realising that it was just too small, I upgraded to the 256Gb model, which is (obviously) twice the size. Speed on my 2015 13" macbook pro is very good considering it's essentially a cut down sd card. Blackmagic speed test rates it around 35MB/s write and an impressive 90MB/s read (see screenshot). Clearly not in SSD territory, but good enough to work well as a storage drive. I store most of my Steam library on it and games load quickly and take up no space on my internal drive. I used the software that comes with it initially to unmount the drive when sleeping and re-mount when waking, but I was having issues with battery drain, so I switched to using Jettison, which seems to drain the battery less. I do still experience a certain amount of battery drain (quite variable), but it's possible this is not due to the drive. A much much cheaper option that a) upgrading the SSD or b) buying a new macbook! Also much handier than an external ssd (been there too) - mine had a habit of getting knocked and dismounting. Only slight annoyance is that obviously you lose the sd card slot - easily remedied by buying an external USB3 card reader for a few pounds.

This card is slow but I do not need it for speed. I love how once in you can forget it's there as it's flush to the side of your Mac. A great way of extending your storage . Strange how not more of these are made by other companies.

Had a Nifty minidrive before, but they have had so many problems with the 2012/2013 15" Macbook Pro Retinas. Just wasn't reliable and kept unmounting itself and tried various things like bits of tape etc to get it to stay in place, with no joy. Nifty no longer sell for the 15" retina so must be having issues with the design. Saw this and liked the fact it states the Transcend JetDrive Lite 350 model is for the 2012 and 2013 15" Retina Macbooks. Slide in to the SD card nicely and mounted straight away. It's nearly flush in my Mid 2012 Retina. Sticks out about 2mm's. The nifty has a nice little cut away and removal key for easy removal from the slot. This doesn't have anything like that. Wondering if it's a patent issue with Nifty as it really should and removing this thing isn't going to be fun without some decent nails or tweezers to get a grip. So hence 4 stars over 5. *Update* Dropped to 3 stars as found speed of access having moved my iTunes media library to this card made the whole iTunes program run extremely slowly and unresponsively. Moved library back to the built in SSD and will have to re-think what to use this extra 128GB of storage for now... **Update 2** Increased back to 4 stars as after formatting to Mac OS Extended (Journaled) the performance greatly increased and it's very usable. So much so I have now upgraded to the 256GB Version. Great drive. Only slight gripe is it's awkward to remove if you have short fingernails like me.

Having eyed up this product for several months, and with my Macbook HDD rapidly decreasing, I took the plunge and nought it. I'm extremely happy I did, now that I've moved my applications and pictures/movies (most were on an external HDD anyway), I've got plenty of free space so that I can run programmes without the fear of using up all my system memory. I've not noticed any slowness in applications, but instead an increase in the speed my Macbook operates. I'm concerned at the longevity of the device; however, I've had no reasons to worry yet. It fits flush to the Macbook, and I've had no issues with it not being recognised, or becoming dislodged in transit. If, like me, you have a new Macbook with limited internal HDD space, this product is a fantastically simple way of extending storage.

failed on me over and over again. useless. was great at first but lost all my data now.

I've had my original 1Tb one for 2 years now. Still working without an issue. Sometimes the speed transfer can be an issue if watching movie files from it but not enough to really be annoyed with it. Would 100% recommend. Have been checking every so often to see if they release one with more storage so I can upgrade .

I had the smaller version of this before (with no problems over the 2-3 years I'd been using it) , and as it was almost full I decided to upgrade to the larger one. And the price had come down since I last looked. These cards are very easy to use, and once plugged in I tend to forget that it's there. Obviously data access isn't as quick as the built in drive, but something like this is (IMO) really for storing less frequently used files. The card is fairly easy to remove when you want to change cards or use the port for something else, but I don't think that is something one would do very often. An excellent product.

After a week of using this SD card, I find myself in a love-hate relationship. Let's dive into the specifics. The Pain Points: Download Issues: Initially, file downloads were a headache, with constant corruption necessitating re-checks after completion. Switching to APFS did alleviate some of these concerns, but not all. Playback Frustration: Surprisingly, even a lightweight 236MB video file struggles to play smoothly. Playback freezes every 10-15 minutes, transforming the experience into an exercise in patience. UHS-I Limitations: It is a UHS-I rather than card UHS-II, its sluggish performance leaves much to be desired. This card really should be UHS-II, especially considering its inability to handle even moderate file sizes without freezing hiccups. Addressing the Woes: In an attempt to salvage the situation, I switched the card's file format to APFS, hoping for a magic fix. While this resolved some of the download issues, it unfortunately failed to rescue the card from its playback struggles. Root Cause Analysis: Upon closer inspection, the underlying problem seems to be the limited speeds of UHS-I. The slow data transfer rates hinder both download processes and smooth video playback. It's clear now that the card's UHS-I designation is a bottleneck, preventing it from delivering the performance required for seamless file handling. Conclusion: In hindsight, the SD card's inability to keep up with even basic demands makes it difficult to recommend. While the switch to APFS improved the download scenario, persistent playback issues and the evident bottleneck of UHS-I speeds make it clear that this card falls short of expectations. For those seeking reliable and swift performance, exploring alternatives with UHS-II compatibility might be the more prudent choice. If you're just going to use it for file storage that you don't access often then this might be okay.