Found this adaptor for 2016/2017 non-touch bar for ssd upgrades

[wiewiec]

Hi,

I received today my A1708,

So before I've readed briefly this thread.

As usual it is bit confussed to what adapter and SSD to get. Based by my old Air Early 2015.

So could some of you provide me a link to best adapter on the market, I saw few on my European Amazon, some have extra caps, some don't.

Other question what SSD is better by performance and compatibility factor Kioxia or Sabrent?

And last thing, draining problems are mainly OSX based? I noticed that with my old Air that Bootcamp Windows 10 was always unaffected.

Thanks for any suggestions.

 

[enplaned]

Hi,

I received today my A1708,

So before I've readed briefly this thread.

As usual it is bit confussed to what adapter and SSD to get. Based by my old Air Early 2015.

So could some of you provide me a link to best adapter on the market, I saw few on my European Amazon, some have extra caps, some don't.

Other question what SSD is better by performance and compatibility factor Kioxia or Sabrent?

And last thing, draining problems are mainly OSX based? I noticed that with my old Air that Bootcamp Windows 10 was always unaffected.

Thanks for any suggestions.

This is for a 2016 or 2017 A1708, correct? Because a 2015 Air is completely different. I assume that's your old computer (there are NVME solutions for that too, BTW) not the new one.

I just read this whole thread, and based on that if I was in your shoes I'd go with the Kioxia (formerly Toshiba) BG4 based on two recent successes. Basically, I would do what conanchihieu did (excellent post, study it carefully):

Found this adaptor for 2016/2017 non-touch bar for ssd upgrades

Hi everyone, I am a new member of this forum, and I want to share some experience with my custom SSD. After some days testing I'm very satisfied with my setup. I ordered an NFHK N-1708A adapter along with a KIOXIA BG4 2230 NVMe 256GB SSD. Here is my build: On first boot, without any OS...

forums.macrumors.com

But I would probably go for a 1TB version of the BG4, like banzai2k:

Found this adaptor for 2016/2017 non-touch bar for ssd upgrades

Since this forum helped me a lot choosing a good combination I want to send you a report: Adapter: NHFK (19€) SSD: Kioxia BG4 1TB 2230 (192€) MacOS Install: Via Bootpen & Time machine, Erase with GUID Scheme After Upgrade: - Cleared all Rams - Upgraded OS to Monterey - Installed SsdPmEnabler...

forums.macrumors.com

The BG4 in 1TB form is somewhat hard to find in North America. It's an OEM drive, generally not sold direct to consumers and it appears that Kioxia has no retail presence in North America. The BG4 is fitted to higher-end devices like Microsoft Surface, etc. North Americans may have to source it from outside the country. Example:

https://www.computeruniverse.net/en/p/90822788

But you can find Chinese sellers on Ebay selling it. E.g.

Kioxia Bg4 for sale | eBay

Get the best deals for Kioxia Bg4 at eBay.com. We have a great online selection at the lowest prices with Fast & Free shipping on many items!

www.ebay.com

If you live outside North America, it may be more straightforward to find this. I see some BG4s selling on some European Amazon sites.

One of the weaknesses of the A1708 SSD retrofit that doesn't get a lot of attention is that the space available for the original SSD is deep, but the adapter wastes that volume. Look at the first photo in conanchihieu's post and you can see that when you remove the original SSD you leave a hole. That hole is then bridged by the adapter - what it means is that the headroom for the new SSD is minimal.

Therefore, ideally you not only need a new SSD that's short but also single-sided. That's a tall order, but the BG4 meets it.

Also, both conanchihieu and banzai2k were immediately successful with their setups and report very few issues relative to everyone else, which is at least as important. Perhaps you can follow in their success. They may have hit on the perfect combination.

[BTW, you could imagine a different design for the adapter that leverages the volume of the hole that the existing adapter wastes. That adapter would have to be a lot more sophisticated than the ones we have, but might give us more flexibility as to size of SSD. Oh well.]

The existing adapter is widely available. I would go with the same NFHK adapter that these two gents did. You can get it in the US for as little as $10 delivered from Amazon:

BestPartsCom NVMe M Key 2230/2242 SSD Adapter Compatible with Late 2016- Mid 2017 13" MacBook Pro A1708 (Non-Touch Bar Model) Upgrade Adapter Card only Work for M Key SSD

BestPartsCom NVMe M Key 2230/2242 SSD Adapter Compatible with Late 2016- Mid 2017 13" MacBook Pro A1708 (Non-Touch Bar Model) Upgrade Adapter Card only Work for M Key SSD

www.amazon.com

 

[enplaned]

This looks like a 3rd party M17 I just came across:

Fledging 512GB Feather M17 PCIe NVMe Gen 3.0x4 SSD Upgrade – DIY kit & OS Included – Compatible with Apple MacBook Pro 13" A1708 2016 & 2017

Using the latest in PCIe NVMe interface technology, reach speeds of up to 2,200 MB/s read and 1,400 MB/s write. Breathe new life into the MacBook Pro you already know and love without breaking the bank.

www.amazon.com

Has anyone tried this one yet? I’ve only seen used Apple ones in this format.

If you study the pictures of the M17 carefully, it appears to be a variation of the Sabrent Rocket Nano attached to an adapter. The chips on the M17 seem to be in the same locations as those on the Rocket Nano.

A lot of the business model of Fledging seems to be based on the concepts explored in Macrumors threads, including this one and the big one on SSD retrofits for the 2013-2015 Macbook Pros:

Upgrading 2013/2014 Macbook Pro SSD to M.2 NVMe

This thread is about upgrading MacBook Airs & Macbook Pros (2013-2015) with new high speed and/or high capacity NVMe SSDs. This thread was one of the first to talk about MacBook Pro NVMe SSD upgrades on Macrumors, and was started by user "maxthackray", which we can thank and give tribute for...

forums.macrumors.com

For whatever reason, no M17 users have shared their experience here, however. That's unfortunate - be great to know how that works.

 

[bttdn]

Hi,

Finnaly i go with sk hynix BC511. The power consumption looks high for me. I tried to install SsdPMenabler.kext wich installed without problem.

Then I try to install lilu.kext and NVMEFix.kext too. But my mac not boot with lilu.kext.
Is there any info how to properly install it on MacOS 12.0.1?

My method was:

disable SIP
copy lilu.kext and nvmefix.kext to /Library/Extension
enable the extensions in system settings / security
reboot

I can see the apple logo and the progress bar at boot, but its only load the 1/3 of the progress bar than reboot.


BTW here is some performance comparison:

Original SSD:

(write speed is around 600mb/s)

With hynix bc511:
(write speed is around 1000mb/s)

I ordered this version for adapter:

UPDATE:

Finaly I installed opencore bootloader, and now both lilu, nvmefix and ssdpmenabler kext are loaded.
But strangely it looks like it make thing worse.

On the pic, the first part is the default bootloader, without any kext loaded. The second is with opencore bootloader and kexts loaded.

 

[bttdn]

Hi @kvic

I have installed SsdPmEnabler on my Macbook 14,1. I can confirm it is correctly installed with the log command, but results seem to be the same as without kext installed. Last part of the graph (from 17:22) is when kext is loaded.

I also have a Sabrent Rocket Nano 512GB Ssd with the NGFF adapter. View attachment 1828761


EDIT: After that, I tried to install Lilu 1.5.6 and NVMEfix 1.0.9 kexts the same way, copying them in /Library/Extensions both .kext and .dysm files, but after restarting MacOS won't start again. I had to go to recovery, disable SIP and then delete the files. How do you install NVMEfix??

EDIT2: After 3 hours with SsdPmEnabler battery drained about 10%, I think that more or less the same as without the kext

Best regards

Hi,

I figured out, you are not able to load Luli and nvmefix through /l/e folders. You have to install an OpenCore bootloader to do it.

What you need to do:

-Create a 200MB fat32 partition and name it something like OPENCORE
-Download opencore legacy patcher from here: https://github.com/dortania/OpenCore-Legacy-Patcher/releases (the TUI version)
-start the app and go to Patcher settings
-Allow OpenCore on native Models
-Go back to main menu, and build opencore
-Go to install opencore to USB/internal drive
-Choose your nvem and then the OPENCORE partition
-Reboot

By default (at least for me), it installs Lilu, nvmefix, and a few other kext. I disable almost everything except lilu, nvmefix and featureunlock and manually install SsdPMenabler.kext

If you want to add more kext you can do it by proper tree editor or some text editor like Atom. You have to put the kext file in /OPENCORE/OC/Kexts and edit config.plist file on the OPENCORE partition (OPENCORE/OC/config.plist)

You can boot your Mac with or without opencore, just press the option key during boot, and there you can select.

 

[cyanbaby101]

How did you guys get this gold wagon wheel piece into the hole in order to be able to put a screw into it??

 

[enplaned]

How did you guys get this gold wagon wheel piece into the hole in order to be able to put a screw into it??

Have you tried rotating the two rings anti-clockwise? Isn't the "gold wagon wheel" two pieces, one screwing into the other?

 

[cyanbaby101]

Have you tried rotating the two rings anti-clockwise? Isn't the "gold wagon wheel" two pieces, one screwing into the other?

I tried with 2 needle nose pliers and nothing happened just started stripping the groves off the wheel

 

[enplaned]

Evidence that kexts made to reduce power consumption for NVME drives installed in 2013-2015 rMBPs and 2013-2017 MBAs may also work with NVME drives in 2016-2017 A1708:

Upgrading 2013/2014 Macbook Pro SSD to M.2 NVMe

Just heads up for @kvic this might be out of thread. But i can confirm that SsdPmEnabler works fine on MacBookPro14,1 as for the SSD, am an importer and brand owner/distributor for one of the Local SSD Brand in my country, so i don't think i need to put the brand here, since it...

forums.macrumors.com

Upgrading 2013/2014 Macbook Pro SSD to M.2 NVMe

Just another heads up, after installing NVMEFix, now the idle consumption go down even lower, previously it was 0.48W (which means 0.14A) now it can go as low as 0.01W (which practically 0A)

forums.macrumors.com

If you have upgraded your A1708 to an NVME drive using an adapter, this might be helpful for you.

 

[sporkme]

Upgrading 2013/2014 Macbook Pro SSD to M.2 NVMe

Just another heads up, after installing NVMEFix, now the idle consumption go down even lower, previously it was 0.48W (which means 0.14A) now it can go as low as 0.01W (which practically 0A)

forums.macrumors.com

If you have upgraded your A1708 to an NVME drive using an adapter, this might be helpful for you.

Do you have any pointers to installing NVMeFix on a mac that has no other hackintosh-sourced stuff already installed?

 

[Yebubbleman]

OWC finally makes drives for these Macs. Seemed to take 'em a while. Good that they can be upgraded though. However, given the issues with the 2016 and 2017 2-port 13" MacBook Pros, I'm not sure I'd be keen to spend the money on upgrading them.

 

[ptfuzi]

OWC finally makes drives for these Macs. Seemed to take 'em a while. Good that they can be upgraded though. However, given the issues with the 2016 and 2017 2-port 13" MacBook Pros, I'm not sure I'd be keen to spend the money on upgrading them.

Yes I had one installed on a friend's computer.
No sleep issues or major power consumption during sleep. Will start up even on battery power, faster and with more warranty than the original one.

 

[josuku]

Hi,

I figured out, you are not able to load Luli and nvmefix through /l/e folders. You have to install an OpenCore bootloader to do it.

What you need to do:

-Create a 200MB fat32 partition and name it something like OPENCORE
-Download opencore legacy patcher from here: https://github.com/dortania/OpenCore-Legacy-Patcher/releases (the TUI version)
-start the app and go to Patcher settings
-Allow OpenCore on native Models
-Go back to main menu, and build opencore
-Go to install opencore to USB/internal drive
-Choose your nvem and then the OPENCORE partition
-Reboot

By default (at least for me), it installs Lilu, nvmefix, and a few other kext. I disable almost everything except lilu, nvmefix and featureunlock and manually install SsdPMenabler.kext

If you want to add more kext you can do it by proper tree editor or some text editor like Atom. You have to put the kext file in /OPENCORE/OC/Kexts and edit config.plist file on the OPENCORE partition (OPENCORE/OC/config.plist)

You can boot your Mac with or without opencore, just press the option key during boot, and there you can select.

Thank you! But I don't want to take risks because the SSD is almost full of data and I don't want to lose anything (yes, I also have backups, but restoring the information is so long).

I bought a second MBPro2017 with broken screen which I use as a Desktop computer connected to an external display, so now I am thinking in restore the original 128Gb in the MBPro2017 I had before, to have it working as a fully laptop without any problems (now startup on Monterrey is veeeeeeeery slow with Sabrent SSD) and to buy an external enclosure for Sabrent SSD, so I can use it in both computers, keeping music, pictures library and other stuff, which is what more storage is required in my case.

 

[cyanbaby101]

Yes it does, I used a 2TB PCI-E X4 NVME which was hard to source, you need a 2242 NVME size, Sabernt makes these.

Rocket NVMe 2242 SSD

M.2 PCIe 3.0 x4 interface. Up to 2,500/2,100 MB/s. NVMe 1.3 compliant with APST/ASPM/L1.2 power management support. Supports SMART, TRIM, and firmware updates with wide flash compatibility. Resiliency ensured through wear-leveling, bad block management, over-provisioning, ECC, RAID, etc...

www.sabrent.com

They also have the 2242 size in 512 and 1TB on amazon. Zero issues with sleep or anything else. I did have to drill out the second nvme stand so this fit, but it was extremely easy. This also worked with 2242 AND 2220 size M.2 drive, but the speed was drastically slower. The rocket i tossed in is the same speed as the old one.

I just installed this same setup. It boots into OSX on the first power up. But then when I reboot it stays on "?" symbol. I try recovery mode and SSD fails to be present in disk utility. I took out the SSD and reinstalled it. Same thing. Boots into OSX on the first boot up, then the ssd vanishes again. Any ideas??

 

[bttdn]

How did you guys get this gold wagon wheel piece into the hole in order to be able to put a screw into it??

Hi,

You don't have to put the ring inside the hole. On the SSD there is a hole which is open on one side. You have to put the ring on there and screw it from the bottom

 

[otosan]

I just installed this same setup. It boots into OSX on the first power up. But then when I reboot it stays on "?" symbol. I try recovery mode and SSD fails to be present in disk utility. I took out the SSD and reinstalled it. Same thing. Boots into OSX on the first boot up, then the ssd vanishes again. Any ideas??

What you need is another NVME SSD that are not Sabrent. It's controller/firmware issue.

Easy mitigation is : DONT reboot. Shutdown instead. It will boot just fine as long as it's not a reboot.

 

[Hockeydude1]

Hello i tried using a BC711 and it has windows 11 installed on it boots to windows screen ive tried to wipe it in windows to no avail reinstalls the windows OS when booting in MAC internet recovery mode it doesnt show the BC711 under available Disks
Any recommendations to get it show up in disk utility so i can erase and reinstall Mac OS or Is BC711 not supported like the samsung p991

 

[otosan]

Hello i tried using a BC711 and it has windows 11 installed on it boots to windows screen ive tried to wipe it in windows to no avail reinstalls the windows OS when booting in MAC internet recovery mode it doesnt show the BC711 under available Disks
Any recommendations to get it show up in disk utility so i can erase and reinstall Mac OS or Is BC711 not supported like the samsung p991

by saying to no avail, what did you tried in windows ? plug it as external and wipe ? (this should work)

as for on mac, you need internet recovery with OS version of high sierra or higher to make the BC711 appear in Disk Utility.

 

[otosan]

Just a heads up for everyone who plan to get Kioxia BG4 SSD for their A1708,

there's an issue with it's firmware that won't let you use BigSur or Monterey, specifically, it can't handle a new "Volume Group" structure used by BigSur & Monterey that placed inside an APFS Container. Everytime the system try to create a new volume inside the container, the SSD will then ejecting itself.

Both duplication and fresh install won't work. So, no, superduper, CCC or manual ASR (and even 'dd' command) won't make it work.

It can work just fine with Mojave and Catalina though, since this version doesn't use Volume Group.

The Kioxia in talk is KBG40ZNT (2242 form) & KBG40ZNS (2230 form) ,

some with a firmware upgrade might find themself luckier. But i've tried updating firmware for one of the sample i have, and it still can't handle BigSur/Monterey partition scheme.

If any of you already using one of this ssd and still on Mojave/Catalina : STAY WHERE YOU ARE, else you risk data loss trying to upgrade the OS.

 

[otosan]

One of the best SSD you can find in the market with decent price as well ($65 - 500GB)

Kioxia Exceria Plus G2

Controller :
Toshiba TC58NC1201GST
[Rebranded Phison E12S]

NAND :
Toshiba 96-Layer 3D TLC

DRAM :
2 GB SKHynix DDR4-2666

 

[symar]

One of the best SSD you can find in the market with decent price as well ($65 - 500GB)

Kioxia Exceria Plus G2

Controller :
Toshiba TC58NC1201GST
[Rebranded Phison E12S]

NAND :
Toshiba 96-Layer 3D TLC

DRAM :
2 GB SKHynix DDR4-2666

Hi otosan,

I'm confused: this model is M.2 2280, which would not fit into a MBP 2017 NoTouchBar / A1708 without prying hard and relying on duct tape?

I thought the no-brainer choice was the Kioxia G4 but you warned right above about the firmware incompatibility with the latest macOS :-/

Sooo... As of Dec2022, what would be the default choice for 512Gb or 1024Gb, M.2 2242 (with a rebranded Phison controller to avoid the Kext dance and keep the Amps down) for a lovely A1708?

Thanks for the guidance!

 

[Grubster]

OWC finally makes drives for these Macs. Seemed to take 'em a while. Good that they can be upgraded though. However, given the issues with the 2016 and 2017 2-port 13" MacBook Pros, I'm not sure I'd be keen to spend the money on upgrading them.

Hi, curious, what is everyones opinion of the OWC vs Stock drive for these machines? I've been buying, refurbishing and flipping the A1708 all year, have had MANY, and my belief is these are GREAT machines, easy to work on. I can change the battery in about 40 minutes, update the SSD, replace Keycaps very easy. I know that some experienced LCD issues, but i've had more than 15, and only 1 with LCD Stage light issue.

Any time i've had a bad SSD, which was a couple, which i knew about, I just buy an OEM tested SSD from E-bay. typically ~25-30 for 128, 40-50 for 256 and 80-100 for 512SSD. Since I typically flip them I don't want any compatibility issues.

But, now that I see OWC has them, what are the main spec\performance differences? I always thought the stock was NVME, but obviously, being 5 years old, probably not the fastest. I've used these machines for work, and typically had a 16gb model, and the performance was always more the adequate for me.

Thanks! I've got another one coming in this week with a 128 ssd, so I might want to bump it up, thanks!

 

[kingjhua]

Yes I had one installed on a friend's computer.
No sleep issues or major power consumption during sleep. Will start up even on battery power, faster and with more warranty than the original one.

Just plug and play and ready to go? Interested to try the OWC and half to know it’ll function like normal. Power consumption during sleep is very bad with an aftermarket SSD.

 

[smoothbit]

I've had a 2TB Sabrent SSD installed in my 2017 MacBook Pro (running macOS 12.6.2) for two years now, using this adapter card, and while it was fast and behaved normally at the start, it now takes ~30 minutes to boot up and sometimes freezes completely during use 😕

Does anyone have any ideas of why this might be happening? And what I can do to solve it? I've already tried reseting the NVRAM and SMC, and rebuilding the kextcache, none of that helped.

 

[Yebubbleman]

Hi, curious, what is everyones opinion of the OWC vs Stock drive for these machines? I've been buying, refurbishing and flipping the A1708 all year, have had MANY, and my belief is these are GREAT machines, easy to work on. I can change the battery in about 40 minutes, update the SSD, replace Keycaps very easy. I know that some experienced LCD issues, but i've had more than 15, and only 1 with LCD Stage light issue.

Any time i've had a bad SSD, which was a couple, which i knew about, I just buy an OEM tested SSD from E-bay. typically ~25-30 for 128, 40-50 for 256 and 80-100 for 512SSD. Since I typically flip them I don't want any compatibility issues.

But, now that I see OWC has them, what are the main spec\performance differences? I always thought the stock was NVME, but obviously, being 5 years old, probably not the fastest. I've used these machines for work, and typically had a 16gb model, and the performance was always more the adequate for me.

Thanks! I've got another one coming in this week with a 128 ssd, so I might want to bump it up, thanks!

I've never bought this particular drive. I've also never owned either 2-port/Physical-Function-Keys model of 2016 or 2017 13-inch MacBook Pro that the drive would go in, so I cannot say. I CAN say that I've never had issues with OWC drives before, but I know that others have. So, your mileage may vary.

I do know that you're in the minority of people that enjoy repairing those machines. Kudos to you for that alone!