How do I manually update the firmware on my 2013 MacBook Pro?

[PicklesDominic]

So I bought a Late 2013 MacBook Pro 15" dual graphics a few years back with no SSD. I think got an adapter and used my own NVME SSD. Since I updated to Big Sur, the firmware had not been updated. Still have the old bong and the old-style boot menu. System report says "System Firmware Version: 156.0.0.0.0". This mac seems to run quite slow too compared to how it ran on Catalina. Wondering if updating the firmware might help with that.



Any suggestions on how I can manually update the firmware WITHOUT buying an Apple origional SSD?

 

[rm5]

NOTE: This might not be helpful at all.

Weird issue, seems like it should automatically upgrade the firmware for you, but apparently not. Have you looked at this, https://support.apple.com/kb/dl1705?locale=en_US ?

I don't know if it will fix anything, since it explicitly says it "addresses an issue which, in rare cases, may limit the performance of the discrete graphics processor after a system wake or boot." But try installing that if you haven't already.

Also, what do you mean by the "old-style boot screen?" You mean the GRAY/OFF-WHITE one (gray apple logo on off-white background)?

 

[PicklesDominic]

My firmware looks to be more up-to-date than that link you provide, thanks though. It has the newer style boot screen (white on black) but the icons in the boot menu are the older Catalina and below style and the boot chime isn't the more modern one on the newer firmware. That being the same one the M1 Macs' use

 

[rm5]

Ok, the second part I think is normal - the boot chime can not be changed I dont think. HOWEVER, the first part about old Catalina-style boot icons seems wrong.

Have you tried fully wiping the drive and installing Big Sur?

Also, maybe that particular model just has those old boot icons. I don't have a MBP 2013 so I can't check that against yours, but maybe that is just a thing you will have to accept, I don't know.

But the thing about it running slow, maybe reinstalling would fix that.

 

[PicklesDominic]

Ok, the second part I think is normal - the boot chime can not be changed I dont think. HOWEVER, the first part about old Catalina-style boot icons seems wrong.

Have you tried fully wiping the drive and installing Big Sur?

Also, maybe that particular model just has those old boot icons. I don't have a MBP 2013 so I can't check that against yours, but maybe that is just a thing you will have to accept, I don't know.

But the thing about it running slow, maybe reinstalling would fix that.

I've seen other 2013 MBP's with the new icons and chime so idk what's up with mine. I also have a 2014 Mac mini which has the new chime and new icons. From everything I found it just hasn't updated the firmware because I don't have an original Apple SSD in it. I've installed Big Sur multiple times on this drive and on external drives and it has yet to update.

Thinking about just buying a 256GB Apple OEM drive just to install the firmware and then smacking that SSD into my Mac mini.

 

[rm5]

Yeah I did not know that putting in a non-OEM SSD would mess with the firmware. Maybe you're right - it's best to throw that SSD in the mini.

I forgot that awhile ago I came across a video about how to DOWNGRADE the firmware on a very similar MBP (I think it was a 2012 15 inch retina). I am not a programmer or computer "expert" so I don't know, but maybe you can use the same process to upgrade the firmware, but it seems stupidly difficult. Here's the video I'm talking about (again, might not be helpful)

 

[PicklesDominic]

I probably could update the firmware that way but I'm so out of touch with terminal lol especially on Ubuntu