Upgrading 2013-2015 Macbook Pro SSD to M.2 NVMe

[aix2019]

Could you point out how you found out about the SOIC8 chip? I‘d like to check my 13“rMBP 2014 to see if I can avoid buying the expensive J6100 adaptor

I happen to have a PDF schematic for my laptop. It specifies a SOIC package for the SPI ROM chip (I guessed it was SOC-8 rather than SOIC-16 as that didn't change the essence of my question).

A more direct way would have been for me to open up my laptop and take a look at the chip (to see how accessible it is and what package it is), but I'm travelling and don't have the tools.
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You can extract the currently active boot ROM from your mac's on-board chip using the ROM tools from dosdude1. The first post on this page has a link. This is a software-only procedure, no hardware required.

Ah, ROMTool was the bit I was missing — thanks!

 

[09872738]

So if I've got this right, a Matt card is even useful for a 2015 15" where the user doesn't possess an original Apple SSD therefore can't update his/her bootrom when the opportunity arises due to a 3rd party drive installed?

Not quite.

There is no bootrom update provided by Apple, irrespective of SSD drive used (if anything you have to tinker yourself).

You don‘t need to upgrade the bootrom in 2015 models; using mentioned Sintech adapters you could use any NVME SSD ootb without issues.

On 2013/2014 models you can upgrade using the adapter, however, due to a bug in the NVME driver hibernation mode needs to be disabled coz it crashes the system on wake from hibernate

 

[avdo]

Not quite.

There is no bootrom update provided by Apple, irrespective of SSD drive used (if anything you have to tinker yourself).

You don‘t need to upgrade the bootrom in 2015 models; using mentioned Sintech adapters you could use any NVME SSD ootb without issues.

On 2013/2014 models you can upgrade using the adapter, however, due to a bug in the NVME driver hibernation mode needs to be disabled coz it crashes the system on wake from hibernate

Thanks for taking the time to explain that . I may be not entirely grasping the whole bootrom concept properly here but what I had assumed that was when a major update arises or any other update which automatically upgrades the bootrom, my 11,5 would stay on the current bootrom as pre-installation verification would fail due to a 3rd party drive being installed.

I also assumed that a bootrom update could potentially include improvements to the nvme driver. Again I may have gotten confused.

If this isn't correct then that's fantastic as I can finally sell on my 512gb SSD !

Thanks again for the explanation !

 

[aix2019]

I have two more questions about updating the bootroom on a 15" late-2013 rMBP:

1. Can ROMTool be used to flash the modified ROM? (On the understanding that, if things go wrong, one might have to fall back onto SPI flashing or Matt card to unbrick the machine.)
2. Is the modified bootroom backwards-compatible with the original Apple SSD? For logistical reasons I'd like to first update the ROM and then — later — move to an NVMe drive. Are there any pitfalls to be aware of?

 

[dobrink]

Basically discussing the use of Adapters, most notably the Sintech NGFF M.2 2289 PCIe Card enabling the use of standard M.2 NVME SSDs (e.g. Samsung Evo 970) in said Macbooks.

I got this, but just these recent few posts... what chips (ROM chips SOIC-8, SPI), cards (Matt card), flashing (Mac's ROM) you are discussing? What purpose do they fulfill, where to get them from and how much costs are involved ?

 

[aix2019]

I got this, but just these recent few posts... what chips (ROM chips SOIC-8, SPI), cards (Matt card), flashing (Mac's ROM) you are discussing? What purpose do they fulfill, where to get them from and how much costs are involved ?

Installing an NVMe SSD in 2013-2014 MacBooks breaks hibernation. There are two ways to fix this:

1. disable hibernation;
2. modify the boot ROM by "borrowing" a disk driver from a later MacBook model.

The boot ROM is stored in a flash chip on the logic board. On my laptop's schematic the chip is designated U6100; its programming interface (see below) is connected to a header called J6100.

The chip is programmable using SPI and — at least on some machines — has the SOIC-8 form factor.

There are several ways to reprogram a boot ROM chip:

• in software, using a program called ROMTool (as I understand it, this method does not work on 2013-2014 MacBooks);
• by connecting a custom adapter (like this one) to the J6100 header on the logic board, and connecting the adapter to an SPI programmer (such as CH341A) hooked up to a second machine (or a Raspberry Pi etc) — see Cmd+Q's most excellent guide;
• by attaching an SPI programmer directly to the chip, for example with a SOIC-8 clamp or by soldering wires to the chip leads (and removing them at the end);
• by desoldering the chip, programming it, and soldering it back.

All of these methods carry some risk of bricking the machine, which is why it is strongly recommended to keep a copy of the original boot ROM.

An alternative way to update the boot ROM is by permanently installing a tiny daughterboard (Matt card) that has its own ROM chip and overrides the ROM chip on the logic board. This has the advantage of being easily reversible: removing the card makes the system go back to its original unmodified ROM (I am not entirely clear on how a Matt card-based setup handles OSX upgrades that update the boot ROM).

Hope this clarifies things.

 

[09872738]

Installing an NVMe SSD in pre-2015 rMBPs requires updating the bootroom with a modified image.

... to get rid of the hibernation bug. Other than that NVMe SSDs still can be used.

There are other ways - like disabling hiberate - as a workaround.

Just for info...

 

[aix2019]

... to get rid of the hibernation bug. Other than that NVMe SSDs still can be used.

There are other ways - like disabling hiberate - as a workaround.

Just for info...

Thanks, I've updated my post to make it more accurate.

 

[09872738]

Did I get this correctly - there is a way to flash the boot ROM using software only (ROMTool)?

Using the search function I failed to find any documentation on how this exactly works. Could anyone provide maybe a link?

 

[dobrink]

Jesus, it all of a sudden got too pro for me, and too expensive

If I understand correctly, there are the following options:

1) use a new NVMe with $10 adapter getting the 1300/1300 speed boost, but sacrificing deep sleep.

2) use an old non-NVMe with $2.5 adapter getting the 1300/1000 speed boost, no deep sleep problems.

3) use a new m.2 SATA with $2.5 adapter, get slower 550/520 speeds, but bigger storage and no deep sleep problems. (EDIT: Audit13 claims in the next post that MBPs 2013+ cannot work with SATA drives)

4) have option 1. and go through hell of a risk and effort flashing the bootrom, but you'll have a functional deep sleep.


Does anyone here have any idea if the same applies to iMac 27" late 2013, and how the bootrom is flashed there? As far as I know, it has PCI-e 2.0 x2, which means about 700 MB/s speed limit by the motherboard.

 

[Audit13]

3) use a new m.2 SATA with $2.5 adapter, get slower 550/520 speeds, but bigger storage and no deep sleep problems.

The 2013 to 2015 MBP and MBA can not use sata drives.

Yes, the process can be nerve-wracking. Done properly, a person can get good results if the person can live with the limitations.

 

[09872738]

Disabling hibernate is no big deal really.

The battery drain is barely noticeable (less than 1 % per day in my case). I sold my 512 GB Apple/Samsung SSD on eBay for about 200 Euros, got the Sintech Adapter plus a 1 TB SSD for about the same price.

write/read speads both roughly doubled.

No bad deal at all

 

[Inge83]

Jesus, it all of a sudden got too pro for me, and too expensive

If I understand correctly, there are the following options:

1) use a new NVMe with $10 adapter getting the 1300/1300 speed boost, but sacrificing deep sleep.

2) use an old non-NVMe with $2.5 adapter getting the 1300/1000 speed boost, no deep sleep problems.

3) use a new m.2 SATA with $2.5 adapter, get slower 550/520 speeds, but bigger storage and no deep sleep problems.

4) have option 1. but go through hell of a risk and effort flashing the bootrom, but you'll have a functional deep sleep.


Does anyone here have any idea if the same applies to iMac 27" late 2013, and how the bootrom is flashed there? As far as I know, it has PCI-e 2.0 x2, which means about 700 MB/s speed limit by the motherboard.

Final edit: Forget what was here before - I was apparently mixing some things up...

 

[KaribaMac]

Sorry only have a few minutes then the computer crashes
Please see attached for the full Text

i have problems with my Mac

Thanks to you all for any help you can offer

 

[Earl Urley]

Technically, it might be possible someday to flash the BootROM on 2013/2014 rMBPs without additional hardware.

Heck, I recently upgraded a Late 2010 MacBook Air to the latest 10.13.6, and the firmware was upgraded from the old xxxMBA.xxxx.xxx format to the new format, 180.0.0.0.

Apple has a way of updating firmware, but I get the feeling it's hard to reverse engineer or modify it so that a 2013/2014 rMBP receives the 2015 BootROM, or just the necessary NVMe driver.

 

[Inge83]

I have two more questions about updating the bootroom on a 15" late-2013 rMBP:

1. Can ROMTool be used to flash the modified ROM? (On the understanding that, if things go wrong, one might have to fall back onto SPI flashing or Matt card to unbrick the machine.)
2. Is the modified bootroom backwards-compatible with the original Apple SSD? For logistical reasons I'd like to first update the ROM and then — later — move to an NVMe drive. Are there any pitfalls to be aware of?

1. I've tried that (a little half hearted) on my MBA without success. First of all, I was not able to get the mac into "Firmware Programming Mode", but I also suspect software-based flashing of modified ROMs may not work due to the missing signature of the modified firmware. I think I also read a discussion about signed firmware somewhere in the MacRumors forums, but unfortunately I don't remember exactly where.

2. I have not tried this, but I don't see any point why it should not work.

 

[Audit13]

Sorry only have a few minutes then the computer crashes
Please see attached for the full Text

i have problems with my Mac

Thanks to you all for any help you can offer

Is the MacBook running the latest bootrom? Which adapter and nvme drive are inside?

Did you perform a clean install of Mojave and apps?

Do you have crash logs?

 

[OneCrazyDJ]

sudo pmset -a hibernatemode 0 autopoweroff 0 standby 1

Loki gave me the magic settings.

Make sure screen saver is off. Uncheck everything on energy saver also. Either with battery or plugged in. You can leave automatic graphics switching on if you have dual GPU's.

Open terminal and type

sudo pmset -a hibernatemode 0 autopoweroff 0 standby 1

Haven't had a issue since.

I have a macbook pro mid 2014 15" with sintech adapter and a samsung 970 evo 2tb.

 

[jarsh]

Just want to say a HUGE thank you to all the contributors to this thread, especially gilles_polysoft. I brought my beloved 2013 MBA back to life thanks to you!

It crashed and didn't come back a couple months ago, and after some seriously hopeful research and disassembly it became clear that the SSD was dead. The price for a compatible replacement at the local Apple certified store made me look at just buying a whole new laptop, but money is tight right now and I couldn't afford either. My maxed out i7 1.7ghz/8gb/256 MBA also surprisingly compares pretty favourably to what's available, so seemed well worth saving.

After reading this thread I ordered a Kingston A1000/512gb and sintech adapter "B", and after a bit of fiddling it's working great! Instead of paying >$300 for an OWC replacement, I got an upgrade for a little over $100 all in!

gilles_polysoft, those comparison tables were just fantastic for deciding which drive to buy!

One weird thing:
I plugged in the SSD and it was recognized right away, but after restoring my Time Machine backup I kept getting an evil-looking circle with a line across it and no boot! I thought maybe I was doomed with too early of a boot ROM, but then tried a clean install of High Sierra. Here's where things get weird - I left it installing and came back to find it booted up to my Time Machine backup. Considering the High Sierra installer starts with "erasing drive" this is kinda spooky. Any ideas?? Should I trust this backup?

I feel super lucky that I upgraded to High Sierra shortly before the crash! I usually go a long time between OS updates after some bad experiences.

My boot ROM version is MBA61.0107.B00

Sleep issue?
One thing I would be curious to clarify, in an earlier post it was suggested that SSDs that can be formatted in 4k like the A1000 don't have the sleep issue - is this true?
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I will also try to figure why the KC1000 consumes the same power in idle and during read and write operations...
View attachment 805044

Did you find time to learn anything on this? Based on your comparison tables it looks like it would be by far the best all-round SSD if the consumption came down at idle, given its high speed performance and low consumption during read/write

 

[murrki]

Hi.

I have a Macbook Pro: mid 2014.

I bought ADATA XPG SX8200 480GB version SSD and Sintech (version B, small black) adaptor.
I update my macbook to Mojave, actual latest version in second week of january 2019.
Mac recognize the drive becouse BOOT ROM was updated too.

I install new OS from internet recovery.
Everything work great. My old disk (original APPLE 128GB) was only 2 lines PCIE bus and speed was about 300MB/s Read and 600MB/s Write.
New one (ADATA) was 4 lines NVME and speed is 1300MB/s Read and 1500MB/s Write.

Great, but:

Now in sleep mode or closling a lid (hibernation mode = 3 = default), mac cant sleep!, only lock screen later a some time. Or something like that, becouse is I open a lid mac is ready for get a passwoed. No wainting and battery is DRAINING QUICKLY - the primary problem.

I try hibernation mode 25, but is issue with wakeup. Screen is with backlight, fan work, but black and mac nothing to do.
Only turned OFF "hardly" and ON again can provide this isue.

Hibernation mode 0 is useless.

I read a some webs that are some infos that this issue with hibernation mode will be repaired in next MAC OS update/version in 23 january 2019. Some guys in Apple test program confirm this.

Thanks.

 

[09872738]

How did you switch modes? Did you use the -a paramter to pmset?

 

[Audit13]

One weird thing:
I plugged in the SSD and it was recognized right away, but after restoring my Time Machine backup I kept getting an evil-looking circle with a line across it and no boot! I thought maybe I was doomed with too early of a boot ROM, but then tried a clean install of High Sierra. Here's where things get weird - I left it installing and came back to find it booted up to my Time Machine backup. Considering the High Sierra installer starts with "erasing drive" this is kinda spooky. Any ideas?? Should I trust this backup?

I feel super lucky that I upgraded to High Sierra shortly before the crash! I usually go a long time between OS updates after some bad experiences.

My boot ROM version is MBA61.0107.B00

Sleep issue?
One thing I would be curious to clarify, in an earlier post it was suggested that SSDs that can be formatted in 4k like the A1000 don't have the sleep issue - is this true?

Is the OS from the Time Machine backup running on High Sierra?

The bootrom may be out of date and causing an issue?

Formatting a drive in 4k will not solve the sleep issue. Drives that can be formatted in 4k can run Sierra, High Sierra, and Mojave; otherwise, the MacBook must run High Sierra or Mojave.

 

[jackqueenking]

Hi.

I have a Macbook Pro: mid 2014.

I bought ADATA XPG SX8200 480GB version SSD and Sintech (version B, small black) adaptor.
I update my macbook to Mojave, actual latest version in second week of january 2019.
Mac recognize the drive becouse BOOT ROM was updated too.

I install new OS from internet recovery.
Everything work great. My old disk (original APPLE 128GB) was only 2 lines PCIE bus and speed was about 300MB/s Read and 600MB/s Write.
New one (ADATA) was 4 lines NVME and speed is 1300MB/s Read and 1500MB/s Write.

Great, but:

Now in sleep mode or closling a lid (hibernation mode = 3 = default), mac cant sleep!, only lock screen later a some time. Or something like that, becouse is I open a lid mac is ready for get a passwoed. No wainting and battery is DRAINING QUICKLY - the primary problem.

I try hibernation mode 25, but is issue with wakeup. Screen is with backlight, fan work, but black and mac nothing to do.
Only turned OFF "hardly" and ON again can provide this isue.

Hibernation mode 0 is useless.

I read a some webs that are some infos that this issue with hibernation mode will be repaired in next MAC OS update/version in 23 january 2019. Some guys in Apple test program confirm this.

Thanks.

If this is true that would be amazing!!

Can you post your source? I know OSX 10.14.3 beta 3 has been released to people who take part in the beta program but I don't know if this is what will resolve the NVME driver issue.

 

[09872738]

Too bad I cannot try this - I am for now stuck with High Sierra as I am dependent on CUDA, which isn't supported by Apple's nVidia drivers.

 

[Gunmoule]

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Did you find time to learn anything on this? Based on your comparison tables it looks like it would be by far the best all-round SSD if the consumption came down at idle, given its high speed performance and low consumption during read/write

About that last part and for that particular Nvme SSD I see that Kingston provides an updated firmware on their website. It can only be updated from windows tho. I couldn't find any changelog for that firmware but it can potentially fix that kind of issue. Maybe gilles can tell us if the ssds he tested were updated, in this case latest update is E7FT04.9 on the Kingston page and in the power consumption spreadsheet he reported firmware E7FT04.6

I for now just hope some bootrom update could solve the sleep issue to save me from going with the modified bootrom + programmer way, until then I will watch closely to choose the best upgrade path.