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

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The first post of this thread is a WikiPost and can be edited by anyone with the appropiate permissions. Your edits will be public.
After doing my best to go over this thread I’m leaning on the Crucial P1 since the Samsung EVO sounds problematic. I appreciate any thoughts.

Will I have to do any special 4K formatting which requires Linux or anything else? Many feedback is greatly appreciated, thanks!
 
I gave the 970 Evo plus another try and cloned the original apple to it. It boots 3/4 and then Kernel error again.
In my opinion the adapters of sintech are not compatible with the new Evo. Maybe they come up with a new version or somebody tried another manufacture...

Just found this in the amazon questions, see pictures
4B79A079-0252-4047-8E8E-EC78EDF5BF1B.png E136FC83-79DB-4CB8-8DC7-9E12B2D1E812.jpeg
 
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ApfelMac said:
I gave the 970 Evo plus another try and cloned the original apple to it. It boots 3/4 and then Kernel error again.
In my opinion the adapters of sintech are not compatible with the new Evo. Maybe they come up with a new version or somebody tried another manufacture...

Just found this in the amazon questions, see pictures
View attachment 822998 View attachment 822999
Click to expand...

I was going to go with the 970 but browsing through this thread there seems to be issues when used with Macs for some reason.
 
turbineseaplane said:
Only with the latest/newest 970 EVO Plus
The 970 EVO (non plus) works great
Click to expand...

Thanks for the info! I looking at the Crucial P1 because of the price point but it looks like the benchmarks for the 970 EVO are quite a bit better. I don’t think in real world usage I’ll notice a difference.
 
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macgeek01 said:
Thanks for the info! I looking at the Crucial P1 because of the price point but it looks like the benchmarks for the 970 EVO are quite a bit better. I don’t think in real world usage I’ll notice a difference.
Click to expand...
Correct. I tried both (in 1 TB guise) and could not tell the difference. Blackmagic speed test reported a difference of about 50 MB/s (roughly 1450 vs 1500 read, analogous write speeds).
 
Just comparing my DiskMark scores for my original Apple 1TB SSD (2015) and the EX950 2TB NVMe..

It's interesting that the Apple 1TB scores better on 4kQD32 and 4k Writes.

I keep trying to pin down why the much older and seemingly much slower in most all tests Apple 1TB SSD somehow "feels snappier" when popping around the OS and doing things.

GAnISSD.png

pEUAfdi.png
 
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I have some questions I’m hoping someone can answer.

I want to stay on Sierra for some software/hardware I have this isn’t supported on later versions of Mac OS. Is there any performance decrease with the 4K NVME sector size format that is required with Sierra?

Do you need to install High Sierra first to get the boot room update to support NVME in Sierra?

I may do the ROM flash to support hibernation at some point. Are there any good links to detailed instructions? I’ve seen some posts that go over the basics but I don’t understand the whole procedure.

Thanks!
[doublepost=1550888742][/doublepost]
turbineseaplane said:
Just comparing my DiskMark scores for my original Apple 1TB SSD (2015) and the EX950 2TB NVMe..

It's interesting that the Apple 1TB scores better on 4kQD32 and 4k Writes.

I keep trying to pin down why the much older and seemingly much slower in most all tests Apple 1TB SSD somehow "feels snappier" when popping around the OS and doing things.

GAnISSD.png

pEUAfdi.png
Click to expand...

Interested. Are the 4K benchmarks the most important for basic use as far as speed?
 
macgeek01 said:
Interested. Are the 4K benchmarks the most important for basic use as far as speed?
Click to expand...

Honestly I have no idea - just thought it was interesting that it was scoring higher in those 2 tests.

Update: I've decided to return my EX950 and keep my Apple 1TB SSD for now.

As much I enjoy "lots more storage", I don't truly "need it" right now and I'd rather be on the sidelines financially, especially since the higher benchmark scores of the EX950 quite simply didn't translate into anything noticeable in my workflow the last several days during testing.

Also - I noticed that the predecessor to the EX950, the EX920, enjoyed a very consistent stream of price reductions and deals to be had as time went along, so even if I return to an EX950 at some point, it's financially smarter to wait it out a bit and only upgrade when the extra storage space is truly needed.

Apple really does seem to do some very high quality SSD's.
I'm very impressed.
 
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Hi,
this is kind offtopic question but:

-- is it possible on MacRumors forum to search particular thread? I would like to search THIS thread for "patriot" to see if anybody try Patriot NVME in MacBooks with adapter?

Thanks!
 
kovacm said:
Hi,
this is kind offtopic question but:

-- is it possible on MacRumors forum to search particular thread? I would like to search THIS thread for "patriot" to see if anybody try Patriot NVME in MacBooks with adapter?

Thanks!
Click to expand...

Yeah when search there is checkbox to “Search this thread only”
 
Hi all,

Newbie here! I have a Mid-2014 "15 MacBook Pro (A1398 - MacbookPro11,2) and I'd like to replace the stock 256GB SSD with a compatible NVMe SSD - ideally a PCIe 2.0x4 or Pcie 3.0x4. I've been following the thread for a while now and I've seen that some people have had success with the PM961 and other Samsung/WD/Intel drives, but I haven't found a unanimous solution for upgrading a Mid-2014 "15 MacBook Pro to an NVMe drive. I'd rather go through the motions than to buy an OWC or Transcend (Overpriced POS products :mad:), so any help is greatly appreciated! More info about my machine is attached:

Thanks!
Stan
 

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stantheman2013 said:
Hi all,

Newbie here! I have a Mid-2014 "15 MacBook Pro (A1398 - MacbookPro11,2) and I'd like to replace the stock 256GB SSD with a compatible NVMe SSD - ideally a PCIe 2.0x4 or Pcie 3.0x4. I've been following the thread for a while now and I've seen that some people have had success with the PM961 and other Samsung/WD/Intel drives, but I haven't found a unanimous solution for upgrading a Mid-2014 "15 MacBook Pro to an NVMe drive. I'd rather go through the motions than to buy an OWC or Transcend (Overpriced POS products :mad:), so any help is greatly appreciated! More info about my machine is attached:

Thanks!
Stan
Click to expand...
The mid-2014 15" has pci-e 2.0 x 2 so a fast nvme drive may be under utilized.

A popular drive at the moment is the sx8200 pro.
 
troys said:
# Macrumors thanks
*Install Report*
Machine: Mid 2014 15” Macbook Pro, MacBookPro11,3
New Drive: [Adata SX8200 960GB](https://www.amazon.com/ADATA-SX8200-Gen3x4-Solid-ASX8200NP-960GT-C/dp/B07BLJF819)
Adapter: [JSER 12+16](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B073F9LDD5/ref=ppx_od_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1)
Toolkit: [RION Tech](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01I2KI1HI/ref=ppx_od_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1)

HUGE PROPS to everyone in this mega thread, I read pretty much all of it, decided on the Adata drive, purchased the above 3 items and was up an running in 15 minutes. Drive performance doubled, have had zero issues so far. A few notes.

Note 1 - I ordered both the JSER and the [Sintech Rev C](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01CWWAENG/ref=ppx_od_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1) adapters but COULD NOT get the drive to fit in the Sintech adapter, it was about 1.5mm too long. I know others have gotten the 480GB drive to fit in the Sintech Rev C, but I couldn’t get the 960GB Adata drive to fit.

Note 2 - I decided not to apply the heat shield that comes with the drive. It would have fit fine, I just opted for more airflow vs the heat shield.

Note 3 - Still need to run `sudo pmset -a standby 0 hibernatemode 0 autopoweroff 0` and test out sleep/battery issues.
Click to expand...

Thanks for this update! How has your system been running so far? Any performance issues or hiccups? I also have a Mid-2014 "15 MBP.
 
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Hi Guys,

I would like to upgrade my partners MBP ( mid 2009, 15" ).

The MBP has been a great workhorse but is very slow, and just don't have the money right now to buy a new one at the moment.

Could anyone please advise me of any upgrades to speed it up.

Thanks guys and gals
c219320853f8feace19e0b27529e0b17.jpg
4dfb73ed358b4ab3fac962b6f60323c7.jpg
 
Audit13 said:
The mid-2014 15" has pci-e 2.0 x 2 so a fast nvme drive may be under utilized.

A popular drive at the moment is the sx8200 pro.
Click to expand...

Thanks I appreciate it! I'll look into the SX8200 Pro. btw I thought that the 2014 A1398 interface was PCIe 2.0x4 but they just gave us a 2.0x2 SSD (highway robbery if this is true). I'm currently getting about 650 MB/s Read and Write and I was hoping to at least max out at ~1300 MB/s.
 
FoxFX said:
Hi Guys,

I would like to upgrade my partners MBP ( mid 2009, 15" ).

The MBP has been a great workhorse but is very slow, and just don't have the money right now to buy a new one at the moment.

Could anyone please advise me of any upgrades to speed it up.

Thanks guys and gals
c219320853f8feace19e0b27529e0b17.jpg
4dfb73ed358b4ab3fac962b6f60323c7.jpg
Click to expand...
You're in the wrong thread here (this one deals with the Retina MacBooks of Mid 2013 and younger, which have an entirely different SSD than yours). Speaking of which, do you already run it with a SSD or still with the standard hard drive?

Your RAM is already maximised, so a SSD is you only option to speed to up.

Best,
Magnus
 
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mbosse said:
You're in the wrong thread here (this one deals with the Retina MacBooks of Mid 2013 and younger, which have an entirely different SSD than yours). Speaking of which, do you already run it with a SSD or still with the standard hard drive?

Your RAM is already maximised, so a SSD is you only option to speed to up.

Best,
Magnus
Click to expand...
Cool, thanks Magnus. It still has the standard.
 
FoxFX said:
Cool, thanks Magnus. It still has the standard.
Click to expand...
Then any SSD will do a wonder to this machine - just pick one with a good price (Samsung, Crucial, Intel, Sandisk, you name it) and it will run like never before.

After you install it and migrate your data, turn on TRIM support to keep the performance over time (Apple by default only activates TRIM with their own SSDs).

Good luck,
Magnus
 
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mbosse said:
Then any SSD will do a wonder to this machine - just pick one with a good price (Samsung, Crucial, Intel, Sandisk, you name it) and it will run like never before.

After you install it and migrate your data, turn on TRIM support to keep the performance over time (Apple by default only activates TRIM with their own SSDs).

Good luck,
Magnus
Click to expand...
Awesome, thank-you so much Magnus.
 
Hi one question, is it possible to reuse the original apple ssd from macbook air early 2015 in an ICYbox eventually with adapter?
 
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