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

[oscarxvita]

I'll update the experience of my setup here:
WITH CableCC/Chenyang Adapter:
Overall Usability: Tolerable. Only have reboot issues.
Macbook Model: Macbook Pro Mid-2015(A1398)
Adapter: CableCC (Chenyang)
SSD Model: Samsung 960 Pro 512GB
BootRom Version: MBP114.0177.B00
BootCamp: Installed, with problem rebooting and error launching BootCamp Control Panel
Kernel Panics: Rare when taped(<2 times/month). Noticeable when untaped(1~2 times/day)

High Sierra cold boot time: >30s with APFS, ~10s using JHFS+(forced os installer to install using JHFS+)
Sleep issues: NO
Reboot issues: YES, showing nothing but black screen, have to force turn off and start.
Any hiberate policy modified?: NO(Factory Default)
P.S.
I'm trying to buy a Sintech Adapter, it seems CableCC is not the 'authentic' one? I'm in china, so it should not take long for the adapter to arrive.
---
Update:
I just received my Sintech Adapter(new version), and the reboot problem is gone!
WITH Sintech: Work like a charm!
Kernel Panics: Rare
Adapter version: New (bigger version)
Reboot Issue: No
Sleep Issue: No
Tape? : You still have to tape it.

Go sintech!
Yey!

 

[xelanaiznac]

Both adapters look the same to me except one version comes with screw drivers and the other doesn't; however, neither adapter looks like the adapter I received. Mine looks like the bigger one from this post: https://forums.macrumors.com/thread...ssd-to-m-2-nvme.2034976/page-14#post-25304068

ok, can you provide the link to buy the adapter you received?
[doublepost=1509299325][/doublepost]

I'll update the experience of my setup here:
Overall Usability: OK. Only have reboot issues.
Macbook Model: Macbook Pro Mid-2015(A1398)
Adapter: CableCC
SSD Model: Samsung 960 Pro 512GB
BootRom Version: MBP114.0177.B00
BootCamp: Installed, with problem rebooting and error launching BootCamp Control Panel

High Sierra cold boot time: >30s with APFS, ~10s using JHFS+(forced os installer to install using JHFS+)
Sleep issues: NO
Reboot issues: YES, have to force turn off and start.

P.S.
I'm trying to buy a Sintech Adapter, it seems CableCC is not the 'authentic' one? I'm in china, so it should not take long for the adapter to arrive.

normal boot time for high Sierra with apfs. there are a lot of threads speaking about it. it's related to trim but, we cannot disable trim on pci express ssd. only in sata ssd.
maybe they are going to fix this in next revisions (10.13.1) or others.

regarding reboot, same behavior with MacBook Pro 15 2015
I'm using the chenyang adapter

 

[oscarxvita]

ok, can you provide the link to buy the adapter you received?
[doublepost=1509299325][/doublepost]

normal boot time for high Sierra with apfs. there are a lot of threads speaking about it. it's related to trim but, we cannot disable trim on pci express ssd. only in sata ssd.
maybe they are going to fix this in next revisions (10.13.1) or others.

regarding reboot, same behavior with MacBook Pro 15 2015
I'm using the chenyang adapter

So it is probably not a adapter issue? No work around for this now?

Solved. Switch to new adapter from sintech.

 

[xelanaiznac]

So it is probably not a adapter issue? No work around for this now?

it could be software issue, we can try to install 10.13.1 and see. I will wait for the official release

 

[Audit13]

ok, can you provide the link to buy the adapter you received?

The adapter I bought is the first link in your post for $8.99. The picture on the store website looks like the small version but I received the big (new?) version.

 

[DarkMeLo]

hi, did you order this one?
http://eshop.sintech.cn/ngff-m2-pcie-ssd-card-as-2013-2014-2015-macbook-ssd-p-1139.html

or the b version?
http://eshop.sintech.cn/ngff-m2-pcie-ssd-card-as-2013-2014-2015-macbook-ssd-p-1143.html

The adapters are the same, b version comes with screw drivers.
[doublepost=1509312405][/doublepost]

ok, can you provide the link to buy the adapter you received?
[doublepost=1509299325][/doublepost]

normal boot time for high Sierra with apfs. there are a lot of threads speaking about it. it's related to trim but, we cannot disable trim on pci express ssd. only in sata ssd.
maybe they are going to fix this in next revisions (10.13.1) or others.

regarding reboot, same behavior with MacBook Pro 15 2015
I'm using the chenyang adapter

I ordered exactly from the first link, but the bigger version arrived.

Cold boot time for my setup is around 10s. I don’t think it is normal to have 30s on a ssd.

Mid 2014 mbpr 13”
Sintech Adapter “bigger”
Samsung XP941 AHCI
High Sierra (APFS)

UPDATE:

After successfully upgrading the ssd, I have found a weird phenomenon. While trying to reinstalling the original apple ssd to format, I noticed that it does not boot. After the start up chime, the screen is black and nothing happens until I power it off. I have to hold the “option” key during the chime to load macos. Boot up then takes 30s.

However, reinstalling the XP941, it works perfectly with 10s cold boot :/.

NOTE:

For everyone having issues, PLEASE try the new adapter first from sintech. The photos look like the small version, but they will send you a bigger one.

 

[sky182]

Hi There!
Thanks to all the participants of this thread that I've been following for a few weeks now.

I also would like to share my experience with you which is similar to DarkMelo.

I received a few days ago the adapter from sintech website ( I also got the bigger version ordered now 3 weeks ago)

13" Mid 2014 Mbpr
Intel 600p 1 tb
Kapton tape.
High Sierra APFS

I set up hibernate mode 0 and standby mode 0 on first boot (without testing if I had issues with this)
So far everything works almost perfectly.
No reboot/sleep issues.
Cold boot time for me is around 30s (all startup apps launched). So I don't know if it's an issue with High Sierra?

I'll let you know if I have updates.

EDIT : I just noticed it's using pcie 2.0 x2 limiting the speed to 700 Mb in reading. Shouldn't it be pcie 2.0 x4 in Mbpr mid 2014 ?
I don't really mind about the speed anyway but just wondering if this is normal?

 

[DarkMeLo]

Hi There!
Thanks to all the participants of this thread that I've been following for a few weeks now.

I also would like to share my experience with you which is similar to DarkMelo.

I received a few days ago the adapter from sintech website ( I also got the bigger version ordered now 3 weeks ago)

13" Mid 2014 Mbpr
Intel 600p 1 tb
Kapton tape.
High Sierra APFS

I set up hibernate mode 0 and standby mode 0 on first boot (without testing if I had issues with this)
So far everything works almost perfectly.
No reboot/sleep issues.
Cold boot time for me is around 30s (all startup apps launched). So I don't know if it's an issue with High Sierra?

I'll let you know if I have updates.

EDIT : I just noticed it's using pcie 2.0 x2 limiting the speed to 700 Mb in reading. Shouldn't it be pcie 2.0 x4 in Mbpr mid 2014 ?
I don't really mind about the speed anyway but just wondering if this is normal?

Do you mind testing it out with the default pmset settings? hibernate 25 etc. I don’t have access to a nvme drive yet so I cannot find out for myself whether everything is fine with the bigger adapter. Thanks.

 

[xelanaiznac]

The adapters are the same, b version comes with screw drivers.
[doublepost=1509312405][/doublepost]
I ordered exactly from the first link, but the bigger version arrived.

Cold boot time for my setup is around 10s. I don’t think it is normal to have 30s on a ssd.

Mid 2014 mbpr 13”
Sintech Adapter “bigger”
Samsung XP941 AHCI
High Sierra (APFS)

UPDATE:

After successfully upgrading the ssd, I have found a weird phenomenon. While trying to reinstalling the original apple ssd to format, I noticed that it does not boot. After the start up chime, the screen is black and nothing happens until I power it off. I have to hold the “option” key during the chime to load macos. Boot up then takes 30s.

However, reinstalling the XP941, it works perfectly with 10s cold boot :/.

NOTE:

For everyone having issues, PLEASE try the new adapter first from sintech. The photos look like the small version, but they will send you a bigger one.

have a look at this thread.
slow boot with ssd and high Sierra (only if apfs) is common issue https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/slow-boot.2072585/page-7

just bought the adapter, I hope I will receive the bigger one. I think it will arrive in 3 weeks more or less (I live in Italy)

 

[User9]

Hi There!
Thanks to all the participants of this thread that I've been following for a few weeks now.

I also would like to share my experience with you which is similar to DarkMelo.

I received a few days ago the adapter from sintech website ( I also got the bigger version ordered now 3 weeks ago)

13" Mid 2014 Mbpr
Intel 600p 1 tb
Kapton tape.
High Sierra APFS

I set up hibernate mode 0 and standby mode 0 on first boot (without testing if I had issues with this)
So far everything works almost perfectly.
No reboot/sleep issues.
Cold boot time for me is around 30s (all startup apps launched). So I don't know if it's an issue with High Sierra?

I'll let you know if I have updates.

EDIT : I just noticed it's using pcie 2.0 x2 limiting the speed to 700 Mb in reading. Shouldn't it be pcie 2.0 x4 in Mbpr mid 2014 ?
I don't really mind about the speed anyway but just wondering if this is normal?

This means the new adapter will make the NVMe drives completely problem free since your Intel 600p worked! Might grab the fastest NVMe if this can be confirmed by few more people.

 

[sky182]

Do you mind testing it out with the default pmset settings? hibernate 25 etc. I don’t have access to a nvme drive yet so I cannot find out for myself whether everything is fine with the bigger adapter. Thanks.

I've been trying hibernatemode 3 and 25, I have sleep issues.
The Mbp reboot on wake up.

So this adaptater is not without issues, at least for 2013/2014 mbpr.

 

[DarkMeLo]

I've been trying hibernatemode 3 and 25, I have sleep issues.
The Mbp reboot on wake up.

So this adaptater is not without issues, at least for 2013/2014 mbpr.

Unfortunate. But my point with the adapter was that previous user reports were so inconsistent, some would face issues and some wouldn't, then some would say that their issue is gone but another use would say they started facing the issue after a week.

By having consistent results, I hope it's easier for users such as @gilles_polysoft etc to figure out what the real cause is. Currently we know that speed and price wise, nvme's are the best. It seems that the newer adapters deliver consistent results (i.e. no sleep issues with ahci drives and nvme drives working with all settings to 0).

For all who have contributed previously, please try out the newer adapter!

 

[oscarxvita]

The adapters are the same, b version comes with screw drivers.
[doublepost=1509312405][/doublepost]
I ordered exactly from the first link, but the bigger version arrived.

Cold boot time for my setup is around 10s. I don’t think it is normal to have 30s on a ssd.

Mid 2014 mbpr 13”
Sintech Adapter “bigger”
Samsung XP941 AHCI
High Sierra (APFS)

UPDATE:

After successfully upgrading the ssd, I have found a weird phenomenon. While trying to reinstalling the original apple ssd to format, I noticed that it does not boot. After the start up chime, the screen is black and nothing happens until I power it off. I have to hold the “option” key during the chime to load macos. Boot up then takes 30s.

However, reinstalling the XP941, it works perfectly with 10s cold boot :/.

NOTE:

For everyone having issues, PLEASE try the new adapter first from sintech. The photos look like the small version, but they will send you a bigger one.

I think the reason we got 30s for APFS is because we used NVME disks. You're using AHCI so no problem with that

 

[Audit13]

I had a MacBook Air mid-2013 that took about 11 seconds to boot to the login screen on Sierra. After changing to High Sierra through an upgrade and clean install, booting to the login screen takes about 25 seconds using the original Apple Sandisk ssd. On my mid-2013 13" MacBook Pro, there was no change in boot times.

Anyone notice that the os boots faster or slower with an nvme drive?

 

[wawon]

I had a MacBook Air mid-2013 that took about 11 seconds to boot to the login screen on Sierra. After changing to High Sierra through an upgrade and clean install, booting to the login screen takes about 25 seconds using the original Apple Sandisk ssd. On my mid-2013 13" MacBook Pro, there was no change in boot times.

Anyone notice that the os boots faster or slower with an nvme drive?

I am new to you. I have checked my MacBook Air 13 Mid2013 with MZ-JPV256 (samsung, Apple genuine AHCI SSD), It is OK, no delay. I looked for related information.

High Sierra slow booting
https://forums.developer.apple.com/thread/80615

What's your boot time after upgrade to High Sierra?? Mine is 28s.
https://www.reddit.com/r/MacOS/comments/737vl5/whats_your_boot_time_after_upgrade_to_high_sierra/

MBP extremely slow after SSD Upgrade. What's wrong with my mac?
https://www.ifixit.com/Answers/View/168245/MBP+extremely+slow+after+SSD+Upgrade.+What's+wrong+with+my+mac

1 "slow booting" is found High sierra beta, jun 2017. It has been 4 months elapsed, but has not been solved.
2 It doesn't depend on Mac's model (even MBPr 15 2015, 2016, MBPr 13 2015), our no-detecting model contained.
3 It also occurs in Apple genuine AHCI SSD, not limited to NVMe SSD, even SATA SSD.
4 It is pointed out that it is related to Trim or APFS. Windows boot normally.
5 There is a case that Although replacing the SSD was ineffective, it was solved by replacing the SATA cable.

These informations will not be a direct solution to us, But we should check the contact of the connector(s) again.


postscript 2017/10/30 14:00
I have checked also my MacBook Air 13 Mid2013 with MZ-HPU256 (samsung, AHCI SSD), It was OK, no delay. but TRIM was not ON as installed, So using trimforce command on Terminal, set TRIM ON. The result was still OK, no delay.

MacBook Air 13 Mid2013 with MZ-HPU256 with sintech small (or old) adapter (Corrected) High Sierra
Boot or re-Boot issue : No
Boot delay : No
Sleep (wake-up) issue: Yes, with hibernatemode 0 standby 0 autopoweroff 0 : OK (tentative)

 

[Audit13]

I was looking at some nvme drives and a few of them have heatsinks such as Adata xpg and plextor because nvme drives may run hot.

Has anyone been able to fit an nvme drive with a heatsink in a Macbook Air? Should I only look at drives without a heatsink?

Any information would be appreciated.

Thanks.

 

[User9]

I was looking at some nvme drives and a few of them have heatsinks such as Adata xpg and plextor because nvme drives may run hot.

Has anyone been able to fit an nvme drive with a heatsink in a Macbook Air? Should I only look at drives without a heatsink?

Any information would be appreciated.

Thanks.

Not in air. I've seen Macbook Pro 15 with thin profile heatsink mod. You only need to mod if you want to run at max speed all the time not restricted by temp which you wouldn't want to do on thin laptops unless you run graphics intensive programs and games with external graphics. Plextor has a heat sink build in not sure how thin but should be ok for macbook pro.

 

[ghifar]

hello everyone. I Just fresh install High Sierra with 512GB SM951 NVME on my MBPr 13" 2015 with chenyang adapter (I'm not sure is it chenyang adapter or something else but I'm pretty sure it's not sintech adapter, I attached the image. pls someone correct me)

i bought this ssd with used condition and it comes with ntfs formatted the first time i plugged it in to my macbook with chenyang adapter.
at first i formatted my SM951 NVMe with diskutil.app but when i choose where to install my high sierra, my ssd that i formatted with diskutil.app it's grayed out and it said (this disk doesn't have GUID partition yada yada..) so, i reboot it and format my SM951 with terminal. and boom. now i can choose my SM951 NVMe to install High Sierra.

no kapton tape, no smc reset, no nvram reset.

i'll update the post later.

i attached speed test of my orginal 128GB ssd from mbpr 2015 13" and SM951 NVMe with chenyang adapter.

 

[Earl Urley]

macOS X 10.13.1 is out, doesn't look like it's updated the BootROM firmware (it's still MBP121.0171.B00) or SMC, will install on my 13-inch rMBP with 960 EVO and let you know.

 

[burnthefires]

Anyone else noticed battery getting drained much faster? Don't know if it's high sierra's fault, the NVMe over AHCI drive or just a non-OEM drive without a proper power management but i'm charging my MBPr much more often since the upgrade.

 

[Audit13]

Anyone else noticed battery getting drained much faster? Don't know if it's high sierra's fault, the NVMe over AHCI drive or just a non-OEM drive without a proper power management but i'm charging my MBPr much more often since the upgrade.

I'm interested in your observation as I am looking for an nvme drive for a MBA.

Which MBPr, adapter, and driver is being used?

Thanks.

 

[wawon]

macOS X 10.13.1 is out, doesn't look like it's updated the BootROM firmware (it's still MBP121.0171.B00) or SMC, will install on my 13-inch rMBP with 960 EVO and let you know.

MacBook Air 13 mid2013
Boot ROM Version MBA61.0103.B00 not change 10.13 -> 10.13.1
SMC 2.13f15 not change 10.13 -> 10.13.1

MZ-HPU256 :
Screen blackout or becoming unable to start up occurred in the installation process. but installation has been done.

MacBook Air 13 Mid2013 with MZ-HPU256 with sintech small (or old) adapter (Corrected) High Sierra 10.13.1 (APFS)
Boot or re-Boot issue : No
Boot delay : No
Sleep (wake-up) issue: Yes, even with hibernatemode 0 standby 0 autopoweroff 0 : Yes

 

[Transfusion]

MacBook Air 13 Early 2015 with 960 EVO 250GB MZ-V6E250: small adapter with NF-941A on the back
Upgraded from 10.13, installed as APFS, to 10.13.1 5 minutes ago through "Updates" in the App Store (i.e. delta update), download was between 1 and 2 GB; the first reboot in the install resulted in a blinking folder icon, had to manually hold power button and reboot, otherwise install proceeded smoothly and quickly. BootRom has not changed, it is still
MBA71.0171.B00. This is indeed the first time I have come across the reboot problem on a 2015 Air...

Anyone else noticed battery getting drained much faster? Don't know if it's high sierra's fault, the NVMe over AHCI drive or just a non-OEM drive without a proper power management but i'm charging my MBPr much more often since the upgrade.

I disabled "Put hard disks to sleep whenever possible" in Energy Saver, because as we have seen there are some issues with power states and have lots of windows open and am afraid of losing my data... I'll try again with that enabled.

With that disabled, battery life is definitely a lot worse, worst case it went from 34% to 28% in the span of 20 minutes when I unplugged it to use it at dinner yesterday. That would mean a battery life of around 6 hours, being optimistic, when fully charged... This is really the biggest detractor for me. (normal web browsing, note taking, had an IDE open in the background but not doing anything overly intensive)

 

[posh]

Hello to everyone!
everything it's ok!
the old adapter was broken.

I have:
macbook pro 13" early 2015 with last bootrom
I buy SSD kingstone hyperx 960gb and the chenyang adapter.
I install high sierra from usb and restone by Time Machine.
I just only enable TRIM by terminal, but now everything work good (suspend, hibernation etc).
the cool boot as slow, but I read that it's high sierra/trim problem. Some user as disable the trim for have fast boot, but I think it's better to enable TRIM. I hope in future that this problem will be resolved.
thank you to everyone for the information in this tread.

ciao
Antonio

 

[burnthefires]

I'm interested in your observation as I am looking for an nvme drive for a MBA.

Which MBPr, adapter, and driver is being used?

Thanks.

MBPr early 2015 13" 2.7/8GB
Kingston KC1000 480GB and Sintech adapter

It might be purely subjective since I've only seen the huge red battery logo maybe twice in the last two years, and since upgrading to HS already had it fully drained several times. But it may just be High Sierra's fault, many people reported higher temps and I see it too e.g. watching HTML5 video(CPU goes to 85*C sometimes), that would mean worse power saving.
Right now with only Wi-Fi, Safari, screen at low brightness I'm getting 1:06h left at 15% from Activity Monitor, that would mean 7 hours on full charge which is quite bad considering it lasted about 10 when new. I don't think the battery's dying also since it only has 200 cycles.