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

[markintosh13]

13" early 2015 MBP 3.1 Ghz i7 16GB - 2TB SX8200 Pro - per iStats seems to idle / web browse around .18A, youtube .19A, heavy read writes spike to around .44A, generally about 5-6 hours typical use, could probably stretch 6-8 with lower screen lighting

long story short, happy with the storage upgrade, willing to connect more to a charger as a trade off.

 

[tk_mac]

Mid 2015 15" 11,4 DG
Adata SX8200 Pro 2tb:

Idle - 0.19A
Black Magic Speed test 5gb Write ( on loop ) - 1.42A
Black Magic Speed test 5gb Read ( on loop ) - 1.10A

Early 2015 MacBook Pro 13"
2TB ADATA "SX8200PNP" SX8200 Pro - Revision: SS0411BB
0.18A Idle. - 0.897A Read. - 0.898A Write.

13" early 2015 MBP 3.1 Ghz i7 16GB - 2TB SX8200 Pro - per iStats seems to idle / web browse around .18A, youtube .19A, heavy read writes spike to around .44A, generally about 5-6 hours typical use, could probably stretch 6-8 with lower screen lighting

long story short, happy with the storage upgrade, willing to connect more to a charger as a trade off.

What did you all get for read and write speed?

On these results, I am seeing significant difference on power consumption during read and write for the same drive.

Haven't had time to run the full gamut of tests yet, but the Sabrent Rocket 2TB in my 2015 15" MacBook pro, 2.8 GHz, discrete graphics 16 GB RAM is showing .21 Amps at Idle. 93 Degrees (F I presume). Tops out at 1.8 Amps (briefly) and 122 degrees on Blackmagic speed test.

What did you get for read and write speeds? Overall, what do you think of the drive? Is it the newer version with half the DRAM?


And for a result of my own on Intel 660p in a 2015 MacBook Pro:
0.19 amps idle
1.12 amps write (1671 mb/s BlackMagic)
0.88 amps read (1457 mb/s BlackMagic)

 

[profcutter]

What did you all get for read and write speed?

On these results, I am seeing significant difference on power consumption during read and write for the same drive.

What did you get for read and write speeds? Overall, what do you think of the drive? Is it the newer version with half the DRAM?

And for a result of my own on Intel 660p in a 2015 MacBook Pro:
0.19 amps idle
1.12 amps write (1671 mb/s BlackMagic)
0.88 amps read (1457 mb/s BlackMagic)

Read and Write speeds are quite inconsistent, but are usually around 2500 read and write, but dip to 1400 every few cycles of the speed test. I'm very happy with the drive so far, but I'm concerned about longevity. I'm surprised the 660p runs so much slower. I don't actually know how to check the DRAM on the drive.

 

[vince22]

Check out this Amazon review of SABRENT 2TB Rocket NVMe PCIe M.2 2280 Internal SSD High Performance Solid State Drive (SB-ROCKET-2TB)

As a nitpicking hardware geek: BUYER BEWARE for this drive because of the silent hardware change

www.amazon.com

i think this is he was referring to. Dang, not sure what to do... might switch back to the SX8200 Pro for my choice, it doesn’t have this DRAM nitpicking aspect to it.. Its better to get what you pay for. Can you check how much DRAM you have Vince?

just opened and checked my sabrent rocket 1TB , its the old batch double sided version.

 

[b0rd2dEAth]

just opened and checked my sabrent rocket 1TB , its the old batch double sided version.

View attachment 886410View attachment 886412

Thanks for sharing! Since I really need a 2TB version, I decided to stick with the SX8200 Pro. The 1TB version of the Sabrent Rocket seems to be alright according to what I've read.


If anyone wants to save some more battery life in sleep mode, I wrote a script a few minutes ago after reading different accounts of what drains battery life when the MacBook is closed.

GitHub - ppkantorski/Airplane-Sleep: Disable wifi and bluetooth when closing your MacBook or putting it to sleep!

Disable wifi and bluetooth when closing your MacBook or putting it to sleep! - ppkantorski/Airplane-Sleep

github.com

It's super simple. When you close your MacBook, it will turn off the wifi and bluetooth antennas if they are on then reenable them after opening. If bluetooth or wifi was off before sleep, it will keep them off when resuming. Apparently apps like Dropbox can contribute to battery drain when the MacBook is closed and disabling Power Nap in Energy Saving does not resolve this issue. Maybe this could help reduce some of the battery drain associated with SSD transfers while placed in sleep? Battery percentage testing results are still required, but the script functions properly and makes sense to me. Feel free to try it out and see if it changes anything for you.

 

[avdo]

They did specifically say to avoid the 970 on their question and answer section on Amazon because it will drain your battery faster than the other drives on their specified list. I personally don’t believe that I am overthinking this decision, but I am going to stick with the SX8200 Pro instead of the Sabrent Rocket because of the 1/2 DRAM hardware update issue. I just wanted an ideal 2TB drive with better read/write performance than stock and a decent battery consumption for an affordable price.

That github page looks promising tho, got something to look forward to. Thanks for sharing.

Good choice.

I was an early adopter of the 970 EVO and the Sintech adapter and it was all roses back then. I remember Sintech getting back in touch pre-sale and saying the 970 EVO was a great choice!

 

[sawpits]

Here is an interesting article about power usage on a number of drives; they list more than just the two they are discussing. YMMV.

Comparing Two 1TB NVMe Drives with Same NAND, Same Controller: XPG SX8200 Pro vs HP EX950

www.anandtech.com

[automerge]1578083484[/automerge]

Anyone using the new Sabrent Rocket Q ssd? The QLC one.

Not using it here, but Newegg has the 1TB for $99.99; the 2TB for $219.99 (plus there is a $20 promo code for the 2TB).

SABRENT Rocket Q 4TB NVMe PCIe M.2 2280 Internal SSD High-Performance Solid State Drive R/W 3200/3000MB/s (SB-RKTQ-4TB) - Newegg.com

Buy SABRENT Rocket Q 4TB NVMe PCIe M.2 2280 Internal SSD High-Performance Solid State Drive R/W 3200/3000MB/s (SB-RKTQ-4TB) with fast shipping and top-rated customer service. Once you know, you Newegg!

www.newegg.com

 

[avdo]

I'd love to know the battery life on a 15" mid 2015 with a genuine 5th gen Apple NVMe fitted e.g 655-1994, MZ-KKW5120

 

[sawpits]

Good choice.

I was an early adopter of the 970 EVO and the Sintech adapter and it was all roses back then. I remember Sintech getting back in touch pre-sale and saying the 970 EVO was a great choice!

This is what the Sintech Amazon page says -

NOT Support: Samsung 970 Evo Plus,PM981,950 Pro

Sintech NGFF M.2 nVME SSD Adapter Card for Upgrade MacBook Air(2013-2016 Year) and MacBook PRO(Late 2013-2015 Year)

NOTICE:because too many customers can use it,I suggest you to try it again if your MAC can't detect nVME SSD. Pls notice to insert card fully into SSD slot and you must prepare bootable USB disk(see third point) with High Sierra to format M.2 SSD first, it can't support recover from internet. mai...

www.amazon.com

So the 970 Evo or 970 Pro is not a problem, just the 970 Evo Plus.

 

[avdo]

This is what the Sintech Amazon page says -

Sintech NGFF M.2 nVME SSD Adapter Card for Upgrade MacBook Air(2013-2016 Year) and MacBook PRO(Late 2013-2015 Year)

NOTICE:because too many customers can use it,I suggest you to try it again if your MAC can't detect nVME SSD. Pls notice to insert card fully into SSD slot and you must prepare bootable USB disk(see third point) with High Sierra to format M.2 SSD first, it can't support recover from internet. mai...

www.amazon.com

So the 970 Evo or 970 Pro is not a problem, just the 970 Evo Plus.

Which is why I said you'd need an NVMe enclosure to flash it if it's on the old firmware. It's not a hardware issue with the 970 EVO Plus, like the pins are different, it was an issue with the first revision of firmware which essentially made it incompatible with Mac's. A later firmware update put this to bed, however you'd either have to fit it into a 2nd NVMe slot on a Windows Laptop or put it into an external enclosure.

Ask sintech when they wrote this. Bet you it was before later firmware was released.
Sintech probably don't want swathes of people returning adapters because they haven't done their research. Easier to say it doesn't work.

I've also heard that there is now firmware that sorts out the OEM Samsung PM981 which was always a no-go.

Here:

https://www.reddit.com/r/hackintosh/comments/bsmha9

 

[sawpits]

Which is why I said you'd need an NVMe enclosure to flash it if it's on the old firmware. It's not a hardware issue with the 970 EVO Plus, like the pins are different, it was an issue with the first revision of firmware which essentially made it incompatible with Mac's. A later firmware update put this to bed, however you'd either have to fit it into a 2nd NVMe slot on a Windows Laptop or put it into an external enclosure.

Ask sintech when they wrote this. Bet you it was before later firmware was released.
Sintech probably don't want swathes of people returning adapters because they haven't done their research. Easier to say it doesn't work.

I've also heard that there is now firmware that sorts out the OEM Samsung PM981 which was always a no-go.

Here:

https://www.reddit.com/r/hackintosh/comments/bsmha9

You wrote that where? On reddit? Okay, but not here (or link it if you did).

 

[avdo]

You wrote that where? On reddit? Okay, but not here (or link it if you did).

Post #5748

I have just received a Sabrent EC-NVME USB 3.1 enclosure which I have popped a spare 970 EVO into.

** SAMSUNG MAGICIAN WILL NOT ALLOW A FIRMWARE UPDATE IN THIS ENCLOSURE **

If your going down the EVO plus route, it may be more prudent to make sure you have a desktop / laptop running windows so you can upgrade the firmware if required, rather than rely on an external enclosure.

 

[b0rd2dEAth]

so i got my SX8200 Pro today, but i need a different screw driver to open it.. thought it would be the same as my previous MBP. I am gonna install it sometime tomorrow, does anyone know how you actually go about testing the idle power?

 

[avdo]

so i got my SX8200 Pro today, but i need a different screw driver to open it.. thought it would be the same as my previous MBP. I am gonna install it sometime tomorrow, does anyone know how you actually go about testing the idle power?

Easiest way would be to download a trial of iStat Menus. Click on the temperature along the top bar then you'll see the sensor information close to the bottom of the list

 

[quaresma]

I really hope that driver the hackintosh community is working on will fix battery drain. My Sx8200 pro is really hard on the battery

 

[Intenditore]

Can somebody finally tell please, what's the most power efficient solution? SATA like Samsung 860? PCIe? Some fancy "one of the kind" NVMe?
I need good battery life

 

[avdo]

Can somebody finally tell please, what's the most power efficient solution? SATA like Samsung 860? PCIe? Some fancy "one of the kind" NVMe?
I need good battery life

A genuine secondhand Apple blade

 

[Intenditore]

A genuine secondhand Apple blade

But regarding the price to performance ration this is one of the worst options.
I meant a third-party solution

 

[avdo]

A good few of them drives in the spreadsheet are now becoming long in the tooth and also hard to get for a sensible price.

A1000 1tb is still available but silly money at £120.59 from Amazon.co.uk

1tb Intel 600p ? Good budget drive, not the worlds best performer but for the vast majority of people, would be fine. £89'ish ?

Sabrent Rocket I suppose. Check the charts on page 1

 

[markintosh13]

But regarding the price to performance ration this is one of the worst options.
I meant a third-party solution

- storage size
- low price
- good battery life

pick two

 

[bennyprofane]

Post #5748

I have just received a Sabrent EC-NVME USB 3.1 enclosure which I have popped a spare 970 EVO into.

** SAMSUNG MAGICIAN WILL NOT ALLOW A FIRMWARE UPDATE IN THIS ENCLOSURE **

If your going down the EVO plus route, it may be more prudent to make sure you have a desktop / laptop running windows so you can upgrade the firmware if required, rather than rely on an external enclosure.

You can also update the EVO plus firmware from within the Macbook Pro with a bootable USB drive. Somebody posted a guide on reddit:

https://www.reddit.com/r/mac/comments/cqjjlw

 

[b0rd2dEAth]

Easiest way would be to download a trial of iStat Menus. Click on the temperature along the top bar then you'll see the sensor information close to the bottom of the list

Did anyone install the heat sink that came with their SX8200 Pro? Should I be removing the adhesive and using thermal paste instead? Will it fit? (Questions I have before I try to install mine.)

 

[souko]

Did anyone install the heat sink that came with their SX8200 Pro? Should I be removing the adhesive and using thermal paste instead? Will it fit? (Questions I have before I try to install mine.)

I have used it. Before I gave it on SX8200P I had one kernel panic. Not kernel panic after

 

[alaurence96]

Hi there,

I just switched out the in-built drive in my early 2015 Macbook Pro 13" (with 500gb, 16gb ram + 2.9ghz i5 Mojave) for this https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07K1J3C23/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1.

Installation went fine, backed up and reinstalled OS via time machine. Read and write speeds are even much faster than before.

BUT

Everything is so much sloooower! Opening applications, using them, etc. For example, a project I am working on in Ableton used to run at 20% CPU usage, it's now at over 50%. Some apps even take minutes to open when before it was seconds.

I need to know what's gone wrong and what I can do to fix this issue. Any help is appreciated.

Many thanks,

Adam

 

[bennyprofane]

...

Is it the same OS as before?