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

[cliffordyen]

Hi everyone,

For those who use the Sabrent Rocket now, if you are interested in updating the firmware, and you don't have another computer that can be inserted with an M.2 SSD, I can share my experience here.

What you need:
- An (high-speed) external storage device
- Windows installed on your MacBook

The reason you might want to update the firmware is improving the thermal performance, which seems right to me. The temperature of the Sabrent Rocket drops by approximately 5 degrees Celsius after the update. However, keep in mind that Sabrent Rocket is actually not the critical component that triggers the fan to kick in on my MacBook Pro 13" 2014. The temperature of the CPU is much higher than that of Sabrent Rocket. So you should consider whether you want to take the risk (and a long period of time) to update the firmware.

The firmware version of my Sabrent Rocket was 12.1, and the newest one is 12.3. You can check the firmware version by checking the NVMExpress in the System Information. There will be a line read like "Revision: ECFM12.1". From what I understand, 12.2 improves the thermal issue, so it might not be worthy of updating the firmware if you are already 12.2.

Before you started, it's always a good idea to backup your entire system. You can find how to do it in my previous reply. But now that you have a bigger SSD than the one you originally had, you might either find an external storage device that is big enough (bigger than your entire volume size), or make a partition so that the new volume is small enough to be backed up to your external storage devices.

If you decide to make a partition to shrink the macOS volume, make sure you are not going to use your MacBook for a really long while. It takes MacBook LOTS of time to collect and rearrange the files to a more compact volume. So don't do that if you are going to have a ZOOM meeting or whatever else in hours. Once the volume size is smaller than your external storage device, you can follow my previous reply to back it up.

After checking your backup system is working (you can boot up from there), switch to Windows, download the control panel from Sabrent and launch it, update the firmware accordingly, it would tell you that your computer will "shut down" to complete the update process. Yes, you read it correctly, it only "shut down" your computer, not "restart". If you boot up your MacBook manually and see nothing, DON'T PANIC. This is what happened to me:

I pressed the power button and held the option button, tried to boot up from Windows to make sure the update process is finished, then I saw nothing. Seriously, I mean, I saw nothing from the boot manager screen. There is no volume I can launch. So I insert my external storage device and boot up from there, checked that macOS could not detect my internal drive. Then I restart my MacBook again with the option button held, all the volumes suddenly came back with no reason. I guess the firmware update process takes a while and happens only on the SSD itself, so I cannot detect it in a short period of time.

I don't know whether it's normal or not, but my suggestion is always back up your system if you are trying to do something like this, so you can confidently taking any risks during the process. Good luck!

 

[eeqlaehuje]

Hi,

I've recently bought an SSD adapter for my base A1502 and a 1 TB Samsung Evo 970. After upgrade and setup, my battery is draining fast. It is in good condition (93%) with only 215 cycles. I get 8 hours on my old SSD with Mojave, however with the Samsung Evo 970, I only get 3.5 hours on a full charge (Catalina).

Does anyone have any idea on how to fix this? Any help is much appreciated.

 

[vmilanv88]

Hi,

I've recently bought an SSD adapter for my base A1502 and a 1 TB Samsung Evo 970. After upgrade and setup, my battery is draining fast. It is in good condition (93%) with only 215 cycles. I get 8 hours on my old SSD with Mojave, however with the Samsung Evo 970, I only get 3.5 hours on a full charge (Catalina).

Does anyone have any idea on how to fix this? Any help is much appreciated.

I'm not a huge expert but I've read the 80% of the whole thread before I decided to rather buy a used Apple SSD instead of a brand new NVMe drive + adapter. I don't know if you checked the first post, but there are some really useful comparisons in terms of power efficiency and Samsung eats power like there is no tomorrow although it's super fast. I'd rather choose slightly slower ones like Adata or Sabrent (which are still super fast) because these ones consume less power.
Despite I don't think that this much draining is okay. Possibly it's due to the file indexing which is normal after an installation but it's just a wild guess. As long as I read here 15-20% battery time reduction considered as normal with 970 Evo.

 

[johnjohn93]

I'm not a huge expert but I've read the 80% of the whole thread before I decided to rather buy a used Apple SSD instead of a brand new NVMe drive + adapter. I don't know if you checked the first post, but there are some really useful comparisons in terms of power efficiency and Samsung eats power like there is no tomorrow although it's super fast. I'd rather choose slightly slower ones like Adata or Sabrent (which are still super fast) because these ones consume less power.
Despite I don't think that this much draining is okay. Possibly it's due to the file indexing which is normal after an installation but it's just a wild guess. As long as I read here 15-20% battery time reduction considered as normal with 970 Evo.

Hello,

Spotlight drains a lot of battery when you restore a backup or install the OS. I've installed iStat Menu 6 to monitor battery drain(cpu/gpu /ssd consumption...).
.

 

[Aaron Ng]

Hi, I have an early 2015 Macbook Pro (A1502) model with 128GB base spec with the efi bootrom 190.0.0.0. running latest MacOS 10.15.4. I've just purchased a Sintech adaptor from sintech website.

and i'm still puzzled as to which NVME ssd works. But what I have in mind which I've managed to narrow down to a few brands and models. Please suggest which is better as I cannot find this specific models on the 1st page.

1) Adata SX8200 Pro (read speed 3000mb)
2) Transcend 220s (read speed 3000mb due do DRAM Cache

or just stick to the 1st page recommendation

1) Adata SX8200
2) Transcend 110s (read speed 1800mb)


I do not need extreme speed, just require good and less power usage NVME ssd drive. Do suggest other brands as well that are 100% working/bulletproof for few years. Thanks in advance ! i'd skipped SAMSUNG drives as they are power hungry ssds

 

[Audit13]

Hi, I have an early 2015 Macbook Pro (A1502) model with 128GB base spec with the efi bootrom 190.0.0.0. running latest MacOS 10.15.4. I've just purchased a Sintech adaptor from sintech website.

and i'm still puzzled as to which NVME ssd works. But what I have in mind which I've managed to narrow down to a few brands and models. Please suggest which is better as I cannot find this specific models on the 1st page.

1) Adata SX8200 Pro (read speed 3000mb)
2) Transcend 220s (read speed 3000mb due do DRAM Cache

or just stick to the 1st page recommendation

1) Adata SX8200
2) Transcend 110s (read speed 1800mb)


I do not need extreme speed, just require good and less power usage NVME ssd drive. Do suggest other brands as well that are 100% working/bulletproof for few years. Thanks in advance ! i'd skipped SAMSUNG drives as they are power hungry ssds

The a1502's data read/write speeds are going to be limited by the PCIe 2.0 bus so getting a drive with extremely high read/write speed will be wasted in the 13".

Higher read/write speed drive seem to generate more heat and use more battery and this is why I decided to install low-end drives (Intel 600p, HP ex900, Lexar nm610) in early 2015 13" Airs. They seem no slower or are slightly faster than the stock 128 GB drives they replaced. They run cool and battery usage is pretty good.

I don't place too much emphasis on benchmark tests because I do not perform extensive read/write operations with large files. If this will be the a1502's primary function, I would recommend a drive with read/write speeds that approach the max speeds supported by PCIe 2.0 with 4 lanes.

 

[Aaron Ng]

The a1502's data read/write speeds are going to be limited by the PCIe 2.0 bus so getting a drive with extremely high read/write speed will be wasted in the 13".

Higher read/write speed drive seem to generate more heat and use more battery and this is why I decided to install low-end drives (Intel 600p, HP ex900, Lexar nm610) in early 2015 13" Airs. They seem no slower or are slightly faster than the stock 128 GB drives they replaced. They run cool and battery usage is pretty good.

I don't place too much emphasis on benchmark tests because I do not perform extensive read/write operations with large files. If this will be the a1502's primary function, I would recommend a drive with read/write speeds that approach the max speeds supported by PCIe 2.0 with 4 lanes.

thanks. I did notice that only the 13 inch MBP 2015 using PCIE 2.0 where else the 15 inch MBP is using PCIE 3.0. Alrighty then. could save some bits by not going the extra fast NVME. probably go for Transcend 110S. since I am able to find it on my local shopping site.

Thanks for the reply !

 

[Audit13]

thanks. I did notice that only the 13 inch MBP 2015 using PCIE 2.0 where else the 15 inch MBP is using PCIE 3.0. Alrighty then. could save some bits by not going the extra fast NVME. probably go for Transcend 110S. since I am able to find it on my local shopping site.

Thanks for the reply !

You are welcome. Good luck with your upgrade.

Please report back with your findings.

Thanks for contributing to this ongoing thread.

 

[johnjohn93]

Hello,
I've installed few days ago a nvme disk (intel 660p) on my mac book pro mid 2014.
I was disappointed by the boot time from the power button until using the mac.
I browsed many websites and find out a solution i can share with you

When restarting the Mac book pro hold the alt command to display the boot menu

Permanently set startup disk at boot time

If your Mac has more than one bootable drive or disk partition on it, use this simple trick to permanently set the boot disk via Apple’s Startup Manager.

www.macworld.com

"Boot your machine with the Option key down to invoke the Startup Manager, then hold down the Control key prior to clicking on a volume to boot. (You may have to use the left and right arrow keys to select a volume first.)
If this trick is supported on your Mac, you’ll notice that upward-pointing arrow—the one that points to the selected disk—will change into a circular arrow instead, indicating that the chosen disk will not only be used to start your Mac this time, but that it will also become the default boot disk "


With this tip, my macbook pro starts now in 25 seconds.(Before it was 35 seconds and the first time 1 mn)
If this tip works for all of you, you can pinpoint it the begining of this thread.



Thx a lot for all contributors of this thread, i succeeded in installing a 1 tb ssd for 125 euros

Hello,

Just roll back to the native SSD because of battery drain issue.
Taking a look on istat 6 estimated battery duration is now 10h with the 256 gb samsung, instead of 6 hours with the nvme ssd.
Also checking system idle consumption
it is around 8 watts. On the nvme it was around 12 watts with the same settings

Battery autonomy is more important than storage for me.
I'll keep an eye on the forum. Maybe a solution will be found out


Thx

 

[hoodlumm]

Hey New to the forum, just did performed a ssd swap with the sintech long and using a 500gb nm500 lexar nvme and getting throttled on both black magic and amorphous with 450 read and 700 write. Is this right? Cheers

 

[Audit13]

Hey New to the forum, just did performed a ssd swap with the sintech long and using a 500gb nm500 lexar nvme and getting throttled on both black magic and amorphous with 450 read and 700 write. Is this right? Cheers

Which MacBook?

According to Newegg for the nm500:

Max Sequential:

Read Up to 1650 MBpsMax

Sequential Write Up to 950 MBps

 

[hoodlumm]

Which MacBook?

According to Newegg for the nm500:

Max Sequential:

Read Up to 1650 MBpsMax

Sequential Write Up to 950 MBps

Using the 2015 early 13in base model mbp cheers
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Also from reading about 50 pages of this forum, i believe pci 2.0 is throttled out to 1500mbps, would a crucial p1 1tb be a better option(dram is a thing i hear) so as an alternative would a 970evo plus be the best bet but sacrifice battery life? Just weighing pros and cons cheers guys

 

[Audit13]

Using the 2015 early 13in base model mbp cheers

Is the link width x4 or x2?

 

[quaresma]

I am seriously considering buying an original Apple SSD, minimum 512gb. This battery drain is driving me crazy.

The battery life was halved after installing the SX8200pro.

 

[Philberttheduck]

What did you guys do with your old SSDs? I'm looking to buy an enclosure for my 2013 macbook pro retina (A1502) with the 12+16pin config and asking for recs

 

[hoodlumm]

Is the link width x4 or x2?

width is x2, I tried shifting the ssd around and using the tape mod to no delight, should I get another sintech? and if so which one would be recommended with 2015 early mbp, 13in base
[automerge]1589629892[/automerge]

width is x2, I tried shifting the ssd around and using the tape mod to no delight, should I get another sintech? and if so which one would be recommended with 2015 early mbp, 13in base

I think this may be the culprit, I ordered a p1 to see if my theory is correct. pics attached below of the lexar. it appears the cut out on both sides appears to be data and not nvme, its branded as nvme so well see. cheers

 

[Audit13]

width is x2, I tried shifting the ssd around and using the tape mod to no delight, should I get another sintech? and if so which one would be recommended with 2015 early mbp, 13in base

I think this may be the culprit, I ordered a p1 to see if my theory is correct. pics attached below of the lexar. it appears the cut out on both sides appears to be data and not nvme, its branded as nvme so well see. cheers

The Lexar nm500 is definitely nvme because the retina MacBooks do not have a controller.

The width should be x4 which may be causing the lower read/write speeds.

I used cheap, no-name adapter from eBay in an early 2015 13" with no issues.

I had x4 width with an Intel 600p, Intel 760p, HP ex900, and Lexar nm600.

What did you guys do with your old SSDs? I'm looking to buy an enclosure for my 2013 macbook pro retina (A1502) with the 12+16pin config and asking for recs

The enclosures are really expensive and not worth it in my opinion. I recommend selling the drive if you can get a good price; otherwise, keep it for future firmware updates.

I am seriously considering buying an original Apple SSD, minimum 512gb. This battery drain is driving me crazy.

The battery life was halved after installing the SX8200pro.

Which MacBook are you using? How much did battery life drop? How long have you been using the Data?

 

[hoodlumm]

The Lexar nm500 is definitely nvme because the retina MacBooks do not have a controller.

The width should be x4 which may be causing the lower read/write speeds.

I used cheap, no-name adapter from eBay in an early 2015 13" with no issues.

I had x4 width with an Intel 600p, Intel 760p, HP ex900, and Lexar nm600.


The enclosures are really expensive and not worth it in my opinion. I recommend selling the drive if you can get a good price; otherwise, keep it for future firmware updates.


Which MacBook are you using? How much did battery life drop? How long have you been using the Data?

thanks for the info, so you think its the adapter itself? and not the lexar m key and b key?

cheers

 

[Audit13]

thanks for the info, so you think its the adapter itself? and not the lexar m key and b key?

cheers

I don't know if the extra notch would cause the drive to run with a width of x2.

I don't think the adapter would cause the issue unless you have another adapter to try. I have only used the short, green and short, black Sintech adapters and they have always worked perfectly.

 

[hoodlumm]

I don't know if the extra notch would cause the drive to run with a width of x2.

I don't think the adapter would cause the issue unless you have another adapter to try. I have only used the short, green and short, black Sintech adapters and they have always worked perfectly.

I might wait till i get the crucial p1 1tb and see if it bumps up the speed and if stays at 2 lanes then ill get another adapter.

 

[Audit13]

I might wait till i get the crucial p1 1tb and see if it bumps up the speed and if stays at 2 lanes then ill get another adapter.

I hope the Crucial solves the issue.

Please report back with your results.

Thanks.

 

[hoodlumm]

I hope the Crucial solves the issue.

Please report back with your results.

Thanks.

Audit13, did you have a lexar 512 or similar nm500 past 1000 rd /write? Just wanna verify and as well was it detecting 4 lanes? Or 2? Cheers

 

[Audit13]

Audit13, did you have a lexar 512 or similar nm500 past 1000 rd /write? Just wanna verify and as well was it detecting 4 lanes? Or 2? Cheers

The only Lexar nvme drive I used was the nm600 in an early 2015 13" Air and it was detected as x4.

 

[vince22]

I might wait till i get the crucial p1 1tb and see if it bumps up the speed and if stays at 2 lanes then ill get another adapter.

crucial p1 1tb and wdsn750 are about the same price at newegg.com right now, I've only used both sabrent 1tb, wdsn750 with early 2015 13" MBP.

Western Digital,Crucial,M.2 2280,1TB to 3.9TB Internal SSDs | Newegg.com

Shop Western Digital,Crucial,M.2 2280,1TB to 3.9TB Internal SSDs on Newegg.com. Watch for amazing deals and get great pricing.

www.newegg.com

 

[feraltrail]

Hi friends! Need a little help. I have MBP late 2013 (A1398). Bought nvme AData SX8200 Pro 2tb. Install Mojave, all works fine..but i need also Windows 7. I know that Windows 7 doesn`t have nvme drivers. How to fix this problem? I`ve installed windows 7 by winclone. So after this i can add drivers to Windows/inf ..but what drivers i need to add? Maybe someone have that experience. After all i have message "The firmware refused to boot from selected volume. Note that external hard drives are not well-supported by Apple`s firmware for legacy OS booting."
I hope its possible to install windows 7 to my mbp. Help please! ThX!