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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.
bmuellerleile said:
Once done my SSD shows as internal and have not had any issues waking for a few nights now.
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I did a reinstall of Big Sur. And autopoweroffdelay is now changed to 259200 (72 hrs). This is on a MBP13 2014. I am not sure if they have set this as the new default for other laptops. But naturally it solves some of the issues, as the computer does not shutdown after 8 hrs as before.
 
bobloblaw88 said:
Oh yeah I know, spent a lot of time reading reviews (that AT review included) of the SN750 and SX8200.

Interestingly (?) the power consumption figures after enabling APST didn't change from before I enabled it.
Click to expand...

I've noticed on some drives APST doesn't work even though the controller advertises it supports the capability.

I originally went with an Intel 660p (512GB) thinking it would be decent for power consumption... and finding out later on that APST doesn't actually work on the 512GB models.

On the SX8200 Pro - NVMeFix doesn't enable the "lowest" power state, so it performed similarly to the Intel at idle.

I now have a Seagate BarraCuda 510 (Phison E12 based) and NVMeFix (and APST) works perfectly. iStats shows a drop to typically between 0.11A and 0.00 A.
 
So where is the performance benchmarks and power consumption info on the Crucial P5? (Specifically, when used in either a 2017 MB Air or mid-2015 15" MBP.)
 
JDW said:
So where is the performance benchmarks and power consumption info on the Crucial P5? (Specifically, when used in either a 2017 MB Air or mid-2015 15" MBP.)
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Gilles ordered a P5. He's been a great contributor to this thread so I recommend looking for his follow-up post.

forums.macrumors.com

Upgrading 2013/2014 Macbook Pro SSD to M.2 NVMe

I ordered a Crucial P5 and also a Crucial P2 to test both them, they will be added to the 1st post tables soon. I'm also testing a Mydigital SSD BPX "eco" which is really a good drive..(with a Phison E13T controler, but TLC not QLC) According to existing review, the P5 is a very good SSD, but...
forums.macrumors.com forums.macrumors.com
 
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johnhebert said:
I have a MBP 13" Mid 2014 model 11,1, boot room version 162.0.0.0. I changed my native 120GB SSD to a Sandisk Ultra 500GB 3D NVME with an adaptor that I don't know its brand (it's not a Sintech) on Friday and so far so good. I was afraid of changing it because I'm a noob, so I saved the solutions I've read in this thread to use them just in case. Thankfully nothing weird happened.

Today I installed the bootcamp for the first time (I didn't have it on the other SSD) and everything went well. The battery consumption seems fine and the SSD temperature is 41ºC now on Macs Fan Control (I don't have iStats installed). You can see the before and after speeds below. Thank you all! All the posts helped me to be aware of everything I needed. I'll come back later to tell you how everything is going.
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I had a problem a few minutes ago. Left the mbp with the lid open while I was playing in my phone and when I came back, I couldn't use it. I could see the screen was on but all black. A few seconds later it showed a folder icon continuously and I had to press the power button (I can't remember if I pressed the power button before or after the folder icon). I saw on google it was due to any problem in the SSD, but is it the problem the happens with the hibernation issue?
 

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johnhebert said:
I had a problem a few minutes ago. Left the mbp with the lid open while I was playing in my phone and when I came back, I couldn't use it. I could see the screen was on but all black. A few seconds later it showed a folder icon continuously and I had to press the power button (I can't remember if I pressed the power button before or after the folder icon). I saw on google it was due to any problem in the SSD, but is it the problem the happens with the hibernation issue?
Click to expand...

This is the hibernate/standby issue on MacBook Pro's older than 2015. I think you can follow the steps earlier in the thread to change your hibernate mode to compensate.
 
herb2k said:
I've noticed on some drives APST doesn't work even though the controller advertises it supports the capability.

I originally went with an Intel 660p (512GB) thinking it would be decent for power consumption... and finding out later on that APST doesn't actually work on the 512GB models.

On the SX8200 Pro - NVMeFix doesn't enable the "lowest" power state, so it performed similarly to the Intel at idle.

I now have a Seagate BarraCuda 510 (Phison E12 based) and NVMeFix (and APST) works perfectly. iStats shows a drop to typically between 0.11A and 0.00 A.
Click to expand...

Ah yeah, I think I remember someone mentioning the 660p idling at 0.18A+ somewhere in this thread.

Been building PCs for 22 years now, never thought I'd actually care about the power consumption of an SSD... then again this is my first "new" laptop since 2011, when mSATA was the new kid on the block. Always something new to learn everyday.

Svilen said:
Has anyone tested the Feather M13 drive by Fledging? First time I hear this manufacturer.
It is a 12 - 16 pin connector SSD, like the Apple OEM drives, and the price seems reasonable.
Or, at least for EU. This is the UK / EU price here: https://www.flexxmemory.co.uk/stora...cbook-air-and-macbook-pro-mid-2013-and-newer/
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As herb2k mentioned, these are drives bundled with the adapter (and pentalobe/Torx screwdrivers). Their Kickstarter from ~2 years ago said they just use off-the-shelf drives from "Samsung, Western Digital (Sandisk), ADATA and Intel" and that they frequently "update our SSD to better and newer versions," so unless they have ~Amazon-level customer service and honor their warranty without hassle, it'd likely be better (and cheaper) just to get the drive and adapter yourself, especially if you're particular about having e.g. a particular controller or NAND cell density.

The only difference I could find is that the Feathers have High Sierra preloaded, but otherwise they're still subject to the same "restrictions" as other drives in pre-2015 notebooks.
 
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bobloblaw88 said:
Been building PCs for 22 years now, never thought I'd actually care about the power consumption of an SSD... then again this is my first "new" laptop since 2011, when mSATA was the new kid on the block. Always something new to learn everyday.
Click to expand...

LOL - I know what you mean! Research on this topic has become a frequent, passing obsession of mine since I started looking at this in June :). In the old days, HDD power consumption would have never been a question on a system build!
 
Did anyone have problem where your MBP started heating after switching to NVMe?

I want to switch but that is the one thing that concerns me the most.
 
herb2k said:
This is the hibernate/standby issue on MacBook Pro's older than 2015. I think you can follow the steps earlier in the thread to change your hibernate mode to compensate.
Click to expand...

Yep. I know, but I did the pmset custom right after changing the SSD and thought It wouldn't happen.
Is there anything wrong?

Currently in use:
standbydelaylow 10800
standby 0
halfdim 1
hibernatefile /var/vm/sleepimage
powernap 0
gpuswitch 2
disksleep 10
standbydelayhigh 86400
sleep 2
autopoweroffdelay 259200
hibernatemode 0
autopoweroff 1
ttyskeepawake 1
displaysleep 2
highstandbythreshold 50
acwake 0
lidwake 1
 
johnhebert said:
Yep. I know, but I did the pmset custom right after changing the SSD and thought It wouldn't happen.
Is there anything wrong?

Currently in use:

standby 0
hibernatemode 0
autopoweroff 1
Click to expand...

Looks like you got most of it... autopoweroff should also be "0".

Was the battery very low when this happened?
 
Hey guys I’m just reading through this forum tonight as I am repairing/upgrading a 2015 MacBook Pro for a teacher to use for graphics design. I bought the Sintech adapter. But now I am trying to decide on an SSD. I was going to do an Inland as I have a microcenter near by, but as I’m still in the 2017 posting times right now will this setup be kinda future proofed? Does the 2015 have any issues with sleep/Wi-Fi/run times? Or is this a decent setup to fix the laptop up? Thanks for any help guys. I’ll keep reading!
 
Anyone still looking for which NVMe SSD to choose should definitely look at SK hynix Gold P31. According to Anandtech review, it is a PCIe 3.0 x4 drive with superb power efficiency gains which makes it very suitable for notebooks. Price also seems to be very competitive. Let us know if anyone actually buys this drive and tests it :)
 
While waiting for the final word on the Crucial P5, I would like to mention that I am also eyeing the Silicon Power NVMe brand as well. The reason is because this AnandTech review gives it high marks in terms of low power consumption, which is I feel is important for MacBook use. Speed and latency isn't bad either. That review only mentions the older Silicon Power P34A80 1TB, but their newer UD70 is basically the same but has cooling, thermal throttling and data reliability features. And although that review gives the Samsung EVO 970 Pro 1TB the best scores in terms of performance, the EVO "Pro" is not available in the 2TB size that interest me, since my mid-2015 15" MBP already has an Apple 1TB SSD. Here's the speed of my existing Apple 1TB SSD:

SSDTest_MBP_2015_15in_Apple1TB.png


I am wanting to replace that Apple 1TB SSD with a 2TB version & reliable adapter combo that gets me the SAME OR BETTER speeds for both READ & WRITE, in addition to being low power and not having any sleep issues, or fail to update the Mac's boot ROM.

I also have two 2017 13" MB Airs that each have an Apple 256GB SSD which I would like to change to 1TB.

So the key for me is to determine the NVMe brand I should buy. Again, I'm waiting for word on the Crucial P5 and would also like to hear about the newer Silicon Power UD70 as well.

It would also be nice if there was a clear consensus on what adapter is really THE BEST. Reading dozens upon dozens of posts here hasn't made it clear in my mind, especially since one person reported no problems until 1 year after his install. What ADAPTER is really the most reliable over time?
 
Cmd+Q said:
I have put together a write-up as RTFD in TextEdit to summarize the state of upgrading 2013-2014 MacBooks with NVMe drives thus far. The pictures are from an upgrade of the girlfriend's MacBook Air last week.

Have a look in case you are new to this thread - or a regular. :)

Happy to make changes in case there is something incorrect or misrepresented.
Click to expand...
Did anyone try this on Catalina and it works?
 
herb2k said:
Page 1 :)

Search for the part of the post starting with " Fixing Hibernation issues on 2013-2014 laptops "
Click to expand...

Is there an equivalent section or place for advice for 2015 Retina laptops? I've added an MP510 Corsair to mine with the recommended Sintech adapter; performance is great but it crashes whenever it sleeps or the lid is closed.
 
vfxdog said:
Is there an equivalent section or place for advice for 2015 Retina laptops? I've added an MP510 Corsair to mine with the recommended Sintech adapter; performance is great but it crashes whenever it sleeps or the lid is closed.
Click to expand...
I have used NVMe drives in three early 2015 13" Airs and none have crashed when closing the lid overnight.

Do you have a crash log?
 
The MBP 13-inch (early 2013) doesn't seem to be getting much love here. This quick info is also for the 2012 Retina MBP. Both models support only mSATA (max 600MB/sec).

Get this adapter: ST-M2PRO-B M.2(NGFF) SATA KEY B+M SSD to 2012 MACBOOK PRO Retina
http://eshop.sintech.cn/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=130_131&products_id=1340

And a Sandisk Extreme Portable SSD 1TB (max 550MB/sec), and took out the M.2 SATA SSD, as this was the cheapest way of getting a 1TB M.2 SATA SSD here. Make sure to get the one that says 550MB/sec on the box, as the Pro that says 1050MB/sec is an NVMe and will not work.
https://shop.westerndigital.com/en-...sandisk-extreme-usb-3-1-ssd#SDSSDE60-1T00-G25

https://www.reddit.com/r/hardware/comments/9631os/sandisk_extreme_usb_31_ssd_tear_down/

And finally get some cheap Kapton tape from ebay or Aliexpress.

I can confirm that the 2280 size SSD with the Sintech adapter fits into the SSD enclosure, however the entire contraption can't be screwed securely into without a screw of a longer length. The easier way around this would be to tape the SSD onto the Sintech adapter, then screw the adapter into the enclosure.
 
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Audit13 said:
I have used NVMe drives in three early 2015 13" Airs and none have crashed when closing the lid overnight.

Do you have a crash log?
Click to expand...

Mine is a 15" MacBook Pro. As far as the crash log is concerned, do you mean the one the system offers to send to Apple, or one of the many logs available in the Console?
 
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