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

[mrsuxx]

I absolutely agree with you. My main idea was to answer the question what is behind 4K LBA when posting the link. For me it doesn't make too much sense to re-formatting it to 4k, mine is running with 512MB sector size in my MacBookPro 13 early 2015, without any issues. Performance is - having MacBook Pro Early "restrictions" in mind - at the maximum level.

i think you and i have the same laptop. early 2015 13" retina A1502.

likewise, seems its running fine, with whatever sector size it came with. i don't i'll mess with it, with no reward seen on the other side.
so far i've mostly been on linux and sleep / suspension is working A-Okay. i think it worked in windows too but i haven't stressed the disk out in windows to give any meaningful feedback.

this little blue drive is pretty sweet for the price so far : )

 

[Jason.mac]

Im using the same Crucial P2 SSD on my MBP mid 2014 and ssd been working very good.
Please give us feedback once (if) you test the SsdPmEnabler kext on your Mac.I

I had tried SsdPmEnabler over the weekend and found that it caused my computer to crash. I was actually talking to the developer (who’s been super helpful and ive seen his handle on this thread as well) and he said on on my model of computer, the MacBook 11,1, I think it is, that the crash wasn’t surprising and it seems to not work on that specific model for some reason.
That being said, he still suggested the crucial P2 drive because even out of the box it is still an efficient drive.
Honestly, the only issue I am having right now is the windows partition crashing, but hoping it’s the adapter. I’m hoping if anyone isn’t having crashing issues they can share which ssd and adapter they are using.
Thanks again!

I meant to ask @bopi

Im using the same Crucial P2 SSD on my MBP mid 2014 and ssd been working very good.
Please give us feedback once (if) you test the SsdPmEnabler kext on your Mac.

I meant to ask you, are you also using windows through bootcamp on your Crucial P2? And which brand of adapter do you have installed? Thanks!

 

[BoPl]

I meant to ask @bopi

I meant to ask you, are you also using windows through bootcamp on your Crucial P2? And which brand of adapter do you have installed? Thanks!

Im not using Windows. I just tried to install windows to update my SSD firmware but no luck, its blue screen straight after installation. I think problem just to install windows on to not original ssd and shouldn't be any problem to install windows onto original Apple SSD.
Im using Sintech short adapter now but also used another (Espada) short adapter without any problem.

 

[alvaro2]

This is my first post, apologies if this has already been asked! It’s hard to follow the thread from the beginning.

I have a MacBook Pro, mid 2014, a1502 model. I just swapped my ssd for a Crucial P2 and a rivo adapter. I know the adapter I have could be an issue so I’m just waiting for my sintech one to arrive and then will put it in right away.

My goal is to dual boot windows. Currently Mac OS is working no problems, I haven’t had any hibernation or wake issues, but my computer has really only slept for about 2 hours and I shut it down over night. Thanks to a forum on here and Reddit (and Kvic) I was able to install windows using bootcamp with a work around. When I boot to windows it runs for about 5-10 minutes and then crashes. This could be because of the adapter but I’m wondering if I should get a different SSD while I can still return this one.

What SSD is most recommended for my application? I know the adapter should be Sintech, do you think the current Rivo one installed is what is causing my windows partition to crash, or should I be swapping my SSD?

Thank you in advance! Any help is greatly appreciated!

Hi, can you send me the link or the steps to install windows in bootcamp, I have tried everything with no luck,
it says "We couldn't create a new partition or locate an existing one. For more information see the Setup log files").
I dont know what else to do.

 

[kvic]

I'd like to share my experience with SsdPmEnabler / NvMeFix on my MacBook Air (13-inch, Early 2015).

Setup:

Mojave 10.14.6 (18G7016)​

MacBookAir7,2​

Intel Core i5 1.6 GHz​

Boot ROM Version: 425.0.0.0.0​

XPG SX8200 Pro 1TB + Sintec short adapter​

iStat indicated the following for idle power draw.

None - 0.22 A​

NvMeFix - 0.22A​

SsdPmEnabler - 0.13 A​

NvMeFix + SsdPmEnabler - 0.02~0.03 A (!)​

Interestingly, NvMeFix alone made no difference at all, however, once it got teamed up with SsdPmEnabler, there was a drastic drop.

View attachment 1719622

Thanks for posting! We finally got a MBA running ssdpmEnabler and to include on my User Guide.

Nice graphical illustration. I'm a bit skeptical about the NVMeFix effect. Was the measurement done with AC adaptor connected? What's the time scale i.e. x-axis in your graph?

A gentle reminder to everyone: Pls connect to AC power and take measurement. Only under that condition will produce meaningful measurement for idle power consumption.

Im not using Windows. I just tried to install windows to update my SSD firmware but no luck, its blue screen straight after installation. I think problem just to install windows on to not original ssd and shouldn't be any problem to install windows onto original Apple SSD.
Im using Sintech short adapter now but also used another (Espada) short adapter without any problem.

Ah. A good reminder. Two dots get connected now.

If people could figure out why stock AppleSSD doesn't crash in Windows 10 on MacBookPro11,1, I believe we maybe able to get ssdpmEnabler working in MacOS.

With that said, I also believe all 3rd-party SSDs will crash in Windows 10 on MacBookPro11,1.

 

[fiftystorm]

Thanks for posting! We finally got a MBA running ssdpmEnabler and to include on my User Guide.

Nice graphical illustration. I'm a bit skeptical about the NVMeFix effect. Was the measurement done with AC adaptor connected? What's the time scale i.e. x-axis in your graph?

A gentle reminder to everyone: Pls connect to AC power and take measurement. Only under that condition will produce meaningful measurement for idle power consumption.

It's the "1 Hour" scale and yes, it was on an AC adapter the entire time. I did the same test with a Sabrent Rocket 1TB on my other MBA7,2, but just realized it was stuck with an El Capitan Boot ROM. Once I get it up to date, I'll try again.

 

[MauriceG]

A gentle reminder to everyone: Pls connect to AC power and take measurement. Only under that condition will produce meaningful measurement for idle power consumption.

Dear KVIC,
Do you really want to measure with power connected? Power management seams to be different when running on battery. To get more knowledge about the run time on battery, it seems logical to test when not connected to AC power.
other subject: I contacted Bjango about the mA scale. There is no way to force it in the current version of iStat Menus. But they are going to look at it for a future version.
Kind regards,
Maurice.

 

[mrsuxx]

tested the SN550 on macos. its ~0.3A to 0.8A from idle to load, adapter on charge.

does introducing the talked about kexts (ssdpmE, nvmefix) affect the stability of the system ? or are they essentially free power savings ?

 

[ramur]

tested the SN550 on macos. its ~0.3A to 0.8A from idle to load, adapter on charge.

does introducing the talked about kexts (ssdpmE, nvmefix) affect the stability of the system ? or are they essentially free power savings ?

Based on the recommendations in this thread I installed (with WD SN 550) SsdPmEnabler.kext and NVMeFix.kext. BigSur 11.1 runs, without any issues, for more than 2 weeks now.

 

[porg]

SSD Crucial P2 2TB in MacBook Pro 15" (Mid 2014) (model A1398)

Ran it for about a week. Works super for me with SsdPmEnabler as I also reported at Github.
Double the performance compared to the original, and idle consumption on average being only 16mA!
No crashes. Normal standby and wake from standby. Hibernation untested so far.


This is the setup I used and the performance I got:

---

UPDATE: How does the SSD perform after 1 month? Still very fine. Same speed, no crashes. All good so far!

 

[JF1980]

SSD Crucial P2 2TB in MacBook Pro 15" (Mid 2014) (model A1398)

Ran it for about a week. Works super for me with SsdPmEnabler as I also reported at Github.
Double the performance compared to the original, and idle consumption on average being only 16mA!
No crashes. Normal standby and wake from standby. Hibernation untested so far.

Is this resulting in a real world increase in runtime? Confirming SsdPmEnabler isn't just changing the measured consumption value vs actually reducing power consumption.

 

[herb2k]

Is this resulting in a real world increase in runtime? Confirming SsdPmEnabler isn't just changing the measured consumption value vs actually reducing power consumption.

Yes, in my case it was. Typically would only get ~5hrs out of my 2015 13" Retina, now up to 6-8hrs depending on usage.

 

[sandrvoxon]

Guys, need your help. Trying to install SsdPmEnabler.kext. On line “sudo kextload /Library/Extensions/SsdPmEnabler.kext I’m getting Failed to load (Libkern/Kext).... what I’m doing wrong ?
csrutil status: disabled.
MacOS Catalina

 

[man1sshhh]

I'd like to report that SsdPmEnabler did not work with my MBA Mid 2013. Tried it with both Adata SX8200 Pro 512GB and Sabrent Rocket Q 2TB (RKT30Q.1) resulting in boot error loop running on Big Sur 11.1 with the exception of Lilu and NVMEfix.

 

[porg]

Is this resulting in a real world increase in runtime? Confirming SsdPmEnabler isn't just changing the measured consumption value vs actually reducing power consumption.

My battery is at 71% of it's original capacity and on Catalina with the original Apple/Samsung SSD I had about 3-4h runtime, and now with Big Sur and the Crucial P2 2TB I have again up to 4-5h (with the same screen brightness, iGPU-only apps, and WiFi/BT radio settings) and a similar usage pattern.

I think that roughly half of this power improvement is from the SSD change and half from my Catalina->Big Sur upgrade. Maybe because Big Sur is more efficient in general, or because the upgrade removed some outdated drivers/agents/etc, because idle state with apps open but in visual background the CPU free in Catalina was about 90-92% and in Big Sur now 96%

 

[ramur]

Guys, need your help. Trying to install SsdPmEnabler.kext. On line “sudo kextload /Library/Extensions/SsdPmEnabler.kext I’m getting Failed to load (Libkern/Kext).... what I’m doing wrong ?
csrutil status: disabled.
MacOS Catalina

I am not quite sure whether I have fully understood your problem. The command line you are using assumes users place the downloaded "SsdPmEnabler.kext" inside ~/Downloads. For me it looks like you missing the download beforehand.

1. Download the zip-file from here to your Download folder. https://github.com/kvic-z/SsdPmEnabler/releases/tag/v0.1.1
2. Unzip the file in your Download folder
3. Follow all instruction stated here: https://github.com/kvic-z/SsdPmEnabler

 

[sandrvoxon]

I am not quite sure whether I have fully understood your problem. The command line you are using assumes users place the downloaded "SsdPmEnabler.kext" inside ~/Downloads. For me it looks like you missing the download beforehand.

1. Download the zip-file from here to your Download folder. https://github.com/kvic-z/SsdPmEnabler/releases/tag/v0.1.1
2. Unzip the file in your Download folder
3. Follow all instruction stated here: https://github.com/kvic-z/SsdPmEnabler

Thanks for response ! I did all steps by guide

1. Open Terminal. Type the following lines one by one:

sudo cp -R ~/Downloads/SsdPmEnabler.kext /Library/Extensions
sudo kextcache -i /
sudo kextload /Library/Extensions/SsdPmEnabler.kext

and on this one " sudo kextload /Library/Extensions/SsdPmEnabler.kext" I'm getting "Failed to load (Libkern/Kext)....

 

[mrsuxx]

Thanks for response ! I did all steps by guide

1. Open Terminal. Type the following lines one by one:

sudo cp -R ~/Downloads/SsdPmEnabler.kext /Library/Extensions
sudo kextcache -i /
sudo kextload /Library/Extensions/SsdPmEnabler.kext

and on this one " sudo kextload /Library/Extensions/SsdPmEnabler.kext" I'm getting "Failed to load (Libkern/Kext)....

did you modified/disabled the csrutil in recovery before that as stated in the post ?

also.

you have to allow the kext in settings > security. see at the very bottom. There's a screenshot of this in the github post too. this one is easy to miss.

i followed all the steps the otherday and it worked right the first time. i'd make sure if you missed any of the steps.

 

[ramur]

Thanks for response ! I did all steps by guide

1. Open Terminal. Type the following lines one by one:

sudo cp -R ~/Downloads/SsdPmEnabler.kext /Library/Extensions
sudo kextcache -i /
sudo kextload /Library/Extensions/SsdPmEnabler.kext

and on this one " sudo kextload /Library/Extensions/SsdPmEnabler.kext" I'm getting "Failed to load (Libkern/Kext)....

I'd also check whether the file ("SsdPmEnabler.kext") is now present under /Library/Extensions/ on your mac. This should have happened along with the command cp -R ~/Downloads/SsdPmEnabler.kext /Library/Extensions.

 

[Francy31]

Hi guys,

I have two problems after the upgrade of my macbook.. changed the original ssd with the new Sabrent ssd (MBP Retina late 2013).

1). I get the error VDH002 when I use the diagnostic (Power on +D) (Like the comment here attached below)

I had the same issue. A complete new Install of Mojave brought the issue down on my 2013 MacBook Air to 7s. (before 30s). On a 2015 MacBook Air, this was completely fixed after switching TRIM on via Terminal (before like a 20s back screen). Does this perhaps help getting an idea of the reason for the black screen?

However following experience with the Sintech NGFF M.2 nVME SSD Adapter Macbook Air 2013 and a crucial 500GB P1:
- on the 2013 MacBook Air, I get the VDH002 error.
- same adapter, same HDD in a 2015 MacBook Air ==> No VDH002 error
- other Sintech adapter other crucial P1 500Gb VDH002 error on the 2013 MacBook Air
- original Apple SSD no error on the 2013, no error

The SSD works perfect in the 2013 MacBook Air, except the black screen in the beginning, so same speed as in the 2015 and so go on.

Has anyone experienced the same behavior in the 2013 MacBook Air?

2). When I power on my macbook I get 20/30 seconds of black screen before the apple logo appears.
(Like the comment here attached below)

Any idea why I may be getting a 20-30 black screen before I get the apple logo?

Did anyone solved these problems?

Thanks in advance guys!

 

[sandrvoxon]

did you modified/disabled the csrutil in recovery before that as stated in the post ?

also.

you have to allow the kext in settings > security. see at the very bottom. There's a screenshot of this in the github post too. this one is easy to miss.

i followed all the steps the otherday and it worked right the first time. i'd make sure if you missed any of the steps.

I've got it. Now its working ! Do i need to install NVMeFix and Lilu ?

 

[fiftystorm]

I see people talking about the new Boot ROM that comes with Big Sur installation/upgrade and solves hibernation issues with NVMe SSDs on the 2013-2014 models. What I don't quite understand is that when I compare these two lists (Catalina 19H114 & Mojave 18G7016 vs Big Sur) side by side, I don't see any changes. What am I missing here?

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[Nandmp]

I have upgraded from Catalina to Big Sur and now I am unable to boot with any unsigned kext loaded. On Catalina I could boot with Lilu and NVMefix installed.
Does anyone else has this Problem?
I have a late 2013 retina MacBook and a 1tb crucial p2

 

[Superhai]

IWhat I don't quite understand is that when I compare these two lists (Catalina 19H114 & Mojave 18G7016 vs Big Sur) side by side, I don't see any changes. What am I missing here?

You are missing that Catalina and Mojave after Big Sur was released also received updated ROMs.

 

[fiftystorm]

You are missing that Catalina and Mojave after Big Sur was released also received updated ROMs.

Got it. Thanks!