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

sunshine221 · Feb 18, 2021

Just wanted to thank everyone who contributed to this thread.

Upgraded my Macbook Pro 2015 (mid) 15-inch. Used the XPG SX8200 Pro 2TB (CAD$259 on Amazon) and Sintech NGFF M.2 nVME SSD Adapter Card.

Used the included heatsink sticker; was worried about adding thickness but the clearance was lower than the speaker unit right beside it.

Created a Big Sur bootable USB before swapping out the storage. No issues with installation and time machine restore. Bootcamp installation also without issues.

Consistently hitting 2,500mb/s write and 2,400 read speeds in Blackmagic tests.

Fran Frin · Feb 18, 2021

Successfully upgrade my MacBook Air 2015 SSD to a WD SN550 1TB:

Original 128GB Apple SSD:

WD SSD:

SSD: https://www.amazon.es/gp/product/B07YFFX5MD/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o03_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1
TOOLS: https://www.amazon.es/gp/product/B07WPSW3QF/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
M2 Adapter: https://www.amazon.es/gp/product/B07S9Q6TCN/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Any Tweaks???

developeralioz · Feb 18, 2021

Does NVMeFix run on BigSur?

vince22 · Feb 18, 2021

developeralioz said:
Does NVMeFix run on BigSur?

yes,

Open up terminal

Type in:

nvram boot-args="keepsyms=1"

Fran Frin · Feb 18, 2021

How tweaks temperature and battery in WD SN550 1TB??

Chema · Feb 18, 2021

Do any of the kexts work on Big Sur and mba6,2 mid2013?

zach514 · Feb 18, 2021

Hey all, I plan on upgrading my stock 256gb SSD to a Crucial P2 1tb NVME SSD. I've confirmed that both my laptop and the SSD I chose are compatible, and I will also be getting the recommended Sintech adapter(the one with the backplate that comes as a kit with screwdrivers).

Before switching the drives, should I make a bootable backup with SuperDuper! or should I use a time machine backup? I currently have 2 separate time machine backups, one is a tiny 256gb Samsung flash drive and the other is a 2.5'' 500gb Samsung SSD in a USB enclosure. Should I wipe one of these drives and turn it into a SuperDuper! bootable backup? That way I could try the time machine drive first, and if something goes wrong, I can use the bootable drive. I would like to keep all my programs and files, and will do some file cleanup before backing up just to get rid of any clutter.

I also plan on re-applying thermal paste while I have the case open as I have quite a bad overheating problem. Browsing/switching between tabs has my CPU anywhere from the low 70s to mid 80s(celsius) and it gets pinned at 99 whenever I run CPU intensive programs(Pro Tools, Ableton Live etc). Leaving the mac turned on with no programs open idles around 60-65.

Does anyone have any thoughts on this? I want to do this the the safest way I possibly can. Any input would be appreciated, thanks!

TLDR: Should I use a time machine backup or bootable SuperDuper! backup to restore my files/apps onto a new SSD?

kvic · Feb 20, 2021

Stratus Fear said:
I was actually going to test this, but it appears that since I've been on 11.3 beta, there is some regression (probably in NVMeFix) as I am no longer seeing the near 0A idle anymore, but the 0.1A idle as if just SsdPmEnabler is installed, however both are still installed on my system (11,3 with SX8200 Pro 2TB). I'll continue to investigate.

SSD close to 0A should have resulted in v. good power consumption during sleep. @herb2k mentioned right before you that's not the case - his MBP still draining 2% per hour. 2% per hour drain is what I found last year without any kexts. That told us a couple of things:

the out of box SSD power consumption during sleep is already the minimal
2% per hour drain is perhaps from the fact that 3rd party SSD holds back the system from entering the best form of sleep in Apple's PM tiers

So looks like entering hibernation early still the trick to keep (perhaps for ever, and it really & practically doesn't hurt anything btw)

acehobojoe said:
Alas, there is not a difference and you still get sleep/wake issues. However I was intrigued by the SSDPmEnabler mentioned above. I installed it and was not able to get past halfway on the boot up. Is there a step I'm missing?

nikc0069 said:
I wanted to ask if, with this combination, I should add any kexts afterwards?

Chema said:
Do any of the kexts work on Big Sur and mba6,2 mid2013?

MacBookAir6,2 and MacBookPro11,1 seem not support lower power modes on 3rd party NVMe SSDs. By enabling them using ssdpmEnabler, your machines will crash. Btw, this is documented in the User Guide: https://github.com/kvic-z/SsdPmEnabler#confirmed-working-macbook-models.

The way out for new buyers is Crucial P2. @BoPl, @Jason.mac and a couple other folks found this SSD very good with power consumption at idle and during sleep.

cocoalektro said:
What pmset parameters are you using for SN550? Also have the 1TB model in a 2015 13" MBP and ssdpmEnabler and NVMEFix are installed which decreased power draw significantly and improved responsiveness in general but I still see bad drain when lid is closed.

Please see the answer in FAQ:

Home

Contribute to kvic-z/SsdPmEnabler development by creating an account on GitHub.

github.com

zach514 said:
TLDR: Should I use a time machine backup or bootable SuperDuper! backup to restore my files/apps onto a new SSD?

Time Machine backup. Fresh install of MacOS. Then only restore "account settings/apps/internet&wifi settings etc" no need to restore system.

Only restore "account settings/apps/internet&wifi settings etc" no need to restore system.
Only restore "account settings/apps/internet&wifi settings etc" no need to restore system.

Mat16 · Feb 20, 2021

Thank you very much for your support! Very good thread here.

I upgraded macbook pro 2015 13 with Adata SX8200 Pro 1 TB one year and a half ago. Everything worked perfect since today, but energy consumption and battery drain was quite high.

Yesterday I managed installing NVMeFix and SSDPmEnabler. I'm on Big Sur 11.2.1. There is a significant reduction in Idle Power consumption now:

Energie Consumption on Idle

Before (without)
SSD 3,3V Energie Consumption IDLE: 0,2A

With NVMeFix and SSDPmEnabler
SSD 3,3V Energie Consumption IDLE: 0,03-0,05A

Before / after

As for me the installation was quiet challenging for the first time, I will share with you my steps to get it working:

Install Lilu + NVMeFix

1) Boot in Recovery (Cmd + R)
2) In Recovery Mode Open Terminal (open utilites -> Terminal)
3) Disable SIP:
put: csrutil disable
4) Boot back to Mac OS
5) Download latest NVMeFix Kext
6) Download latest Lilu Kext
7) Extract kext files from zip and put them into a new folder (e.g. on the desktop)
8) Open Terminal and copy the kext files to /Library/Extension
9) Navigate with Terminal to the folder on the desktop where are the kext files located
put: cd /Users/"USERACCOUNT"/Desktop/"NAME OF FOLDER WHERE KEXt FILES ARE LOCATED"
now copy files with
sudo cp -R *.kext /Library/Extensions
11) Allow modifications in the security options
12) go back to terminal and put:
sudo nvram boot-args=debug=0x144
sudo boot-args='kext-dev-mode=1'
sudo nvram boot-args="keepsyms=1"
13) restart your mac
14) to verify if NVMeFix is working now, download the tool IORegistryExplorer
15) open IORegistryExplorer and search for NVMeFix.
If it is correctly installed, there will be a entry NVMeFix

After this I continued to install SsdPmEnabler
Install SsdPmEnabler.kext is quiet easy. Follow instructions on:

GitHub - kvic-z/SsdPmEnabler

Contribute to kvic-z/SsdPmEnabler development by creating an account on GitHub.

github.com

I don't now if this is the easiest way, but It worked for me on Big sur.

One Question:
Can I update to future versions of MAC OS or should I disable before NVMeFix and SSDPmEnabler when there is a Mac OS update?

xboxbml · Feb 20, 2021

sunshine221 said:
Just wanted to thank everyone who contributed to this thread.

Upgraded my Macbook Pro 2015 (mid) 15-inch. Used the XPG SX8200 Pro 2TB (CAD$259 on Amazon) and Sintech NGFF M.2 nVME SSD Adapter Card.

Used the included heatsink sticker; was worried about adding thickness but the clearance was lower than the speaker unit right beside it.

Created a Big Sur bootable USB before swapping out the storage. No issues with installation and time machine restore. Bootcamp installation also without issues.

Consistently hitting 2,500mb/s write and 2,400 read speeds in Blackmagic tests.

Nice! I'm still rockin mine in my Air.. Slower of course, but it works well!

mork4 · Feb 20, 2021

Mat16 said:
Install Lilu + NVMeFix
...
12) go back to terminal and put:
sudo nvram boot-args=debug=0x144
sudo boot-args='kext-dev-mode=1'
sudo nvram boot-args="keepsyms=1"
...

Hi, what are the three commands for ?
Thanks.

jumleguf · Feb 21, 2021

Hi everyone!

Oh my, only wish I found this thread before upgrading ... so much knowledge in here it makes my head spin!
I'm hoping someone can help me out a bit ...

Anyway, long story short; After watching a Youtube video on the subject, I upgraded my MacBook Pro Late 2013 11.1 with a 1TB Samsung 970 EVO and this adapter: https://www.amazon.de/dp/B07S9Q6TCN/ref=pe_3044161_185740101_TE_item

After the install, I have 2 issues:
1: Somewhat shorter battery life (but ok, from what I gather in this thread, the EVO just has a very high power consumption, so maybe nothing can be done about that?)

2: When the battery (which is also new) runs out, the machine just dies instead of hibernating. I tried all different settings in Terminal (0,3,25 and so on), but apparently to no avail.

I'm currently running Catalina, but from all these posts I get the impression that upgrading to Big Sur might solve the hibernation/sleep issues without having to delve into Boot ROM tampering and such ...?
Or are my hibernation issues due to the adapter I'm using, which is not the Sintech that's supposedly the only properly working one?

Can someone PLEASE give me the lowdown in my situation, on how to solve the hibernation issue and maybe also just get the most out of this upgrade in general? I am a tinkerer by nature, but this time it feels like a bit in over my head .... 😅

Thank you very much in advance!!

glaubig · Feb 21, 2021

Hi guys, I need help.

So, i have a MacBook pro retina 13'' early 2015. It's broken when worked on OsX El Capitan. I can not use Apple SSD.

Now, MBP is working on external usb flash drive. I bought a NVMe SSD (link) and SSD connector (link).

I cannot install macOS. I don't know what can i do?

sandrvoxon · Feb 22, 2021

Hey Guys ! Hope you are all well ! Guys is any one got successfully install bootcamp with Crucial p2 ssd ?

Chema · Feb 22, 2021

sandrvoxon said:
Hey Guys ! Hope you are all well ! Guys is any one got successfully install bootcamp with Crucial p2 ssd ?

I have. And it's stable UNTIL the bootcamp drivers kick in, then its bsod! So to get a stable windows, I installed an old windows10 from 2016 and the bootcamp drivers worked perfectly. Stable, no bsod! UNTIL you update windows :-(

VictorS · Feb 22, 2021

P2 on MacbookPro 11.3 - BootCamp worked for me like this: installed Windows with internet disconected, then BootCamp drivers installed fine. Then connected to the internet and let all Windows updates come.

BoPl · Feb 22, 2021

sandrvoxon said:
Hey Guys ! Hope you are all well ! Guys is any one got successfully install bootcamp with Crucial p2 ssd ?

I tried but no luck. I think the problem is not just with P2 but also with any not original SSD on mid 2014 MBP 13".

jayc29 · Feb 22, 2021

jumleguf said:
Anyway, long story short; After watching a Youtube video on the subject, I upgraded my MacBook Pro Late 2013 11.1 with a 1TB Samsung 970 EVO and this adapter: https://www.amazon.de/dp/B07S9Q6TCN/ref=pe_3044161_185740101_TE_item

I happened to use the same adapter with my MacBook Pro 15 (mid 2015) and a Kingston A2000 500GB. I have the issue where the screen stays blank for a whole minute after the Mac goes to sleep (when I shut the lid or leave it idle for a few minutes). It also takes much longer for the computer to respond to the power button being pressed to start up and sometimes Safari freezes on some webpages.

I've tried resetting the PRAM, SMC, installing Lilu+NVMeFix and so on but nothing seems to help.

I'm wondering if its an adapter issue or the SSD or simply incompatibility of drivers of some sort?

Baptiste261 · Feb 22, 2021

Hello,

I have a MacBook Pro retina 13" 2015 with crucial P2 500gb.
I installed SSDPmEnabler only.

But I am quite disappointed because write and read speeds are not high.

Capture d’écran 2021-02-22 à 22.08.31.png

But we can see the difference with SSDPmEnabler.

Capture d’écran 2021-02-22 à 22.28.41.png

sandrvoxon · Feb 22, 2021

VictorS said:
P2 on MacbookPro 11.3 - BootCamp worked for me like this: installed Windows with internet disconected, then BootCamp drivers installed fine. Then connected to the internet and let all Windows updates come.

Thanks ! I will try it later.

Fran Frin · Feb 23, 2021

What app is this?:

Baptiste261 said:
View attachment 1733709

Baptiste261 · Feb 23, 2021

Fran Frin said:
What app is this?:

It’s istat menu

jumleguf · Feb 23, 2021

jayc29 said:
I happened to use the same adapter with my MacBook Pro 15 (mid 2015) and a Kingston A2000 500GB. I have the issue where the screen stays blank for a whole minute after the Mac goes to sleep (when I shut the lid or leave it idle for a few minutes). It also takes much longer for the computer to respond to the power button being pressed to start up and sometimes Safari freezes on some webpages.

I've tried resetting the PRAM, SMC, installing Lilu+NVMeFix and so on but nothing seems to help.

I'm wondering if its an adapter issue or the SSD or simply incompatibility of drivers of some sort?

Adapter issue does seem likely.

I tried resetting PRAM and SMC as well, although not the other tools, which I didn't delve into yet.
I have to say, that I'm not seeing these issue you're describing at all, it's exclusively the lack of hibernation, that drives me nuts, or more specifically, that when the battery runs out, the MacBook doesn't go to sleep and just pick up again where you left off, when there's power again, but simply die and reboot :-(
But regular hibernation, like when you're just closing the lid (screen) down, and everything else in general seems to be working as it should ... Hmmm.

Now I've ordered a 1TB Crucial P2 to get the power consumption a bit down, plus the Sintech adapter, and then we'll see ...
I'm also a bit puzzled as to what the Boot ROM can or can not do in the case of my MacBook Late 2013 (11,1), because after installing the Samsung 970 EVO I have in there now, I initially put Big Sur on it, but it felt a bit sluggish, so I deleted that and installed Catalina instead. But in the process of having installed Big Sur, the Boot ROM got updated and is now 430.0.0.0.0, so doesn't that mean that these power/sleep issues should be gone, no matter if you use Catalina or Big Sur, or did I misunderstand something?
Unless of course the troubles are really caused by the adapter NOT being the Sintech ... here's hoping 😅

Chema · Feb 23, 2021

Crucial P2 500GB, mba6,2. (Big Sur 11.2.1) With $2 alibaba adapter!

AstroZero · Feb 23, 2021

Hi folks (and @kvic !)

Thanks for a great thread with lots of detail

So I have a Kernel Panic issue with my aftermarket SSD.

My Setup:
Mojave 10.14.6 (18G7016)
MacBookAir7,2
Intel Core i5 1.6 GHz
Boot ROM Version: 425.0.0.0.0
Sabrent Rocket 1TB + Sintec short adapter

iStat indicated the following for idle power draw.
No kexts - 0.16 A
(Not so worried about power draw as the crash issues)

Every so often I get a reboot with a kernel panic on "IONVMeController.cpp:5334" always exactly that kext/line. (googled it, many people with aftermarket NVMe SSDs have this issue, not just my SSD either 😔 ) . It is at random times, last time it happened I was renaming a file- the machine froze for ~30s and rebooted. The file was renamed. I have been saving some of the panics in my Apple™️ Notes app 😆 on every reboot. Several panic dumps are provided below.

I tried

Code:

sudo pmset -a standby 0

around May and October 2020.

Hopefully I can get some helpful advice from you. n.b. I have not yet tried SsdPmEnabler / NVMeFix. I will try NVMeFix kext first and hopefully that will help.

In this git issue there seems to be some similar panics in IONVMeController:5334 (there are other panics in IONVMeController on that issue with different line numbers):

Random panic in IONVMeController · Issue #22 · osy/HaC-Mini

*** Panic Report *** panic(cpu 2 caller 0xffffff7f89076c0c): nvme: "Fatal error occurred. CSTS=0x1 US[1]=0x0 US[0]=0x10 VID/DID=0x2262126f . FW Revision=SVN163\n"@/BuildRoot/Library/Caches/com.appl...

github.com

Sadly people are still experiencing this issue, and apparently, there will not be any other attempt to address in NVMeFix as it is out of scope

does anyone know what is happening around line 5334 in IONVMeController.cpp? This related comment and this related patch talk about timeouts, is line 5334 related to timeouts? [I wonder how long it should be without a panic that I can consider this issue fixed with confidence interval 0.001...]

(side note: I have experienced the issue since Mojave 18G103 and BootROM 188.0.0.0.0 currently I am on 18G7016 with BootROM 425.0.0.0.0. Interestingly since around November 2019, I have not reinstalled OSX and not put the original SSD back, yet I've been getting bootrom updates. Not sure how, my Mojave install date is Sat 24 Aug 2019 18:34:21 BST (checked via stackoverflow). Th issue used to be triggered more often with BootROM 188.0.0.0.0.)

Kernel Panic (n.b. not every one was saved):

(lol hit the pastebin limit!)

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

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