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

[macpro_mid2014]

try not to use external usb adapter enclosures onto any USB ports, yes Windows 10 Pro PC usb 2.0, 3.1, 3.2 ports did not work for me, I don't use bootcamp, only Parallels, so I have it installed the P31 Nvme ssd directly to my Windows 10 PC motherboard PCie Nvme M2 socket, updating firmware was pretty quick.

Some SSD's do not work out of the box (without firmware updates) with macOS, but for the ones that do work, you may try this to update the firmware:

I use the SN550 2TB, which works with macOS. Because I don't have a Windows PC, this is what I did:

1- Created a second partition (45GB, but you can use 64GB so no complaints when installing Windows ) and formated it as FAT32 using Disk Utility;
2- Downloaded Windows 10 64 bits ISO from Microsoft;
3- Used BootCamp to create a USB installer;
4- Booted with OPT and selected the Windows Installer on the USB;
5- The installation went smoothly (in the enter key window just say "I don't have a key");
6- Booted with OPT and selected Windows 10;
7- Downloaded and Installed the Firmware Update software from WD (in your case from your SSD manufacturer);
8- Updated the Firmware (actually, the SN550 came with updated firmware);

Optional:

9- After the update, went back to macOS and used Disk Utility to remove the Windows 10 partition;
10- Used MountEFI to remove the boot entry to Windows 10.

 

[FlorisVN]

i have installed a p2 crucial 1tb in my 2015 air, but thinking of returing it to amazon to get the crucial p5 1tb model.
I just read that the p2 has got QLC now, instead of TLC memory chips.

I can still return it, should I do it.. ?

using a sintech adapter here, and also am experiencing some strange problems sometimes with big sur, it locks up, gets extreme slow or gives kernel panics.
Windows on the bootcamp side is is always rock solid.

Should I perhaps reseat my SSD ? or is this a known problem for the P2 crucial ssd's ?

 

[markymarkdenver]

UPDATE re: P31 GOLD.

I was able to get it to work, finally. It's a bit of a convoluted process. None of the external SSD enclosures I tried would allow the firmware update utility to work, but I could use the drive normally while in the enclosure. Without the drive plugged into the motherboard, I couldn't update the firmware and as such, couldn't use the drive. Here's what did finally work:

1. Download a Windows 10 ISO and Rufus.
2. Install Windows 10 as bootcamp or virtualbox and boot into that Windows 10.
3. With your new Windows 10 install, disable the Windows Defender Firewall + Virus scanning <---- this is critical as it will stop Rufus from creating the Windows to Go.
4. Create a bootable Windows 10 to Go drive using Rufus
5. Download the P31 firmware update utility and .ebin file for your drive; store them on your Windows to Go drive somewhere.
6. Put the P31 in your computer's drive slot.
7. Boot from the Windows To Go drive ("Option" during boot) and update the firmware for the drive.
   1. Note: my firmware version did not appear to change, but I was able to format the drive and use it once updated.
8. I used internet recovery to format the drive and install a fresh copy of Big Sur.

So far, the drive is lovely - battery life has been good, speeds are exceptional, and no problems with sleep/wake.

 

[macpro_mid2014]

Hi All,

A quick "heads up" WD Blue SN550 SSD Performance Reportedly Cut In Half When SLC Runs Out

I did not have any issues with performance degradation with mine. BUT, I get only half of the claimed speeds because of the PCI version. For Macs 2015/2017 that should be a real issue.

I measured the speeds in my system in post #9174 and let it run for some time.

Thank you for the report.

 

[J3G]

I did not have any issues with performance degradation with mine. BUT, I get only half of the claimed speeds because of the PCI version. For Macs 2015/2017 that should be a real issue.

I measured the speeds in my system in post #9174 and let it run for some time.

Thank you for the report.

You're welcome!

The problem with these "silent changes" is how complicated it is to know what you are really going to buy. 💲

It is difficult to know if they are temporary or definitive, if they only affect a batch...

 

[white7561]

Hi All,

A quick "heads up" WD Blue SN550 SSD Performance Reportedly Cut In Half When SLC Runs Out

Here in my country Addlink S70 is cheaper. And even with the Phison E12S , the 512GB still has a higher TLC write speed than that 1TB WD Blue. Mine is about 550MBps i think after the SLC cache runs out. I posted a review a few posts back. And that's the 512GB. The 1TB one should be even better

 

[mmmgl]

Read the first post - it's to do with the default Mac settings related to sleep/suspend/hibernate (those issues continue to happen regardless of the kexts you load in).

By default (for example on my MacBookPro 12,1) it will stay powered "on" with the lid closed until the battery drains to 50%, this is often made worse when bluetooth is enabled or iCloud "Find My" services are enabled (they constantly ping the Apple servers to report location). Applications running in the background also delay your hibernate settings.

To fix this, you just need to change the intervals as described in the first post.

Hello,

I've read it, and already tried to disable things such as tcpkeepalive, tried different hibernation and sleep mode, but nothing seems to work.

here are my current pmset settings :

Turning hibernation to 0 makes the problem worse.

 

[macpro_mid2014]

Hello,

I've read it, and already tried to disable things such as tcpkeepalive, tried different hibernation and sleep mode, but nothing seems to work.

here are my current pmset settings :

View attachment 1823238

Turning hibernation to 0 makes the problem worse.

Your settings seem to be fine!

Did you try to use @kvic's guide?

GitHub - kvic-z/SsdPmEnabler

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

github.com

 

[mmmgl]

Your settings seem to be fine!

Did you try to use @kvic's guide?

GitHub - kvic-z/SsdPmEnabler

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

github.com

I did, and ssdpmenabler seems to be enabled. Still, i can’t let my mac alone for two days without letting the battery empty :/

 

[hellodustin]

Hi there, was eying the sk hynix p31 500gb for my mid 2014 macbook pro, but I'm in NZ and turns out that drive is only available on Amazon, not shipping to NZ.

Anyone suggest the next best option? Something at least as fast as the current mac SSD.

Crucial P2 looks good, but a few posts recently talking about a couple different versions, one working flawlessly, one iffy?! Otherwise Sabrent Rocket? The Corsair as well. Any others that aren't on the chart but worth a look?

Thanks for the guidance, this thing needs a bit of a tidy up. Will likely do the re-thermal paste and blast out any cobwebs. Any other 7-8 year old laptop refresher tips are welcome.

 

[J3G]

Here in my country Addlink S70 is cheaper. And even with the Phison E12S , the 512GB still has a higher TLC write speed than that 1TB WD Blue. Mine is about 550MBps i think after the SLC cache runs out. I posted a review a few posts back. And that's the 512GB. The 1TB one should be even better

Hi @white7561

This review Addlink S70 1TB NVMe M.2 SSD review concurs with your guess 🧐

 

[macpro_mid2014]

I did, and ssdpmenabler seems to be enabled. Still, i can’t let my mac alone for two days without letting the battery empty :/

I did, and ssdpmenabler seems to be enabled. Still, i can’t let my mac alone for two days without letting the battery empty :/

Ok. Try this:

# man pmset
...
hibernatemode = 25 is only settable via pmset. The system will store a copy of memory to persistent storage (the disk), and will remove power to memory. The system will restore from disk image. If you want "hibernation" - slower sleeps, slower wakes, and better battery life, you should use this setting.
...

 

[white7561]

Hi @white7561

This review Addlink S70 1TB NVMe M.2 SSD review concurs with your guess 🧐

That's the older version with Phison E12. But overall should be quite similar in performance AFAIK. And that's the 1TB which should have a much higher TLC writing speed.

The older Phison E12 one has a lower TBW rating than the newer one too!!

 

[herb2k]

Hello,

I've read it, and already tried to disable things such as tcpkeepalive, tried different hibernation and sleep mode, but nothing seems to work.

here are my current pmset settings :

View attachment 1823238

Turning hibernation to 0 makes the problem worse.

If your machine is similar to mine (MacBookPro 12,1) then keep it on hibernatemode=3, my settings below - I get about 2% drain overnight now.

EDIT: Forgot to add (as I mentioned in my last post).

I experienced high drain overnight (20 to 30%) and in doing so had to do a number of things to improve the situation (a lot of checking and trial and error, diagnostic work and testing).

1. I disabled LaunchAgents and LaunchDaemons that seemed to prevent the computer from sleeping/hibernating
2. I disabled "Find My Device" under iCloud
3. I ensured that my browser (Firefox, Chrome, Safari) were not actively playing any multimedia when closing the lid. This also caused high drain.
4. In doing that, I also took some steps to optimize Firefox/Chrome by disabling autoplay media, installing an adblocker, etc. I found that many websites with animated adverts tend to run regardless of if the tab is open, thus consuming battery.
5. I looked through the system console for any repeated errors and corrected them
6. I used the terminal commands for pmset to see what was causing wakes overnight, if any activity or application was preventing sleep, etc and resolved those issues (there are tons of threads online about this topic if you google it).

That all said, #7 below might be the easiest for you

7. As it was during the lockdown/pandemic times in spring of 2020, I also took a weekend to do a clean install of Catalina for comparison - and after doing/checking the above, battery performance overnight stays the same WHEN ALSO making the changes to the standby/hibernate delays.


Hope this helps!

 

[mmmgl]

If your machine is similar to mine (MacBookPro 12,1) then keep it on hibernatemode=3, my settings below - I get about 2% drain overnight now.

View attachment 1823696


EDIT: Forgot to add (as I mentioned in my last post).

I experienced high drain overnight (20 to 30%) and in doing so had to do a number of things to improve the situation (a lot of checking and trial and error, diagnostic work and testing).

1. I disabled LaunchAgents and LaunchDaemons that seemed to prevent the computer from sleeping/hibernating
2. I disabled "Find My Device" under iCloud
3. I ensured that my browser (Firefox, Chrome, Safari) were not actively playing any multimedia when closing the lid. This also caused high drain.
4. In doing that, I also took some steps to optimize Firefox/Chrome by disabling autoplay media, installing an adblocker, etc. I found that many websites with animated adverts tend to run regardless of if the tab is open, thus consuming battery.
5. I looked through the system console for any repeated errors and corrected them
6. I used the terminal commands for pmset to see what was causing wakes overnight, if any activity or application was preventing sleep, etc and resolved those issues (there are tons of threads online about this topic if you google it).

That all said, #7 below might be the easiest for you

7. As it was during the lockdown/pandemic times in spring of 2020, I also took a weekend to do a clean install of Catalina for comparison - and after doing/checking the above, battery performance overnight stays the same WHEN ALSO making the changes to the standby/hibernate delays.


Hope this helps!

Interesting, here is a log of the pmset of this night (my computer was not powered) :

The culprit seems to be that AppWoke:com.apple.bluetoothd-blueavengers Reason:BlueAvengers: Toggle beacon state.

I made some research, and the "allowing bluetooth device to wake up computer" under advanced bluetooth config. is already turned off here. This thread is providing some useful information.

I tried to completely disable Find My Mac as it could be the culprit too, as I don't have any bluetooth device connected to my mac and proximitywake disabled. I'll keep you posted.


UPDATE :

Idle for like 3 hours, looks like the log show that the computer isn't trying to wake every half our or so. Still, 5% lost in the meantime.

 

[icecruncher]

Thanks for the guidance, this thing needs a bit of a tidy up. Will likely do the re-thermal paste and blast out any cobwebs. Any other 7-8 year old laptop refresher tips are welcome.

I'm still waiting on one piece before I do the upgrade (graphene m.2 cooler), but the paste and dust out did wonders. It dropped my internals over 5 degrees C on idle and 10-20 C at full power. It no longer pushes 100C no matter what I do, which scared me a little before. That will help no matter how much your NVMe card is doing heat wise. Although mine is a different model.

I also have started getting the new drive ready and making backups. I was amazed at how much peppier the machine felt by copying over programs I needed, instead of just cloning the drive to the new card. I'm sure there is a lot of bloat that has accumulated over a couple years. IMHO, it is worth the extra effort when upgrading the drive, but you may not agree.

 

[FlorisVN]

Well so I have changed to a P5 Crucial 1TB NVME SSD today, but still got a Kernel Panic today. (I have attached a log)
I dont know why.

I have just did a fresh install of Big Sur on it, and used migration assistant to copy over my install from my Crucial P2 1TB NVME SSD. (also running latest Big Sur and updates)

I am using the Sintech adapter bought from Amazon, used the link within the first post.

Is perhaps my Sintech adapter bad ?

Whats going wrong here perhaps.. ?

With the original Apple SSD I never had any of these problems..

Running a 2015 13" 1.6Ghz i5 / 8GB ram model here...

Thanks in advance for your help,

 

[xboxbml]

Well so I have changed to a P5 Crucial 1TB NVME SSD today, but still got a Kernel Panic today. (I have attached a log)
I dont know why.

I have just did a fresh install of Big Sur on it, and used migration assistant to copy over my install from my Crucial P2 1TB NVME SSD. (also running latest Big Sur and updates)

I am using the Sintech adapter bought from Amazon, used the link within the first post.

Is perhaps my Sintech adapter bad ?

Whats going wrong here perhaps.. ?

With the original Apple SSD I never had any of these problems..

Running a 2015 13" 1.6Ghz i5 / 8GB ram model here...

Thanks in advance for your help,

Do you still have the apple drive? If so, does it panic on you? I'm guessing by specs you have a 2015 Air? Sorry I've been away for a while and didn't see your first posts.

 

[FlorisVN]

Do you still have the apple drive? If so, does it panic on you? I'm guessing by specs you have a 2015 Air? Sorry I've been away for a while and didn't see your first posts.

Thanks for your message.
I still have the original Apple drive yes, I will always keep it.
I have a 2015 13" Macbook Air indeed.

It seems like the kernel panics are perhaps away now, I have reinstalled my P5 again..

If the random kernel panics return, could perhaps my Sintech adapter be bad ?
I doubt it will be my SSD, since I had the same random MacOS kernel panics with my other P2 Crucial SSD.

On Windows 10 Bootcamp I never had any problems btw, only on MacOS Side (Big Sur).
Never ran any other MacOS version on this machine before myself...

btw it seems like MacOS is much snappier with the P5 compared to the P2..
Apps open quicker and everything feels more snapier
perhaps this is because of the TLC vs QLC NAND, with beter cache and speed on the P5 ?

Thanks in advance,

 

[FlorisVN]

Unfortunately I just got a new kernel panic after a deep sleep.

I dont know what's caussing this, I am posting a new log file here.
I hope somebody can help me out, thanks in advance.

I thought all the nvme options where working OOB with 2015-2017 macs ?
Or am I wrong here.. ?

( 2015 13" Core i5 / 8GB Macbook Air with Crucial P5 1TB NVME and Sintech "small" SSD Adapter)

I bought this Sintech adapter : https://www.amazon.nl/gp/product/B07FYY3H5F/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Perhaps my adapter is malfunctioning.. ?
My Bootrom firmware version = 427.140.8.0.0
MacOS Big Sur 11.5.2

 

[kvic]

Both kernel panics happened in the NVMe driver. Since it happens so often, I'm afraid it's an indication Crucial P5 doesn't have good compatibility with MacOS.

If you search this thread, very few guys claimed no issue (or having issues) with Crucial P5. The most recent case was from last month (right before one of my reponses IIRC).

Since now you're reporting kernel panics, I recall recently seeing this thread: https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/nvme-in-pci-slot-problem-resolution-sought.2307599/

If you can still return it, changing to Phison E12/E12S based products is a safer bet at this moment in time.

 

[FlorisVN]

Both kernel panics happened in the NVMe driver. Since it happens so often, I'm afraid it's an indication Crucial P5 doesn't have good compatibility with MacOS.

If you search this thread, very few guys claimed no issue (or having issues) with Crucial P5. The most recent case was from last month (right before one of my reponses IIRC).

Since now you're reporting kernel panics, I recall recently seeing this thread: https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/nvme-in-pci-slot-problem-resolution-sought.2307599/

If you can still return it, changing to Phison E12/E12S based products is a safer bet at this moment in time.

Ok :S thanks for your info !
I tought/hoped my P5 was a good one.
Seems not then, I will return it after I know a good alternative SSD to buy..

I also had Kernel Panics with my P2 Crucial btw, which is Phison based as far as I know..

I dont want to return to use my P2 Crucial, since it can become pretty slow and has QLC nand.
I can still return my P3 I have about 30 days left..

Is there any recommended drive you have for me ?
I prefer the major brands, like Samsung,Intel and Crucial..

At the moment I'm thinking of buying the Kioxia Exceria Plus G2 1TB NVME SSD.
What do you think of this model ?
Seems like one of the few and perhaps only models/brands which have a Phison controller at the moment ?
But if for example a 980 Pro should also work fine, then I will definitly go for that one I think..

Thanks in advance,

 

[kvic]

Crucial P2 is not a Phison E12/E12S based product. Pls read my posts carefully as I put in effort to make sure the content is as accurate as possible. I would expect my readers consuming them from the bottom of their hearts.

You might still be lucky and get a TLC based Crucial P2 from the retail channels. If you've been following my posts in this thread, you could do a simple test (a few responses back) to ballpark guesstimate if you get a TLC or QLC.

I'm out of the market for a while. I'm afraid I don't have any recommendation. You could check out the list I compiled from past success stories: confirmed working models.

If you're getting kernel panics on both P2 & P5 in a row, that might indicate other issues complicating the problem. Try to put some tape on the Sintek adaptor. There were instructions where to put the tape in post #1. It might still be there. Also look for possible dirts/corrosions inside your laptop, particularly near the SSD socket. And etc. Good luck.

 

[FlorisVN]

Crucial P2 is not a Phison E12/E12S based product. Pls read my posts carefully as I put in effort to make sure the content is as accurate as possible. I would expect my readers consuming them from the bottom of their hearts.

You might still be lucky and get a TLC based Crucial P2 from the retail channels. If you've been following my posts in this thread, you could do a simple test (a few responses back) to ballpark guesstimate if you get a TLC or QLC.

I'm out of the market for a while. I'm afraid I don't have any recommendation. You could check out the list I compiled from past success stories: confirmed working models.

If you're getting kernel panics on both P2 & P5 in a row, that might indicate other issues complicating the problem. Try to put some tape on the Sintek adaptor. There were instructions where to put the tape in post #1. It might still be there. Also look for possible dirts/corrosions inside your laptop, particularly near the SSD socket. And etc. Good luck.

Thanks for your fast response.
Indeed I must have read the spec. info to fast of the P2, seems it is using a Phison PS5013-E13T controller.

Anway, I thought the tape trick was no longer needed in the current latest revision of the sintech adapter.
Anyway I will try that anyway, thanks.

Also thanks for the github link.
Seems like not all models from that list have a Phison controller, but there are confirmed models for the 7,2 Macbook Air there.
So I think I should also be safe using one of these models SSD's ?

I'm thinking of returing all of my Crucial SSD's.
I understand I could perhaps get a TLC based P2 if I am lucky, but still It if I am able to obtain one it might still not work correctly with MacOS afterall..

Thanks in advance,

 

[xboxbml]

Thanks for your fast response.
Indeed I must have read the spec. info to fast of the P2, seems it is using a Phison PS5013-E13T controller.

Anway, I thought the tape trick was no longer needed in the current latest revision of the sintech adapter.
Anyway I will try that anyway, thanks.

Also thanks for the github link.
Seems like not all models from that list have a Phison controller, but there are confirmed models for the 7,2 Macbook Air there.
So I think I should also be safe using one of these models SSD's ?

I'm thinking of returing all of my Crucial SSD's.
I understand I could perhaps get a TLC based P2 if I am lucky, but still It if I am able to obtain one it might still not work correctly with MacOS afterall..

Thanks in advance,

I like my drive.. see sig. I've had it about a year and only 2 panics. I just had to reseat the Sintech. Other than that, no issues.