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

[geoff-codes]

Hi folks...

Well, I'm glad I found this thread now, but after a naive $1,300 blunder, could anyone point me towards a working/workable high(er) end high(er) capacity module for a Mid-2015 Dual Graphics 2.8GHz (PCIE Gen3 x4), for someone who does indeed do a LOT of large writes? Are there any 8TB modules known to work? 4TB? (I don't want to say "money is no object", but lets assume i'll pay for it, if it exists...)

Also, does the first page say this model does not need an additional kernel extension, or is that a requirement across the board for decent power management?

Thank you.

Geoff

 

[dw2116]

Power consumption is about the same. With QLC, fewer chips, power usage should be a bit less. Idle power is as good as before about 0.10A. Lower the idle power out of the box the better for MBA6,2.

Do note that: the new Crucial P2 comes with about 135GB fast cache. After the cache runs out, the write speed slows down to ~40MB/s. The old Crucial P2 came with a bout 24GB fast cache. After the cache runs out, the write speed is about 450MB/s. All these figures were measured by Tom's hardware on the 500GB model. And these sequential write speed varies with SSD capacity.

You could expect roughly double the speed on the 1TB model i.e. after cache runs out, I think you'll get about or slightly above 100MB/s. I assume you go with 1TB, then personally I find ~100MB/s acceptable in the rare event that an average user will temporarily use up all 135GB fast cache in their huge & bulk write.

People struggling with the new Crucial P2 - to be or not to be - should ask yourselves:

• are you doing huge & bulk copy (>135GB at once) into P2 on a regular basis? Or only a few times per year?
• P2 used to cost quite a lot cheaper than others that (together with v good out of box idle power) made it a sweet deal. Given the COVID inflation, prices move up quite a bit. So how much do you value the expense difference, say, between Crucial P2 and Hynix P31 Gold (or a Phison E12/E12S) for covering workload that happens only a few times per 365 days?

After all, I guess it really depends when you need to buy the SSD, and at what price points you could buy it at the time.

Again, many thanks for your helpful comments. I will think through the questions you posed, make an informed decision, and report back here when I'm done with this project.

 

[cyberstudio]

Worse still, P2 is DRAM less.

I tried really hard to search for information on HMB (host memory buffer) support on Macs to no avail. But I reasoned that since anyone can plug any DRAM-less NVMe drive in an enclosure to any TB3 port on any recent Mac, it must be supported.

If you have PCIe 3.0x4, it would not have been a problem, just like it was not a problem on a PC.

But if you are like me, with only PCIe 2.0x2, then HMB has to use some of that limited bandwidth too, and the very little advantage over SATA3 evaporates away.

 

[kvic]

Do note that: the new Crucial P2 comes with about 135GB fast cache. After the cache runs out, the write speed slows down to ~40MB/s. The old Crucial P2 came with a bout 24GB fast cache. After the cache runs out, the write speed is about 450MB/s. All these figures were measured by Tom's hardware on the 500GB model. And these sequential write speed varies with SSD capacity.

P2 used to cost quite a lot cheaper than others that (together with v good out of box idle power) made it a sweet deal. Given the COVID inflation, prices move up quite a bit.

Finish up ppl's curiosity on the new Crucial P2. I was puzzled by Crucial dare to raise prices on the new and supposedly 'inferior' product (as publicized by tech media). I did some quick & dirty analysis for MBA6,2.

The result is astonishing to me. Because of the much larger fast cache, average users actually end up better off with the new P2 than the old one.

As long as your workload size is less than 140GB in a single operation, you can finish the copy task faster. That also means consuming less power during the operation by its face value (total power consumption for the complete operation will be far more difficult to guesstimate).

There is other catch like how quick and to what extend the P2's can recover from filled-up cache. I would guess the old P2 can be slightly quicker. Nevertheless, I believe major vendors do it in a way it'll be hardly detectable & noticeable for laptop/desktop users in everyday use. Let's not worry too much about it.

 

[fran.ae]

Hello guys,
i think i found this info/thread a bit late but still useful.

I own a 2015 MBP 13" 2.7GHz 8GB RAM who was originally packed with a 256GB SSD.
I bought a 1TB Samsung EVO 970 Plus who is working rock solid but yes, the temperature goes a bit high sometimes and the battery goes down quite fast when the mac wakes up from sleeping.
I do basic tasks and sometimes photo/video editing.

Now the questions,
a. how much difference is the idle consumption between this Samsung SSD and other listed here like Crucial P2 or Hynix P31? Because i found those 2 ssd at a reasonable price on amazon.

b. i've read something like tweaks in order to increase battery life while sleeping, any real/updated recommendations?

Thanks!

 

[cyberstudio]

I think the SLC cache is dynamic and is 135GB only when the drive is empty (correct me if I am wrong).

Mathematically, a 1TB QLC drive can turn into a 250GB SLC drive, but since you need to copy that SLC cache to QLC during idle, the empty drive cache size could be as big as 200GB in theory. When the 660p came out it also had 140G SLC cache when empty at the 1TB capacity.

So that dynamic cache shrinks and grows as you write or delete data. But the cache becomes very small when the drive is full and at some point you will run out of cache and you get SATA-level write performance.

 

[kvic]

Hello guys,
i think i found this info/thread a bit late but still useful.

I own a 2015 MBP 13" 2.7GHz 8GB RAM who was originally packed with a 256GB SSD.
I bought a 1TB Samsung EVO 970 Plus who is working rock solid but yes, the temperature goes a bit high sometimes and the battery goes down quite fast when the mac wakes up from sleeping.
I do basic tasks and sometimes photo/video editing.

Now the questions,
a. how much difference is the idle consumption between this Samsung SSD and other listed here like Crucial P2 or Hynix P31? Because i found those 2 ssd at a reasonable price on amazon.

b. i've read something like tweaks in order to increase battery life while sleeping, any real/updated recommendations?

Thanks!

Read @mlol 's report that I linked in Confirmed Working Models.
Also read the FAQ I wrote. Both questions and answered are carefully prepared.
Together should address all your problems.

Reminder to "newbies":

• spend some time preparing yourself. Do some homework before asking low-effort questions
• a "newbie" should answer or offer help to THREE other "newbies."
• Help yourself help others. Make this thread self sustainable

 

[evoplus970]

Hello guys,
i think i found this info/thread a bit late but still useful.

I own a 2015 MBP 13" 2.7GHz 8GB RAM who was originally packed with a 256GB SSD.
I bought a 1TB Samsung EVO 970 Plus who is working rock solid but yes, the temperature goes a bit high sometimes and the battery goes down quite fast when the mac wakes up from sleeping.
I do basic tasks and sometimes photo/video editing.

Now the questions,
a. how much difference is the idle consumption between this Samsung SSD and other listed here like Crucial P2 or Hynix P31? Because i found those 2 ssd at a reasonable price on amazon.

b. i've read something like tweaks in order to increase battery life while sleeping, any real/updated recommendations?

Thanks!

I've got the exact same MacBook and SSD and managed to get it running perfectly. I also recently got a new battery and now have been getting 12-15 hours of battery life with my Evo970 Pro .

First open terminal in recovery mode first and type: nvram boot-args="keepsyms=1"

Then just install the Lilu, NVMeFix, then SsdPMEnabler kexts using the tutorial on the SsdPMEnabler GitHub page to stop battery drain with the SSD.

Ive also changed my hibernation mode to 25 by using the terminal command sudo pmset -a hibernatemode 25 to stop battery drain while my Mac sleeps.

 

[tomatoo1]

Sorry if this question might had been asked before, but I'd like some help regarding my situation

So I have a 11 inch Macbook Air Mid 2013, it seems that the SSD broke and needs to be replaced. I never updated to High Sierra, only to Sierra.It broke in March 2020 and I havent touched it much since. When I tried turning it on, it showed the question logo folder. And when I tried recovery mode, it directed me to the recovery menu of reinstalling Mountain Lion.

I'm planning to replace the SSD as I have only finished saving up for the money, but I'm confused: How do I install macos into this thing if I actually need to update to High Sierra first?

I found this obscure article that suggested inserting an external hard drive with macOS installed, bootup into the external HDD, then formatting the recognized SSD and then install macOS from there.Has anyone tried this? Does this actually work?

I'm hesitating right now because I have a tight budget, i'm planning to pick up an Adata SX6000 256GB Lite + Sintech adapter, and my ceiling budget is 80 USD ( I dont live in USA, its just a conversion ).Also, I tried the whole Command+R thing but somehow now I cant even get to Recovery Mode. Is there any solution to that as well?

Also one thing to note: only my left USB port works, the other doesn't. So if anyone here got a solution that involves plugging 2 USB stick it'd hard for me.Thanks

 

[ftaok]

Sorry if this question might had been asked before, but I'd like some help regarding my situation

So I have a 11 inch Macbook Air Mid 2013, it seems that the SSD broke and needs to be replaced. I never updated to High Sierra, only to Sierra.It broke in March 2020 and I havent touched it much since. When I tried turning it on, it showed the question logo folder. And when I tried recovery mode, it directed me to the recovery menu of reinstalling Mountain Lion.

I'm planning to replace the SSD as I have only finished saving up for the money, but I'm confused: How do I install macos into this thing if I actually need to update to High Sierra first?

I found this obscure article that suggested inserting an external hard drive with macOS installed, bootup into the external HDD, then formatting the recognized SSD and then install macOS from there.Has anyone tried this? Does this actually work?

I'm hesitating right now because I have a tight budget, i'm planning to pick up an Adata SX6000 256GB Lite + Sintech adapter, and my ceiling budget is 80 USD ( I dont live in USA, its just a conversion ).Also, I tried the whole Command+R thing but somehow now I cant even get to Recovery Mode. Is there any solution to that as well?

Also one thing to note: only my left USB port works, the other doesn't. So if anyone here got a solution that involves plugging 2 USB stick it'd hard for me.Thanks

I think you could make a USB installer drive. You would need access to another Mac, I suppose. Do you have a friend with a Mac or perhaps you're close enough to an Apple Store and maybe they would let you create a key.

How to download and install macOS - Apple Support

Download and install current or previous versions of the Mac operating system on compatible Mac computers.

support.apple.com

Create a bootable installer for macOS - Apple Support

You can use a USB flash drive or other secondary volume as a startup disk from which to install the Mac operating system. These steps are primarily for system administrators and other experienced users who are familiar with entering commands in Terminal.

support.apple.com

The above are the two support pages that you'll need to create a USB installer.

I would imagine when you get your new SSD, you would install it, and plug in the USB Installer to boot off of. Then format and install High Sierra onto the new SSD. Only 1 USB port required.

NOTE - I'm not sure if you need a way to update the "firmware" on the Mac first, so maybe you'd have to use your method first. In which case you might need a USB hub if you need to plug in two USB device.

 

[macpro_mid2014]

Sorry if this question might had been asked before, but I'd like some help regarding my situation

So I have a 11 inch Macbook Air Mid 2013, it seems that the SSD broke and needs to be replaced. I never updated to High Sierra, only to Sierra.It broke in March 2020 and I havent touched it much since. When I tried turning it on, it showed the question logo folder. And when I tried recovery mode, it directed me to the recovery menu of reinstalling Mountain Lion.

I'm planning to replace the SSD as I have only finished saving up for the money, but I'm confused: How do I install macos into this thing if I actually need to update to High Sierra first?

I found this obscure article that suggested inserting an external hard drive with macOS installed, bootup into the external HDD, then formatting the recognized SSD and then install macOS from there.Has anyone tried this? Does this actually work?

I'm hesitating right now because I have a tight budget, i'm planning to pick up an Adata SX6000 256GB Lite + Sintech adapter, and my ceiling budget is 80 USD ( I dont live in USA, its just a conversion ).Also, I tried the whole Command+R thing but somehow now I cant even get to Recovery Mode. Is there any solution to that as well?

Also one thing to note: only my left USB port works, the other doesn't. So if anyone here got a solution that involves plugging 2 USB stick it'd hard for me.Thanks

The firmware does not update without an original Apple SSD inside your MBA because you are still running Sierra.

A few pages back, another user had similar problems. The suggested solution was that the user tried to install a newer macOS version on an external disk while keeping the original Apple SSD inside the MBA (the USB hub might work for you) and check IF the firmware got updated.

If the firmware is not updated with this process (internal Apple SSD is dead), your only solution is to invest in a used 128GB Apple SSD (eBay) first and then update the firmware.

 

[macpro_mid2014]

Also, I tried the whole Command+R thing but somehow now I cant even get to Recovery Mode. Is there any solution to that as well?

Try to reset NVRAM + SMC and try:

Command + R​

Use this if you want to install the latest version of macOS that you had installed on your Mac (it won't install a newer version if you hadn't upgraded). Note that if you're selling or giving away a Mac that is using OS X El Capitan or earlier you should also use Command + R - this will make sure that the installation isn't associated with your Apple ID.

Option/Alt + Command + R​

Use this if you want to upgrade to the latest version of macOS that is compatible with your Mac.

Shift + Option + Command + R​

This will install the version of macOS that came with your Mac, or the one closest to that version if it isn't available as a download.

 

[tomatoo1]

The firmware does not update without an original Apple SSD inside your MBA because you are still running Sierra.

A few pages back, another user had similar problems. The suggested solution was that the user tried to install a newer macOS version on an external disk while keeping the original Apple SSD inside the MBA (the USB hub might work for you) and check IF the firmware got updated.

If the firmware is not updated with this process (internal Apple SSD is dead), your only solution is to invest in a used 128GB Apple SSD (eBay) first and then update the firmware.

So, if I just plug an external disk with macOS Mojave already for example, and then plug the new SSD in, the Mojave thats running on external disk wouldnt be able to recognize the inserted new SSD??

I'm kinda confused. Do I :
A
1. Have an blank external disk
2. Have an original SSD intact
3. Plug the external disk and a bootable USB to mac
4. Install the macOS unto the external SSD
5. Check firmware if updated

or
B
1. Have an external disk already installed macOS
2. Have original SSD intact
3. Plug the external disk to macbook
4. Install the maCOS unto the internal SSD (??)
5. Check firmware if updated

I still have the original SSD the came with the macbook, but last time I checked it wouldnt show up in diskutil (Which seems to be the reason why the 'question mark folder' show up).Can this still be used for the procedure, or should I just buy another used SSD altogether?

Apple SSD is quite hard to find in my region, and quite expensive to that it wouldnt fit my budget if I buy them.Are all 12+16 pin SSD compatible with the Macbook Air 11 inch mid 2013 A1465? Or do i need to specifically find one that are exactly taken from 2013-2014 Macbook Air?

Also, how do I check if the firmware has been updated?

Sorry if it was so many questions, thanks for the reply.

 

[kvic]

I've got the exact same MacBook and SSD and managed to get it running perfectly. I also recently got a new battery and now have been getting 12-15 hours of battery life with my Evo970 Pro .

First open terminal in recovery mode first and type: nvram boot-args="keepsyms=1"

Then just install the Lilu, NVMeFix, then SsdPMEnabler kexts using the tutorial on the SsdPMEnabler GitHub page to stop battery drain with the SSD.

Ive also changed my hibernation mode to 25 by using the terminal command sudo pmset -a hibernatemode 25 to stop battery drain while my Mac sleeps.

If you check out the template I posted on this page and post a similar report, I can add and link your report on my Wiki. Easier for future users who land on this thread.

Just a minor suggestion. I believe the best recommendation for stopping overnight battery drain is available in this FAQ. With this setting, overnight battery drain is limited up to max 2%. Fair enough while not giving up benefits of newer hibernate implementation.

Elaboration: Implicitly implied in the above recommendation is 'hibernatemode' equal to 3 (Apple's default for newer laptops after Sandy Bridge CPU?) if I recall correctly. There is little benefit reverting to hibernatemode 25 (Apple's older default before Sandy Bridge CPU?). The key benefit with hibernatemode 3 is instant wake up from sleep. I meant _instant_ really from what I could tell. Very nice user experience, especially if you frequently open/close the lid during a typical workday.

 

[macpro_mid2014]

So, if I just plug an external disk with macOS Mojave already for example, and then plug the new SSD in, the Mojave thats running on external disk wouldnt be able to recognize the inserted new SSD??

No, because the firmware is outdated. I would try the Option/Alt + Command + R first (A).

I'm kinda confused. Do I :
A
1. Have an blank external disk
2. Have an original SSD intact
3. Plug the external disk and a bootable USB to mac
4. Install the macOS unto the external SSD
5. Check firmware if updated

Try the Option/Alt + Command + R first to install macOS on the external disk, if it does not work, then use a bootable USB stick with Big Sur or Catalina or Mojave.

or
B
1. Have an external disk already installed macOS

Use the other alternative above (A).

2. Have original SSD intact

3. Plug the external disk to macbook
4. Install the maCOS unto the internal SSD (??)
5. Check firmware if updated

I still have the original SSD the came with the macbook, but last time I checked it wouldnt show up in diskutil (Which seems to be the reason why the 'question mark folder' show up).Can this still be used for the procedure, or should I just buy another used SSD altogether?

Whether you can still use the original SSD for the procedure will depend on the extent of its damage. I would remove it and gently clean the contacts.

Apple SSD is quite hard to find in my region, and quite expensive to that it wouldnt fit my budget if I buy them.Are all 12+16 pin SSD compatible with the Macbook Air 11 inch mid 2013 A1465? Or do i need to specifically find one that are exactly taken from 2013-2014 Macbook Air?

I would search eBay to make sure.

Also, how do I check if the firmware has been updated?

Apple logo on the upper right corner -> About this Mac -> System Report -> System Firmware Version

or you can use SilentKnight by Dr. Howard Oakley

 

[evoplus970]

If you check out the template I posted on this page and post a similar report, I can add and link your report on my Wiki. Easier for future users who land on this thread.

Just a minor suggestion. I believe the best recommendation for stopping overnight battery drain is available in this FAQ. With this setting, overnight battery drain is limited up to max 2%. Fair enough while not giving up benefits of newer hibernate implementation.

Elaboration: Implicitly implied in the above recommendation is 'hibernatemode' equal to 3 (Apple's default for newer laptops after Sandy Bridge CPU?) if I recall correctly. There is little benefit reverting to hibernatemode 25 (Apple's older default before Sandy Bridge CPU?). The key benefit with hibernatemode 3 is instant wake up from sleep. I meant _instant_ really from what I could tell. Very nice user experience, especially if you frequently open/close the lid during a typical workday.

I can't find the template haha.

And ive tried all the pmset combinations possible, including yours from the FAQ just last night, and lost 25% battery over night :/ Not sure if its the SSD or an app that's causing it to delay the sleep. Mode 25 seems to be the best one as I can put it to sleep at 100% and wake it up even a day later with 100%, and I kind of like not having any wifi/bluetooth/etc being active while its asleep. I do miss the instant wake up but thankfully my SSD is fast enough that the slower wake up only takes a second or 2

 

[tomatoo1]

No, because the firmware is outdated. I would try the Option/Alt + Command + R first (A).


Try the Option/Alt + Command + R first to install macOS on the external disk, if it does not work, then use a bootable USB stick with Big Sur or Catalina or Mojave.



Use the other alternative above (A).




Whether you can still use the original SSD for the procedure will depend on the extent of its damage. I would remove it and gently clean the contacts.


I would search eBay to make sure.

Apple logo on the upper right corner -> About this Mac -> System Report -> System Firmware Version

or you can use SilentKnight by Dr. Howard Oakley

So I managed to find a used 128 SSD pulled from a 2015 Macbook Air/Pro(?) on a local marketplace website, already installed with Catalina (havent bought it yet). Will this be recognizable by my firmware? If I'm not wrong this 2015 SSD is probably an NVME. Is my original firmware (which i assume is mountain lion) capable of reading 1st party NVME macbook SSD?

I'm not sure what to do since I can't waste any budget here. At this point I might just run macos from an external SSD with macOS installed in it.Will my single USB port on macbook be able to handle the external SSD and other USB devices plugged in (pen tablet, flash drive,MIDI connection etc)? I'm concerned that the single USB port cant provide enough stable electricity for those 2 at the same time.

Also just a curious question, has anyone here tried running modern macOS from a USB drive?

Note: I haven't been able to enter Recovery mode, it seems that whichever Command + Option + R variation I tried, nothing came up and it straight went to the question mark folder. I think several months ago it still worked, idk what to do.

Edit: It looks like I've been able to enter some form of recovery mode by pressing the right side command+option buttons lol.

Thanks for the replies

 

[macpro_mid2014]

So I managed to find a used 128 SSD pulled from a 2015 Macbook Air/Pro(?) on a local marketplace website, already installed with Catalina (havent bought it yet). Will this be recognizable by my firmware? If I'm not wrong this 2015 SSD is probably an NVME. Is my original firmware (which i assume is mountain lion) capable of reading 1st party NVME macbook SSD?

If it is an NVMe, your MBA is not going to recognize it BUT, if it is an original Apple SSD, it will.

I'm not sure what to do since I can't waste any budget here. At this point I might just run macos from an external SSD with macOS installed in it.Will my single USB port on macbook be able to handle the external SSD and other USB devices plugged in (pen tablet, flash drive,MIDI connection etc)? I'm concerned that the single USB port cant provide enough stable electricity for those 2 at the same time.

For more than one device connected to the USB, you will need a powered USB hub.

Also just a curious question, has anyone here tried running modern macOS from a USB drive?

Yes, I run a couple of SSDs with macOS from a USB SSD (not a memory stick or SD card). After the boot settles I cannot tell the difference. In my experience, you can reliably use this option if you are using the computer for regular text editing/web surfing.
ALSO, your MBA has 1 Thunderbolt connection. I run Open Core Legacy Patcher+Monterey from a thunderbolt SSD without any noticeable performance issue.

Note: I haven't been able to enter Recovery mode, it seems that whichever Command + Option + R variation I tried, nothing came up and it straight went to the question mark folder. I think several months ago it still worked, idk what to do.

Edit: It looks like I've been able to enter some form of recovery mode by pressing the right side command+option buttons lol.

In recovery mode (Option+Command+R) are you able to "see" the internal SSD?

Thanks for the replies

 

[kvic]

I can't find the template haha.

This thread ran relatively fast lately. Apparently I was meant to say the previous page, specifically post #9321. Additionally, in the Confirmed Working Models wiki, under column "Link to Details", every linked report could be treated as a template for people wanting to share your report.

--

PSA 1: People doing research for a new SSD had better clicked and read the reports linked under "Link to Details" column in the aforementioned wiki. Those in italic are particularly interesting. Also read the context i.e a few posts before and after the linked report. Sometimes you will learn additional details that just can't summarize in a table or learn a new trick.

PSA 2: "Idle at (A)" column indicates idle power consumption (with ssdpmEnabler installed). The "Reduction in idle power" column indicates percentage saving that ssdpmEnabler empowers you. With little arithmetics, you can calculate the "out of box" idle power but that's really unnecessary complexity for most ppl. Simply rank the SSDs by the "Idle at (A)" column, the lower this value the better power efficiency wise for that particular SSD in general. Pick one that suits your budget and/or market availability. Also in this year and month, personally I would be very surprised not to run a tool that help you saving battery life. Just imagine barely 10 months ago in this thread, folks spent pages and years discussing saving the last bit of juice out of their battery.

And ive tried all the pmset combinations possible, including yours from the FAQ just last night, and lost 25% battery over night :/ Not sure if its the SSD or an app that's causing it to delay the sleep. Mode 25 seems to be the best one as I can put it to sleep at 100% and wake it up even a day later with 100%, and I kind of like not having any wifi/bluetooth/etc being active while its asleep. I do miss the instant wake up but thankfully my SSD is fast enough that the slower wake up only takes a second or 2

If your test conditions are same and the only difference is hibernatemode 3 vs 25, then I'm fairly confident to say the issue here is Samsung SSDs. Looks like in hibernate mode 3, Samsung SSDs prevent the whole machine from entering lower power mode. Usually the first clue is 2% battery drain per hour, and overnight it usually ends up >20%.

Nevertheless, we have a couple of folks confirming Samsung SSDs could be made to work much better than they were in the past 10 months. Hibernatemode 25 as a last resort of solving overnight battery drain is a minor thing as long as it helps saving battery life.

--

PSA 3: When buying a new SSD, people shall really avoid any "high performance" SSDs like all Samsung's as suggested in my FAQ. You can read my elaboration there.

 

[tomatoo1]

If it is an NVMe, your MBA is not going to recognize it BUT, if it is an original Apple SSD, it will.

So i suppose this 2015 macbook original SSD should work with mine? even if it's (possibly) an nvme?
my base OS is a Mountain Lion fyi

For more than one device connected to the USB, you will need a powered USB hub.

how do i identify 'powered' usb hub? from what i've looked online i havent seen anything special, just found generic usb hubs over and over :/

Yes, I run a couple of SSDs with macOS from a USB SSD (not a memory stick or SD card). After the boot settles I cannot tell the difference. In my experience, you can reliably use this option if you are using the computer for regular text editing/web surfing.
ALSO, your MBA has 1 Thunderbolt connection. I run Open Core Legacy Patcher+Monterey from a thunderbolt SSD without any noticeable performance issue.

Is there such a thing as Thunderbolt 2 SSD? or someway to connect HDD/SSD to macbook via thunderbolt 2?

USB SSD? you mean external ssd connected through USB cable?

In recovery mode (Option+Command+R) are you able to "see" the internal SSD?

From what I've tried doing it seems my macbook doesnt see my ssd anymore, tried diskutil list and it doesnt show up.

thanks again!

 

[macpro_mid2014]

So i suppose this 2015 macbook original SSD should work with mine? even if it's (possibly) an nvme?
my base OS is a Mountain Lion fyi

If it is an NVMe, it's not going to work. Only the original Apple SSD will.

how do i identify 'powered' usb hub? from what i've looked online i havent seen anything special, just found generic usb hubs over and over :/

I attached a picture of a powered USB hub: it has two connections, one to the computer's USB interface and one goes to a power outlet.

Is there such a thing as Thunderbolt 2 SSD? or someway to connect HDD/SSD to macbook via thunderbolt 2?

You can still find legacy hardware in some markets. I use a Thunderbolt 2 Lacie enclosure, which I switch the original HD to an SSD.

USB SSD? you mean external ssd connected through USB cable?

Correct.

From what I've tried doing it seems my macbook doesnt see my ssd anymore, tried diskutil list and it doesnt show up.

thanks again!

If it does not show up, it is dead. Your two options are:
1- Run macOS from an external USB disk (HD or SSD);
2- Buy a used original Apple SSD like this one: shorturl.at/agmzV

 

[oneearth18]

I've got the exact same MacBook and SSD and managed to get it running perfectly. I also recently got a new battery and now have been getting 12-15 hours of battery life with my Evo970 Pro .

First open terminal in recovery mode first and type: nvram boot-args="keepsyms=1"

Then just install the Lilu, NVMeFix, then SsdPMEnabler kexts using the tutorial on the SsdPMEnabler GitHub page to stop battery drain with the SSD.

Ive also changed my hibernation mode to 25 by using the terminal command sudo pmset -a hibernatemode 25 to stop battery drain while my Mac sleeps.

Do you think your tweaks will/have stop/ped the excessive battery drain and the need to replace batteries on a basis much sooner than with the normal Apple AHCI ssd drive?

 

[tomatoo1]

If it is an NVMe, it's not going to work. Only the original Apple SSD will.

So I suppose only an original SSD from 2013/2014 macbook will work with mine? and not the original 2015?
Or is it that 2015 macbooks still use an AHCI technology and therefore still compatible with mine?

Sorry for being so redundant here, i just want to make sure

I attached a picture of a powered USB hub: it has two connections, one to the computer's USB interface and one goes to a power outlet.

What I seem to find in my local online marketplace are some usb hubs with micro USB power supply support(?).Does this mean I can just plug a micro USB cable+wall adaptor as the 'power supply' or do i need a special 'power supply unit' or some sort?

Also the seller says that these USB 3.0 hubs may cause interference with Macbooks wifi since they operate at 2.4 Ghz. Has anyone experienced this? and does this mean that I should opt for USB 2.0 hubs instead?

You can still find legacy hardware in some markets. I use a Thunderbolt 2 Lacie enclosure, which I switch the original HD to an SSD.

It seems really hard finding these thunderbolt 2 devices and cables, especially with thunderbolt 3 now being the standard.I kinda hoped for a thunderbolt 2 to sata cable to exist but it seems that such thing were never there in the first place

Correct.

If it does not show up, it is dead. Your two options are:
1- Run macOS from an external USB disk (HD or SSD);
2- Buy a used original Apple SSD like this one: shorturl.at/agmzV

The shorturl doesnt seem to work unfortunately

 

[smoothy30]

Hi all,

I read all the informations properly but don't get my crucial P2 2TB running. Im running the following setup:


MacOS version: 10.13.6 (17G14042)
Mac: MacBook Pro (Retina, 15', Mid 2014)
Processor: 2,2 GHz Intel Core i7
Boot ROM Version: 162.0.0.0.0
SSD: Crucial P2 2 TB + the "long" recommended adapter

So first strange thing, I can't upgrade OS to anything higher (no update is offered)
If i setup the SSD accordingly and want to boot from USB Stick, my laptop just does not find the SSD at all, neither for installation nor in the formatting hard drive tool.

Any ideas?

Thanks!

 

[macpro_mid2014]

So I suppose only an original SSD from 2013/2014 macbook will work with mine? and not the original 2015?

The original Apple SSD from a 2015 MBA/MBP will work in your model.

Or is it that 2015 macbooks still use an AHCI technology and therefore still compatible with mine?

Sorry for being so redundant here, i just want to make sure


What I seem to find in my local online marketplace are some usb hubs with micro USB power supply support(?).Does this mean I can just plug a micro USB cable+wall adaptor as the 'power supply' or do i need a special 'power supply unit' or some sort?

I suggest you use https://www.amazon.com and search for a power USB hub. Also, search the Internet to understand what a powered USB hub does differently than an unpowered USB hub. The powered USB hub is only required IF you are going to use more than one device plugged at the USB port of your MBA. Regarding the USB hub with micro USB, I don't know without the specs.

Also the seller says that these USB 3.0 hubs may cause interference with Macbooks wifi since they operate at 2.4 Ghz. Has anyone experienced this? and does this mean that I should opt for USB 2.0 hubs instead?

No. USB hubs are only hubs as the name suggests. They are passive devices meaning that they do not emit any signal. Unless the USB hub you are referring to has some extra functionality.

It seems really hard finding these thunderbolt 2 devices and cables, especially with thunderbolt 3 now being the standard.I kinda hoped for a thunderbolt 2 to sata cable to exist but it seems that such thing were never there in the first place


The shorturl doesnt seem to work unfortunately

Regarding the link, open https://www.ebay.com and search for MacBook Air 2013 original Apple SSD