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

[2five]

Ok got some news, here are the results with the new Corsair MP510 4TB. Also Checked for latest Firmware.
Its Write is much faster but the read is also 2k. like that, its better than the WD Black but not perfect. Is this all i can get or are there more posible?

If i ran it several times the heat goes up to 62°, is this ok? If i do nothing on the System (idle) its on 34°.

EDIT: I added a test with AmorphousDiskMark

 

[sqeeezy]

I have the same MBP (11,1) but with original 1Tb SSD. Did the procedure make the laptop quicker/cooler - do you have disk stats? Looking at this procedure for a performance boost.

Sorry no stats, I never benchmarked the OEM SSD before it croaked, but it seems a little nippier now. I think it's cooler too. I use my rmbp on a home-made plinth with a cooler fan, to take some of the workload off the internal fan, and I'm finding I'm not using the external so much. This could also be due to the new CPU heatsink paste. I'm enjoying having the 1TB space: enough to have a Mojave volume and a Big Sur volume. This is the best laptop I've had, and has been completely reliable from 2013 until the SSD demise. I'm happy sticking with Mojave for reliability and the ability to use a few favourite 32-bit apps. I'll play with Fisher-Price Big Sur but its only advantage to me is Homebrew. I'm considering replacing the body-positive LiPo cells and the worn-out (but still completely functional) keys.

 

[tmscsrp]

Hey guys,
just wanted to share my experiences, I don't know if it's just me or there are some fellow Macbookers out there with the same problem.

I upgraded the SSD in my Macbook Air 7,2 more than a year ago (used Sintech adapter and a Crucial P2 500Gb SSD), everything was perfect. About 2 months ago my mac crashed with log "3rd party NVMe controller. Loss of MMIO space". Everything else works perfectly, just getting this error a few times a day - which is super annoying of course.

The Mac: latest OS version, latest firmware version, battery drain is normal (actually better than before), no overheating. Crashes happen randomly (same "loss of MMIO space" message all the time).

What I tried: updated the firmware of the SSD (used Bootcamp + Windows), reinstalled Mac OS, reinstalled the SSD itself (after cleaning), installed OCLP (including Lilu and NVMefix) -> nothing helped. Now I'm planning to wipe the SSD and install an older version of Mac OS (Big Sur probably), hope that will fix this issue because everything worked so fine for a year!

If there's anything else I can try, please let me know!

Sorry if I don't seem like a pro - that's because I'm not a pro.

Tamas

 

[FlorisVN]

Hey guys,
just wanted to share my experiences, I don't know if it's just me or there are some fellow Macbookers out there with the same problem.

I upgraded the SSD in my Macbook Air 7,2 more than a year ago (used Sintech adapter and a Crucial P2 500Gb SSD), everything was perfect. About 2 months ago my mac crashed with log "3rd party NVMe controller. Loss of MMIO space". Everything else works perfectly, just getting this error a few times a day - which is super annoying of course.

The Mac: latest OS version, latest firmware version, battery drain is normal (actually better than before), no overheating. Crashes happen randomly (same "loss of MMIO space" message all the time).

What I tried: updated the firmware of the SSD (used Bootcamp + Windows), reinstalled Mac OS, reinstalled the SSD itself (after cleaning), installed OCLP (including Lilu and NVMefix) -> nothing helped. Now I'm planning to wipe the SSD and install an older version of Mac OS (Big Sur probably), hope that will fix this issue because everything worked so fine for a year!

If there's anything else I can try, please let me know!

Sorry if I don't seem like a pro - that's because I'm not a pro.

Tamas

I would not advice to use Crucial SSD's, I also had a few and returned them.
They also gave me KP's.

They are just not that well compatible with macOS.

 

[tmscsrp]

I would not advice to use Crucial SSD's, I also had a few and returned them.
They also gave me KP's.

They are just not that well compatible with macOS.

Oh I didn't know that! I had a good deal for this SSD in a local store (around 40USD) and it was mentioned in the compatibility list here so I decided to give it a go. Would you recommend something else that might work better (maybe a Samsung because the factory SSD was also Samsung - don't know if it even matters)?

I'm just wondering if there's any info about this panic, what's the cause and maybe if there's a way to avoid it? This mac is for work only, using Photoshop and Safari 10-14 hours a day.

 

[FlorisVN]

Oh I didn't know that! I had a good deal for this SSD in a local store (around 40USD) and it was mentioned in the compatibility list here so I decided to give it a go. Would you recommend something else that might work better (maybe a Samsung because the factory SSD was also Samsung - don't know if it even matters)?

I'm just wondering if there's any info about this panic, what's the cause and maybe if there's a way to avoid it? This mac is for work only, using Photoshop and Safari 10-14 hours a day.

I would advise you to return it if still possible.
get a XPG SX8200 Pro nvme ssd.
these seem to be reliable within macos, I still have to buy one myself.

I got this one recommended here by user xboxbml

 

[tmscsrp]

I would advise you to return it if still possible.
get a XPG SX8200 Pro nvme ssd.
these seem to be reliable within macos, I still have to buy one myself.

I got this one recommended here..

Thank you! First I'll try to install an earlier OS version because for a year it worked fine ( + I have my usb stick ready with Big Sur), but if it won't work, I'll buy an SX8200 and give that one a try.

 

[xboxbml]

Thank you! First I'll try to install an earlier OS version because for a year it worked fine ( + I have my usb stick ready with Big Sur), but if it won't work, I'll buy an SX8200 and give that one a try.

See sig. I've had my 2tb ADATA drive for 2-3 years no issues.. might use slightly more power but no issues..

 

[kvic]

Thank you! First I'll try to install an earlier OS version because for a year it worked fine ( + I have my usb stick ready with Big Sur), but if it won't work, I'll buy an SX8200 and give that one a try.

NO. Don't waste money. Between the two drives, P2 is a better drive for MacBook's. If you were lucky in receiving a P2 manufactured before around April 2021, then it's exceptionally better than SX8200 Pro.

Don't waste the money. I believe there is a much simply way to solve your problem anyway. Your issue is most likely caused by momentarily loss of electrical contact due to mechanical issue.

Try to disassemble your P2 from MacBook and re-seat it first, and tighten up the screw on the drive too. Most likely that'll solve your problem.

 

[xboxbml]

NO. Don't waste money. Between the two drives, P2 is a better drive for MacBook's. If you were lucky in receiving a P2 manufactured before around April 2021, then it's exceptionally better than SX8200 Pro.

Don't waste the money. I believe there is a much simply way to solve your problem anyway. Your issue is most likely caused by momentarily loss of electrical contact due to mechanical issue.

Try to disassemble your P2 from MacBook and re-seat it first, and tighten up the screw on the drive too. Most likely that'll solve your problem.

Oh.. yeah sorry I didn't pay enough attention I guess to the original problem.. just noticed the mention of SX8200. Yeah that's what I would have suggested first.. Hardware reseat of adapter and SSD. Good call.

 

[culedewd83]

Howdy All! I picked up a mid-2014 MacBook pro 15" from a university surplus store. They removed and shredded the SSD for data privacy. I bought a 1TB WD SN750 and the sintech adapter but quickly discovered that this MBP has a very old bootrom. (I was hoping it had been updated before they removed the original SSD) I figured no problemo, I just remove the rom chip and flash the newest firmware. However, I'm not able to find a ROM dump anywhere. I've already desoldered the chip and dumped the firmware. Does anyone know of a source for firmware dumps?

To thwart anyone's fears, I am aware of the need to replace the ME section and serial number with the ones from my rom dump. I'm basically doing the same thing Dosdude1 did in this video

TL: DR Where can I get a dump of the latest firmware for a mid-2014 MBP 15"?

 

[plnewton]

Hi All,

I have a couple of Macbook Air 13" Early 2015 that I am trying to upgrade the drives in but I cant seem to get them to recognise the drives

The drives I am using are Samsung SM951 and the part number is MZVPV256HDGL

Has anyone had any success with these drives?

Edit:
We had a some success, I was trying to reinstall via the cloud restore option but after some reading I discovered that I need to create a high sierra USB to boot from, so I can now see the drive but it gets a bout 2 mins into installing the OS and it crashes and reboots. no errors at all just reboots to the USB drive, have tried a couple of different USB's but the same result on each

 

[macpro_mid2014]

Howdy All! I picked up a mid-2014 MacBook pro 15" from a university surplus store. They removed and shredded the SSD for data privacy. I bought a 1TB WD SN750 and the sintech adapter but quickly discovered that this MBP has a very old bootrom. (I was hoping it had been updated before they removed the original SSD) I figured no problemo, I just remove the rom chip and flash the newest firmware. However, I'm not able to find a ROM dump anywhere. I've already desoldered the chip and dumped the firmware. Does anyone know of a source for firmware dumps?

To thwart anyone's fears, I am aware of the need to replace the ME section and serial number with the ones from my rom dump. I'm basically doing the same thing Dosdude1 did in this video

TL: DR Where can I get a dump of the latest firmware for a mid-2014 MBP 15"?

The easiest and safest way would be buying a 128GB original SSD at eBay, perform a macOS installation and that's it. Problem solved.

 

[2five]

Howdy All! I picked up a mid-2014 MacBook pro 15" from a university surplus store. They removed and shredded the SSD for data privacy. I bought a 1TB WD SN750 and the sintech adapter but quickly discovered that this MBP has a very old bootrom. (I was hoping it had been updated before they removed the original SSD) I figured no problemo, I just remove the rom chip and flash the newest firmware. However, I'm not able to find a ROM dump anywhere. I've already desoldered the chip and dumped the firmware. Does anyone know of a source for firmware dumps?

To thwart anyone's fears, I am aware of the need to replace the ME section and serial number with the ones from my rom dump. I'm basically doing the same thing Dosdude1 did in this video

TL: DR Where can I get a dump of the latest firmware for a mid-2014 MBP 15"?

i had a SN750 as well (look page 422) and had speed problems. Test it as soon as posible (look page 422) and if its bad, if you can, return it.

 

[CR500]

Wow is this a long thread!

I have a 15" Mid 2015 MacBookPro11,4. I was going to upgrade the 256gb SSD with OWC AURA N2 (1TB) and found this thread.

I'll start reading (probably from the last page and work my way backwards). Can someone give me a cliff notes?

Looks like the recommendation is to use the syntech adapter (short version) with an SSD other than OWC's.

- Where should I get the syntech so I know its not counterfit
- Any recommendations for SSD?

I'm not looking for max speed. Reliability is most important.

Thanks!

Rob

 

[xboxbml]

Wow is this a long thread!

I have a 15" Mid 2015 MacBookPro11,4. I was going to upgrade the 256gb SSD with OWC AURA N2 (1TB) and found this thread.

I'll start reading (probably from the last page and work my way backwards). Can someone give me a cliff notes?

Looks like the recommendation is to use the syntech adapter (short version) with an SSD other than OWC's.

- Where should I get the syntech so I know its not counterfit
- Any recommendations for SSD?

I'm not looking for max speed. Reliability is most important.

Thanks!

Rob

Don't do it.. I would stay away from OWC drives! Look on the page that has the comparisons.. page 1 I think.. I like my ADATA in my 2015 MBA but there may be a better one on power out there.. check the thread.. You'd need a Syntech adapter for it as well, unlike Apple and OWC drives. But I would stay away from OWC. Their TB2 dock is ok, but their drives..not so much.

 

[CR500]

Don't do it.. I would stay away from OWC drives!

Never realized they weren't so good. Installed one in my ancient (2008) MacPro desktop about 3 years ago and its been great.

 

[CR500]

Finally read the first post (thats what I get for a google search that dropped me in the middle of the thread), looked like the Crucial P2 was for me. I don't need super high speeds, more interested in reliability and not having to be concerned about heat & fans (my Macbook Pro 8,2 will burn your legs!).

Searched the thread for any hits on Crucial only to find the current the P2 isn't the same as the Page 1 charts. Wish there was a note in that first post with that info. Make me wonder what else isn't up to date.

Then I was considering the Nmicro Extreme and read about issues with updates ...

Think I'm better off just spending the $ and finding a used apple drive. I really just want to drop it in and forget about it.

 

[sophtwareslump]

Looking for some advice. I have a MacBook Pro 13" early 2015. I swapped the OEM drive in February 2022 for a 1tb SX8200 pro and Sintech NGFF M.2 nVME SSD adapter.

I've been on macOS Monterey and everything worked great when I installed it. A week or two ago I started getting random freezes and system crashes. Since the crashes have gotten more frequent, now I'll boot into macOS and it'll freeze up within 5 minutes. Same thing happens when in safe boot mode. I reseated the hardware a few times and that seemingly made it stable for a longer period of time but crashing keeps happening.

Swapped my original OEM ssd back in, no crashes or anything. Have any of you had trouble with the XPG SX8200 ssds? I've looked all over and there's indication on why I would start having issues other than maybe the drive or adapter going bad.

Here's part of the crash report I'm getting:

panic(cpu 2 caller 0xffffff800f9747c6): nvme: "3rd party NVMe controller. Command timeout. Write. fBuiltIn=1 MODEL=ADATA SX8200PNP FW=42BEU1TB CSTS=0x1 US[1]=0x0 US[0]=0x5c VID=0x1cc1 DID=0x8201 CRITICAL_WARNING=0x0.\n" @IONVMeController.cpp:6053
Panicked task 0xffffff902a742670: 172 threads: pid 0: kernel_task
Backtrace (CPU 2), panicked thread: 0xffffff902ca8baa0, Frame : Return Address

Wondering if anyone else has had a similar experience recently. Thanks!

 

[macpro_mid2014]

Looking for some advice. I have a MacBook Pro 13" early 2015. I swapped the OEM drive in February 2022 for a 1tb SX8200 pro and Sintech NGFF M.2 nVME SSD adapter.

I've been on macOS Monterey and everything worked great when I installed it. A week or two ago I started getting random freezes and system crashes. Since the crashes have gotten more frequent, now I'll boot into macOS and it'll freeze up within 5 minutes. Same thing happens when in safe boot mode. I reseated the hardware a few times and that seemingly made it stable for a longer period of time but crashing keeps happening.

Swapped my original OEM ssd back in, no crashes or anything. Have any of you had trouble with the XPG SX8200 ssds? I've looked all over and there's indication on why I would start having issues other than maybe the drive or adapter going bad.

Here's part of the crash report I'm getting:

panic(cpu 2 caller 0xffffff800f9747c6): nvme: "3rd party NVMe controller. Command timeout. Write. fBuiltIn=1 MODEL=ADATA SX8200PNP FW=42BEU1TB CSTS=0x1 US[1]=0x0 US[0]=0x5c VID=0x1cc1 DID=0x8201 CRITICAL_WARNING=0x0.\n" @IONVMeController.cpp:6053
Panicked task 0xffffff902a742670: 172 threads: pid 0: kernel_task
Backtrace (CPU 2), panicked thread: 0xffffff902ca8baa0, Frame : Return Address

Wondering if anyone else has had a similar experience recently. Thanks!

I had the same issue some time ago. A reseating of the adapter+SSD solved my problem. I use the same adapter but a different SSD (Silicon Power A80 at the time).
I read positive reviews about the SX8200 here in this thread. I think your problem is reseating (bad adapter). Try another adapter (Sintech or another cheaper brand).

 

[macpro_mid2014]

Finally read the first post (thats what I get for a google search that dropped me in the middle of the thread), looked like the Crucial P2 was for me. I don't need super high speeds, more interested in reliability and not having to be concerned about heat & fans (my Macbook Pro 8,2 will burn your legs!).

Searched the thread for any hits on Crucial only to find the current the P2 isn't the same as the Page 1 charts. Wish there was a note in that first post with that info. Make me wonder what else isn't up to date.

Then I was considering the Nmicro Extreme and read about issues with updates ...

Think I'm better off just spending the $ and finding a used apple drive. I really just want to drop it in and forget about it.

I've been using the Silicon Power A80 on an MBA 2015 for more than two years and used another A80 on this MBP for a while (8 months) without any issues, just switched because I miscalculated the space I needed.
I've been using SN550 (2TB) for almost a year and I am very happy with it.

@xboxbml uses ADATA and is very happy too. The last 20 pages or so are the most up-to-date info.

 

[RocknRolla]

Ok got some news, here are the results with the new Corsair MP510 4TB. Also Checked for latest Firmware.
Its Write is much faster but the read is also 2k. like that, its better than the WD Black but not perfect. Is this all i can get or are there more posible?

Wow, those are some great speeds. What year/model MBP?

 

[CR500]

I've been using the Silicon Power A80 on an MBA 2015 for more than two years and used another A80 on this MBP for a while (8 months) without any issues, just switched because I miscalculated the space I needed.
I've been using SN550 (2TB) for almost a year and I am very happy with it.

@xboxbml uses ADATA and is very happy too. The last 20 pages or so are the most up-to-date info.

Just looked on Amazon at the 1TB A80. One of the comments (I've seen the same comment about other SSD's) was:

"you won't be getting the Phison E12 anyway. SP switched to a totally different controller, Silicon Motion, and Nanya dram instead of Hynix. They advertise the same 1665 TBW and rely on reviews of the Phison controller... Who knows what you get when they change to cheaper, slower parts without Rev changes?"

I wonder if yours have the original controller.

From the Page 1 spreadsheets, Adata 8200 looks like it has higher power requirements (and guessing more power means more heat).

 

[CR500]

Similar comment on the Rocket:

"The Phison E12 controller is silently changed to the E12S for the newer units in production to "to supply demand, in case there is a shortage of any other component that was originally used."(as said by them in a correspondence). This new controller for the SSD has 1/2 the amount of DRAM(not noticeable unless you're doing high workloads). But isn't that to be expected for such a performance NVMe drive? This product may come across as bait-and-switch/SSD controller lottery or russian roulette/ etc. Spend your money wisely. You never know if you'll get the smaller gimped E12S or the standard E12. It's a lottery."

 

[macpro_mid2014]

Similar comment on the Rocket:

"The Phison E12 controller is silently changed to the E12S for the newer units in production to "to supply demand, in case there is a shortage of any other component that was originally used."(as said by them in a correspondence). This new controller for the SSD has 1/2 the amount of DRAM(not noticeable unless you're doing high workloads). But isn't that to be expected for such a performance NVMe drive? This product may come across as bait-and-switch/SSD controller lottery or russian roulette/ etc. Spend your money wisely. You never know if you'll get the smaller gimped E12S or the standard E12. It's a lottery."

Both SSDs (500MB and 1TB) have the Physon E12 controller.

There is no optimal solution nowadays. With the tables in post #1 not being updated for a while, your best bet is the last 10-20 pages. Still, you can get the P2 (low heat) if you are not transferring huge files around. Or the WD SN550, which I get 42C during regular use. Or the SX8200 (some reports in the last 10 pages or so). Or even the Blue Sabrent Rocket.

Another thing to consider is this: Apple is swiftly dropping support for Intel Macs (they cut three years in 2022) and in my opinion, 2023 will be the last year in which we will see an x86-based macOS. If Ventura is not the last already!

I was planning on getting a used MacBookPro 2019 but gave up after watching WWDC 2022.

Thanks.