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

[DCusers]

i’ve been trying to get a 4tb crucial p3+ / 4tb samsung 990 pro to work with my 2015 rmbp but no matter what i try it doesn’t seem to work…

once i create a clone / install macos it boots perfectly fine externally in an enclosure; the issue arises when i put the drive in internally. once i do that the computer won’t recognize it at all.

has anyone run into this issue before? i’ve been using 970’s for a while now and it’s given 0 issues.

 

[natus.w]

i’ve been trying to get a 4tb crucial p3+ / 4tb samsung 990 pro to work with my 2015 rmbp but no matter what i try it doesn’t seem to work…

once i create a clone / install macos it boots perfectly fine externally in an enclosure; the issue arises when i put the drive in internally. once i do that the computer won’t recognize it at all.

has anyone run into this issue before? i’ve been using 970’s for a while now and it’s given 0 issues.

Any further information; OS used, MBP firmware, adaptor type, etc? (could be anything from EFI not supporting NVME at all or properly, to hardware installation or drive not compatible with MacOS..)

 

[DCusers]

Any further information; OS used, MBP firmware, adaptor type, etc? (could be anything from EFI not supporting NVME at all or properly, to hardware installation or drive not compatible with MacOS..)

macos mojave (10.14.6)
sintech long adapter & sintech short adapter

i know it should be compatible / supports NVME since it works perfectly with my samsung 970 evo plus, so theoretically it should work without issue…

 

[natus.w]

macos mojave (10.14.6)
sintech long adapter & sintech short adapter

i know it should be compatible / supports NVME since it works perfectly with my samsung 970 evo plus, so theoretically it should work without issue…

Was anything else installed prior to 10.14? (you may want to try updating the EFI by installing 12.x and then downgrading from there; the firmware should not change from that version)

Patched version with OCLP could potentially be worth looking into (use native settings and boot through disk, there are some kexts that can improve performance and compatibility of non-standard NVMEs..)

Is the behaviour repeatable on the long and short adapters? (the long ones tend to cause more issues as the SSD can flex when mounted or short out on the laptop bottom lid; you may also want to verify fit on the short adapter to verify whether it fits or not..)

 

[Monty1089]

Hey guys. I am new to the forum 👋

After some research from this thread i bought the Sk Hynix p31 500gb nvme and the short Sintech adapter from Amazon Australia.

I just want to know if other's who have my setup had to buy an external nvme enclosure to install the OS onto the drive?

I installed everything into my early 2015 Macbook pro 13" but the drive is not showing up on disk utility so I am assuming i need an external nvme enclosure to get the drive to work?

Thanks for any help.

 

[natus.w]

Hey guys. I am new to the forum 👋

After some research from this thread i bought the Sk Hynix p31 500gb nvme and the short Sintech adapter from Amazon Australia.

I just want to know if other's who have my setup had to buy an external nvme enclosure to install the OS onto the drive?

I installed everything into my early 2015 Macbook pro 13" but the drive is not showing up on disk utility so I am assuming i need an external nvme enclosure to get the drive to work?

Thanks for any help.

An external enclosure may not be a bad idea, but you may want to see whether you’ve seated the drive properly first (needs to be tight in the socket)

Might also have to check the adapter as well (if it is causing a short via exposed pins or poor fit some Kapton tape may be needed to check fit)

What OS was on the machine prior to the swap? (NVME support per first post only came into play with 10.13 and upwards, you may need to update your firmware if you do not have the proper support..)

 

[Monty1089]

An external enclosure may not be a bad idea, but you may want to see whether you’ve seated the drive properly first (needs to be tight in the socket)

Might also have to check the adapter as well (if it is causing a short via exposed pins or poor fit some Kapton tape may be needed to check fit)

What OS was on the machine prior to the swap? (NVME support per first post only came into play with 10.13 and upwards, you may need to update your firmware if you do not have the proper support..)

Thanks for the reply.

My current OS is Big Sur 11.7.10

I have included a photo of the adapter. Here is the link to the one I purchased as well:

https://www.amazon.com.au/Sintech-Adapter-Upgrade-2013-2015-MacBook/dp/B07FYY3H5F/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1B00255DC2SFL&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.xxdB99dqvjnI2x7FwHGIq92m0qAuwM5WFmmSHBZ-dxnl0JH7I0BTRC7tXEr2A16mVSqHPaDTidPADQWQBLLrpBUsOwTMlFhIZCynbgElv4L4QcfUSzkkJkXkrEE6A4lPwELY6GbWNZi5CKsWIEjrKGynmdT8D-26XSfxbgN2a5A5TMpBnmGBqYRSQbleNAswqz9SWomPJP_kdLVVQI1dBwKj2-PE8m24pd9UMkmf2_noX6tyUQ70ajY6kxcMVHvWkkK1wrptjaHotwxfUQaUyd3AjnK5XlOi31eaQ-Tpx6Y.Nfl2_Cn4b_PUfdue8wewcD2lsUOfDk3giylI5rkazgY&dib_tag=se&keywords=sintech+adapter&qid=1721997954&sprefix=sintech+a,aps,305&sr=8-1

I actually have an old Dell Latitude 3490 laptop that supports nvme drives so I installed the SK Hynix into it and it was recognised in the bios. So at least the drive works.

The adapter is the Sintech short one so unsure why it is not being recognised.

I will read through this thread again to see if others have had issues with the Sk hynix p31 with the short sintech adapter.

Edit. I also made sure the drive was seated properly. It made a click sound when it went all the way in with the adapter.

 

[macpro_mid2014]

Thanks for the reply.

My current OS is Big Sur 11.7.10

I have included a photo of the adapter. Here is the link to the one I purchased as well:

https://www.amazon.com.au/Sintech-Adapter-Upgrade-2013-2015-MacBook/dp/B07FYY3H5F/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1B00255DC2SFL&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.xxdB99dqvjnI2x7FwHGIq92m0qAuwM5WFmmSHBZ-dxnl0JH7I0BTRC7tXEr2A16mVSqHPaDTidPADQWQBLLrpBUsOwTMlFhIZCynbgElv4L4QcfUSzkkJkXkrEE6A4lPwELY6GbWNZi5CKsWIEjrKGynmdT8D-26XSfxbgN2a5A5TMpBnmGBqYRSQbleNAswqz9SWomPJP_kdLVVQI1dBwKj2-PE8m24pd9UMkmf2_noX6tyUQ70ajY6kxcMVHvWkkK1wrptjaHotwxfUQaUyd3AjnK5XlOi31eaQ-Tpx6Y.Nfl2_Cn4b_PUfdue8wewcD2lsUOfDk3giylI5rkazgY&dib_tag=se&keywords=sintech+adapter&qid=1721997954&sprefix=sintech+a,aps,305&sr=8-1

View attachment 2400053View attachment 2400054

I actually have an old Dell Latitude 3490 laptop that supports nvme drives so I installed the SK Hynix into it and it was recognised in the bios. So at least the drive works.

The adapter is the Sintech short one so unsure why it is not being recognised.

I will read through this thread again to see if others have had issues with the Sk hynix p31 with the short sintech adapter.

Edit. I also made sure the drive was seated properly. It made a click sound when it went all the way in with the adapter.

I suggest you run SilentKnight from SilentKnight 2.9 (Universal App for Catalina to Sequoia) to see if you have to install any update prior to use the NVMe drive.

 

[natus.w]

Thanks for the reply.

My current OS is Big Sur 11.7.10

I have included a photo of the adapter. Here is the link to the one I purchased as well:

https://www.amazon.com.au/Sintech-Adapter-Upgrade-2013-2015-MacBook/dp/B07FYY3H5F/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1B00255DC2SFL&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.xxdB99dqvjnI2x7FwHGIq92m0qAuwM5WFmmSHBZ-dxnl0JH7I0BTRC7tXEr2A16mVSqHPaDTidPADQWQBLLrpBUsOwTMlFhIZCynbgElv4L4QcfUSzkkJkXkrEE6A4lPwELY6GbWNZi5CKsWIEjrKGynmdT8D-26XSfxbgN2a5A5TMpBnmGBqYRSQbleNAswqz9SWomPJP_kdLVVQI1dBwKj2-PE8m24pd9UMkmf2_noX6tyUQ70ajY6kxcMVHvWkkK1wrptjaHotwxfUQaUyd3AjnK5XlOi31eaQ-Tpx6Y.Nfl2_Cn4b_PUfdue8wewcD2lsUOfDk3giylI5rkazgY&dib_tag=se&keywords=sintech+adapter&qid=1721997954&sprefix=sintech+a,aps,305&sr=8-1

View attachment 2400053View attachment 2400054

I actually have an old Dell Latitude 3490 laptop that supports nvme drives so I installed the SK Hynix into it and it was recognised in the bios. So at least the drive works.

The adapter is the Sintech short one so unsure why it is not being recognised.

I will read through this thread again to see if others have had issues with the Sk hynix p31 with the short sintech adapter.

Edit. I also made sure the drive was seated properly. It made a click sound when it went all the way in with the adapter.

In addition to checking for firmware updates, there was a known issue with some older Hynix drives where the firmware did need updating in order to work with MacOS (the Dell should be able to use those tools to do so..)..

Adapter fit sounds OK, once you’ve cleared the SSD firmware I’d see what else is left over..

 

[splifingate]

Just reporting that I'm running OCLP Sonoma with SK Hynik P41 and it's working flawlessly. Getting 2.8 gb Write and 3.2 gb Read speeds.

How are your thermals, and battery life?

 

[Monty1089]

I suggest you run SilentKnight from SilentKnight 2.9 (Universal App for Catalina to Sequoia) to see if you have to install any update prior to use the NVMe drive.

In addition to checking for firmware updates, there was a known issue with some older Hynix drives where the firmware did need updating in order to work with MacOS (the Dell should be able to use those tools to do so..)..

Adapter fit sounds OK, once you’ve cleared the SSD firmware I’d see what else is left over..

Hey guys. Good news I managed to get the drive to work somehow.

I did plug it in the Dell laptop and tried to do the firmware update but it seems like the software version was the latest. I couldn't tell if it wasn't but looking online I think it had the latest one.

I then made a bootable usb with Mac OS Big sur on it and pressed option on startup and followed the setup. It found the nvme drive in disk utility. I then completed the install of the OS.

Previously i was pressing option on startup with the Sk Hynix installed inside the Macbook but not using any bootable usb. I thought i could get into disk utility and setup the drive then shut down and stick the usb in and set it up after. This method didn't work.

So looks like an error on my part.

It is late here now in Sydney Australia so tomorrow I will get the disk speed tests and post them here as i did the before and after ones.

Thanks for the help.

 

[Monty1089]

Hey guys.

Here are the before and after disk speed tests for my laptop.

For reference my laptop is the early 2015 13" Macbook Pro. I bought it used like 4 years ago from eBay. 8gb ram and 128gb storage.

Before stats:

Here are the after stats with the SK Hynix p31 500gb nvme installed:

So overall it was a success. I am happy with the upgrade. I also chose the 500gb model because I rarely download anything on my laptop. I really only wanted a performance boost for the laptop since it was slowing down a bit. That issue seems to have disappeared now after the upgrade.

Also after I opened the laptop I have noticed tonnes of dust so next week I am going to open it back up and do a thorough clean. I recommend others do it when you think about changing the hdd.

 

[nordisk]

Hey guys.I updated it last year 2013 11" Macbook Air. to a 1TB WD SN570.
My environment：
Macbook Air 2013 (MacbookAir11")
macOS Catalina 10.15.7(firmware 478.0.0.0)
During this period, there was a problem of sleep and system crash, and the probability of it occurring was very high. The sleep and wake-up would result in a black screen, requiring long pressing the power button to forcibly shut down,Although there is a large amount of data to prove that sn570 can be installed smoothly, it does not mean that all 2013 Macbook Air，Perhaps SN580 would be a better choice。
In addition, the Hynix Gold P31 is also a very popular choice, but I don't want to have sleep problems again. In the end, I chose a conservative solution to replace Intel's 7600P (760p OEM), which has the advantages of lower heat generation, lower power consumption(RATED DC 3.3V 1.51A), and similar read and write speeds to the Hynix P31. Although it is difficult to purchase, I still think it is a good solution today.
Finally, please find attached the 7600p SSD running speed test.

 

[natus.w]

Hey guys.I updated it last year 2013 11" Macbook Air. to a 1TB WD SN570.
My environment：
Macbook Air 2013 (MacbookAir11")
macOS Catalina 10.15.7(firmware 478.0.0.0)
During this period, there was a problem of sleep and system crash, and the probability of it occurring was very high. The sleep and wake-up would result in a black screen, requiring long pressing the power button to forcibly shut down,Although there is a large amount of data to prove that sn570 can be installed smoothly, it does not mean that all 2013 Macbook Air，Perhaps SN580 would be a better choice。
In addition, the Hynix Gold P31 is also a very popular choice, but I don't want to have sleep problems again. In the end, I chose a conservative solution to replace Intel's 7600P (760p OEM), which has the advantages of lower heat generation, lower power consumption(RATED DC 3.3V 1.51A), and similar read and write speeds to the Hynix P31. Although it is difficult to purchase, I still think it is a good solution today.
Finally, please find attached the 7600p SSD running speed test.View attachment 2401815

So the aforementioned power/sleep issues are fixed or not with the 7600p (OEM)?

From your response it is slightly unclear as to whether those issues are fixed or not (especially considering there are ways to fix the NVME firmware section via patch or whether it is a controller/bus issue..)

 

[nordisk]

Replacing the 7600p successfully solved the sleep problem, but the SN570 NVME did not update the firmware. I tried updating the firmware, but I am not sure if it is a controller/bus issue. I do not have verification skills, but some users have encountered the same problem as me on the A1465 machine. Replacing the SN570 also caused the sleep problem, with an error log NVME: 'Fatal error occurred'. It is possible that we have both encountered this unfortunate situation. The model is 2013 "MBA

 

[genexx]

Replacing the 7600p successfully solved the sleep problem, but the SN570 NVME did not update the firmware. I tried updating the firmware, but I am not sure if it is a controller/bus issue. I do not have verification skills, but some users have encountered the same problem as me on the A1465 machine. Replacing the SN570 also caused the sleep problem, with an error log NVME: 'Fatal error occurred'. It is possible that we have both encountered this unfortunate situation. The model is 2013 "MBA

It is known that on some Mac the Firmware Updates are only working on the Original NVME´s (same with the 2013 MacPro 6,1) otherwise the WD SN 570 (or WD SN850 / SN770 / SN850X) is mostly a very good choice for Mac´s but with your old one the Crucial P1 was a good choice also, the P3 does not work as most of the Samsungs.
The most Samsung work in the beginning but Heating and draining the Battery because the Power Save Modes are not working (also a cause of Sleep Problems) and the Trim Error with the Phoenix Controller and the APFS File System leads to very long Boot times.

 

[nordisk]

It is known that on some Mac the Firmware Updates are only working on the Original NVME´s (same with the 2013 MacPro 6,1) otherwise the WD SN 570 (or WD SN850 / SN770 / SN850X) is mostly a very good choice for Mac´s but with your old one the Crucial P1 was a good choice also, the P3 does not work as most of the Samsungs.
The most Samsung work in the beginning but Heating and draining the Battery because the Power Save Modes are not working (also a cause of Sleep Problems) and the Trim Error with the Phoenix Controller and the APFS File System leads to very long Boot times.

I agree with your statement that WD controllers are naturally very compatible with macOS, but older Macs pursued low heat generation and stability, so WD is indeed a good choice. The P3 Plus is not as good as the Intel 670p. The P3 Plus only has higher sequential read and write speeds, and its actual performance is terrible. On the most critical aspect of 'slow external 4K reading performance', it is still less than half of 670p—— Don't ignore this parameter just because of 'slow out'. Due to the fact that the majority of data is not stored in SLC Cache, most reads are considered 'out of cache reads', which is the key factor determining the user experience.

 

[natus.w]

Replacing the 7600p successfully solved the sleep problem, but the SN570 NVME did not update the firmware. I tried updating the firmware, but I am not sure if it is a controller/bus issue. I do not have verification skills, but some users have encountered the same problem as me on the A1465 machine. Replacing the SN570 also caused the sleep problem, with an error log NVME: 'Fatal error occurred'. It is possible that we have both encountered this unfortunate situation. The model is 2013 "MBA

Firmware as in Mac EFI or firmware on SSD? (you can only update WD firmware through the proprietary tool on Windows, if you have EFI version 478 that is the highest you can go..)

Unfortunately my A1465 is a 2015 model so I can’t replicate your results..

 

[nordisk]

Firmware as in Mac EFI or firmware on SSD? (you can only update WD firmware through the proprietary tool on Windows, if you have EFI version 478 that is the highest you can go..)

Unfortunately my A1465 is a 2015 model so I can’t replicate your results..

My Mac EFI or firmware can only support up to 478 macOS Big Sur. I tried using a Windows specific tool to update the WD firmware, thank you for your suggestion. In the end, I won't waste my WD and can use it as an iMac for Thunderbolt 3 devices.

 

[nicolodo]

Hi guys I'm going back to writing in the thread after so many years, I read the last 50 pages and the initial guide, and I m a little bit confused. One thing is not clear to me, currently with the latest macOS updates and its bootroom update if I install an m2 nvme driver with its adaptor we still have high battery drain problems in hybernate mode ? If yes they are related to the macOS nvme driver implement? One last thing, only of curiosity (I know it is an anti-economic solution and not qualitatively suitable) but using a ssd m2 ahci Sleep problems in your opinion remain or should everything work properly?

 

[MacbookPro2015]

Hi guys I'm going back to writing in the thread after so many years, I read the last 50 pages and the initial guide, and I m a little bit confused. One thing is not clear to me, currently with the latest macOS updates and its bootroom update if I install an m2 nvme driver with its adaptor we still have high battery drain problems in hybernate mode ? If yes they are related to the macOS nvme driver implement? One last thing, only of curiosity (I know it is an anti-economic solution and not qualitatively suitable) but using a ssd m2 ahci Sleep problems in your opinion remain or should everything work properly?

What macbook do you have and what Latest OS? If you are on 2015 Macbook pro and decide to use NVME on Monterey you will need to install something like SSDPMEnabler to make sure severe power drain during sleep does not happen. If you are using OpenCore Legacy NVME power states are already built in so you don't need to do anything.

 

[nicolodo]

What macbook do you have and what Latest OS? If you are on 2015 Macbook pro and decide to use NVME on Monterey you will need to install something like SSDPMEnabler to make sure severe power drain during sleep does not happen. If you are using OpenCore Legacy NVME power states are already built in so you don't need to do anything.

Yes i'm in 2015 macbookpro with montery.

So you confirm that also with bootroom 4xx.0.0.0 there are still problmes with power save in nvme driver ? Specifically with the hybernate mode ? I don't understand why they don't release the nvme standard driver instead to develop a
proprietary nvme driver with this big issue.
I'm sure that i'm missing something about this thread.



What is OpenCore Legacy NVME? i have googled but i don't understand what is it

 

[natus.w]

Yes i'm in 2015 macbookpro with montery.

So you confirm that also with bootroom 4xx.0.0.0 there are still problmes with power save in nvme driver ? Specifically with the hybernate mode ? I don't understand why they don't release the nvme standard driver instead to develop a
proprietary nvme driver with this big issue.
I'm sure that i'm missing something about this thread.



What is OpenCore Legacy NVME? i have googled but i don't understand what is it

2015 should not have any issues with sleep/hibernate (they did not have the faulty NVME DXE issue present in 2013/14 models)

As for the second point, the patcher does inject NVMEFix, which is designed to improve compatibility and power saving with third party NVME controllers, but SSDPMEnabler is not included (that is a separate unit itself which controls power saving through the logic board socket, you may or may not need this..)

These have been developed as extensions of the standard Apple DXE; there is no ‘proprietary’ solution available..

 

[nicolodo]

2015 should not have any issues with sleep/hibernate (they did not have the DXE issue present in 2013/14 models but your mileage may vary..)

As for the second point,

Second point ?

I find the open core legacy project in GitHub and I understand the purposes.

Therefore, I understand that in the nvme driver miss the dxe ( I don’t understand the question about decompress/compress dxe ) that manage the power supply? Right?
I don’t understand why not load in the kernel the official nvme driver that the other world ( Linux, windows) use. It was already a job done and also in unix perfectly works also the apst nvme.
From sw engineering I don’t understand this custom nvme drive, I can think that it was did it for purpose but 10 years ago was another apple, another company.
Mystery

 

[natus.w]

Second point ?

You asked ‘what is OpenCore legacy NVME’

I find the open core legacy project in GitHub and I understand the purposes.

Therefore, I understand that in the nvme driver miss the dxe ( I don’t understand the question about decompress/compress dxe ) that manage the power supply? Right?

There are likely other parameters within EFI that control this. I do not have any info on these as I am not a firmware engineer..

I don’t understand why not load in the kernel the official nvme driver that the other world ( Linux, windows) use. It was already a job done and also in unix perfectly works also the apst nvme.

The official Apple drives made when these machines were new (SSPOLARIS) were likely made before any of this APST or anything else came into mainstream..

From sw engineering I don’t understand this custom nvme drive, I can think that it was did it for purpose but 10 years ago was another apple, another company.
Mystery

Given manufacturers often change drive specs without warnings I suspect a custom model reliant one a consistent component source is likely to be best in terms of consistent performance..