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

[dogen]

Sure I can test my own SSD because I own a registered copy of iStatMenus, but I cannot test the SN570, SN580, Hynix or any other SSDs I don't yet own. And I don't yet own them primarily because I am waiting to hear power consumption numbers from people who do own 1TB or 2TB SN570, SN580 and Hynix P31 Gold SSDs.

I'd like to repeat that more people have raved about the Hynix P31 than the SN570 or SN580 in this thread in terms of performance and power consumption, but without detailed power consumption numbers, it's all talk and no show.

So I implore you owners of the SN570, SN580 and Hynix P31 Gold to test and report your numbers.

Thanks.

I don't use iStatMenus, so I'm not sure what you're asking for specifically. I installed a trial to test the Hynix P31 1TB and see 450mW over 1 day, which must be an average. The idling value looks like around 355mW. Amperage is 108mW on average. Is that what you're looking for?

 

[IRONPAU]

Hi. I am from Europe. I think this post needs a HUGE refresh after almost 500 pages imposible to follow the path.
Every link of any adaptor that people recomends or gadgets is from amazon america.

Also I don’t know how to check the boot ram, and what to do about it, everything it is being way too specific, and at the same time, changing constantly.

Please I urge to have some help, ehat are the actual ssd that can go right and not mess the experience of upgrading my Macbook pro 11,5 mid 2015 2,5Ghz intel core.
I want at least 2tb and make a partition because I want to use
High sierra and last os capable.

 

[natus.w]

Hi. I am from Europe. I think this post needs a HUGE refresh after almost 500 pages imposible to follow the path.

Unfortunately maxthackray has been AWOL for some time so permissions cannot be changed..

Every link of any adaptor that people recomends or gadgets is from amazon america.

You should be able to find an equivalent on Amazon for your region, or via eBay/AliExpress/TaoBao if the former does not exist for your domain..

Also I don’t know how to check the boot ram, and what to do about it, everything it is being way too specific, and at the same time, changing constantly.

Go to your ‘System Information’ app (located in tools), or go to ‘About This Mac’ (you should

Please I urge to have some help, ehat are the actual ssd that can go right and not mess the experience of upgrading my Macbook pro 11,5 mid 2015 2,5Ghz intel core.
I want at least 2tb and make a partition because I want to use
High sierra and last os capable.

Most drives available on the market should work, unless you happen to find one which doesn’t (and you should be able to report back here..)

 

[CalabiYau]

Hello

I have a 11,2 MBP (retina mid 2014) with 256GB.
I want to increase this as I am always running out of space and I have found this thread.

I have found a deal of a 480gB OWC aura pro x2 for 70 euros. Also I see that I could buy a sintech adapter and a generic nvme drive (which will cost more probably). Is OWC reliable?

A more important question. Apparently my MBP 2014 is affected by some hibernation problems. I don't fully understand all the possible combinations so I'd appreciate any help.

My MacOS is Mojave (I tried Big sur but was terrible). Should I disable sleep to use a non apple SSD?
Should I install Big sur to avoid this? Or even in Big Sur I should disable it?

Basically I want to know how macOS can affect this hibernation problem. I could try Big sur again but not my cup of tea.

Thanks a lot!

BR = 478.0.0.0.0

 

[natus.w]

I have found a deal of a 480gB OWC aura pro x2 for 70 euros. Also I see that I could buy a sintech adapter and a generic nvme drive (which will cost more probably). Is OWC reliable?

Depends (is that drive used/refurbished or new?)

You may not get any faster speeds out of it compared to your standard drive..

A more important question. Apparently my MBP 2014 is affected by some hibernation problems. I don't fully understand all the possible combinations so I'd appreciate any help.

Basically I want to know how macOS can affect this hibernation problem. I could try Big sur again but not my cup of tea.

The issue was within the firmware/EFI, not macOS (the NVME driver was damaged or incomplete causing those issues)

Your previous Big Sur update should have installed the last firmware version for your machine (which should at least have fixed the problem)

My MacOS is Mojave (I tried Big sur but was terrible). Should I disable sleep to use a non apple SSD?
Should I install Big sur to avoid this? Or even in Big Sur I should disable it?

I don’t know what was ‘terrible’ about your experience with 11.x, would you care to elaborate? (other factors may be affecting performance including degraded battery, cooling system needing servicing, even your SSD being full, etc..)

Disabling sleep/hibernate may not be needed, you may need to bring the full suspend to disk option sooner (or possibly look at a native OCLP install if the settings are not to your liking..)

https://forums.macrumors.com/goto/post?id=32349039

 

[CalabiYau]

Thanks for your detailed answer!!

Depends (is that drive used/refurbished or new?)

You may not get any faster speeds out of it compared to your standard drive..

It is a new one apparently. I have compared the serial number with other aura pro x2 and actually seems a recent unit.
Concerning speed, if it matches the standard device is fine for me. I am more concerned about reliability. I plan to buy a new mbp in a near future so I don't want to spend more then strictly necessary on this one.

Anyway what would be the best ssd in terms of price-speed ratio? Just to consider it. Samsung?

The issue was within the firmware/EFI, not macOS (the NVME driver was damaged or incomplete causing those issues)

Your previous Big Sur update should have installed the last firmware version for your machine (which should at least have fixed the problem)

Ah that is nice. My boot room is 478.0.0.0.0. Do you know if this means that I shouldn't have any problems with hibernation? Is this a Big Sur boot rom?

I don’t know what was ‘terrible’ about your experience with 11.x, would you care to elaborate? (other factors may be affecting performance including degraded battery, cooling system needing servicing, even your SSD being full, etc..)

The main issue was that fans were constantly on at high speed. Very annoying. It was also a little bit slower. I preferred Big Sur because of macOS support and compatibility but the user experience was not similar to Mojave in my machine (2014, 16gb)

Disabling sleep/hibernate may not be needed, you may need to bring the full suspend to disk option sooner (or possibly look at a native OCLP install if the settings are not to your liking..)

https://forums.macrumors.com/goto/post?id=32349039

So this means that even if there is no an hibernation problem (no crash after wake up), it will have more power consumption than the standard one, and I may reduce it with this deepsleep parameters, isn't it?

Thanks for your help!

 

[natus.w]

Concerning speed, if it matches the standard device is fine for me. I am more concerned about reliability. I plan to buy a new mbp in a near future so I don't want to spend more then strictly necessary on this one.

Anyway what would be the best ssd in terms of price-speed ratio? Just to consider it. Samsung?

Cannot say anything about reliability as I am not sure what specific hardware OWC uses in their drive (there likely could have been a few hardware changes across the lifetime of the drive so durability/performance may or may not be the same as the original unit..)

I don’t know where in the EU you are located but there are more than likely a few units that should work at a cheaper price point than Samsung (for what you’re doing it’s unlikely you’ll need the best performance..)

Ah that is nice. My boot room is 478.0.0.0.0. Do you know if this means that I shouldn't have any problems with hibernation? Is this a Big Sur boot rom?

Yes, that should be the firmware that is the latest for your machine (you can’t downgrade it once it’s upgraded)

The main issue was that fans were constantly on at high speed. Very annoying. It was also a little bit slower. I preferred Big Sur because of macOS support and compatibility but the user experience was not similar to Mojave in my machine (2014, 16gb)

That sounds normal (there is an increased strain on machine immediately after install as you have indexing/garbage cleanup, etc)

At this stage I’d leave your machine on the later OS as you’ll have the best security and compatibility options that you’ll have (I’m not sure what you mean by ‘user experience is not the same’, is it largely the look or the feel?..)

So this means that even if there is no an hibernation problem (no crash after wake up), it will have more power consumption than the standard one, and I may reduce it with this deepsleep parameters, isn't it?

Thanks for your help!

You should have better compatibility and support with the latest firmware build, so yes it should fix some of those issues..

 

[CalabiYau]

Thanks again!

Very helpful. I have seen the list in the first post with some drives, speed and power consumption...

Which ones would you recommend? I guess it should have DRAM, isn't it?

I will try Big Sur again...

BR

 

[natus.w]

Which ones would you recommend? I guess it should have DRAM, isn't it?

I will try Big Sur again...

BR

DRAM isn’t really a ‘must-have’ as all drives will have a small amount of cache via the host memory bandwith (you’ll still maintain performance regardless; some newer SSDs don’t need that cache to perform)

If you need space I’d go for the cheapest, largest option you can find (most options on the market should work, but I cannot judge without knowing what is available near you..)

 

[CalabiYau]

Thanks!!!

Then Crucial P2 would be a sweet spot, but I think it is obsolete.

Crucial P3 is easily available but I am not sure if it will work in my old rMBP 2014 (it is not in the list). Maybe is too newer. Would it be almost equal to standard disk (or aura pro x2)?

I have access to amazon and other big tech shops, so probably I could find these models that can work.

BR

 

[natus.w]

Thanks!!!

Then Crucial P2 would be a sweet spot, but I think it is obsolete.

Crucial P3 is easily available but I am not sure if it will work in my old rMBP 2014 (it is not in the list). Maybe is too newer. Would it be almost equal to standard disk (or aura pro x2)?

P3 is a decent bet, for what you’re looking for I’d go for that if you can find it cheaply..

I have access to amazon and other big tech shops, so probably I could find these models that can work.

BR

I’ve also tried WD SN580 (fairly quick, depending on availability/price it’s probably one of your better options)

You may also be able to find other options using PCPartPicker or similar comparison sites..

 

[CalabiYau]

Thanks for all your help!

Let me a final question. Do you know what is the rmbp 2014 ssd speed limit? Or where to find it?

Just to know if buying a faster disk will be noticeable or maybe the disk
Bus is slower and limits it.

 

[natus.w]

Thanks for all your help!

Let me a final question. Do you know what is the rmbp 2014 ssd speed limit? Or where to find it?

Just to know if buying a faster disk will be noticeable or maybe the disk
Bus is slower and limits it.

The first post has a detailed analysis of what bus configurations came with what machine (it looks like you should be able to hit 1400MB/s, as the bus size is only 2.0x4)

 

[CalabiYau]

Amazing!

Final veredict:

I have found a wd sn580 in amazon for 48 eur (plus 15 for the sintech card). Have you tried it in a 2014 MBP?

Also I have an aura pro x2 for 70 eur (no need to sintech).

Should I choose the wd then? Better performance? More reliable? I have read several complains about owc reliability...

 

[Bladiko]

I have an A1398, with a 1TB SK Hynix P31 Gold running Ventura via OCLP 1.5.0.

Everything was working well on until i started having issues like finder hanging and apps not responding upon formatting the SSD and starting afresh I started having black screen after booting. The machine doesn’t reach the login window. However safe mode works well and I’m able to login to the OS.

As part of testing I put an OEM SSD, installed Monterey and I’m still getting a black screen after boot. I tried the hardware diagnostics during boot and it reports no error.

I booted into safe mode and the os reported that “computer restarted because of an error”

Here is the error details. I don’t know how to decipher it. Any help would be appreciated.

 

[macpro_mid2014]

I have an A1398, with a 1TB SK Hynix P31 Gold running Ventura via OCLP 1.5.0.

Everything was working well on until i started having issues like finder hanging and apps not responding upon formatting the SSD and starting afresh I started having black screen after booting. The machine doesn’t reach the login window. However safe mode works well and I’m able to login to the OS.

As part of testing I put an OEM SSD, installed Monterey and I’m still getting a black screen after boot. I tried the hardware diagnostics during boot and it reports no error.

I booted into safe mode and the os reported that “computer restarted because of an error”

Here is the error details. I don’t know how to decipher it. Any help would be appreciated.

This is not the forum for this, but are you resetting NVRAM every time you switch from one macOS to another?
Specially with OCLP, resetting NVRAM is always recommended.

 

[Bladiko]

This is not the forum for this, but are you resetting NVRAM every time you switch from one macOS to another?
Specially with OCLP, resetting NVRAM is always recommended.

Yes i have been resetting. The only reason i have posted it hear is because i have seen posts about NVMe issues and OCLP in this thread.

 

[natus.w]

Amazing!

Final veredict:

I have found a wd sn580 in amazon for 48 eur (plus 15 for the sintech card). Have you tried it in a 2014 MBP?

Also I have an aura pro x2 for 70 eur (no need to sintech).

Should I choose the wd then? Better performance? More reliable? I have read several complains about owc reliability...

At that price the SN580 wins out hands down in terms of pure performance..

WD Blue SN580 1 TB Review - Incredible Price/Performance

Western Digital's new WD Blue SN580 is the best budget M.2 SSD drive out there. Despite its impressive price point of $45 it comes with fantastic performance that easily matches most high-end drives. Compared to the SN570, the interface has been upgraded to PCIe 4.0, and the SLC cache is now...

www.techpowerup.com

Can’t say much about reliability but you should have limited manufacturer warranty across both SKUs (so if anything does go wrong you should be able to conduct a return..)

 

[natus.w]

Yes i have been resetting. The only reason i have posted it hear is because i have seen posts about NVMe issues and OCLP in this thread.

What year A1398 are we talking about? (a number of models have been made under that moniker; there are 2 different GPU setups that are available..)

If it is replicable on a native OS
and other drive, that is likely to be a sign of other hardware failure (something on board, memory, or CPU..)

 

[CalabiYau]

At that price the SN580 wins out hands down in terms of pure performance..

WD Blue SN580 1 TB Review - Incredible Price/Performance

Western Digital's new WD Blue SN580 is the best budget M.2 SSD drive out there. Despite its impressive price point of $45 it comes with fantastic performance that easily matches most high-end drives. Compared to the SN570, the interface has been upgraded to PCIe 4.0, and the SLC cache is now...

www.techpowerup.com

Can’t say much about reliability but you should have limited manufacturer warranty across both SKUs (so if anything does go wrong you should be able to conduct a return..)

Thanks again!

WD SN580 sounds great!

Two more questions:

1) I have run a r/w test and my apple ssd delivers 700MB/s both in read and write as expected. Apparently with a wd SN580 I could double it. Is this difference noticeable in real life usage? Will the MBP feel snappier or it is just a matter of GB capacity? My main usage is web browsing, and some light video editing (After effects, premiere but just 1080p).

2) Concerning how to migrate my stuff, I have this idea. Please tell me if it is correct or I should try a different route. First install Big sur from a USB installer (so that we have the latest boot room). I want to start with Mojave as I have some software that doesn't work with Big sur. Maybe in a future I will update and look for alternatives but right now I prefer to stay in Mojave for a while. So once a clean Big Sur is installed, my idea is restore a time machine copy of the last Mojave snapshot.

Will it work this procedure?

Thanks for your kind help.

 

[macpro_mid2014]

Thanks again!

WD SN580 sounds great!

Two more questions:

1) I have run a r/w test and my apple ssd delivers 700MB/s both in read and write as expected. Apparently with a wd SN580 I could double it. Is this difference noticeable in real life usage? Will the MBP feel snappier or it is just a matter of GB capacity? My main usage is web browsing, and some light video editing (After effects, premiere but just 1080p).

2) Concerning how to migrate my stuff, I have this idea. Please tell me if it is correct or I should try a different route. First install Big sur from a USB installer (so that we have the latest boot room). I want to start with Mojave as I have some software that doesn't work with Big sur. Maybe in a future I will update and look for alternatives but right now I prefer to stay in Mojave for a while. So once a clean Big Sur is installed, my idea is restore a time machine copy of the last Mojave snapshot.

Will it work this procedure?

Thanks for your kind help.

You already have the latest bootrom(478.0.0.0.0). Downgrading from Big Sur to Mojave does not work. You will have to clean install Mojave and then, restore its content with a Time Machine backup made in Mojave.

 

[CalabiYau]

You already have the latest bootrom(478.0.0.0.0). Downgrading from Big Sur to Mojave does not work. You will have to clean install Mojave and then, restore its content with a Time Machine backup made in Mojave.

Thanks!

I thought that somehow the boot rom was in the disk and we needed to flash it. So I assume that it is in a different part of the computer. Then it is easier: Just a mojave USB clean install and then time machine, isn't it? Or maybe I can do a time machine recovery without a previous clean install. I will investigate this.

Sorry for my noob questions.

 

[natus.w]

Thanks!

I thought that somehow the boot rom was in the disk and we needed to flash it. So I assume that it is in a different part of the computer.

Yes, the BootROM is stored in a chip on the mainboard (the only time where something needs to be mounted on disk is if it needs to be updated when a new MacOS version is installed)

Then it is easier: Just a mojave USB clean install and then time machine, isn't it? Or maybe I can do a time machine recovery without a previous clean install. I will investigate this.

Sorry for my noob questions.

You may have to initialise the SSD first (it comes unformatted so you’ll have to format it yourself in the installer..)

 

[laptoq]

This thread is about upgrading MacBook Airs & Macbook Pros (2013-2015) with new high speed and/or high capacity NVMe SSDs.
This thread was one of the first to talk about MacBook Pro NVMe SSD upgrades on Macrumors, and was started by user "maxthackray", which we can thank and give tribute for having started this thread.
This post has now been converted by MacRumors administrators to the present wiki post you are reading.
2023-11-02 : Thread title changed to refer to 2013-2015 models, to match the first paragraph of this post.

There is a lot of interest in this topic and now over 5000 posts so we will try to summarise valuable information in this wiki post and keep it up to date.

0 - Why upgrading to NVMe ?
Background information​

Between 2013-2017, Apple shipped laptops equipped with proprietary, AHCI "blade" SSDs with a proprietary "gumstick connector" (12+16 pins).
They had either 2x PCIe 2.0 Lanes (2013) or 4x PCIe lanes, and were made by Toshiba or Samsung (SSUAX or SSUBX)

For many years the only possible replacements or upgrades for those SSD were to :

1. replace with expensive used SSDs pulled from Apple laptops
2. replace with expensive SSDs from OWC (Aura Pro, Aura Pro 2) or Transcend (820, 850)
3. go the DIY solutions buying a M.2 AHCI SSD with an adapter e.g. Samsung 941 or Samsung 950 SSDs.

PCIe M.2 AHCI SSD are no longer made : you can't buy new ones, and used ones are expensive with low capacity and no warranty.

At the same time, NVMe "blades" M.2 SSD are going more on more mainstream on the PC market, and there are literally dozens of brand new, cheap, super fast and reliable NVMe SSD on the market, with enormous capacities up to 4TB.

So why not go NVMe ?

To gain full NVMe support you need two things :

• support at the BootRom (firmware) level
• support at the OS level

Thankfully, in 2017, macOS 10.13 (High Sierra) came out and it was discovered that it not only supported any tiers NVMe SSD but it also brought BootRom upgrades which enabled booting with NVMe SSD...
Yay!

(Note: macOS 10.14 Mojave is also good)

So, now we can upgrade many 2013-2017 MacBook laptops with brand new, cheap NVMe SSDs carrying 3 to 5-years warranty, instead of expensive, used, out of warranty, AHCI SSDs.

This guide is all about installing those new NVMe SSD replacements.
NVMe drives are the future compared to AHCI PCIe drives which are no longer made.

As of 2020 NVMe drives gives you unbeatable capacities, speed, and low prices.
And also, upgrading an old computer with a NVMe drive is always better for you and the planet than buying a new one... and it is a lot cheaper.

1 - Which Mac laptops can be upgraded with a NVMe SSD ? ​

• all MacBook Air models from Mid 2013 to 2017 (MacBookAir6,1 to MacBookAir7,1)
• all MacBook Pro models from Late 2013 to Mid 2015 (MacBookPro11,1 to MacBookPro12,1)

In details :

1-1 MacBook Air

The 2013-2014 MacBook Air models originally shipped with 2x lanes PCIe 2.0 AHCI SSD (speed ~700MB/s).
They support up to 4TB NVMe SSDs if their BootRom is at least MBA61.0103.B00, and will make them run at PCIe 2.0 speed with up to 4x lanes.
They don't support natively hibernation on NVMe SSD, but workarounds exist.

• MacBook Air 11" Mid 2013 (MacBookAir6,1)
• MacBook Air 13" Mid 2013 (MacBookAir6,2)
• MacBook Air 11" early 2014 (MacBookAir6,1)
• MacBook Air 13" early 2014 (MacBookAir6,2)

The 2015-2017 MBA models either shipped with 2x or 4x lanes PCIe 2.0 AHCI SSD (speed ~700 to ~1500MB/s).
They support up to 4TB NVMe SSD if their BootRom is at least MBA71.0171.B00 and will make them run at PCIe 2.0 speed with up to 4x lanes.
They do support natively hibernation on NVMe SSD :

• MacBook Air 13" early 2015 (MacBookAir7,1)
• MacBook Air 13" 2017 (MacBookAir7,2)

1-2 MacBook Pro retina 13" and 15"

The 2013-2014 MacBookPro retina models originally shipped with 2x lanes PCIe 2.0 AHCI SSD (speed ~700MB/s).
They support up to 4TB NVMe SSDs if their BootRom is at least MBP111.0142.B00 (for 13" models) or MBP112.0142.B00 (for 15" models) and will make them run at PCIe 2.0 speed with up to 4x lanes.
They don't support natively hibernation on NVMe SSD, but workarounds exist.

• MacBook Pro Retina 13" late 2013 (MacBookPro11,1)
• MacBook Pro Retina 15" late 2013 (MacBookPro11,2 & MacBookPro11,3)
• MacBook Pro Retina 13" mid 2014 (MacBookPro11,1)
• MacBook Pro Retina 15" mid 2014 (MacBookPro11,2 & 11,3)

The 2015 MacBookPro retina 13" and 15" models originally shipped with 4x lanes PCIe 2.0 AHCI SSDs. (speed ~1400MB/s).
They both supports up to 4TB NVMe SSD if their BootRom is at least MBP121.0171.B00 (for the 13" models) or MBP114.0177.B00 (for the 15" models).
The Retina 15" mid 2015 supports 4x lanes PCIe 3.0 speed eg. up to 3000MB/s. The early 2015 Retina 13" supports 4x lanes PCIe 2.0 speed.
They do both natively support hibernation on NVMe SSD

• MacBook Pro Retina 13" early 2015 (MacBookPro12,1)
• MacBook Pro Retina 15" mid 2015 (MacBookPro11,4-11,5)

2 - Which Mac laptops CANNOT be upgraded with NVMe SSDs?​

EARLY MODEL LAPTOPS BEFORE 2013

• all non retina MacBook models (MacBook1,1 to MacBook7,1)
• all non retina MacBook Pro (MacBookPro1,1 to MacBookPro9,2)

These models above come with a 2.5" SATA slot and interface. You can upgrade them with any standard cheap 2,5" SATA AHCI SSD

• MacBook Air from Late 2010 to Mid 2011 (MacBookAir 3,1 to MacBookAir4,2)
• MacBook Pro Retina from mid 2012 to early 2013 (MacBookPro10,1 to MacBookPro11,2)

These two models above come with a M.2 AHCI SATA SSD and use a SATA interface. They are definitely not compatible with M.2 PCIe SSD. The PCIe M.2 format looks very similar to the SATA M.2 format but it won't work.

Macbook Air 2012 (tried on 11 inch model) has a mixed connector which can use both SATA (stock one) and PCIe x2 (NVMe) drives, thus it is possible to gain 800+ MB/s (WD SN550) with an NVMe SSD and the right adapter for it. Hibernation has no issues so far on macOS 10.15.7, the external icon is easely fixed with Innie.kext.

You can upgrade the storage of those models with any SATA M.2 AHCI SSDs - e.g Crucial MX500 sata M.2 - and M.2 to Apple 6+12 adapters. Transcend and OWC also sell upgrades.

LATE MODEL LAPTOPS AFTER 2015

• all MacBook Air since the Retina 2018 (MacBookAir8,1)
• all MacBook 12" Retina since the early 2015 (MacBook8,1)
• all MacBook Pro 13" Retina 4 TB ports since 2016 (MacBookPro13,2)
• all MacBook Pro 15" Retina since 2016 (MacBookPro13,3)

If you have one of those late models, sorry their storage cannot be upgraded. Their storage is BGA NAND Flash soldered onto the logic board. You can as a customer give feedback to Apple regarding this situation.

An exception is the MacBook Pro 13" Retina without TouchBar aka 2 ThunderBolt ports (2016-2017) which has proprietary PCIe 3.0 NVMe SSDs. It might become possible at a future date to upgrade it with with adapters and small 2230/2242 M.2 blades like Sabrent/Toshiba/Koxia/Sandisk/WD (Sintech adapter is out).

3 - Which NVMe SSDs are known to work? ​

Basically all NVMe SSD work, except a few ones with incompatible firmwares.
The following models have been tested to work :

​

• Adata NVMe SSD : SX6000, SX7000, SX8200, SX8200 Pro etc.
• Corsair NVMe SSD : MP500, MP510
• Crucial NVMe SSD : P1, P2, X8
• HP NVMe SSD : ex900, ex920, ex950
• OCZ RD400
• Toshiba XG3, XG4, XG5, XG5p, XG6
• Intel NVMe SSD : 600p, 660p, 760p
• MyDigital NVMe SSDs : SBX - BPX
• Kingston NVMe SSD : A1000, A2000, KC1000
• Sabrent Rocket (Phison E12 and E16 based)
• Samsung NVMe SSD : 960 Evo, 960 Pro, 970 Evo, 970 Pro, 970 Evo plus (with latest firmware), 980
• WD Black NVMe SSD v1, v2 and v3, WD Blue SN550 (FW Update mandatory), SN750, SN750 SE
• Inland Premium (not Professional)

NVMe SSD known not to work on MacBook Pro / Air. DO NOT BUY:

• Samsung PM981
• Samsung 950 Pro
• WD Blue NvME SN570 (EDIT march 2023: many success stories with this one during 2022-2023, new ones seem to work)
• WD Black NvME SN770
• SK Hynix Gold P31

Compatibility issues with these models are due to a firmware issue.

Update Aug 2021: SK Hynix P31 Gold is now known to work.
The old firmware did not allow you to boot into macOS, it would just kernel panic. The new firmware released by SK Hynix fixed the incompatibility. You should seriously consider using this drive if battery life is a priority. It is known to be one of the best possible drives for laptops.

See this post for install process: https://forums.macrumors.com/thread...ook-pro-ssd-to-m-2-nvme.2034976/post-30164983

Note: SK Hynix Gold P31 is widely available in 512GB and 1TB versions. A 2 TB version has just come out (September 2021) but stocks are still limited.

OTHER OPTIONS

Those AHCI options work, but are expensive / come with no warranty / are over-priced / have flaws :

• Apple SSUAX and SSUBX OEM blades (expensive, only available used, without warranty)
• OWC Aura SSD : 2x lanes only, RAID0 of 2x slow controllers, no TRIM, no SMART
• Transcend Jetdrive 820 : 2x lanes only, not cheap

NVMe upgrades which have the native Apple 12+16 "gumstick connector" :

• Apple "Polaris" NVMe SSDs : very fast but definitively not cheap
• OWC Aura Pro X : not cheap for a NVMe drive, not fast for a NVMe drive
• Transcend JetDrive 850/855 : not cheap for a NVMe drive, not fast for a NVMe drive

A last thing :

• all NVMe M.2 drives do work with TRIM enabled and supported natively, without any patch
• NVMe drives with 512b sectors don't work on macOS older than 10.13
• NVMe drives with 4K sector size (ex. : Sabrent Rocket) do work natively with macOS 10.12, of course you need to have your BootRom up to date before installation

(see table below for 4K compatiblity)

4 - The M.2 to Apple "gumstick" adapters - the good and the fake ​

Apple uses a proprietary "gumstick" 12+16 PCIe interface in its 2013-2017 MacBook Airs and Pro computers. The rest of the PC industry uses the "M.2" NGFF connector which is very common.

So, if you want to upgrade your Mac with a regular M.2 NVMe drive, you need an adapter.
Lot of adapters have been tested in this thread, but in one sentence :
always buy an Apple to M.2 adapter from Sintech

The "Chenyang" or "CableCC" adapters (and assimilates) are still sold today but they do not have the proper wiring letting NVMe SSD work well.. Using it will cause reboot issues, sleep issues.
DO NOT BUY THEM

Instead, buy the "Sintech" adapter. Previously, Sintech made 3 models (rev. A rev. B and rev. C).
There were problems with the rev. A adapters too, this was commented a lot in this thread.
But now, as of early 2019, I can confirm that every adapter shipped from Sintech have the proper wirings and works perfectly.

You can buy Sintech adapters on their Amazon shop :
https://www.amazon.com/Sintech-Adapter-Upgrade-2013-2016-2013-2015/dp/B07FYY3H5F/

Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Sintech-Adapter-Upgrade-2013-2016-2013-2015/dp/B07FYY3H5F/ (warning, long delivery time)

Or directly from their website :
http://eshop.sintech.cn/ngff-m2-pcie-ssd-card-as-2013-2014-2015-macbook-ssd-p-1139.html


View attachment 828142
View attachment 828143

A cheaper solution is a no-name but mostly identical adapter from Aliexpress available here - https://aliexpress.ru/item/33027201181.html. This exact one bought in early 2020 is proven to work on 2015 A1398, connection is full speed v3.0 4 lanes. 3$ only.
Beware seller may change the product without notice! We are not responsible for that.

Also, if you have an old Sintech adapter made in 2017-2018, you have to check that there is some tape insulation like in the following photo :

View attachment 828146


5 - Are you getting a battery swap / keyboard swap / major internal repair at an Apple Store or direct from Apple? You may want to put the old Apple stock SSD back in the laptop before you give it to Apple to repair.​

Some users have reported that Apple Stores have refused to do a battery swap on MacBooks with an upgraded NVMe SSD. One user said their MPB (sent in for a battery swap) was 'returned to me with unspecified “damage” due to the ssd' and 'a picture of it with the adapter' was included in the message from Apple. This was despite the Apple Genius being informed in advance and saying it would be fine.

It looks like some Apple technicians may be fine with it and others may not want to work inside a MacBook with a NVMe adaptor installed.

Third party Apple repair services should be happy to proceed with any work even with a NVMe SSD installed.

6 - Hibernation issues on 2013-2014 laptops ​

Starting with macOS Big Sur 11.0.1, Apple has released Root ROM or system firmware for 2013-2014 MacBook Pro and MacBook Air models that allows these models to be upgraded with NVMe drives and prevent deep sleep issues without further system modifications.

* Late 2013 MacBook Pro 13” with Retina Display (MacBookPro11,1): Boot ROM 427.0.0.0 and higher
* Mid-2013 MacBook Air 11”: Boot ROM 4xx.0.0.0 and higher

Updating to those 4xx.0.0.0 versions of Boot ROM or system firmware will make any additional modifications to prevent unexpected system restarts unnecessary; however, it has been noted that the hibernation and autopoweroff behavior of those MacBooks models has been changed and that the battery discharge is higher than with the original PCIe SSD.

macOS release prior to macOS Big Sur 11.0.1 ship with a Boot ROM or system firmware for 2013/2014 MacBook Pro (13”, 15”) and 2013/2014 MacBook Air (11”, 13”) that included a DXE NVMe driver which is incompleted or compressed. This caused 2013 and 2014 MacBook models to not wake up from hibernation and restart. This problem existed with every NVMe SSD (Apple NVMe SSDs that shipped with 2015 MacBook Pro models, third-party drives like the OWC Aura Pro 2, Transcend 850 NVMe SSD).

To prevend this problem you had two options:

1. Disable hibernation or deep sleep by disabling hibernation via Terminal: "sudo pmset -a hibernatemode 0 standby 0 autopoweroff 0", or
2. Patch the Boot ROM or system firmware with an NVMe driver from 2015 MacBook model equivalents.

Disabling hibernation had the drawback that your MacBook would consume more power when sleeping for a longer time compared to proper hibernation (suspend to disk) with the default settings. Your battery would lose ~10% overnight.

The process of patching the Boot ROM or system allowed hibernation to work but required additional hardware. See
https://forums.macrumors.com/thread...ssd-to-m-2-nvme.2034976/page-65#post-26224320 for a guide that walked through the required steps.

Other options included a ”Matt Card” from CMI zapper.

7 - Troubleshooting steps for kernel panics, crashes or instability
​

A small number of members have reported issues around stability and kernel panics after upgrading to an aftermarket SSD. These issues are quite rare, so don't panic! We have a 10 step plan.

If you are experiencing crashes or kernel panics especially around sleep/wake, try the following steps:

1. Make sure the machine's boot ROM is the latest version. Check your version in "About This Mac" / "System Report" under Boot ROM Version.​
   • The latest available boot ROM updates (in Big Sur) for various machines is here: https://eclecticlight.co/2020/11/16/which-firmware-should-your-mac-be-using-version-5/ .​
   • On a very old boot ROM (<400.0.0.0) use an empty/formatted original Apple SSD get the lastest ROM. Do a temporary fresh install of MacOS from USB, the install should get you to the latest ROM.​
   • After 400.0.0.0 systems with aftermarket SSDs can get boot ROM updates.​
   • With the latest boot ROM, any previously installed or old version of MacOS should work (some prefer older OSes)​
2. Install the latest firmware for your SSD, if there is one. Some SSD update utils install firmware using Windows so use a PC or BootCamp. Some SSD updater utils blank the drive, so make a backup of the drive.​
3. Clean the contacts of the SSD, motherboard and the sintech adapter using isopropyl alcohol and a qtip/cotton bud.​
4. Ensure the sintech adapter and SSD are fully seated and centred. Even a slight skew or unseated drive can cause crashes and reboot issues. Touching the contacts during install can also lead to instability.​
5. Ensure there is no corrosion on the contacts of the SSD, sintech adaptor or motherboard. You may need to scrape this off if there is any.​
6. Track the temperature of your SSD using a utility like istat menu. Normal temps vary from drive to drive and work load but e.g. for the Rocket it should be 0c-35c. If temperature gets higher than say ~50c for a sustained time you may need to mitigate the heat by setting the fans to alway on in istat menu, or using a heatsink, copper shims or heat pads.​
7. Post your sleep settings "pmset -g" and most recent kernel .panic file from /Library/Logs/DiagnosticReports. Use pastebin.com and share a link on this thread.​
8. Disable sleep and hibernate (see above for command). Reset sleep to default settings pmset restoredefaults​
9. Try the Kexts (Ssdpmenabler.kext and/or NVMEfix.kext - search the thread for info).​
10. Try a different aftermarket SSD and/or adapter.

When posting for help or if you have a sucess story to share, use the following format (mostly info from "About This Mac"/"System Report"):

MacOS version: Mojave 10.14.6 (18G7016)
Mac: MacBookAir7,2
Processor: Intel Core i5 1.6 GHz
Boot ROM Version: 426.0.0.0.0
SSD: Sabrent Rocket 1TB (firmware version: ECFM12.3) + Sintec short adapter
link to pmset -g output on pastebin.com
link to .panic file(s) on pastebin.com
SSD speeds in BlackMagic benchmark screenshot
SSD temperatures from istat menu screenshot
Any steps you have tried already

8 - BootCamp installation issues ​

Make sure you have a full backup with something OTHER than Time Machine. SuperDuper! is free and recommended. Making a disk clone in SuperDuper! is also much faster than Time Machine.

-----

During installation of Windows 10 via BootCamp, a blue screen may occur.
This was resolved by user ohnggni in post #1685, thanks to him.

Here are the two recommendations to Install BootComp with success on a MacBook Air / Pro with a NVMe SSD :

• leave the MagSafe charger plugged in during the whole installation process (don't run on battery)
• When you see the error pop-up, "The Computer restarted unexpectedly....", please do the following :

1. Press Shift + F10 keys.​

2. Launch "regedit".​

3. Find this directory, "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\Setup\Status\ChildCompletion"​

4. Once you can see "setup.exe" in the right section, double-click it and modify the value to 3.​

5. Close the regedit.​

6. Reboot​

​

-----​

​

How to fix various other issues that may occur with Boot Camp Assistant:​

​

Tips from https://appleinsider.com/articles/1...ling-windows-through-boot-camp-in-high-sierra​

​

- Disable File Vault (will take a few hours / overnight to fully decrypt your drive)​

- Turn off Time Machine and un-associate any Time Machine drives​

- Purge local Time Machine snapshots:​

​

Terminal> "tmutil thinlocalsnapshots / 9999999999999999"

- Repair partitioning:

Terminal> "diskutil repairDisk disk0"
It will say "Repairing the partition map might erase disk0s1, proceed? (y/N)"
Press "y"

-----

If you get "An error occurred while partitioning the disk" in Mojave Boot Camp Assistant, this is a problem with disk overallocation. To fix:

1. Shut down your Mac.
2. Start and hold Cmd-S to boot into single user mode.
3. Type: "fsck_apfs -oy /dev/disk0s2"
4. It will ask you to confirm, type in y and press Enter.
5. When finished (up to 3 minutes) type reboot and press Enter.

(Technically, /dev/disk0s2 may not be the correct disk, but OSX will run fsck_apfs on all internal drives anyway.)

If there was a problem with overallocation, you may see this line in the output: "Overallocation detected on Main device" And then another line may appear: "Fix overallocation"

Tip from: https://apple.stackexchange.com/que...rtition-w-boot-camp-assistant-on-macos-mojave

9 - Comparison of tested NVME SSD models ​

Here you can find some excel charts which try to give you comparison of tested models - Speed - Power consumption - NAND types (MLC, TLC, QLC).
As a comparison, Apple original AHCI models and Transcend models were also included in the chards.
The recommended models are will depends on your need, but the SX8200 Pro and Sabrent Rocket clearly tops nearly all the charts...

Average power Consumption (= battery life) chart

Power Efficiency chart

Performance by Price chart :

Charts are courtesy of @gilles_polysoft

10 - Other useful posts in this thread​

Discussion of modifying the boot ROM
https://forums.macrumors.com/thread...sd-to-m-2-nvme.2034976/page-118#post-26977161

Behind the scenes of this topic:

I want to say that with NVMe drive in 2013-2014 mbp models for sure you will pay with some amount of your 'on battery' time
It is mostly connected with NVMe connection realizing on this years models processors so with the amazing speed you will get a bit of extra degrees on your CPU (more on 13' models that 15' but still on both)
With 2015 models situation is a bit better because they have next generation of CPU that is more friendly with NVMe connections but still

Higher speeds on a different from 'factory' (AHCI -> NVMe) protocol connection will trigger your mbp fans more often (because of extra degree on CPU) than usual AHCI connected ssd drive so this will eat more power from battery in all cases with all SSDs
As well different ssd have different idle/read/write power draw but its secondary

We have tried some NVMe drives that have less idle/read/write power draw than some Apple AHCI SSDs but in total they still gives bigger power draw by the reason explained before

It is not critical at all, its just ~10-15 degree difference in action that will trigger fans more often
All subsequent I mean size of this behavior mostly connected with your daily usage

• This is generalized information that you have to keep in your mind, always its connected with exactly model that you decide to use

Hi,

thank you for your interesting post;

I'm lost, because I want to use externally my M.2 SSD hard drive from an MBP 2015 A1502, and its connector is different (12 + 16 pin). So which case should I choose, and if not which adapter allows me to fit this M.2 SSD to use it as a USB 2 or USB 3 output?

 

[macpro_mid2014]

Hi,

thank you for your interesting post;

I'm lost, because I want to use externally my M.2 SSD hard drive from an MBP 2015 A1502, and its connector is different (12 + 16 pin). So which case should I choose, and if not which adapter allows me to fit this M.2 SSD to use it as a USB 2 or USB 3 output?

I tried an AliExpress case for the original Apple SSD. It ended up corrupting the SSD for some reason. Then, for my other laptop, I got a OWC case (not cheap) which works until today, after more than 3 years...
This is a link from Amazon Canada just for you to have an idea how it looks like.

Spoiler: Amazon Canada - OWC

OWC Envoy Pro 1A Portable, Bus-Powered USB (10GB/s) Storage Enclosure Compatible with Most 2013 to 2019 Mac Models

Experience incredible portable performance in the palm of your hand. The OWC Envoy Pro 1A combines elegance and functionality in sleek, portable external storage designed for use with the factory SSD found installed in select Macs from 2013 to 2019, as well as Aura Pro X2, Aura Pro X, Aura N2, an...

www.amazon.ca