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

[gilles_polysoft]

Thanks for testing and posting this. I was somehow hoping they would pull off the impossible and support true hibernation in the 2013-2014 models, but of course, they run up against the same bootrom limitations as all the others. Oh well.

Also, the new Intel 660p utilizing QLC NAND is out; for those who need cheap capacity and are willing to take performance compromises, looks like they are pricing 512G at $100 and 1TB at $200. Would be interested if you get a chance to test this (the Kingston A1000 960G has also dropped to $220.)

Thanks,
Yes it's "sad" for the Transcend.
Although, now that we now the hibernation problem also comes to Transcend drives, I have submitted a bug report to Apple with Radar.
Maybe submitting bug reports could help things progress ?

I'll test the 660p when I'll have time.

As for the Kingston A1000 you're right its price has gone unbeatable...
I tested it month ago (with its twin the MyDigitalSSD SBX) and I forgot to post photos and infos, here there are.
It's a SSD quite "slow" in all macs except the MBPr 15" mid 2015, because of the 2x lanes, but it saves a lot of power. I had very good battery life with it and the MyDigitalSSD SBX

​

 

[gilles_polysoft]

Hi everyone,

here is my table of tested NVMe SSDs, up to date.
Some reference will become soon obsolete, some new ones appear with very low price and low consummation (Intel 660p, which is QLC)

Upgrades have newer been so cheap for all our 2013-2015 macs...

Max power are power states reported by smartctl, it may not reflect exact consumption. Unfortunately it would take a lot, lot of time to make the real world power measurements.
If anyone have some data to share, please mail me I would include it with pleasure

 

[xelanaiznac]

Hi everyone,

here is my table of tested NVMe SSDs, up to date.
Some reference will become soon obsolete, some new ones appear with very low price and low consummation (Intel 660p, which is QLC)

Upgrades have newer been so cheap for all our 2013-2015 macs...

Max power are power states reported by smartctl, it may not reflect exact consumption. Unfortunately it would take a lot, lot of time to make the real world power measurements.
If anyone have some data to share, please mail me I would include it with pleasure

View attachment 775045

hi guys. just to share my experience with 970 evo and sintech long black adapter. I have a rmbp 15" 2015.
so far the 970 evo is the best aftermarket ssd for my Mac in my opinion.
I tried in the past kc1000 and 960 evo and 960 pro.
first, the 970 evo reaches top performance, as picture.
second: battery lifetime, is great. not as long as the apple original ssd, but not bad as 960evo-pro.
very happy with it

ps I'm not using sudo pmset standby 0

 

[Cmd+Q]

here is my table of tested NVMe SSDs, up to date.

Thanks @gilles_polysoft. Although I am not sure the "failed" write test on the PM981 is enough to indicate that it does not work.

 

[JeffreyA]

Hey guys,

Just hopped on this thread. I got a 2015 rMP 13" and I'm looking to upgrade. What adapter do I need? Do I need kapton tape? Will I experience sleep issues? What ssd works best? I'm sorry but there is a ton of stuff so I'd rather have someone who has been here to tldr this for me.

Thanks,

JeffreyA

 

[apemaia]

first, the 970 evo reaches top performance, as picture.

Hello,
interesting you get write speed higher as read speed. I have same rmbp and same behavior. Read performances should reach 3000 MB/sec. I'm curios... I'm looking for a pice of kapton tape: my adaptor arrived with tape but not applied in state of the art. Maybe a bit more tape and better applied can do the difference? In any case I don't think I will notice speed difference on everyday use.

It is two weeks now I have installed the 970 2TB and had no problem at all.

 

[Just_iWorld]

Hi, I received my Sintech C black long adapter from Amazon, but it seems it does not have a kapton tape applied to it. Where exactly should we apply one, seeing real pictures would be great. Thanks!

 

[weckart]

Hey guys,

Just hopped on this thread. I got a 2015 rMP 13" and I'm looking to upgrade. What adapter do I need? Do I need kapton tape? Will I experience sleep issues? What ssd works best? I'm sorry but there is a ton of stuff so I'd rather have someone who has been here to tldr this for me.

Thanks,

JeffreyA

The Sintech NGFF-C adapter is all you need. No additional Kapton tape required. Just make sure you have the latest firmware installed (MBP121.0177.B00) and you are good to go. NVMe is fully supported on the 2015 revision so don't worry about hibernation etc. Which drive you get is down to you and your use case needs but just be aware that the 13" MBP only has PCIe 2.0 x4, so that sequential speeds top out at 1500MB/s. No point in spending more to get a faster drive as the MBP cannot make use of it. You might get faster random I/O rates with "Pro" drives but that's about it.

Pretty much all NVMe drives should work except the Samsung PM981, which seems to have write issues. Post #1753 has a list of tested drives and I can add the Adata XPG SX8200 to the list as a budget adapter that works well with this Mac. If you are on a budget and won't be writing tons to your drive all the time, the new Intel 660p drive might be of interest.

 

[JeffreyA]

The Sintech NGFF-C adapter is all you need. No additional Kapton tape required. Just make sure you have the latest firmware installed (MBP121.0177.B00) and you are good to go. NVMe is fully supported on the 2015 revision so don't worry about hibernation etc. Which drive you get is down to you and your use case needs but just be aware that the 13" MBP only has PCIe 2.0 x4, so that sequential speeds top out at 1500MB/s. No point in spending more to get a faster drive as the MBP cannot make use of it. You might get faster random I/O rates with "Pro" drives but that's about it.

Pretty much all NVMe drives should work except the Samsung PM981, which seems to have write issues. Post #1753 has a list of tested drives and I can add the Adata XPG SX8200 to the list as a budget adapter that works well with this Mac. If you are on a budget and won't be writing tons to your drive all the time, the new Intel 660p drive might be of interest.

Does kapton tape improve performance? I don't see why that would help but I read some stuff in this thread. Does boot camp work? Does battery life drop? I'm going to wait for the intel 660p to come out in the 1-2tb flavors. Thanks a lot for your answers.​

 

[weckart]

Kapton tape is for other adapters with exposed connectors to prevent shorting leading to lower performance. None needed with the right Sintech adapter. Just bear in mind that the 660p read/write speeds crawl down to mechanical drive speeds when the SLC cache is filled. If you are going for a 2TB drive, then that suggests a lot of writing.

https://www.anandtech.com/show/13078/the-intel-ssd-660p-ssd-review-qlc-nand-arrives/7

 

[Vaibhav S]

I feel that with the new disk Samsung 970 evo 1tb my MacBook pro is heating more than before, but can't say objectively. Any suggestions or should I even be concerned?

 

[Eliah]

I feel that with the new disk Samsung 970 evo 1tb my MacBook pro is heating more than before, but can't say objectively. Any suggestions or should I even be concerned?

I installed a 970 Evo 500GB and don't experience that problem. I don't think you should be concerned.

 

[Vaibhav S]

Thank you so much

I installed a 970 Evo 500GB and don't experience that problem. I don't think you should be concerned.

 

[GregThe8]

Hi guys,

Thank you all for this thread and the useful information.

I want to buy a 512GB NVME SSD for my MacBook Air 13” 2013 (8GB / 128GB) running High Sierra.

Can you please advise me on a good SSD model in terms of heat, battery consumption, performances and flawlessness ?
I’m hesitating between Intel 760p and WD Black but maybe you know better options.

Furthermore, what would be the best Sintech adapter for a MBA 2013 ?
The green one :
http://eshop.sintech.cn/ngff-m2-pcie-ssd-card-as-2013-2014-2015-macbook-ssd-p-1143.html
Or the long black one :
http://eshop.sintech.cn/ngff-m2-pcie-ssd-card-as-2013-2014-2015-macbook-ssd-p-1229.html

Thank you in advance !

Greg

 

[tshelby73]

Hi guys,

Thank you all for this thread and the useful information.

I want to buy a 512GB NVME SSD for my MacBook Air 13” 2013 (8GB / 128GB) running High Sierra.

Can you please advise me on a good SSD model in terms of heat, battery consumption, performances and flawlessness ?
I’m hesitating between Intel 760p and WD Black but maybe you know better options.

Furthermore, what would be the best Sintech adapter for a MBA 2013 ?
The green one :
http://eshop.sintech.cn/ngff-m2-pcie-ssd-card-as-2013-2014-2015-macbook-ssd-p-1143.html
Or the long black one :
http://eshop.sintech.cn/ngff-m2-pcie-ssd-card-as-2013-2014-2015-macbook-ssd-p-1229.html

Thank you in advance !

Greg

Unless you flash the efi chip you will have problems with sleep and efi recognizing as external drive instead of internal. Hibernation can be disabled but will effect battery life. The external drive issue effects boot time and had bootcamp windows installation issues.

Since nobody responded to my post if efi can be updated in software I’m assuming it can only be done with a external programmer physically hooked up to efi chip on motherboard.

You will also need High Sierra installed in order for Mac to detect NVMe drive. You will also need to format it using a High Sierra usb installer.

I took my 970 evo out and hoping Apple releases a efi update for our older machines but I’m not holding my breath. I may just have to get the programmer or just put it in my daughters 2015 Mac.

 

[Eliah]

After installing my 970 EVO I have trouble installing windows 10 via bootcamp. Is there a way around this problem that anybody knows about?

 

[GregThe8]

Unless you flash the efi chip you will have problems with sleep and efi recognizing as external drive instead of internal. Hibernation can be disabled but will effect battery life. The external drive issue effects boot time and had bootcamp windows installation issues.

Since nobody responded to my post if efi can be updated in software I’m assuming it can only be done with a external programmer physically hooked up to efi chip on motherboard.

You will also need High Sierra installed in order for Mac to detect NVMe drive. You will also need to format it using a High Sierra usb installer.

I took my 970 evo out and hoping Apple releases a efi update for our older machines but I’m not holding my breath. I may just have to get the programmer or just put it in my daughters 2015 Mac.

Thank you for your response.

I have no clue regarding this EFI issue. I'm aware about battery drain due to hibernation being disabled with this "sudo" command.

But I bet that some SSD models will drain less battery than others. That's why I would like to be advised on the best model for MBA 2013 in terms of heat, battery consumption, performances and flawlessness.

I have read many times than Samsung EVO / PRO are performant but drastically drain battery...

And knowing what Sintech adapter (the green one or the long black) to take for a MBA 2013 would be great.

Thank you again.
[doublepost=1533916510][/doublepost]

After installing my 970 EVO I have trouble installing windows 10 via bootcamp. Is there a way around this problem that anybody knows about?

Have you tried using Windows on a virtual machine ? Like Parallels Desktop.
It might solve your issue.

 

[tshelby73]

I had an error installing bootcamp. I used these instructions on mine. Had to install bootcamp drivers after windows installed though.

I think if efi showed drove as internal you might not get error

 

[Tony N.]

Hi Guys,

I'm currently running a 960 EVO 1tb but it's drawings so much power. I'm idling at 18-20w power draw just leaving the laptop alone. I get 4 hours of battery life on my mid-2014 15" mbp which is very bad compared to what i was getting before which was 6-7 hours.

I might consider the Kingston A1000 or even a 970 EVO if I have to spend the extra $50 to get better battery life.

Please help, my return date on the 960 EVO is running out! Thanks

 

[Eliah]

I had an error installing bootcamp. I used these instructions on mine. Had to install bootcamp drivers after windows installed though.
I think if efi showed drove as internal you might not get error

So when you got the BSOD (blue screen) you pressed shift f10? or did you let it restart restart before?

 

[tshelby73]

So when you got the BSOD (blue screen) you pressed shift f10? or did you let it restart restart before?

To tell you the truth I can’t remember exactly. I only have done it once with Windows 10 before I put original ssd back in. I think I did it before it rebooted but I don’t recall a bsod I thought it was a pop up window. Or it bsod and rebooted on its own then gave me the pop up windows.

The pic i posted with instructions I think was from this thread buried somewhere. It be another one though as I’m following total of three threads on Mac NVMe drives.

 

[ohnggni]

To tell you the truth I can’t remember exactly. I only have done it once with Windows 10 before I put original ssd back in. I think I did it before it rebooted but I don’t recall a bsod I thought it was a pop up window. Or it bsod and rebooted on its own then gave me the pop up windows.

The pic i posted with instructions I think was from this thread buried somewhere. It be another one though as I’m following total of three threads on Mac NVMe drives.

I'm the one who wrote the post, #1685
It's not BSOD but just pop-up causing endless reboot without completing installation. Actually it had been very annoying to me for several months, but finally I found the solution through googling and shared it .

 

[H.H]

970 EVO would be similar to your 960 EVO.

Anandtech has numbers on SSD idle power consumption:

https://www.anandtech.com/show/12349/the-intel-ssd-760p-512gb-review/8

According to the chart, an idle 960 EVO consumes: 1196mA * 3.3V = 3.9W
Your best option would be 760p, which consumes: 666mA * 3.3V = 2.2W

Looks like your current battery capacity is about 4h * 20W = 80Wh
So 760p should bring your battery life to about 80Wh / (20W - 3.9W + 2.2W) = 4.4h

Hi Guys,

I'm currently running a 960 EVO 1tb but it's drawings so much power. I'm idling at 18-20w power draw just leaving the laptop alone. I get 4 hours of battery life on my mid-2014 15" mbp which is very bad compared to what i was getting before which was 6-7 hours.

I might consider the Kingston A1000 or even a 970 EVO if I have to spend the extra $50 to get better battery life.

Please help, my return date on the 960 EVO is running out! Thanks

 

[kdhoe]

Today I’ve upgraded the ssd on my MacBook Pro 13” early 2015 with the long black Sintech adapter together with the Samsung 970 Evo. It went flawlessly. No issues encountered. I’ve also installed windows with boot camp, also no issues.
Maybe just a little more heat/battery drain, but not a lot.

 

[weckart]

If iStat Menus is to be believed, the Adata XPG SX8200 is pretty light on the battery. Idling averages about 0.18A, maybe rising to about 0.38A if a background app/service kicks in. The absolute highest I have seen it on sustained transfers is about 1.3A. Hard drive temps range between 25ºC idling to about 37ºC transferring/downloading large files. I haven't seen it go higher than that. At 78% battery it is showing 8hrs left. This is also on a MBP 13" 2015.