Which is highest performing SSD to put in Mid-2015 MBP? + Few related ?'s too.

[skeeknaek]

Hi All, and thanks in advance for patience on my ?'s - (I'm new-ish but HUGELY appreciate the wisdom I've gleaned from responses on here).

I unfortunately missed the window to buy the 14" MBP M1 Pro 16GB that was on sale for $1600 everywhere for black friday and cyber monday, and now I'm wondering if it's worth revitalizing my mid-2015 15" Retina 2.2GHZ i7 256GB 16GB ram MBP (MJLQ2LL/A) purchased 09/2015 to buy me more time. I see the SSD upgrade is the most manageable and effective boost I could give it, along with battery replacement (mine's still in "good" territory, laptop was hardly used tbh).

Questions:
1) Is it worth doing this even? If not, what would be a good wait and see game plan to acquiring an affordable and more powerful M1 pro 16GB machine that is safe (no ebay open box, used, or non-warrantied items)?
2) If it makes sense, which SSD/adapter combo would be the absolute best to put in the mid 2015 MBP? Any considerations on OS or other compatibility when installing this?
3) Should I let apple replace the battery? (I heard they replace keyboard and trackpad when executing that replacement)
4) Any other upgrades worth considering?

I've done some research, and found this old thread which has the summary below, and I believe it qualifies the SSD upgrade for my specific MBP and purchase timeline:

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)

Thanks for reading and hopefully replying!

 

[nigelbb]

I have an identical configuration 2015 MBP. It does all I need & at present I really cannot justify buying a new Apple silicon MBP. I have installed a 2TB Apple Polaris SSD which was more expensive than a 3rd party SSD plus adaptor but has been entirely trouble free.

If you have been living with a 256GB SSD in your MBP for the last seven years then it's hardly going to be worth buying an enormously bigger SSD. You may as well buy a used 512GB Apple SSUBX SSD then you know there will be no problems with extra power requirement or performing OS upgrades.

When Apple replace the battery that includes the whole top case including keyboard & trackpad but they will only do it at the reduced $199 price if the battery is significantly deteriorated. My battery used to last six hours but now only lasts two hours but when I took it into an Apple Store they refused to replace the battery unless I paid full cost (more than the MBP is worth) as battery status is reported as 'Normal' & not 'Service Battery'.

 

[BrianBaughn]

You may as well buy a used 512GB Apple SSUBX SSD then you know there will be no problems with extra power requirement or performing OS upgrades.

I was going to mention the firmware update issue with third-party SSDs in case the OP wasn't aware.

OP: What version of macOS are you currently running?

 

[skeeknaek]

I have an identical configuration 2015 MBP. It does all I need & at present I really cannot justify buying a new Apple silicon MBP. I have installed a 2TB Apple Polaris SSD which was more expensive than a 3rd party SSD plus adaptor but has been entirely trouble free.

If you have been living with a 256GB SSD in your MBP for the last seven years then it's hardly going to be worth buying an enormously bigger SSD. You may as well buy a used 512GB Apple SSUBX SSD then you know there will be no problems with extra power requirement or performing OS upgrades.

When Apple replace the battery that includes the whole top case including keyboard & trackpad but they will only do it at the reduced $199 price if the battery is significantly deteriorated. My battery used to last six hours but now only lasts two hours but when I took it into an Apple Store they refused to replace the battery unless I paid full cost (more than the MBP is worth) as battery status is reported as 'Normal' & not 'Service Battery'.

Thanks, I'd be interested in at least 512GB as 256GB was not really ideal and this computer was not my main driver (27" late 2012 iMac going strong). Now this one will become my main driver for some time. I've seen reports of people on here successfully replacing with 3rd party (samsungs, etc.) and getting 2000+ read and write speeds. My current write speed is 500-ish and read is about 1000. I'd love a bump into the 2000's so to me it's worth it if that's the case.

I checked prices on the Apple Polaris SSDs, and I'm seeing $899 for 2TB, $600 for the 1TB kit new, and $300 for open box on ebay - all of them definitely out of my budget and risk standards 😬 What are your read/writes with yours now?

That def sucks about the battery option. Though this MBP is apparently loved, I have SUCH a hot battery since when I first bought it, and exactly where it gets hottest on my left side near the chargeport, is where the speaker blew out. It's 100% not liquid damage or any of that, and the store would do nothing for me. When recalls for the battery came out, my laptop apparently qualified with every 3rd party retailer as a "recalled" laptop that I could not trade-in, but Apple itself didn't recognize my serial number as qualifying despite my issues. Battery hasn't exploded on me, but it's overheating and blowing out my speaker on that side within 6 months was a major bummer with Apple not willing to do anything about it.

 

[skeeknaek]

I was going to mention the firmware update issue with third-party SSDs in case the OP wasn't aware.

OP: What version of macOS are you currently running?

I'm currently running High Sierra on it, might move to Mojave or Catalina to help software I'd be running as this will become my main driver. What issues are you aware of on regarding that?

 

[Audit13]

Good information here: https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/upgrading-2013-2014-macbook-pro-ssd-to-m-2-nvme.2034976/

 

[skeeknaek]

Good information here: https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/upgrading-2013-2014-macbook-pro-ssd-to-m-2-nvme.2034976/

Thanks, I referenced it in my original post above but it's quite a beefy thread, and it got tiring reading through individual specs to see if my case applied.

 

[saudor]

samsung nvme have broken TRIM support in later macOS versions (Big sur, Monterey) so I wouldnt use those if you plan to upgrade to those. WD Black SN850, SN750 should work fine (provided you have an adapter)

 

[skeeknaek]

samsung nvme have broken TRIM support in later macOS versions (Big sur, Monterey) so I wouldnt use those if you plan to upgrade to those. WD Black SN850, SN750 should work fine (provided you have an adapter)

Sorry if this is redundant or addressed a million times, it's easier to get a quick high level summary from experts here than spending hours researching (I have still though).

I found a couple examples of recent people in the big SSD install thread mentioned above still doing a Samsung SSD install on Monterey reporting back super fast speeds on my model, but why would TRIM support be important? I'm assuming they lost this TRIM support and just ate the consequences? Would those other SSDs give the same 2500 read and writes I'm reading from Samsung?

example: user "MrAverigeUser" in the big MBP install SSD thread

 

[saudor]

Sorry if this is redundant or addressed a million times, it's easier to get a quick high level summary from experts here than spending hours researching (I have still though).

I found a couple examples of recent people in the big SSD install thread mentioned above still doing a Samsung SSD install on Monterey reporting back super fast speeds on my model, but why would TRIM support be important? I'm assuming they lost this TRIM support and just ate the consequences? Would those other SSDs give the same 2500 read and writes I'm reading from Samsung?

example: user "MrAverigeUser" in the big MBP install SSD thread

TRIM allows for better wear levelling, which leads to better longevity on the SSD and higher write speeds when the drive gets filled. Broken TRIM is also not always apparent - especially when the SSD is new/just installed and has a ton of free space. However, in other cases, it will clearly add to the boot times as seen here:

SSD hall of fame needs new entries · Issue #192 · dortania/bugtracker

Guide Anti-Hackintosh Buyers Guide (link) After our discovery of a severe bug in the TRIM implementation of practically all Samsung SSDs we spent time investigating which SSDs are affected by all k...

github.com

Technically that is a hackintosh thread but should give you a rough idea of the issue. It's a really YMMV situation since even in that thread, some people with samsung nvme controllers report no issues (it could also be the fact that they have TRIM disabled instead of it being enabled and broken and they don't realize it).

That being said, most modern SSDs have a lot more longevity even with TRIM disabled so it's not technically the end of the world - just not preferred. I always bring this up but 256gb SSDs in 2013ish were rated for 30ish TB writes, and could write upwards of 1000-2000 TB before actually dying. Today's decent SSD's are rated for 300 TB writes for every 500gb of space. That's a lot of writes considering most people do something like 20 GB per day.

 

[Macdctr]

samsung nvme have broken TRIM support in later macOS versions (Big sur, Monterey) so I wouldnt use those if you plan to upgrade to those. WD Black SN850, SN750 should work fine (provided you have an adapter)

This is incorrect. I'm using a Samsung 970 EVO 1TB NVMe storage drive on my Mid 2015 MacBook Pro 15 inch 2.8GHz i7/16GB laptop and have TRIM support. If you use the app TRIM Enabler by Sensei you can enable TRIM support on your Mac as seen in the picture attached. I have been using Samsung NVMe storage drives thru Big Sur, Monterey and now Ventura with no issue and have TRIM support.

As Audit13 knows, my preference for storage drives have always been Samsung 970 EVO/PRO NVMe storage drives.

 

[DouglasCarroll]

Hello!

I’ve replaced the battery in my 15” mid 2015 MacBook pro and it was very quick and easy and you do NOT have to do all the “take the laptop apart to remove the battery” crap. I timed myself last time (I’ve done this with 2 15” laptops” and it literally took me 7 minutes to remove the old battery….and that included the time it took to unscrew the bottom case and I wasn’t hurrying.

If you’re interested in the “trick” let me know and I’ll write up a procedure here when I have time.

When I ordered my replacement battery from OWC they send you this 4 page “guide” with about 100 steps that is utterly unnecessary nonsense that I ignored and threw away.

 

[saudor]

This is incorrect. I'm using a Samsung 970 EVO 1TB NVMe storage drive on my Mid 2015 MacBook Pro 15 inch 2.8GHz i7/16GB laptop and have TRIM support. If you use the app TRIM Enabler by Sensei you can enable TRIM support on your Mac as seen in the picture attached. I have been using Samsung NVMe storage drives thru Big Sur, Monterey and now Ventura with no issue and have TRIM support.

As Audit13 knows, my preference for storage drives have always been Samsung 970 EVO/PRO NVMe storage drives.

The OS will report TRIM support but it's the drive itself that cannot handle it properly and can cause issues like delays on startup. It's widely reported on hackintosh forums where more people are using these drives in macOS. In some cases, the issues aren't as apparent. For others, it's a delay of 2 min+ on every boot.

see https://www.tonymacx86.com/threads/samsung-970-evo-2018-version-and-trim.318999/post-2308527 and SSD hall of fame needs new entries · Issue #192 · dortania/bugtracker

 

[Macdctr]

The OS will report TRIM support but it's the drive itself that cannot handle it properly and can cause issues like delays on startup. It's widely reported on hackintosh forums where more people are using these drives in macOS. In some cases, the issues aren't as apparent. For others, it's a delay of 2 min+ on every boot.

see https://www.tonymacx86.com/threads/samsung-970-evo-2018-version-and-trim.318999/post-2308527 and SSD hall of fame needs new entries · Issue #192 · dortania/bugtracker

That's an interesting read. Thanks for posting. Guess there's more to this 👍

 

[skeeknaek]

Hello!

I’ve replaced the battery in my 15” mid 2015 MacBook pro and it was very quick and easy and you do NOT have to do all the “take the laptop apart to remove the battery” crap. I timed myself last time (I’ve done this with 2 15” laptops” and it literally took me 7 minutes to remove the old battery….and that included the time it took to unscrew the bottom case and I wasn’t hurrying.

If you’re interested in the “trick” let me know and I’ll write up a procedure here when I have time.

When I ordered my replacement battery from OWC they send you this 4 page “guide” with about 100 steps that is utterly unnecessary nonsense that I ignored and threw away.

well of course, please share! I'd love that, thanks DouglasCarroll. If it's indeed that simple, I'll give it a stab. It's seeming like I'll have to replace the speakers too in addition to this SSD swap.

 

[DouglasCarroll]

well of course, please share! I'd love that, thanks DouglasCarroll. If it's indeed that simple, I'll give it a stab. It's seeming like I'll have to replace the speakers too in addition to this SSD swap.

MacBook Pro 2015 battery removal procedure (easy way)


Step 1 - Turn off laptop

Step 2 - Remove bottom case (10 screws)

Step 3 - Peel back sticker covering battery connector and disconnect battery by bending connector up.

Step 4 - Remove (2) Torx T5 screws securing touch pad cable, remove small metal cover revealing trackpad connector.

Step 5 - Use a plastic spudger to disconnect track pad connector by gently prying on the connector up from logic board at top of battery.

Step 6 - Peel back tape covering the OTHER end of the track pad cable and use a plastic spudger to flip up the black locking tab.

Step 7 - carefully remove the track pad cable using a flat plastic spudger or guitar pick, etc. (it has adhesive holding it to the battery along it’s length.)

Step 8 - Remove the (2) T5 Torx screws holding the battery board.

Step 9 - Place the laptop on a slight incline towards the front and spray a liberal amount of “CRC QD Electronic Cleaner” underneath the top edges of the battery. This is an Electronic cleaner totally safe for circuit boards and plastic that will almost instantly start to dissolve the adhesive holding the battery down. Using a stiff plastic card or plastic putty knife start to work under the edge of the battery, it will start to pop up easily and be up and out in about a minute or two. Spray a little more cleaner as you pull it up but, like magic, the adhesive will dissolve and the battery sections will come right out as you spray the “QD cleaner” along the battery edge. SOME guides recommend Isopropyl Alcohol to remove the battery..do NOT use that, it's not the proper solution to dissolve the adhesive when the battery is in place, the "CRC QD Electronic Cleaner" is MUCH better at dissolving the adhesive, and therefore safer. Less chance of puncturing the battery if it comes right out.

NO FURTHER DISASSEMBLY OF THE LAPTOP IS NECESSARY, YOU DO NOT NEED TAKE THE ENTIRE LAPTOP APART TO REPLACE THE BATTERY!!!!!

Here’s a link to the electronic cleaner I’m talking about, but it’s very easy to find in most hardware stores and it’s cheap...

CRC 05103 QD Electronic Cleaner -11 Wt Oz

A petroleum distillate / alcohol based precision cleaner designed as an alternative to CFC based cleaners.Clean those sockets, plugs, relay switches and more with this CRC Quick Dry Electronic Dry Electronic Cleaner (11 wt oz). It is the ideal cleanser for connectors and sensitive electronic equi...

www.amazon.com

When this is being posted Amazon is apparently out of this stuff, but like I said I found it down at my local hardware store and it was less than $10 for a 4.5 OZ container.

Once you have the old battery out, clean off the case where it was with Isopropyl alcohol (this is the time to use it) and then once clean reverse the steps to install your new battery. Dispose of the old battery in a responsible way.

iFixit and other sites have battery replacement guides so you can get photos of the different steps above and components I’m referencing, but trust me, you only need to do the minimum steps I outlined above and your old battery is out. This works on swollen or non swollen batteries no problem.

When I bought my new battery from OWC it came with a horrible guide where you were supposed to tear apart the entire laptop....that's a bunch of crap, just follow the above steps and your battery will be out plus you wont be taking a chance of destroying the laptop by screwing around with every other connector you don't have to take apart.

Remember the cables and connectors in a laptop are really small so go slowly, but anyone can do this themselves.

Good luck!

P.S. Oh yeah, always wear safety glasses and disposable gloves when messing with this kind of stuff, safety first!

 

[skeeknaek]

MacBook Pro 2015 battery removal procedure (easy way)


Step 1 - Turn off laptop

Step 2 - Remove bottom case (10 screws)

Step 3 - Peel back sticker covering battery connector and disconnect battery by bending connector up.

Step 4 - Remove (2) Torx T5 screws securing touch pad cable, remove small metal cover revealing trackpad connector.

Step 5 - Use a plastic spudger to disconnect track pad connector by gently prying on the connector up from logic board at top of battery.

Step 6 - Peel back tape covering the OTHER end of the track pad cable and use a plastic spudger to flip up the black locking tab.

Step 7 - carefully remove the track pad cable using a flat plastic spudger or guitar pick, etc. (it has adhesive holding it to the battery along it’s length.)

Step 8 - Remove the (2) T5 Torx screws holding the battery board.

Step 9 - Place the laptop on a slight incline towards the front and spray a liberal amount of “CRC QD Electronic Cleaner” underneath the top edges of the battery. This is an Electronic cleaner totally safe for circuit boards and plastic that will almost instantly start to dissolve the adhesive holding the battery down. Using a stiff plastic card or plastic putty knife start to work under the edge of the battery, it will start to pop up easily and be up and out in about a minute or two. Spray a little more cleaner as you pull it up but, like magic, the adhesive will dissolve and the battery sections will come right out as you spray the “QD cleaner” along the battery edge. SOME guides recommend Isopropyl Alcohol to remove the battery..do NOT use that, it's not the proper solution to dissolve the adhesive when the battery is in place, the "CRC QD Electronic Cleaner" is MUCH better at dissolving the adhesive, and therefore safer. Less chance of puncturing the battery if it comes right out.

NO FURTHER DISASSEMBLY OF THE LAPTOP IS NECESSARY, YOU DO NOT NEED TAKE THE ENTIRE LAPTOP APART TO REPLACE THE BATTERY!!!!!

Here’s a link to the electronic cleaner I’m talking about, but it’s very easy to find in most hardware stores and it’s cheap...

CRC 05103 QD Electronic Cleaner -11 Wt Oz

A petroleum distillate / alcohol based precision cleaner designed as an alternative to CFC based cleaners.Clean those sockets, plugs, relay switches and more with this CRC Quick Dry Electronic Dry Electronic Cleaner (11 wt oz). It is the ideal cleanser for connectors and sensitive electronic equi...

www.amazon.com

When this is being posted Amazon is apparently out of this stuff, but like I said I found it down at my local hardware store and it was less than $10 for a 4.5 OZ container.

Once you have the old battery out, clean off the case where it was with Isopropyl alcohol (this is the time to use it) and then once clean reverse the steps to install your new battery. Dispose of the old battery in a responsible way.

iFixit and other sites have battery replacement guides so you can get photos of the different steps above and components I’m referencing, but trust me, you only need to do the minimum steps I outlined above and your old battery is out. This works on swollen or non swollen batteries no problem.

When I bought my new battery from OWC it came with a horrible guide where you were supposed to tear apart the entire laptop....that's a bunch of crap, just follow the above steps and your battery will be out plus you wont be taking a chance of destroying the laptop by screwing around with every other connector you don't have to take apart.

Remember the cables and connectors in a laptop are really small so go slowly, but anyone can do this themselves.

Good luck!

P.S. Oh yeah, always wear safety glasses and disposable gloves when messing with this kind of stuff, safety first!

thx!! this is awesome, and I'm going to attempt quite a few repair/replacements: battery, SSD, and both speakers. Dice being shaken in hand about to get rolllllled

 

[Macdctr]

thx!! this is awesome, and I'm going to attempt quite a few repair/replacements: battery, SSD, and both speakers. Dice being shaken in hand about to get rolllllled

take a look at iFixit.com. They have excellent breakdown/install guides there that have pictures and step by step instructions as well as a tool list for a given task.

 

[EugW]

If it's your primary machine and you have need for a powerful machine with large screen, I'd recommend getting a 16" M1 Pro MacBook Pro if you can find it on sale. Or 14" if you don't necessarily need such a large screen. It's too bad you missed the most recent sales, but IIRC, it wasn't just Black Friday. That's assuming you're in the US. The sales have been much better there than here in Canada for example.

However, if you really want to renew your 2015 15" MBP with a new battery, I'd consider just getting Apple to do it, since they replace the whole top case assembly, getting you a new top case, battery, keyboard, and trackpad. Furthermore, that's the only way to get a new Apple OEM battery, which are by far the best. As for the SSD, I've occasionally seen the OEM SSUBX on eBay for reasonable prices. Prices on 512 GB to 1 TB SSUBX have dropped significantly since last year. I suspect this may be due to the fact that the 2015 MBPs are also dropping significantly in price, which in turn is likely partially due to the fact that they are not supported by Ventura. For example, I just checked eBay, and there are 1 TB SSUBX drives available right now in the US for under US$120 with free shipping in the continental US.

 

[skeeknaek]

take a look at iFixit.com. They have excellent breakdown/install guides there that have pictures and step by step instructions as well as a tool list for a given task.

Oh I have def leaned on them many times, and will for these replacements too. I seriously consider them at the level of a wikipedia or craigslist in their basic internet importance.

 

[kevink2]

A warning. I replaced my drive on my 2015 MBP early this year when my existing drive just up and died. Wouldn't retain data and wipe itself.

My battery life was getting low, so I took it in to the Apple store to have a replacement battery. I was thinking $199+tax for an apple install vs $110+tax and fix it myself (I did not extensively price shop). I also learned that the battery is bulging.

Well, Apple repair claimed that the battery was due to the drive. Possibly missing drive. A confusing statement that I couldn't find again in status. Offered a new drive/battery for $1199+tax. I think NOT. I went and ordered the cheapest Macbook Air to get me by for light usage (I have better desktops with more storage).

I got my MBP back today. It booted up fine, I notice the bulging now. I'll be removing the 1TB OWC drive for other use, and send the computer back to Apple for recycling.

Recommendation. IF YOU WANT TO DO THIS, and USE APPLE for the battery, DO THE BATTERY FIRST.

 

[EugW]

A warning. I replaced my drive on my 2015 MBP early this year when my existing drive just up and died. Wouldn't retain data and wipe itself.

My battery life was getting low, so I took it in to the Apple store to have a replacement battery. I was thinking $199+tax for an apple install vs $110+tax and fix it myself (I did not extensively price shop). I also learned that the battery is bulging.

Well, Apple repair claimed that the battery was due to the drive. Possibly missing drive. A confusing statement that I couldn't find again in status. Offered a new drive/battery for $1199+tax. I think NOT. I went and ordered the cheapest Macbook Air to get me by for light usage (I have better desktops with more storage).

I got my MBP back today. It booted up fine, I notice the bulging now. I'll be removing the 1TB OWC drive for other use, and send the computer back to Apple for recycling.

Recommendation. IF YOU WANT TO DO THIS, and USE APPLE for the battery, DO THE BATTERY FIRST.

Yeah, if you don't have OEM parts, they're not likely going to replace the battery.

 

[conscious]

A warning. I replaced my drive on my 2015 MBP early this year when my existing drive just up and died. Wouldn't retain data and wipe itself.

My battery life was getting low, so I took it in to the Apple store to have a replacement battery. I was thinking $199+tax for an apple install vs $110+tax and fix it myself (I did not extensively price shop). I also learned that the battery is bulging.

Well, Apple repair claimed that the battery was due to the drive. Possibly missing drive. A confusing statement that I couldn't find again in status. Offered a new drive/battery for $1199+tax. I think NOT. I went and ordered the cheapest Macbook Air to get me by for light usage (I have better desktops with more storage).

I got my MBP back today. It booted up fine, I notice the bulging now. I'll be removing the 1TB OWC drive for other use, and send the computer back to Apple for recycling.

Recommendation. IF YOU WANT TO DO THIS, and USE APPLE for the battery, DO THE BATTERY FIRST.

Did you check if your laptop was eligible for the 2015 RMBP battery recall / free replacement? https://support.apple.com/15-inch-macbook-pro-battery-recall
I had already replaced the drive with a Samsung SSD 970 EVO Plus 2TB and didn't have any issues @ Apple store getting a replacement. Had also asked that question of Apple Support prior to putting in the drive to ensure replacing drive wouldn't invalidate recall eligibility.