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FASTEST MACBOOK PRO SSD!!!

ThePerfectCircle

ThePerfectCircle

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Apr 11, 2017
15
6
Hello, All.
My name is Will.

I'M running a mid 2014 15" Retina MacBook Pro for audio production.

I have a rather complicated (not really when I explain below) setup I'm trying to acheive.
For starters, all of my AUDIO gear is RACK mounted, and my main task at hand is to upgrade my external storage options WHILE upgrading my internal SSD for speed if possible.

I bought this.
http://www.sonnettech.com/product/echoexpress3r.html
Its a rack to hold PCIe SSDs, or to house my future audio upgrades.

HERES WHAT IM LOOKING AT NOW for the internal SSD of my MacBook Pro.
http://store.mcetech.com/mm/merchant...PCIESSD-L13M14

It can/will replace the internal SSD of my computer, and I can use the OLD SSD (512gb) in the Rack PCIe Expansion bay I showed above, via an adapter of sorts for the PCIe bays.

MY QUESTION!!!
IS THAT THE FASTEST MB/S I CAN GO WITH?!
(1400/1100 mb/s)

Ive seen a few guys take the 1TB MacBook pro/ MacPro SSD, and install it. Its called (SSUBX I believe??? Also seen SSAUX???) Many different numbers too. 0A3, 0A4, 0A6 etc.
Apparently it was a factory MacBook option, and also came in the Mac Pro (Trash Can) Cylinder.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/OEM-Apple-Sa...05874434&rt=nc
from what I've read, it opens up 2 more lanes, making it 4 Lanes total AKA twice as fast.

This SAMSUNG NVMe 960 PRO IS STUPID FAST THOUGH!!! Some 3500 mb/s!!!
http://www.samsung.com/us/computing/...b-mz-v6p1t0bw/
HOWEVER, I cannot find a single place saying that I can get it to work INSIDE my MacBook pro, and be the fastest option, AND also reliable.
Toms Hardware had an article aout installing drivers for it, because it is NVMe, yet I've also seen where with OS X Sierra, apple now supports NVME...????
Heres the Toms Hardware NVMe Article
https://www.tonymacx86.com/threads/o...leased.181387/

Ultimately, Im confused as to why I cannot use the fastest thing I've found (The Samsung NVMe) without some hacky-driver install, when I've seen where OS X now supports it.

Whats my fastest/best option?
I have one shot at doing this, price and time wise.
The MCE seems like its plug and play, fast, and is recognized right away as internal SSD and is TRIM supported, but Samsung is WAY faster, provided I can get it to work..
Maybe something I haven't listed, or found yet..?

THANKS in advance!!!
 
Last edited:
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welcome to my frustrations,

1: NO you can not use the Samsung 960 pro's as they use a standard M2 connector of which our retinas do not use at all. you CAN use them in a non trashcan mac pro ( 4.1/5.1 ) with a PCIE adapter card and the hacked drivers, OR a hackintosh. No cant use them in a trashcan either much to my annoyance.

2: the sonnet is nice BUT you are still going to be limited to TB 2 transfer speeds minus overhead when the damn thing works right on large files ( I edit video ) best I have managed speed wise in an external enclosure was with both a sonnet TB3 M2 external adaptor and an AKitO TB3 unit with a 3000 read and 1900 write using those same Samsung 960 Pro cards. and that is more burst mode and not sustained, speed gets worse if you start hooking up displays and chaining up other TB devices pretty fast.

3: im not sure if that MCE tech unit or an OWC will be the fastest internally for you. I gave up stuffed an OWC 512 in my 2015 and more or less said forget it.

4: I have never tried to put my mac pro cards in one of my rMBP's. co have no information there. to be honest I had never heard of it ever being done.
 
1. Alright, I can cross the Samsung 950/960 off my list, as they just seem less and less supported, the more I read..

2. I have accepted that this is the computer I bought a couple years ago NEW, I have to keep for a while longer, and have watched slowly become more and more "obsolete" by the day.
Thunderbolt 3? :rolleyes:
I think ill be fine with the Thunderbolt 2 speeds, as my main audio interface is an Apollo 8p, which is also Thunderbolt 2.
IM NOT so happy to see that my MBP is almost purposefully slowed down by choking the two other lanes of PCIe. THATS where and why the MacPro/MBP 1TB SSDs are faster.
They're PCIe 4x, instead of the stock 2x lanes.
Things like that make my blood boil.

3. I like the MCE, MAINLY for the 3 year warranty, and its pretty fast.
The OWC, speed-wise is a JOKE!!! So its a no-go, to spend 700 and gain NO speed, in fact I've read where the OWC clocks SLOWER than stock!

4. Im REALLY leaning towards the Mac Pro / MacBook Pro 1 TB SSD I mentioned at this point.
I spoke with a guy at FruitFixed, CapitolMac here in Richmond VA, and even a place called Exerimac, also in Richmond.
I was told, if I wanted to GET AppleCare, to cover any BS that may arise form doing this, Id HAVE to use the APPLE/SAMSUNG SSD anyway. (i thought applecare was only good for a year..?) seems like i can't be covered that way..

Also seems like its time to pull the trigger on an APPLE/SAMSUNG 1TB SSD. (ill use the old internal SSD as external storage in my Sonnet Expansion Bay)
HOWEVER, there seems to be a few variables like the SSUBX and SSAUX differences for the 1TB APPLE SSD, along with numbers 0A1, 0A2, 0A3, 0A4, 0A5, 0A6, 0A7, AND 0A8!
Id like to know with certainty that I'm getting the right APPLE SSD that will fit, and work properly, AND be able to get some sort of coverage. CVP is what I was recommended aside from AppleCare.

Thanks for your input, KCETECH1
& thank you all for any further insight about the SSDs!!!
 
Sorry I cant be more help, you now have me curious on information on dumping a trashcan card in to my other 15" if you can share a link or two .

Apple care can be extended up to 3 years if you upgrade it in the first year of ownership. if you havnt upgraded your AppleCare it wont matter one way or the other, they wont support a drive not normally shipped in your model of machine.

as for those 960's I will be the first to say that would be the ideal option if we didn't have proprietary interfaces on models up to 2016 OR no bloody card slot in the 2016's. I run a pair of 2T 960 pro M2's in a P70 workstation and holy crap do they make a machine scream.
 
AMAZON link to the MAC PRO SSD-
Check out the NON HEAT SINK LINK below, and look for the user review by Stevie.
He listed pictures and all of it going seamlessly into his MBP, with read/write around 1500!!!

Im after one without the heatsink for fitment, and whatever is fastest
(SSUBX or SSAUX or 0A1-0A8..) LOTS of confusion when it comes to which #s to go by...

HEAT SINK---https://www.amazon.com/Apple-Samsung-MZ-KPU1T0T-Macbook-Retina/dp/B00O4CUI02

NON-HEAT SINK---https://www.amazon.com/MacBook-2013...=1492051644&sr=8-1&keywords=apple+samsung+1TB
[doublepost=1492052239][/doublepost]Unfortunately, I never got AppleCare in that first year.
So thats a no-go now too???

CPS is what I was recommended aside from AppleCare.
 
As an Amazon Associate, MacRumors earns a commission from qualifying purchases made through links in this post.
Thanks and nope if its been longer than a year no go on upgrading to 3 years of AppleCare now. I have no idea on CPS instead of applecare down there but I know up here in Canada they are somewhere between useless and criminal for all the crap they make you go through to even attempt some sort of support or warranty claim.
 
Thank you again for your replies.
I may think twice about pursuing the CPS route then, and ill keep exploring options to cover my again machine.
What'd you think of that Amazon link?
 
Was a good read, thank you, I may persue it a bit since I am scrapping one of my 2 nMP's. and one has a 512 card in it. however I will also admit spending almost 1K USD on a slow 1TB drive makes my teeth hurt nowadays. my last 850 1T I grabbed for my daughter was $320 CDN.

even the 2T 960pros @ $1200 USD easch seem like a bitch of a bargain then!!
 
"ONE OF THESE DAYS" seems to be the mantra for when this **** will all become sensible, standardized, and affordable!
 
There ya go..
If we stop buying the things we aren't impressed with any longer, THEY WONT KEEP TRYING TO SELL THE CRAP TO US!
I honestly haven't looked at the newer MBPs that've came out since I got my 2014.
Glancing at them in the store, I see a larger pad, and a boring track bar.
OH!!! And that "double speed SSD" my 2014 is totally already capable of ;)

Id rather toy with mine to bring it "up to snuff" with the newer stuff and get back to making music!
 
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I couldn't buy in any longer for my video side, I was forced over to the dark side and for video work I can sure say I don't regret it one bit.
 
Id rather be open and experienced than brainwashed any day!

Don't get me wrong.. I LOVE my MacBook, and wouldn't trade it for another.
I love apple products in general- even my iPhone 7.
However, when trying to upgrade Apple for the first time, i can see why people get a little sour.
Some things I've encountered thus far are down right ridiculous, and beyond annoying.
But hey, the machine rocks as-is.
Nobody said it was an easy box to upgrade!

Maybe when I make a few more bucks doing this, ill keep an eye out for what the new Mac Pro offers.
Hopefully it won't be as confining as this box!
Maybe some PCIe expansion..?
Damn, the expense I've gone through to use Logic Pro!
 
as it sits right now the current trashcan is pretty damn useless ... coming from a woman with two of them. at this point im not holding my breath on anything too expandable for the new MP nor too standardized in anything but the RAM. I might be surprised later but who knows.

as for PCIE expansion, oh trust me we would LOVE a desktop back like the 4,1 and 5,1 but do we expect it .... nah its going to be all external expansion we figure.

Never used logic pro but its bad enough for me keeping FCP7 - FCPX around for clients that for some dumb ass reason think I need to work in it to do the job right.
 
I vaguely recall OWC testing a Mac Pro SSD in a 2014 MacBook Pro, and getting something like 1200 reads/900 writes, and it was a x4 connection, but still PCIe 2.0 and not 3.0?

I am guessing you already considered this, but have you given any consideration to a selling the 2014 for a 2016? The internal flash storage writes at over 2,000 & reads at over 3000, and with 40 Gbps Thunderbolt 3, you would get the additional bandwidth needed to push the faster M.2 PCI-NVMe SSDs to the limit, and it looks like you already have a Thunderbolt 3 upgradable rack?
 
ZapNZs,

You're thinking outside of my comfort zone now!
Believe it or not, Id rather upgrade my 2014 MacBook Pro than go through the hassle of selling it, and getting the "New and improved" version, which I'm not impressed with aside from the INTERNAL speed you mentioned~ which apparently is due to the new PCIe 3.0 vs my 2.0

I dont wanna think about how much id lose selling my machine, or the NEW price of a 2016 either, as I bought it new and I still haven't forgot that sting!
 
I've done upgrades with these PCIe Flash storage drives in MacBook Pros, Airs and Mac Pro towers. This is the exact model you want:

Model #: MZ-KPV1T00/0A4 1TB SSBUX
Apple Part #: 655-1860H

MZ-KPV1T00-0A4-1TB-SSBUX.jpg
 
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Is the 1400-1500 mb/s Read and Write claim true if I install this in my MacBook Pro?

Is there a fitment issue?

As you've installed them, id appreciate your input!!!
 
Downloaded Carbon Copy Cloner, and cloned my old SSD to an external USB.

I also have a Time Capsule, and was unaware of how incredibly EASY it would be to Restore my MacBook Pro from it!

I drove ALL over town yesterday trying to locate an OWC Envoy Pro, to basically test out the new SSD before I went all the way through with the swap. Sort of a redundant thing to do, but felt safer.
(Anti Electro-Static bracelets are hard to find here too, but Best Buy carries them strangely enough)

DID NOT really want to spend the 100 dollars on something id use only once (Envoy Pro).

SO, I highly recommend simply restoring from Time Capsule, (if you have one) upon the new SSDs recovery boot, and going to bed.

I woke up this morning, ALL DONE!
So easy to restore from TC, but the USB clone is a nice safety net to have in case something goes wrong.
Screenshot 2017-04-15 09.59.11.png
Screenshot 2017-04-16 11.18.46.png


Thanks to those who chimed in, and I hope this helped others as well!!!
My first SSD swap, and first thread at MacRumors has been a great experience.
 
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It wasn't the CHEAPEST way to go about adding 1TB of storage, but the way I looked at it was this;

No matter WHAT external storage I ended up with, I WOULD NOT be able to transfer things as fast as the external SSD possibly could (some 1500+ mb/s with todays SSDs) BECAUSE of my old internal SSD speed.

Upgrading the internal SSD to a speed thats a little more up to snuff with the "NEW" MacBook Pros, and other competitors on the market, while gaining a TB and have external storage/PCIe expandability for my mobile music rack. Im happy :)
[doublepost=1492358456][/doublepost]I will say, under System Report, I DO NOT see where the new SSD is TRIM enabled...

Any recommendations?
That should show up there, right?
 

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I was looking in the wrong spot..
Sorry.
 

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