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m.2 ssd for Retina Macbook Pro late 2013 and later

R

radus

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Jan 12, 2009
725
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hello all,
I just played a little bit with my "old" 15" Retina Macbook Pro late 2013 and asked myself if there is a faster ssd.
So I found and bought an adapter for m.2 ssd's "NGFF M.2 PCIe SSD Card as 2013 2014 2015 MacBook SSD" from Sintech.:
http://eshop.sintech.cn/ngff-m2-pcie-ssd-card-as-2013-2014-2015-macbook-ssd-p-1143.html

Then I installed a Samsung m.2 blade, SM951 ahci -- > and it is working really good ( pcie 2.0 x4 instead of x2 ):
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it is more a suggestion for people who want to replace 128/256 GB ssd's with a 512 GB ssd ( and the SM951 ahci is now less expensive )
but it feels faster then my original 1TB pcie 2.0 x2 ssd
in the end size was more important for me ... so I switched back to the original
 
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That's brilliant! excellent upgrade option for those with 128GB/256GB SSD configurations.

According to the page, the following SSDs are compatible [all are AHCI SSDs]:
Samsung XP941 (MZHPU128HCGM MZHPU256HCGL MZHPU512HCGL)
Samsung SM951 PCIE-AHCI (MZHPV128HDGM MZHPV256HDGL MZHPV512HDGL)
Kingston SHPM2280P2/ 240G/ 480G
Click to expand...

and all the following SSDs are not compatible [all are NVMe SSDs]:
SM951 PCIE-NVME (MZVPV128HDGM MZVPV256HDGL MZVPV512HDGL),
PM951 PCIE-NVME (MZFLV128HCGR MZFLV256HCHP MZFLV512HCJH),
950 PRO (MZVKV256 MZVKV512)
Click to expand...

Basically, AHCI SSDs are supported, but NVMe SSDs are not supported.
 
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forgot to say it is also an option for cylinder Mac Pro 6.1 owners
 
I just bought the same ssd and adapter (which is from a different brand here in the EU) in order to put it in my old fashioned late 2013 retina macbook pro.
The problem is that I just read here that the 512GB unit isn't compatible because of the amperage, which is higher (2.7A on the 512GB SM951, the 256GB version should be ok because it is rated @1.9A) than the Apple original (2.5A), but I didn't care and bought it anyway.
I'm really hoping that it's gonna work.

P.S. Sorry for my bad English, I'm italian lol
 
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adry.69 said:
I just bought the same ssd and adapter (which is from a different brand here in the EU) in order to put it in my old fashioned late 2013 retina macbook pro.
The problem is that I just read here that the 512GB unit isn't compatible because of the amperage, which is higher (2.7A on the 512GB SM951, the 256GB version should be ok because it is rated @1.9A) than the Apple original (2.5A), but I didn't care and bought it anyway.
I'm really hoping that it's gonna work.

P.S. Sorry for my bad English, I'm italian lol
Click to expand...

Would you post the link to the adapter that you bought?

Also, I want to mention that the Samsung SM951 is available with AHCI version and NVMe version.

Only AHCI will work. NVMe will not work.

---

Anyway, make sure to keep us updated. We really want to hear how it goes.

Unfortunately, I do not have a Late 2013 or later, so I cannon try this myself.
 
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JTToft said:
- Interesting. The webshops I've checked lists it as out of stock and no longer available. That may just be in my market, though. Newegg in the US, for instance, seems fine.
Click to expand...

I always thought the ACHI variant was on the OEM list, so a small market.

But, seems like everyone is buying the 950 Pro NVME for their PCs since a lot of motherboards now come with a PCIE NVME m.2 slot.
 
tubeexperience said:
Would you post the link to the adapter that you bought?

Also, I want to mention that the Samsung SM951 is available with AHCI version and NVMe version.

Only AHCI will work. NVMe will not work.

---

Anyway, make sure to keep us updated. We really want to hear how it goes.

Unfortunately, I do not have a Late 2013 or later, so I cannon try this myself.
Click to expand...
Here it is https://www.amazon.it/gp/product/B01GHSE7Z2/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Yes, I bought the AHCI version, ->this
It should arrive on Friday, I really hope that everything is Ok.

The problem with NVMe is that OS X doesn't boot with this particular standard. There should be a patch around there for macOS Sierra, so, in theory, it should work just fine with NVMe drives.
 
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The SSD arrived today. Now I'm waiting for the adapter and the screwdriver kit.
 
tubeexperience said:
Did it came yet?
Click to expand...
Yes, and it worked just fine on the Retina Macbook Pro. In about 10 minutes I installed the new SSD and it only took half an hour to install a fresh copy of El Capitan.
The only problem is that the SSD is really hot (it jumps up to 100 degrees in less than 30 seconds) and it's impossible to work with because of the thermal throttling that kills the performance and it makes it slower than the original Apple unit.
So, I returned the SSD to Amazon and bought a 256GB unit which should be cooler because it is less power hungry. Hope for the best, it should arrive on Wednesday.
 
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may be the initial spotlight run caused this thermal event and the performance decrease, you can and should put a thermal pad on the ssd
 
adry.69 said:
Yes, and it worked just fine on the Retina Macbook Pro. In about 10 minutes I installed the new SSD and it only took half an hour to install a fresh copy of El Capitan.
The only problem is that the SSD is really hot (it jumps up to 100 degrees in less than 30 seconds) and it's impossible to work with because of the thermal throttling that kills the performance and it makes it slower than the original Apple unit.
So, I returned the SSD to Amazon and bought a 256GB unit which should be cooler because it is less power hungry. Hope for the best, it should arrive on Wednesday.
Click to expand...

Thermal throttling issue with the Samsung SM951 seems well documented.

I would follow radus's advice and install a thermal pad on the SSD. (Just be careful peeling the sticker from the SSD so that you can put it back if you need to return the SSD.)

I think it's not much of an issue if you are not going to be constantly reading and writing large files.

http://www.anandtech.com/show/8979/samsung-sm951-512-gb-review/11

http://www.anandtech.com/show/9396/samsung-sm951-nvme-256gb-pcie-ssd-review/2

http://www.legitreviews.com/samsung-sm951-512gb-m-2-pcie-ssd-review_161689/3

http://techreport.com/review/28446/samsung-sm951-pcie-ssd-reviewed/2

http://www.thessdreview.com/our-reviews/samsung-sm951-m-2-pcie-ssd-review-512gb/5/
 
tubeexperience said:
Thermal throttling issue with the Samsung SM951 seems well documented.

I would follow radus's advice and install a thermal pad on the SSD. (Just be careful peeling the sticker from the SSD so that you can put it back if you need to return the SSD.)

I think it's not much of an issue if you are not going to be constantly reading and writing large files.

http://www.anandtech.com/show/8979/samsung-sm951-512-gb-review/11

http://www.anandtech.com/show/9396/samsung-sm951-nvme-256gb-pcie-ssd-review/2

http://www.legitreviews.com/samsung-sm951-512gb-m-2-pcie-ssd-review_161689/3

http://techreport.com/review/28446/samsung-sm951-pcie-ssd-reviewed/2

http://www.thessdreview.com/our-reviews/samsung-sm951-m-2-pcie-ssd-review-512gb/5/
Click to expand...
This is the point, I use my macbook for video and photo editing, which requires constant reading and writing and the performance drop is frustrating. I also tried with cooling pads but i found out that they're useless in heavy workloads, even though it improves the situation a bit. I'm really hoping that the 256GB unit is cooler than the 512GB one. If the performance drop is still noticeable, I'll try the Plextor M6e.
 
Greetings everyone! A year ago, I purchased the 128 GB model of the rMBP 2015 (13"), and I am starting to feel that I need to upgrade to a 256 GB SSD. Thus, this thread got my immediate attention ;)

For those of you who bought the adapter from sintech; what is the price for the shipping? Did it take long to arrive? Also, I am thinking of getting the Samsung 256 GB SSD (SM951 with AHCI), but I read here above that it has throttling issues (or was that just the 512 GB model)?

Thanks in advance guys, I appreciate the fact that you decided to share this information.
 
HatMine said:
Greetings everyone! A year ago, I purchased the 128 GB model of the rMBP 2015 (13"), and I am starting to feel that I need to upgrade to a 256 GB SSD. Thus, this thread got my immediate attention ;)

For those of you who bought the adapter from sintech; what is the price for the shipping? Did it take long to arrive? Also, I am thinking of getting the Samsung 256 GB SSD (SM951 with AHCI), but I read here above that it has throttling issues (or was that just the 512 GB model)?

Thanks in advance guys, I appreciate the fact that you decided to share this information.
Click to expand...
Amazon says that on Wednesday I should receive the 256GB which should be cooler (the 512GB model is damn hot) and it should keep higher performance under sustained workloads. If you're not going to write intensively, I'd definitely go for the 512GB unit, which is more future proof and it is the best bang for the buck (here in the EU the 256GB SSD costs 180€, the 512GB one only 100€ more).
 
adry.69 said:
Amazon says that on Wednesday I should receive the 256GB which should be cooler (the 512GB model is damn hot) and it should keep higher performance under sustained workloads. If you're not going to write intensively, I'd definitely go for the 512GB unit, which is more future proof and it is the best bang for the buck (here in the EU the 256GB SSD costs 180€, the 512GB one only 100€ more).
Click to expand...
Thanks for replying! When it comes to what I will use the SSD for I'd that I'll mostly use it for storing large programs (like Visual Studio within Parallels) and perhaps some games. Although it's true that the 512 GB model has a lower cost per GB, I don't know if it's worth the risk for overheating, but I'll still consider it.
 
Here I am guys, I am alive lol
About two hours ago I received the SSD and I installed it in my Macbook Air (but it is the same story with the Pro, they use the same SSD, my sister got my rMBP and it won't be back till Sunday) and the situation got worse. The SSD throttles at the point that it turns off because of the heat (it goes over 100° celsius) and I can't even install a fresh copy of OS X. Then it completely stopped working and it does no longer recognize the SSD. So, I give up and I'll buy the OWC Aura 480GB when I'll be back from holidays. Yes, I know that it is a 360€ drive with the same performance of the original one, but I'm tired of trying to find the best SSD lol
 
adry.69 said:
Here I am guys, I am alive lol
About two hours ago I received the SSD and I installed it in my Macbook Air (but it is the same story with the Pro, they use the same SSD, my sister got my rMBP and it won't be back till Sunday) and the situation got worse. The SSD throttles at the point that it turns off because of the heat (it goes over 100° celsius) and I can't even install a fresh copy of OS X. Then it completely stopped working and it does no longer recognize the SSD. So, I give up and I'll buy the OWC Aura 480GB when I'll be back from holidays. Yes, I know that it is a 360€ drive with the same performance of the original one, but I'm tired of trying to find the best SSD lol
Click to expand...
Aw, that kind of sucks :/ I think I'll go for the kingston SSD in that case. Also, my adapter was shipped and is on its way, so I got that going for me at least :)

JTToft said:
Yeah, it seems that all in all, this isn't really a good solution.

Pictures of the installation are more than welcome, though!
Click to expand...
I'd say that the solution with the adapter still is a decent idea, if you've got the 128 GB model like me and want an upgrade. It's just that you shouldn't expect to get faster speeds, I guess.
 
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