Upgrading 2013/2014 Macbook Pro SSD to M.2 NVMe

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" who hasn't participated any more for more than 2 years to this thread.
We can thank him and give him tribute for having started this thread.
But this post, the first of this thread, has now been converted by MacRumors administrators to the present wiki post you are reading.

There is a lot of interest in this topic and now over 3500 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 but very fast SSD.
Those SSDs were PCIe-based AHCI "blade" SSDs with a proprietary "gumstick connector" (12+16 pins), either made by Toshiba or Samsung (SSUAX or SSUBX).

For many years the only possible replacements or upgrades for those SSD were to a) replace with SSDs pulled from other Apple laptops, or b) buy expensive third-party SSDs from vendors like OWC or Transcend, or c) take your chances with DIY solutions like buying a M.2 AHCI SSD with an adapter e.g. Samsung 941 or Samsung 950 SSDs.

These PCIe AHCI SSD are no longer made, so 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 2TB (and maybe more in the future).

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

Hopefully, 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!

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 2019 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 2TB 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 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 2TB 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 2TB 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)

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 2012 (MacBookAir 3,1 to MacBookAir5,2)
• 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.

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 with 2TB (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 2242 M.2 blades... stay tuned.. (Sintech is working on it).

Which NVMe SSDs are known to work? ​

You will need to buy a M.2 adaptor for all the below SSDs :

• Adata NVMe SSD : SX6000, SX7000, SX8200, SX8200 Pro etc.
• Corsair NVMe SSD : MP500, MP510
• Crucial NVMe SSD : P1
• HP NVMe SSD : ex920, ex950
• OCZ RD400 (and all Toshiba XG3-XG4-XG5-XG5p-XG6 line)
• Intel NVMe SSD : 600p, 660p, 760p etc.
• MyDigital NVMe SSDs : SBX - BPX
• Kingston NVMe SSD : A1000, A2000, KC1000
• Sabrent Rocket
• Samsungs Polaris NVMe SSD : 960 Evo, 960 Pro, 970 Evo, 970 Pro
• WD Black NVMe SSD v1, v2 and v3
• Inland Premium (not Professional)
• ?

​

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

• Samsung PM981
• Samsung 950 Pro
• Samsung 970 Evo Plus

Compatibility issues with the 3 models above is mostly a firmware issue, but to this date, no update allows good compatibility.

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)

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





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 :

​

Fixing Hibernation issues on 2013-2014 laptops ​

MacBook Pro retina 13" and 15", and MacBook Air 11" and 13" from 2013 to 2014 have in their BootRom a DXE NVMe Driver which is incompleted or compressed.
This driver isn't properly loaded or decompressed at wake up from hibernation and this cause those 2013-2014 models to loose contact with any NVMe drive at wake from hibernation (only).

The problem exists with every NVMe SSD, being them OWC aura Pro X NVMe SSDs, Transcend 850 NVMe SSDs, Apple "Polaris" NVMe SSD or any regular M.2 SSD from Adata, Crucial, Samsung, Toshiba etc.
This problem is only related to the DXE driver in the bootrom

To prevend this problem you have two solutions :

1. disable hibernation by typing "sudo pmset -a hibernatemode 0 standby 0 autopoweroff 0" in the terminal
2. you can "patch" the BootRom

Disabling hibernation has the drawback that your mac will consume more power when sleeping for a longer time than if hibernation is enabled with the default settings.

The process of patching the BootRom gives perfect results with hibernation but is risky and complicated. You also need a SPI programmer and the proper wiring.
An excellent guide has been made by Cmd+Q :
https://forums.macrumors.com/thread...ssd-to-m-2-nvme.2034976/page-65#post-26224320

You can, as an alternative, buy a "MattCard" patched with the proper DXE driver.

You can also ask Apple to fix the problem with hibernation and NVMe drives... This problem occurs with 2013-2014 macs any NVMe SSD : all M.2 NVMe SSD but also OWC Aura Pro X, Transcend 850 SSDs, and also Apple "Polaris" NVMe SSD

BootCamp installation issues ​

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 recommandations to Install BootComp with success on a MacBook Air / Pro with a NVMe SSD :

• let 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​

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...

Power Consumption chart



Power Efficiency chart



Performance by Price chart :



Charts are courtesy of @gilles_polysoft

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
?
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Hey, thanks for the reply. The reason I want a retina one is just for portability. So you reckon that the 2012 onwards models will accept a NVMe ssd? I just wasn't sure if the 2013 model would recognise it as NVMe appears to have only been introduced in the 2016 version but I don't know if thats a software update or whether theres a hardware change. I don't want to get a NVMe drive to find out that I'm still only getting 550MB/s if there's a bottle neck caused by AHCI

--- Post Merged, Mar 3, 2017 ---

Hi. It did seem like I would have to approach it using clover but I would be happy to do that. Presumably once Ive used clover, I would be able to boot from the NVMe drive afterwards?

 

Ideally around 1TB. And the reason I started this thread is because I want to know if I can use the NVMe speeds. If it does, then I'll spend the extra money to get the extra speed but I don't want to spend the extra money if the Macbook won't be able to make use of NVMe speeds. See where I'm coming from?

 

Ok so you reckon that it would accept it as a boot drive if I used clover but wouldn't see any speed difference on a NVMe drive in a 2013 model compared to the stock SSD?

Out of interest, how many PCIe channels do you need to get NVMe speeds optimised? Wiki has info on the SSD interface with version and channels etc

 

Hi there,

Thank you for a very informative and lengthy reply. This has cleared a lot up for me and it seems that an NVMe drive would not only work in a 2013/14 MBP but also nearly hit the ceiling of the drive's capabilities.

I have one question though: for a drive such as the Samsung 960, does it matter that the drive says PCIe 3.0 but the MacBook Pro only uses PCIe 2.0? I am unsure what the difference is and whether that would effect the performance. Either way, I would be happy with 1000MBps+ so even if this does affect the transfer speeds, would I still get that level of performance?

Thanks

 

Hi again,

Do you know if there is a list of SSD's that the Macbook chipset supports? If not, what spec should I be looking for to ensure that it will work. Been doing some research and the SSD I'm most interested in is the Intel 600p in either 512GB or 1TB. Great value and the speeds are fast enough for me.

Please do let me know when you hear back from the adapter vendor!

Thanks again for all your help!

 

Any idea what's stopping the chipset supporting the Intel 600p?
Also, why is that the adapter only works with some SSD's? Surely the premise is the same regardless of the drive?