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

[Fabmac]

Hi guys - I really need som help here (please) !!

Just installed a fresh new Sintech Adapter and WD SN750 1TB SSD bought from Amazon in my iMac 27” Late 2015 (running Catalina 10.15.4, SilentKnight reports EFI firmware 176.0.0.0.0 is up to date) both parts should be compatible following various articles that i found.

But my Mac can't find the disk in Disk Utility (with expanded the view) ,-(((
I boot into recovery mode from a USB-boot (also Catalina 10.15.4) and have also tried via a USB-Ubuntu with the disk utility with no luck .....

(from amazon, try this)
Additional steps:

4a) for me the Disk Utility would not show the Drive, so what I had to do was shut down the MacBook.

4b) When the device has fully shut down press the Power button again, when you press the power button hold down the following Keys: 'Command/cmd' and 'Option (sometimes this is shared with the alt key as it is with mine)' and 'P' and 'R'

4c) Hold the 4 keys, you will here the MacBook chime, keep it held until it Chimes again and then release

4d) After then wait for the MacBook to boot up into the Recovery Partition and look in Disk Utility, you should see the drive in Disk Utility now. The laptop will reboot a few times before booting into the Recovery environment

 

[tinodb]

Yes. It seems only the 2015 can wake without kernel panics.

Edit: pardon my ignorance, I didn't read the first post in this thread (stumbled in somewhere through a search query and seeing 256 pages didn't think of going back that far . So I guess I'm lucky with this model!

---

With Catalina too? I only found this post by you, which is encouraging as my SSD died and the dealer offers a E169,- replacement with a Transcend Jetdrive vs E686,- for the original...

I must say I can't find reports online of people with a (Mid-) 2015 having those panics, only 2014, 2017 etc. But I would like to be sure because I don't really want to degrade my MBP to a desktop device that needs plugging in all the time.

I'm also seeing reports of 2019 16" having this issue without even replacing the drive. I'd say that gives a bit of hope for the rest of us as it probably means Apple is incentivized more to fix it, right?

 

[Audit13]

Edit: pardon my ignorance, I didn't read the first post in this thread (stumbled in somewhere through a search query and seeing 256 pages didn't think of going back that far . So I guess I'm lucky with this model!

---

With Catalina too? I only found this post by you, which is encouraging as my SSD died and the dealer offers a E169,- replacement with a Transcend Jetdrive vs E686,- for the original...

I must say I can't find reports online of people with a (Mid-) 2015 having those panics, only 2014, 2017 etc. But I would like to be sure because I don't really want to degrade my MBP to a desktop device that needs plugging in all the time.

I'm also seeing reports of 2019 16" having this issue without even replacing the drive. I'd say that gives a bit of hope for the rest of us as it probably means Apple is incentivized more to fix it, right?

The 2015 Pro, 2015 Air, and 2017 Air do not have this problem because the nvme driver is in the firmware.

Which size and model transcend drive are you getting?

 

[Fabmac]

Hello everyone!

writing from my new SSD (just booted from CCC copy, and clone it to the internal SSD)

WD BLACK SN750 500GB version, THIS https://www.amazon.es/gp/product/B07MH2P5ZD/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_image_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Adapter Sintech NGFF M.2 THIS

Sintech NGFF M.2 nVME SSD Adapter Card, for Upgrade 2013-2015 Year Macs(Not Fit Early 2013 MacBook Pro)

El Sintech ST-NGFF2013-C está diseñado para convertir su conexión NGFF M.2 PCIe SSD a un conector SSD compatible con MacBook Air/Pro Retina o reemplazar el módulo SSD para que no se necesite ningún adaptador de alimentación adicional ni controladores específicos. Este modelo soporta los siguiente...

www.amazon.es

Macbook Air Early 2015

Before:

After:

THE WD SN750 that gave some problems to some users here does not give me the same problems to me ATM

Wakes good from sleep, etc

 

[Menkveld]

Hello everyone!

writing from my new SSD (just booted from CCC copy, and clone it to the internal SSD)

WD BLACK SN750 500GB version, THIS https://www.amazon.es/gp/product/B07MH2P5ZD/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_image_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Adapter Sintech NGFF M.2 THIS

Sintech NGFF M.2 nVME SSD Adapter Card, for Upgrade 2013-2015 Year Macs(Not Fit Early 2013 MacBook Pro)

El Sintech ST-NGFF2013-C está diseñado para convertir su conexión NGFF M.2 PCIe SSD a un conector SSD compatible con MacBook Air/Pro Retina o reemplazar el módulo SSD para que no se necesite ningún adaptador de alimentación adicional ni controladores específicos. Este modelo soporta los siguiente...

www.amazon.es

Macbook Air Early 2015
View attachment 908938

Before:
View attachment 908942

After:
View attachment 908943

THE WD SN750 that gave some problems to some users here does not give me the same problems to me ATM

Wakes good from sleep, etc

You are lucky. I was about to post that the sn750 does not work properly on the macbook pro 13” early 2015.

 

[Audit13]

Hello everyone!

writing from my new SSD (just booted from CCC copy, and clone it to the internal SSD)

THE WD SN750 that gave some problems to some users here does not give me the same problems to me ATM

Wakes good from sleep, etc

Could you test it with hibernatemode=25? Thanks.

 

[Menkveld]

When i bought my macbook pro 13” early 215 i thought that 128gb would be enough. 256gb was also quite more expensive. Well it was not enough storage. But a while ago i came across this forum and it seemed a good opportunity for bigger storage.
Online i did my research and also found a good deal on the 1tb sn750 from Western Digital. I also went with a Sintech m.2 adapter as it was highly recommended in here. I was able to install this properly and it worked great at first sight. But pretty soon the issues came..
Ionvmecontroller kernel panics..
Disabling “put storage to sleep” delayed those reboots in sleep but i never got rid of it. I tried fully disabling hibernate mode in the terminal but that didnt help either. I am so sick of the reboots when i want to start using the laptop that im replacing my fast 1tb drive for the stock 128gb drive.
Maybe theres a solution that ive missed but someone messaged me using the exact same machine and the same ssd. He couldnt work it out either.
So i would say, an nvme ssd is a great way to upgrade your storage for a lot less, but just pick another drive that gets many good reviews by mac users.

Menkveld

 

[Fabmac]

Could you test it with hibernatemode=25? Thanks.

Takes longer to wake up ... default was at 3 (I set it back - what do you guys recommend or use ? )

works with no issues btw

the WD SN750 works great for me...also it does not run that hot /always below 45c

 

[Audit13]

Takes longer to wake up ... default was at 3 (I set it back - what do you guys recommend or use ? )

works with no issues btw

That's good. Thanks for testing. I have early 2015 13" Air and it wakes perfectly with a Lexar nm600.

 

[Fabmac]

When i bought my macbook pro 13” early 215 i thought that 128gb would be enough. 256gb was also quite more expensive. Well it was not enough storage. But a while ago i came across this forum and it seemed a good opportunity for bigger storage.
Online i did my research and also found a good deal on the 1tb sn750 from Western Digital. I also went with a Sintech m.2 adapter as it was highly recommended in here. I was able to install this properly and it worked great at first sight. But pretty soon the issues came..
Ionvmecontroller kernel panics..
Disabling “put storage to sleep” delayed those reboots in sleep but i never got rid of it. I tried fully disabling hibernate mode in the terminal but that didnt help either. I am so sick of the reboots when i want to start using the laptop that im replacing my fast 1tb drive for the stock 128gb drive.
Maybe theres a solution that ive missed but someone messaged me using the exact same machine and the same ssd. He couldnt work it out either.
So i would say, an nvme ssd is a great way to upgrade your storage for a lot less, but just pick another drive that gets many good reviews by mac users.

Menkveld

exactly what kind of adapter are you using?
maybee you can try the same i have and if not return it to amzn ? ;D

 

[Audit13]

When i bought my macbook pro 13” early 215 i thought that 128gb would be enough. 256gb was also quite more expensive. Well it was not enough storage. But a while ago i came across this forum and it seemed a good opportunity for bigger storage.
Online i did my research and also found a good deal on the 1tb sn750 from Western Digital. I also went with a Sintech m.2 adapter as it was highly recommended in here. I was able to install this properly and it worked great at first sight. But pretty soon the issues came..
Ionvmecontroller kernel panics..
Disabling “put storage to sleep” delayed those reboots in sleep but i never got rid of it. I tried fully disabling hibernate mode in the terminal but that didnt help either. I am so sick of the reboots when i want to start using the laptop that im replacing my fast 1tb drive for the stock 128gb drive.
Maybe theres a solution that ive missed but someone messaged me using the exact same machine and the same ssd. He couldnt work it out either.
So i would say, an nvme ssd is a great way to upgrade your storage for a lot less, but just pick another drive that gets many good reviews by mac users.

Menkveld

Others have reported issues with the WD 750. For some, it worked perfectly at first and the panics started later on.

I've used an Intel 600p, HP ex900, Lexar nm600. Yes, these are cheap drives but they work perfectly and are fast enough for basic use. Maybe try the Intel 760p or Adata sx8200 Pro?

exactly what kind of adapter are you using?
maybee you can try the same i have and if not return it to amzn ? ;D

How long have you been using the sn750?

 

[Menkveld]

exactly what kind of adapter are you using?
maybee you can try the same i have and if not return it to amzn ? ;D

I tested this adapter:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07FYY3H5F/ref=pe_3187911_185740111_TE_item

The other guy that messaged me tried these:

Sintech NGFF M.2 nVME SSD Adapter Card for Upgrade 2013-2015 Year Macs(Not Fit Early 2013 MacBook Pro)

NOTICE:because too many customers can use it,I suggest you to try it again if your MAC can't detect nVME SSD. Pls notice to insert card fully into SSD slot and you must prepare bootable USB disk(see third point) with High Sierra to format M.2 SSD first, it can't support recover from internet. mai...

www.amazon.com

Sintech NGFF M.2 nVME SSD Adapter Card for Upgrade MacBook Air(2013-2016 Year) and MacBook PRO(Late 2013-2015 Year)

NOTICE:because too many customers can use it,I suggest you to try it again if your MAC can't detect nVME SSD. Pls notice to insert card fully into SSD slot and you must prepare bootable USB disk(see third point) with High Sierra to format M.2 SSD first, it can't support recover from internet. mai...

www.amazon.com

 

[Menkveld]

[this post was made by accident]

 

[Fabmac]

How long have you been using the sn750?

Hi, just installed it today, this is not my work machine, as we are all work from home atm in europe i can use it as my
"work" computer next week.
Excel, PS, heavy web apps. I can collect a lot of data if it does not crash next week it will not fail.

 

[Menkveld]

Hi, just installed it today, this is not my work machine, as we are all work from home atm in europe i can use it as my
"work" computer next week.
Excel, PS, heavy web apps. I can collect a lot of data if it does not crash next week it will not fail.

It doesnt crash when youre using it. Exactly the opposite of that, when its at sleep. It can happen when its at sleep or when you try to wake it from sleep.

 

[Audit13]

It doesnt crash when youre using it. Exactly the opposite of that, when its at sleep. It can happen when its at sleep or when you try to wake it from sleep.

Could you confirm that the MacBook is an early 2015? This crashing is something that I have only experienced when using a mid-2014 Pro and mid-2013 Air with a nvme drive.

 

[Menkveld]

Could you confirm that the MacBook is an early 2015? This crashing is something that I have only experienced when using a mid-2014 Pro and mid-2013 Air with a nvme drive.

My macbook pro is an Early 2015 13”

 

[Audit13]

My macbook pro is an Early 2015 13”

Thanks. I think your post is the first I have seen where a 2015 has the wake-from-sleep issue.

 

[Menkveld]

Thanks. I think your post is the first I have seen where a 2015 has the wake-from-sleep issue.

I also posted it on another forum and this dude messaged me;
[automerge]1587764733[/automerge]
I dont think there is a solution to my problem. I have tried a lot. Multiple installations, latest bootrom etc etc.
If this combination is just not working and there is no fix, im trying to help others and advise against the sn750 with the macbook pro early 2015 13”.

 

[Fabmac]

It doesnt crash when youre using it. Exactly the opposite of that, when its at sleep. It can happen when its at sleep or when you try to wake it from sleep.

as I never shut it down , we will se also.i will report back next week or when I see some issue.
(I woke it up like 10 times just to check how it behaves )

 

[Menkveld]

as I never shut it down , we will se also.i will report back next week or when I see some issue.
(I woke it up like 10 times just to check how it behaves )

I dont shut it down, i close the lid or it goes to sleep by itself. And it doesnt crash every single time it goes to sleep. Then it crashes twice a day. Other times it didnt do it for an entire day. But if your sn750 works great with your macboom then thats nice! Then it might me a problem with the specific model macbook

 

[Fabmac]

I dont shut it down, i close the lid or it goes to sleep by itself. And it doesnt crash every single time it goes to sleep. Then it crashes twice a day. Other times it didnt do it for an entire day. But if your sn750 works great with your macboom then thats nice! Then it might me a problem with the specific model macbook

Maybee its the adapter, i have the long one... for now it works OK it was on sleep for 9 Hour straight and lights up a little bit faster than the original one... cant complain. (battery gone down from 99 to 97% so also no drain atm)
I have seen also on forums for "compatible" osx machines that this drives works. It is mad that it gives problems on some machines...

 

[Audit13]

I dont shut it down, i close the lid or it goes to sleep by itself. And it doesnt crash every single time it goes to sleep. Then it crashes twice a day. Other times it didnt do it for an entire day. But if your sn750 works great with your macboom then thats nice! Then it might me a problem with the specific model macbook

Could it have something to do with the sleep settings?

 

[Menkveld]

Could it have something to do with the sleep settings?

I have tried a lot but im open to suggestions.

 

[Audit13]

I have tried a lot but im open to suggestions.

You adjusted them through terminal?

I think the most common adjustment is to set hibernatemode=0.