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

[gilles_polysoft]

Can 4TB M.2 SSDs be used in a MBP retina mid 2015?

Sure, I've been using one for years in my 11,2.
There is at this time (2025) no practical limits with NVMe / 64 bits CPU and firmware.

And if 4TB is doable, are there particular brands or models that are recommended, or others that are best avoided?

Hard to tell, as manufacturers do sometimes change NAND type over the commercial lifetime of an SSD (like it was done for the Crucial P2).

All 4TB drives are fast, even the Crucial P3 which is QLC, is faster than a lot of TLC drives.

If I were you I would test the Lexar NM790, it is very well priced, uses TLC NAND and has 2 times the efficiency of its competitors (MB/s by watt) :
https://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/lexar-nm790-ssd-review/2

 

[11.3-4tb-SSD-guy]

Hello! I just wanted to share my success with this, solely due to the help from this thread and everyone sharing information in it. So, firstly, thank you! Secondly, please read all of the first post on this thread, it's very useful.

My machine
Model Name: MacBook Pro
Model Identifier: MacBookPro11,3
Processor Name: Quad-Core Intel Core i7
Processor Speed: 2.8 GHz
Memory: 16GB
BootRom: 478.0.0.0.0 (check this!)

I bought the short Sintech adaptor (https://www.amazon.co.uk/Sintech-Adapter-Upgrade-2013-2015-MacBook/dp/B07FYY3H5F/) and the WD SN850X 4tb (https://www.amazon.co.uk/WD_BLACK-SN850X-2280-Gaming-speed/dp/B0B7CQ2CHH) with an external enclosure for the WD, for cloning purposes. I did also buy the long adaptor to try it, as it seemed more stable, but it wouldn't fit with the SSD I bought.

Once I had everything, I backed up my machine using SuperDuper! to make a bootable clone. This is done by formatting the new SSD with OS X Journaled and then selecting it in SuperDuper!, choosing "Backup - all files". Say yes to all of SD's suggestions. Do it overnight; it's a long one (I'm coming from a very full 1tb SSD)

Then, I downloaded and updated OCLP, selected 'build and install open core', 'install to disk' and select the external drive (for me, the 4tb WD)

Then I opened up the laptop using fixit's guide, swapped out the SSDs (remember the adaptor!) and secured it very snug - you have to push quite hard to make sure everything snaps into place. I also used this time to air dust the laptop to clean it all out.

Booted the laptop, and it all worked pretty much first time. I did reboot and reset the NVRAM but not sure if this was needed (turn on your Mac, then immediately press and hold these four keys together: Option, Command, P, R. then release after 20 seconds when the machine reboots).

Have been running with literally no downtime or noticeable difference, besides the laptop running faster, quieter and more efficiently. W/R speeds are something like 1400 per and temperature of the SSD (using istat) is between 25 and 28 Celsius.

I hope this all helps! I won't be here much, but feel free to ask questions and I'll get back to them probably weekly.

 

[brdeveloper]

I was thinking about getting a m.2 NVME for my 2015 MBP, but ended up buying a Kingspec NA900s 1TB SSD with dedicated apple pinage, ready to install. Its performance in a 1TB unit is pretty similar to the original Samsung 250GB SSD (1800 to 1900MB/s read and write speeds at Blackmagic Disk Speed Test). I preferred a 100% compatible approach, despite I would probably get better performance with a Samsung Pro m.2 NVME. I have a Sintech adapter (bought on Sintech website circa 2018) in which its golden connectors show signs of corrosion, so I wonder how these adapters are really good quality ones.

 

[xboxbml]

I was thinking about getting a m.2 NVME for my 2015 MBP, but ended up buying a Kingspec NA900s 1TB SSD with dedicated apple pinage, ready to install. Its performance in a 1TB unit is pretty similar to the original Samsung 250GB SSD (1800 to 1900MB/s read and write speeds at Blackmagic Disk Speed Test). I preferred a 100% compatible approach, despite I would probably get better performance with a Samsung Pro m.2 NVME. I have a Sintech adapter (bought on Sintech website circa 2018) in which its golden connectors show signs of corrosion, so I wonder how these adapters are really good quality ones.

I've got 2 Sintech adapters.. never had an issue. Yeah, direct replacement does make things easier, but if I ever decide to change out a drive, I can use it in any other machine(pc).. oh the thought...lol.. I've got the long adapter in this 2015 MBP and a short one in the 2015 MBA.. Both machines work great!. Enjoy your new found space!..

 

[Nekomichi]

Reporting in with my results after a successful SSD upgrade.

MacBook: MacBookPro11,4, A1398 mid-2015 15" Retina with 2.2GHz i7 4770HQ (integrated graphics only)
BootROM: 489.0.0.0.0
Adaptor: "Zerone SSD to NVME Adapter Converter Hard Disk Adaptor Card for 2013 2014 2015 Macbook Pro/Macbook Air"
SSD: Crucial P5 Plus 2TB CT2000P5PSSD5 (came with a hefty heatsink attached, which had to be removed and thermal paste cleared out)
SsdPmEnabler: v0.1.1
NVMeFix: 1.1.2

Install steps:
1. Updated to macOS 12 Monterey with original Apple SSD still inside MacBook.
2. Swapped out SSD with the Crucial P5 Plus.
3. Clean-installed macOS 10.14 Mojave via USB bootable installer.

Speed test with the Crucial SSD gave me 2.7GB/s write and 2.4GB/s read speeds:

I initially noticed that the battery was draining quickly so I tried installing some patches for better power management:

Without patches, it was idling at 0.35A current draw. With SsdPmEnabler, it went down to 0.11A (68.6% less than without patches). With both SsDPmEnabler and NVMeFix, it went down to 0.02A (94.3% less than without patches).

Haven't encountered any kernel panics or crashes so far, however I noticed that under the energy saving settings there is no longer a slider for computer sleep, only for screen-off. Hibernation mode appears to be set to mode 3.

 

[Sashthedestroyer17]

Hi! I was reading over this post as I wanted to upgrade the storage on my Macbook Air 2017. Currently I boot Windows off the original ssd and use an external USB HDD to store all the applications and files and stuff ( since I dont have enough storage on the OG ssd ). I already have a 970 evo plus from another project. I just wanted to know what I would need to do other than the things listed in the original post. From my understanding I need to update the drive for FW, use silentknight to check my boot version, buy the sintech adapter on amazon, install it in the back, and then use bootcamp to create a new windows boot OS on the NVME? Any help would be greatly appreciated, thankS!

 

[unifier2]

Hello. I have a 13” 2015 MacBook Pro with the WD Blue SN550 (on latest firmware from WD). It’s working fine on Monterey but has battery drain issues during use and with the lid closed. Are there a set of steps that have been shown to solve this problem with this SSD? What terminal commands are required and what applications are necessary to run? Thanks!

 

[FrankieP1988]

Hello Everyone,

Newb question, I have a

• A1502 - MacBook Pro Retina 13", Late 2013 (MacBookPro11,1)

I'm wanting to set this up as a Linux machine. I bought a 990 Evo Plus and am running it via a usb enclosure. Just to confirm, am I right to assume that it is not compatible with the machine using the sintech adapter? If I want to install an ssd, is the 970 or 980 a good route or should I look at something else?

 

[zgagato]

Hello Everyone,

Newb question, I have a

• A1502 - MacBook Pro Retina 13", Late 2013 (MacBookPro11,1)

I'm wanting to set this up as a Linux machine. I bought a 990 Evo Plus and am running it via a usb enclosure. Just to confirm, am I right to assume that it is not compatible with the machine using the sintech adapter? If I want to install an ssd, is the 970 or 980 a good route or should I look at something else?

No, its not for internal. Get fanxiang ap2000 pro. Its compatible with 13 do 2015 year MacBooks. I had no issues.
No adapter needed. Its MAC native ssd.

 

[unifier2]

Forgot to mention. Our 2015 13-inch is still on Catalina 10.15.7. So it's tested and confirmed to work on this hardware/software combo.

I tried loading this KEXT in a Big Sur VM. Loads fine. I anticipate it should work.

Btw, the good thing is drop by NVMeFix will be additional bonus. For example, in our case, NVMeFix will further contribute 0.03A drop. So in the end, 0.13A is as low as SN550 1TB can go (other than 0.00A) on 2015 13-inch MBP.

Hi. Thanks so much for your guide on how to install the SsdPmEnabler.kext. I have a 2015 13" MacBook Pro with the WD SN550 1TB SSD. Now I would like to install NVMeFix. I'm currently on Monterey. I'm not running OCLP. How do I go about installing it? Do I first need to install Lilu? How would I do that? Is there a good guide you can recommend? I don't really know much about Lilu or NVMeFix. Thanks!

 

[gillblates]

I just finished installing a brand new WD Blue SN5000 2TB drive on my MacBookPro11,3 (late 2013). Works flawlessly. The previous drives were:

• WD SN730 512GB, also worked perfectly fine;
• Samsung Evo Plus 970 2TB, which indeed required a firmware update and worked ok apart from the extremely long boot times (around 1-2 minutes before it showed the apple logo, as far as I remember).

How did this end up working for you? Any heat or power drain issues with the SN5000?

 

[Skypalace]

Hi all! Thanks to this thread, I've been running a 2TB Sabrent Rocket w short Sintech adapter in my 11,3 15" Macbook Pro Late 2013 since 2019. It's been full for a while so might update it to 4GB as given the good results folks are having.

Earlier this year I upgraded to Sonoma using OCLP, it's been working fine.
But two issues, the first is far more important to me.
1) Hibernate and Sleep have never really worked
2) and since Kexts are no longer supported, I don't know if there's a replacement for SsdPmEnabler.kext or NVMeFix, or if either are needed, but lower power draw always sounds good esp on battery.

Sleep will work if I'm plugged in, but on battery after a while (like hours or days), it always eventually does a full shutdown. Battery is high so it hasn't drained significantly, but restarting is always a cold boot. I'd like to have sleep without killing my battery for some period of time (maybe a day or two if reasonable battery usage, ie. still 75%+ if I was at 100%), and then a hibernate so I won't kill the battery if I leave it for weeks, but I'd like to resume from hibernate so I don't always have to do a cold boot (which is slow, particularly as my disk is FileVault protected).

Here are my pmset settings, which I've tweaked a couple times per guidance in this thread, but very possible I messed something up along the way.

System-wide power settings:
Currently in use:
standbydelaylow 10800
standby 0
womp 1
halfdim 1
hibernatefile /var/vm/sleepimage
powernap 0
gpuswitch 2
networkoversleep 0
disksleep 0
standbydelayhigh 86400
sleep 0 (sleep prevented by AddressBookSourceSync, helpd, mds, cloudd, cloudd, cloudd, cloudd, cloudd, cloudd, cloudd, cloudd, cloudd, cloudd, cloudd, cloudd, cloudd, cloudd, cloudd, cloudd, cloudd, mds_stores)
autopoweroffdelay 28800
hibernatemode 0
autopoweroff 0
ttyskeepawake 1
displaysleep 0
highstandbythreshold 50
acwake 0
lidwake 1

BTW thanks for the tips a few months ago on finding the cause of my occasional nvme driver panics, cleaning the drive and adapter connectors and reseating everything fixed it all, haven't had one since then. I installed some new rubber feet while I had everything open

 

[sotosoul]

How did this end up working for you? Any heat or power drain issues with the SN5000?

Absolutely no issues. I’ve been using the MBP daily, very happy with it.

 

[macpro_mid2014]

Hi all! Thanks to this thread, I've been running a 2TB Sabrent Rocket w short Sintech adapter in my 11,3 15" Macbook Pro Late 2013 since 2019. It's been full for a while so might update it to 4GB as given the good results folks are having.

Earlier this year I upgraded to Sonoma using OCLP, it's been working fine.
But two issues, the first is far more important to me.
1) Hibernate and Sleep have never really worked
2) and since Kexts are no longer supported, I don't know if there's a replacement for SsdPmEnabler.kext or NVMeFix, or if either are needed, but lower power draw always sounds good esp on battery.

Sleep will work if I'm plugged in, but on battery after a while (like hours or days), it always eventually does a full shutdown. Battery is high so it hasn't drained significantly, but restarting is always a cold boot. I'd like to have sleep without killing my battery for some period of time (maybe a day or two if reasonable battery usage, ie. still 75%+ if I was at 100%), and then a hibernate so I won't kill the battery if I leave it for weeks, but I'd like to resume from hibernate so I don't always have to do a cold boot (which is slow, particularly as my disk is FileVault protected).

Here are my pmset settings, which I've tweaked a couple times per guidance in this thread, but very possible I messed something up along the way.

System-wide power settings:
Currently in use:
standbydelaylow 10800
standby 0
womp 1
halfdim 1
hibernatefile /var/vm/sleepimage
powernap 0
gpuswitch 2
networkoversleep 0
disksleep 0
standbydelayhigh 86400
sleep 0 (sleep prevented by AddressBookSourceSync, helpd, mds, cloudd, cloudd, cloudd, cloudd, cloudd, cloudd, cloudd, cloudd, cloudd, cloudd, cloudd, cloudd, cloudd, cloudd, cloudd, cloudd, cloudd, mds_stores)
autopoweroffdelay 28800
hibernatemode 0
autopoweroff 0
ttyskeepawake 1
displaysleep 0
highstandbythreshold 50
acwake 0
lidwake 1

BTW thanks for the tips a few months ago on finding the cause of my occasional nvme driver panics, cleaning the drive and adapter connectors and reseating everything fixed it all, haven't had one since then. I installed some new rubber feet while I had everything open

Try these settings to see if it solves the sleep problem:

System-wide power settings:
SleepDisabled 0
Currently in use:
standbydelaylow 3600
standby 1
womp 1
halfdim 1
powernap 1
gpuswitch 2
networkoversleep 0
disksleep 10
standbydelayhigh 7200
hibernatemode 3
autopoweroff 1
ttyskeepawake 1
displaysleep 10 (display sleep prevented by UniversalControl)
highstandbythreshold 50
acwake 0
lidwake 1


Moreover, take a close look at:
% man pmset

There are some tips there regarding standby behaviour and battery levels.

 

[gilles_polysoft]

Earlier this year I upgraded to Sonoma using OCLP, it's been working fine.
But two issues, the first is far more important to me.
1) Hibernate and Sleep have never really worked

Can you check your firmware version with silentknight ?

 

[RumorChaser]

Some people claim moderate saving is fine. I have to test it out. But I recommend sticking to off for the first few weeks to rule out any problems related to this.

So in Windows, setting PCI Express - Link State Power Management to off or moderate saving both works. You need to set it for every single power plan you intend to use. If you switch to a bad power plan, you will BSOD immediately and also BSOD upon the next boot.

For the 2013-2014 macbooks, the Intel graphics power setting (in Window's power settings) should not be set to battery life (other options are balance and performance) or you will get graphics driver crashes upon waking up from sleep.