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

[Tony N.]

mac pro Retina late 2013 15"

Just tried:
Sintech NGFF M.2 PCIe SSD Card as 2013 2014 2015 MacBook SSD
XPG sx8200 960gb

Device does not show up....

any ideas?

I just installed this SSD. Great price on Rakutan a couple days ago. $225 with CA tax!

I think your issue is that you're using the stock internet recovery image that's located within your Macbook (the 2GB disk0). You need to create a bootable High Sierra USB stick (search google) and it'll show up within the Disk Utility there. You could then format it before restoring from Timemachine or new install.

 

[markintosh13]

I just installed this SSD. Great price on Rakutan a couple days ago. $225 with CA tax!

I think your issue is that you're using the stock internet recovery image that's located within your Macbook (the 2GB disk0). You need to create a bootable High Sierra USB stick (search google) and it'll show up within the Disk Utility there. You could then format it before restoring from Timemachine or new install.

Sintech long black adapter ?

 

[Tony N.]

Well that's why I'm asking, I see the SX8200 being used with short non-Sintech adapters, and haven't found such a confirmation from searching.

Currently using this JSER adapter with an SX8200 without heatsink (don't want to add thickness) , no issues so far: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B073F9LDD5/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Note: there are no soldered pins on my adapter compared to the image that's on Amazon. I'm also not using the included heat sink because of added thickness.

I notice that the Sintech long blackboard was causing the SX8200 to bend too much for my liking. While the JSER doesn't line up directly with the screw hole, you could still keep the SSD seated properly without any SSD bending. I'm gonna stick to this and see how it goes.
[doublepost=1537310618][/doublepost]

Sintech long black adapter ?

Using the JSER short one... https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B073F9LDD5/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I'll report back if any issues arises. So far so good. Restored 430gb worth of data from Timemachine without a hiccup

Adata idles at 0.19A which is a bit higher than my Intel 660p at 0.17A but I'm willing to make that sacrifice for better performance. 660p slows down to spinner HDD after SLC cache runs out. =/

At least with this Adata TLC drive it just slows down to SATA SSD speed 500MB/s after SLC cache runs dry.

Update:

Pretty happy with idle performance so far on the SX8200 960GB.

MBP 15" mid 2014
SX8200 960GB (no heatsink)
System idle total: 12w
SSD amperage low/high: 0.18A/1.25A
SSD temp low/high: 32C/44C

 

[Trunkz]

Well that's why I'm asking, I see the SX8200 being used with short non-Sintech adapters, and haven't found such a confirmation from searching.

See here and here and here

 

[markintosh13]

See here and here and here

First one is 480GB, second is 480GB, third one uses short JSER adapter. Had previously found those, and had determined that none were the SX8200 960GB and long black sintech combo.
[doublepost=1537352002][/doublepost]

Currently using this JSER adapter with an SX8200 without heatsink (don't want to add thickness) , no issues so far: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B073F9LDD5/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Pretty happy with idle performance so far on the SX8200 960GB.

View attachment 783516

Thanks, I'll try the JSER adapter.

 

[markintosh13]

Amazon.ca had the SX8200 960GB as a lightning deal today, $280 Cdn.

tried to cancel my original order which hadn't shipped yet, nope - suggested i should refuse the shipment / return it, bit more hassle but no big deal

 

[SpeeddragonNL]

Guys,

I have a macbook pro 1502 (early 2015 13 inch), and I have been using a samsung 960 evo 250gb since 2 months
First used it with a short green adapter from aliexpress, and since a week with a long black SinTech adapter.

Still sometimes I get kernel panics, that have to do with the NVME driver



I am planning on buying an other brand SSD, since I read in this topic that it's mainly because it's a samsung.
And use it with my long black sintech adapter

But what is the best option?
An 250gb SX8200 with the black sintech adapter (need one without heatsink right?)
an 250gb intel 760p
or an western digital?

I have read many pages, but I can't get a clear answer, so maybe some expert that has more experience just knows the answer.

 

[MacKube]

But what is the best option?
An 250gb SX8200 with the black sintech adapter (need one without heatsink right?)
an 250gb intel 760p
or an western digital?

I have read many pages, but I can't get a clear answer, so maybe some expert that has more experience just knows the answer.

Either the Intel 760p or the ADATA SX8200 are both fine and perform the same. (They have the same controller) I just replaced my Samsung EVO 860 with an SX8200 and the difference in heat + battery drain is night and day.

 

[SpeeddragonNL]

Either the Intel 760p or the ADATA SX8200 are both fine and perform the same. (They have the same controller) I just replaced my Samsung EVO 860 with an SX8200 and the difference in heat + battery drain is night and day.

Which sx8200 do you have? I am thinking of the 480 gb version (price difference only 30 euro)

 

[Trunkz]

Guys,

I have a macbook pro 1502 (early 2015 13 inch), and I have been using a samsung 960 evo 250gb since 2 months
First used it with a short green adapter from aliexpress, and since a week with a long black SinTech adapter.

Still sometimes I get kernel panics, that have to do with the NVME driver



I am planning on buying an other brand SSD, since I read in this topic that it's mainly because it's a samsung.
And use it with my long black sintech adapter

But what is the best option?
An 250gb SX8200 with the black sintech adapter (need one without heatsink right?)
an 250gb intel 760p
or an western digital?

I have read many pages, but I can't get a clear answer, so maybe some expert that has more experience just knows the answer.

If you have a 2015 MacBook; you shouldn't be getting kernel panics for NVMe drives as these MBP have the updated bootrom. I was getting kernel panics with my Samsung 970 when coming out of sleep prior to amending pmset. After that - it worked a treat.

The Samsung 970 runs my MacBook fairly hot; and ever since moving to an Intel 760p I've gained two hours of battery life and less heat!

 

[MacKube]

Which sx8200 do you have? I am thinking of the 480 gb version (price difference only 30 euro)

Got the 480GB version, though I'm currently only at like 120GB (coming from an original 128GB SSD). I don't think there's much of a point to a 240GB drive these days especially considering the negligible price difference to the next tier.

 

[d235j]

I was able to flash a patched EFI ROM onto a Late 2013 MacBook Pro 15" with discrete graphics. Notes from the process (which roughly followed the instructions in
https://forums.macrumors.com/thread...ssd-to-m-2-nvme.2034976/page-65#post-26224320)
:

• Programmer used: TL866A with SOIC8 clip
• Additional power supply required. Used a bench top power supply adjusted to 3.3 volts with wires going into the TL866A socket (following EEPROM datasheet for VCC and GND).
• Mac AC power and battery had to be disconnected to prevent power supply from going over-current
• RomDump / flashrom firmware did not function as base for patch. Ended up using a hardware dump

I don't recommend anyone do this unless they are confident they have a backup that is good. It took me two tries, and I was quite worried when it didn't work after the first try. I flashed back the un-patched hardware dump and it worked again, but this may not be the case for everyone.

 

[SpeeddragonNL]

So since the intel 760 and the sx8200 have the same controller.
It doesn't make a difference.

Do you still do a pmset with the above on the early 2015

 

[npb8]

Signed up just to say Thanks to this thread:
Late 2013 MBP retina 15" i7, High Sierra 10.13.6
MBP112.0146.B00

Installed sx8200 480 on Sintech black w/heatsink (cuz, ya know, Heat).
Restored from Time Machine (took 4+ hours over wifi, should have used a USB3 flash drive).

Works great. Sleeps and wakes. Love it!

 

[markintosh13]

Signed up just to say Thanks to this thread:
Late 2013 MBP retina 15" i7, High Sierra 10.13.6
MBP112.0146.B00

Installed sx8200 480 on Sintech black w/heatsink (cuz, ya know, Heat).
Restored from Time Machine (took 4+ hours over wifi, should have used a USB3 flash drive).

Works great. Sleeps and wakes. Love it!

You don't happen to have a photo of the heatsink in place?

 

[npb8]

@markintosh13 sorry no. all closed up and in production.

 

[mithil]

Hi there,

I'm trying to upgrade to ADATA XPG SX8200 (480 GB) with an adapter I purchased from here:
https://www.amazon.in/gp/product/B07G14YVZK/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o06_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I'm unable to get a NVMe SSD working on my Macbook Pro A1502 (Retina, 13-inch, Mid 2014) although, I'm running the latest High Sierra (version 10.13.6) with Boot ROM Version: MBP111.0146.B00

After installing the new SSD, the drive is not detected at all on Disk Utility, Terminal "diskutil list" command and in Ubuntu live USB.

Also, people have confirmed in this thread that ADATA SX8200 works for them, I don't know why it's not working for me.

I have read the comments here and did a couple of things like:

1. Putting sellotape to the exposed pins on the adapter.
2. Checked with bootable High Sierra USB's Disk Utility, unable to find anything there as well.
3. Checked System info and my MBP has a support for NVMe (please see screenshots).

I'm suspecting adapter issue and now looking to buy Sintech's from this link:
http://eshop.sintech.cn/ngff-m2-pcie-ssd-card-as-2013-2014-2015-macbook-ssd-p-1229.html

Please help in this regard.

 

[Trunkz]

Hi there,

I'm trying to upgrade to ADATA XPG SX8200 (480 GB) with an adapter I purchased from here:
https://www.amazon.in/gp/product/B07G14YVZK/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o06_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I'm unable to get a NVMe SSD working on my Macbook Pro A1502 (Retina, 13-inch, Mid 2014) although, I'm running the latest High Sierra (version 10.13.6) with Boot ROM Version: MBP111.0146.B00

After installing the new SSD, the drive is not detected at all on Disk Utility, Terminal "diskutil list" command and in Ubuntu live USB.

Also, people have confirmed in this thread that ADATA SX8200 works for them, I don't know why it's not working for me.

I have read the comments here and did a couple of things like:

1. Putting sellotape to the exposed pins on the adapter.
2. Checked with bootable High Sierra USB's Disk Utility, unable to find anything there as well.
3. Checked System info and my MBP has a support for NVMe (please see screenshots).

I'm suspecting adapter issue and now looking to buy Sintech's from this link:
http://eshop.sintech.cn/ngff-m2-pcie-ssd-card-as-2013-2014-2015-macbook-ssd-p-1229.html

Please help in this regard.

You are running the latest bootrom that supports NVMe for the A1502 (same as mine) so its either your ADATA or the adapter. Order the correct Sintech adapter (the one you have linked) and give that a try first

 

[l_zhang]

I have finished my update on a Mid-2014 Macbook Pro 15, and till now, the 'new' machine is running like a magic!

The adaptor which I'm using is not the 'long' one but the short one bought from taobao.com, which is the most famous Chinese e-shop.

I alse used Kapton Tape on the adaptor.

The SSD is Intel 760P with capacity of 1TB, and the link width is x4 with ~1300MB/s writing and ~1500MB/s reading which is double of before.

After disk replacement, I installed macOS Mojave, Windows 10 Pro (UEFI, not Bootcamp).

I didn't apply any bootrom patch and I had test in 4 cases on macOS:

0. close lid sleep with AC power;
1. close lid sleep with battery;
2. sleep without any operate after 30min with AC power (30min is set in Energy Saver setting);
3. sleep without any operate after 10min with battery (10min is set in Energy Saver setting);

In all the cases, the test lasted for about 8-hour, and the machine woke up immediately after opening the lid(case 0 and 1) or pressing the power button(case 2 and 3) and I didn't meet any issue about sleep and wake up.

I also tested thing about sleep in Windows(My wife uses Windows for her daily work), and it seems that it is OKAY, too.

 

[rexoserox]

Today Mac OS Mojave came out. Is NVMe still supported or did Apple removed NVMe support for Macbook airs 2013/2014 ? I ask because I have an Macbook Air on High Sierra and did the NVMe upgrade couple months ago. If the Mojave update for some reason removed the NVMe I would be in deep trouble after updating. Just to be sure

 

[tshelby73]

Today Mac OS Mojave came out. Is NVMe still supported or did Apple removed NVMe support for Macbook airs 2013/2014 ? I ask because I have an Macbook Air on High Sierra and did the NVMe upgrade couple months ago. If the Mojave update for some reason removed the NVMe I would be in deep trouble after updating. Just to be sure

So far it sounds like grand master did not update boot loader but we will know later today for sure on the full release. Full release not out yet in my area so I can’t say for sure yet.

 

[Trunkz]

Today Mac OS Mojave came out. Is NVMe still supported or did Apple removed NVMe support for Macbook airs 2013/2014 ? I ask because I have an Macbook Air on High Sierra and did the NVMe upgrade couple months ago. If the Mojave update for some reason removed the NVMe I would be in deep trouble after updating. Just to be sure

NVMe support wouldn't be removed.

So far it sounds like grand master did not update boot loader but we will know later today for sure on the full release. Full release not out yet in my area so I can’t say for sure yet.

As of the latest beta 11; no bootrom update for pre-2015 MBP.

 

[rexoserox]

NVMe support wouldn't be removed.

As of the latest beta 11; no bootrom update for pre-2015 MBP.

let's hope Apple has done some funky stuff with the Iphone in the past. For example the Touch ID Error 53. They just bricked Iphones that had third party repairs with a standard update. I hope they don't come after us NVMe Modders.

 

[zaxa]

Replying to myself:

I found some info on ghostlyhaks forum saying the power button should be pressed all along the read/flash process. It seemed to work for me: Plugging SPI programmer, connecting battery, then power. Pushing power button and keep it pressed all along the read or flash process.

I have not made any retry to see what exactly needs to be done to be able to write. I hope this may help someone who also wants to get proper sleep function with their non-apple SSD.
Thanks to all the guys that started all that and made it possible!

Hi,

I'm happy to hear that it worked for you. Sorry for the delay, I only saw your post just now. I don't have anything else to add to my post, I flashed my late 2013 exactly like I described it in my post using flashrom! Good luck in any case!

 

[cesarvog]

let's hope Apple has done some funky stuff with the Iphone in the past. For example the Touch ID Error 53. They just bricked Iphones that had third party repairs with a standard update. I hope they don't come after us NVMe Modders.

Just finished upgrading MacBookAir6,2 13 inch w/ Samsung 960 Evo NVMe boot drive to macOS Mojave. No problems during macOS upgrade. Boot Room is still MBA61.0107.B00.