Macbook Pro 2015 users SSD upgrade recommendations

[BIGMAC84]

Hello

I have the MB Pro Retina 13'' (Early 2015 model)

I recently replace the battery, which btw was a nightmare to remove. How in the world does Apple uses so much glue is beyond me. Took me a full hour of using nailpolish remover/old debit card and lots of patience and force...yes I did use a bit of force because it was the only way to really get the battery pack out.

Anyway, I also wanted to upgrade the 128 GB Samsung SSD - and got the 2TB Samsung 990 PRO NVMe SSD.

Installation was easy peazy...I used Mojave to install the system. Currently I am checking the health through DriveDX...after a full day it says 100% - but I would need to transfer files to this drive to see if it maintains.

The only lack of so far is the read and write levels. I use ArmorphousDiskMark and I get roughly 1700 for each band. Which, after spending 200 EUR on this SSD that can reach levels up to 7500 mbs is not even close. I read this Macbook can only reach levels up to 1400 mbs...if that's so, I probably do not need the Samsung Pro 990, especially from reading it has a lot of faults.

Now I did not bought the SSD for fast read or writes. Never really focused on that. It was always fine for my needs. I bought the drive because I thought Samsung SSD drives are reliable, but from what I've been reading there is a lot to it. I just need extra capacity. But I don't want my new battery to drain, so I will monitor how it is going. If not return the SSD to Amazon.

If you have other recommendations for SSD's that won't cost me 200 EUR, won't kill my new battery and get decent read/write levels please share.

 

[francojohnc]

Hello i also bought Samsung 990 PRO my problem is not detected in my mabook pro 2015 in montery OS i try to create bootable usb and also i try to install the OS in enclosure, when i swap my old ssd is not detectable i check the firmware is already updated, by the way i saw in other users use 970 evo plus

 

[BIGMAC84]

Hello i also bought Samsung 990 PRO my problem is not detected in my mabook pro 2015 in montery OS i try to create bootable usb and also i try to install the OS in enclosure, when i swap my old ssd is not detectable i check the firmware is already updated, by the way i saw in other users use 970 evo plus

The problem is the 990 is too powerful for your 2015 MacBook...our macbook can only reach 1500mbs in speed max. The 990 can do 7700mbs and will overheat because the fan and CPU cannot handle it...

What you need is buy a Sabrent Rocket low energy but fast enough. I gave up on installing it on an external HDD. I managed to install windows 11 internally through bootcamp edit the register to bypass the TPM that is required...check youtube how to install win 10 or 11 on MacBook with bypass .. that should work...

 

[rovostrov]

I recently installed a Samsung 970 EVO Plus (2TB) in a 2015 macbook pro and it installed without any
issues, so far everything is working great

 

[Audit13]

Have you checked this thread: https://forums.macrumors.com/thread....2034976/page-451?post=32078062#post-32078062?

 

[RonPNW]

Or you could do something completely difference.
If you have a large block of data that does not necessarily require high speed access, such as music of photos, you could move those to a micro SSD in the SSD slot using a short micro SD holder such as https://shop.baseqi.com/products/macbook-pro-mini-drives?variant=1206855681
I did this with a 1TB micro SD. Invisible, easy, cheap, works perfectly. Moved all my music and pictures to this drive and freed up a ton of space.

 

[Forum-User]

I recently installed a Samsung 970 EVO Plus (2TB) in a 2015 macbook pro and it installed without any
issues, so far everything is working great

Although slightly off-topic, I am interested in doing a similar upgrade. Would you mind providing the steps and references to your SSD upgrade, such as:
Are you using an adapter for the 970 EVO Plus in the 2015 MBP?
What minimum version of Mac OS is needed?
Do I need to upgrade any firmware before the SSD install?
Any tricks, warnings, or other info would be appreciated. Thanks.

 

[zgagato]

Hello

I have the MB Pro Retina 13'' (Early 2015 model)

I recently replace the battery, which btw was a nightmare to remove. How in the world does Apple uses so much glue is beyond me. Took me a full hour of using nailpolish remover/old debit card and lots of patience and force...yes I did use a bit of force because it was the only way to really get the battery pack out.

Anyway, I also wanted to upgrade the 128 GB Samsung SSD - and got the 2TB Samsung 990 PRO NVMe SSD.

Installation was easy peazy...I used Mojave to install the system. Currently I am checking the health through DriveDX...after a full day it says 100% - but I would need to transfer files to this drive to see if it maintains.

The only lack of so far is the read and write levels. I use ArmorphousDiskMark and I get roughly 1700 for each band. Which, after spending 200 EUR on this SSD that can reach levels up to 7500 mbs is not even close. I read this Macbook can only reach levels up to 1400 mbs...if that's so, I probably do not need the Samsung Pro 990, especially from reading it has a lot of faults.

Now I did not bought the SSD for fast read or writes. Never really focused on that. It was always fine for my needs. I bought the drive because I thought Samsung SSD drives are reliable, but from what I've been reading there is a lot to it. I just need extra capacity. But I don't want my new battery to drain, so I will monitor how it is going. If not return the SSD to Amazon.

If you have other recommendations for SSD's that won't cost me 200 EUR, won't kill my new battery and get decent read/write levels please share.

You wont get more r/w because the controller in the 13 mbp and air is 1600 gb/s tops. that’s the limit.

 

[zgagato]

Although slightly off-topic, I am interested in doing a similar upgrade. Would you mind providing the steps and references to your SSD upgrade, such as:
Are you using an adapter for the 970 EVO Plus in the 2015 MBP?
What minimum version of Mac OS is needed?
Do I need to upgrade any firmware before the SSD install?
Any tricks, warnings, or other info would be appreciated. Thanks.

The best SSD for 13 pro and 2015/17 Air is samsubg 980. Not the pro. I have been putting it in for almost 3 years.
No issues.
In the 15" the transfer is 2,9 gb/s so 980 pro or evo make sense.
The minimum os is high sierra 10.13.
yes, you need to upgrade on the stock drive. Just install monteray and than install high sierra or mojave on the mvme if you want to. but the firmware will be the highest.
You can use older os with newer firmware no problem.

 

[rovostrov]

Although slightly off-topic, I am interested in doing a similar upgrade. Would you mind providing the steps and references to your SSD upgrade, such as:
Are you using an adapter for the 970 EVO Plus in the 2015 MBP?
What minimum version of Mac OS is needed?
Do I need to upgrade any firmware before the SSD install?
Any tricks, warnings, or other info would be appreciated. Thanks.

It was a very simple process to switch out the SSD in the 2015. Here is a link to the ifixit guide that will explain along with the adapter and SSD I used. I read that some people had issues with the firmware but I did not, the mac already had Monterey installed and that is what I installed on the new SSD. Everything has been working great, no issues at all.

Ifixit Guide: https://www.ifixit.com/Guide/MacBook+Pro+15-Inch+Retina+Display+Mid+2015+SSD+Replacement/48251

Samsung 970 EVO Plus: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07MFZXR1B?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details​

Sintech NGFF M.2 nVME SSD Adapter Card: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01CWWAENG?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details​

Almost forgot, I had to format the SSD before I could install it. If you don't have one, I'd pick up a M.2 NVME to USB enclosure

 

[Forum-User]

Thank you both for the useful responses with detailed instructions @rovostrov and @zgagato - Very helpful!

I already use the BaseQi adapter that was referred to earlier in this thread with a 500 GB microSD, and it has worked very well for my less-used storage using the SD card slot. Yet with the 1 TB SSD and the microSD both nearly full, it is time to replace the original SSD as you described. My macOS is (low) Sierra, so a macOS upgrade will need to be my first step.

The forum thread that @Audit13 referred to suggested the Hynix Gold P31 SSD in addition to the Samsungs mentioned, so I feel good having options folks have been successful using.

 

[Eduardo Machado]

Hello, I'm Brazilian and I'm also trying to upgrade my MacBook. I'm considering installing an ADATA Legend 710 SSD. It's a Gen 3 SSD. Do you think it's compatible with a MacBook Pro Retina 2015?

 

[Macdctr]

I used to be big on Samsung products but have found that there is way too much latency from them when booting up and that they do not provide TRIM support. I have since moved to the Western Digital storage drives and actually like the Blue SN570 2TB storage drives for their increased performance, TRIM support, and low pricing. For those who have the Mid2015 15 inch MBPs, you will see an average read/write speed as high as 2500mb/sec and bootup times are quick, way quicker than having Samsung storage drives installed.

For those using the Early 2015 MBPs you will only see max read/write speeds of around 1400-1500mb/sec read/write speeds, the max that the built-in architecture can handle, and with bootup times using the Western Digital storage drives that are way faster than the Samsung storage drives. As a result, I am in the process of changing out all my laptop storage drives to the Western Digital storage drives.

 

[BenPratt]

Mid 2015 15" Macbook Pro. I upgraded to a 1tb Timtec SSD and it's not good. Battery usage is high and it runs hot. What do you recommend? Speed is not the most important factor. I just want it to use less battery and run smoothly without my fan going full speed the whole time. The Samsung 980 pro has a version with a heatsink. Will it fit?

 

[Audit13]

Mid 2015 15" Macbook Pro. I upgraded to a 1tb Timtec SSD and it's not good. Battery usage is high and it runs hot. What do you recommend? Speed is not the most important factor. I just want it to use less battery and run smoothly without my fan going full speed the whole time. The Samsung 980 pro has a version with a heatsink. Will it fit?

Nope, there is not enough room in the case to accomodate a heatsink.

I recommend looking at this thread for feedback on various drives: https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/upgrading-2013-2015-macbook-pro-ssd-to-m-2-nvme.2034976/

 

[BenPratt]

Nope, there is not enough room in the case to accomodate a heatsink.

I recommend looking at this thread for feedback on various drives: https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/upgrading-2013-2015-macbook-pro-ssd-to-m-2-nvme.2034976/

Thanks the problem with this thread is that it is six years old and a lot of the information is outdated and some of the products are no longer available.

 

[Macdctr]

Thanks the problem with this thread is that it is six years old and a lot of the information is outdated and some of the products are no longer available.

That happens with threads that are as old as this thread is. The information I just posted today is accurate and recent as I have begun to replace the Samsung NVMe storage drives for the Western Digital Blue SN570 storage drives. I have found the performance to my satisfaction and boot up times much quicker using the Western Digital storage drives over the Samsung drives.

 

[Audit13]

Thanks the problem with this thread is that it is six years old and a lot of the information is outdated and some of the products are no longer available.

True, but sometimes, newer replacement drives offer similar performance.

When I was replacing OEM drives with NVMe drives, I always chose drives that had slow read/write speeds because these speeds were similar to some of the early 128 GB Samsung drives and only the 15" offers a higher speed PCIe bus. The early Intel 600p was cheap and was no slower than the OEM 256 Samsung, gave decent battery life, and worked even better when macOS integrated NVMe support for sleep/wake.