- 2015 Macbook Pro Ssd Type
- Best Ssd For Macbook Pro
- External Ssd For Macbook Pro 2015 15 Inch
- 2015 Macbook Pro Ssd Upgrade
- External Ssd For Macbook Pro 2015 Specs
Sintech NGFF M.2 nVME SSD Adapter Card for Upgrade MacBook Air(2013-2016 Year) and MacBook PRO(Late 2013-2015 Year) (Black) Model #: B07FYY3H5F Item #: 9SIA4REDH54576. Full StorySeveral months after purchasing my MacBook Pro Early 2015 with 128gb, I found myself needing more s. MacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Mid 2012 - 2015). LaCie 500GB Mobile SSD High‑Performance External SSD USB-C USB 3.0 - Previous Gallery Image.
Retina Display MacBook Pro Q&A
- Mar 31, 2020 hi all non tech guy here. Have a MacBook Pro RETINA 13' early 2015 model - use only for music production - keep a lot of my music software libraries on 4tb external hard drive e.g. Native instruments kONTACT libraries, and recently started getting the spinning wheel as the DAW on the Mac is running the library on the ex hard drive.
- Buy USB 3.0 SSD Enclosure for 2013 2014 2015 Apple MacBook Air Pro Retina SSD Adapter with Cable, USB External Reader for (2013-2017 Year) A1465 A1466 A1398 A1502 SSD (12+16 pin) with fast shipping and top-rated customer service.
Update Published January 28, 2021
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How do you upgrade or replace the storage in the 15-Inch Retina Display MacBook Pro models? Is it even possible?
By default, all 15-Inch Retina Display MacBook Pro models are configured with either 256 GB or 512 GB of SSD storage.
As originally introduced on June 11, 2012, Apple only offered 768 GB of storage for the high-end MacBook Pro 'Core i7' 2.6 15' (Retina). However, as first reported by C|Net, starting on or around August 2, 2012, Apple also added 512 GB and 768 GB storage options for the entry-level model. Via custom configuration, the 'Early 2013' models had 768 GB of storage as a option and all subsequent models have had 1 TB as an option.
![Macbook Macbook](https://grh.am/images/post/nvme-ssd-upgrade-for-early-2015-macbook-pro/lineup.jpg)
Officially, it is not possible for an end user to upgrade the storage in any Retina Display MacBook Pro model after purchase. However, as firstdiscovered by site sponsor Other World Computing, the SSD is installed as a removable module in all of these notebooks, but different lines use different types of proprietary 'blade' SSD modules and it is particularly important to identify the MacBook Pro and the SSD precisely as a result.
Photo Credit: Apple, Inc. (15-Inch Retina Display MacBook Pro)
Identification Help
The 15-Inch Retina Display MacBook Pro models can be quickly identified collectively as they lack an internal optical drive and all earlier 15-Inch MacBook Pro models have one. As of the date last updated (see top), all 15-Inch Retina Display MacBook Pro models also share a unique Model Number -- specifically A1398.
However, as the 'Mid-2012' and 'Early 2013' lines use one SSD, the 'Late 2013' and 'Mid-2014' lines another, and the 'Mid-2015' models yet another, the model number is not precise enough identification for the purpose of upgrading the SSD. For this purpose, it will be necessary to use the external EMC Number or the Model Identifier in software.
As always, EveryMac.com has painstakingly hand documented these details for your convenience:
Retina MacBook Pro | Subfamily | EMC | Model Identifier |
15-Inch | Mid-2012 | ||
15-Inch Fourth night game download for android. | Early 2013 | ||
15-Inch (Intg. Graphics) | Late 2013 | ||
15-Inch (Dual Graphics) | Late 2013 | ||
15-Inch (Intg. Graphics) | Mid-2014 | ||
15-Inch (Dual Graphics) | Mid-2014 | ||
15-Inch (Intg. Graphics) | How to open rar files without software. Mid-2015 | ||
15-Inch (Dual Graphics) | Mid-2015 |
EveryMac.com's Ultimate Mac Lookup feature -- as well as the EveryMac app -- additionally can uniquely identify each of the 15-Inch Retina Display MacBook Pro models by their serial numbers.
Upgrade Obstacles & Compatible SSD Details
Apple does not intend for end users to upgrade the SSD in these models themselves. The company even has used uncommon 'pentalobe' screws -- also called five-point Torx screws -- to make the upgrade more difficult. However, access is straightforward with the correct screwdriver, the SSD modules are removable, and Apple has not blocked upgrades in firmware, either. There are two significantly different SSD designs for these models, though.
Specifically, the 'Mid-2012' and 'Early 2013' models use a 6 Gb/s SATA-based SSD whereas the 'Late 2013,'Mid-2014' and 'Mid-2015' models use a PCIe 2.0-based SSD. These SSD modules are neither interchangeable nor backwards compatible with earlier systems.
As a result, third-parties, like site sponsor OWC have released a 6 Gb/s SATA-based SSD upgrade with a compatible connector for the 'Mid-2012' and 'Early 2013' models and another PCIe 2.0-based flash SSD with a compatible connector for the 'Late 2013' and subsequent MacBook Pro models.
By default, from testing the 'Late 2013' and 'Mid-2014' models, OWC discovered that when a 'blade' SSD from a Cylinder Mac Pro is installed in one of these systems, it 'negotiates a x4 PCIe connection versus the stock cards, which negotiate a x2 PCIe connection.' This means that these Retina MacBook Pro provided more than 1200 MB/s drive performance, a huge jump from the standard SSD.
Apple boasts that the 'Mid-2015' systems have 'up to 2.5 times faster flash storage than the previous generation' of 15-Inch MacBook Pro models. In independent testing, OWC confirmed that the stock SSD in these models have read speeds around 2000 MB/s and write speeds around 1200 MB/s. These numbers are in line with Apple's performance claim compared to the SSDs that the company offered with the previous models, but not compared to the maximum speed that the previous systems unofficially can support.
Consequently, all of these models can support larger SSDs than the ones provided by default, but some models can (at least theoretically) support faster SSDs, as well.
2015 Macbook Pro Ssd Type
OWC additionally sells an Envoy Pro bus-powered external enclosure so the original SSD can be repurposed as an external drive.
Upgrade Video Instructions
The bottom plate of the 15-Inch Retina Display MacBook Pro is held in place with ten screws of differing lengths, but when the bottom of the notebook is removed, it's simply a matter of disconnecting the battery and removing one more screw to pop out the SSD.
OWC provides straightforward upgrade videos for the SSD in each 15-Inch 'Retina Display' MacBook Pro model:
'Mid-2012' and 'Early 2013' 15-Inch MacBook Pro
'Late 2013', 'Mid-2014' & 'Mid-2015' 15-Inch MacBook Pro
How to Install Original SSD in External Case
This video explains how to install the original SSD from your 15-Inch MacBook Pro in OWC's convenient 'Envoy Pro' housing to repurpose it as an external drive:
By watching these videos, you should be able to determine if you feel comfortable performing this upgrade yourself or if you would instead prefer to hire a professional.
SSD Purchase Options
In the US (and many other countries), site sponsor Other World Computer sells the compatible Mercury Aura Pro 6 Gb/s SATA and PCIe-based SSDs as well as compatible external peripherals.
In the UK and Ireland, site sponsor Flexx sells 15' Retina Display MacBook Pro compatible SSDs with free shipping. The company provides flat rate shipping to France, Germany, and Switzerland and inexpensive shipping for all of Europe, too.
In Canada, site sponsor CanadaRAM sells 15' Retina Display MacBook Pro compatible SSDs with guaranteed compatibility, fast shipping, and no customs.
In Australia, site sponsors Macfixit and Upgradeable sell 15' Retina Display MacBook Pro compatible SSDs with fast shipping, a money-back guarantee and more.
In New Zealand, site sponsor Upgradeable New Zealand sells 15' Retina Display MacBook Pro SSDs with fast delivery to all corners of the country, precise compatibility, a lifetime warranty, and a money-back guarantee.
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External Ssd For Macbook Pro 2015 15 Inch
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2015 Macbook Pro Ssd Upgrade
I've searched here, online and even asked UAD tech, but this issue still doesn't seem clear to me.
LUNA & Protools hard drive file format issues?
My Mid-2015 Macbook pro has a internal 500GB SSD drive that's formatted to OS X Extended(HFS+). According to Luna requirements>>
--SSD Storage Requirements
-----SSD storage must be formatted as APFS (Apple File System)
------ExFAT, FAT, and Mac OS Extended formats are unsupported
I’m still on El Capitan and Protools 12. I already purchased LUNA extensions during the sale (Analog Classics Bundle). I’m aware I have to upgrade my OS to run LUNA, and when I do, it will automatically format my internal SSD drive from OS Extended(HFS+) to APFS.
So far, so good.
But, upgrading my OS will break my Protools 12 (Perpetual lic, not up to date). So, while I’m still pondering what to do with the Protools upgrade costs ($600 perpetual!, subscriptions, etc., ugh), I did notice that Avid does not yet support/recommend the APFS format for media drives (see avid screenshot below).
So what are you guys doing with your drive formats with Protools and LUNA?
And peeps with macbook pro i7 quad core, 16gb Ram, 500g SSD internal drives---how important is it to run an external drive for the sessions (protools and/or LUNA) these days? Is the rule of never write to the OS drive still the thing? Or are internal SSD drives fast enough that it’s not really an issue anymore?
With the thought of going external drive for sessions, do you have to do 2 separate drives formatted to APFS and HFS+ for LUNA and Protools respectively?
I asked UAD tech about external drives for sessions and they said>> “Technically speaking if you want to store and open LUNA sessions from the external drive you need to have it formatted to APFS as this is the only supported format for anything LUNA related. However, if you don't format the external drive as APFS and keep it as HFS+ it will probably work, but if you run into any random issues it's likely going to be related to the drive.”
And my final question(!), what external SSD drives are you using for Thunderbolt2? It seems there are no TB2 external SSD drives anymore…would have to get a TB3 drive and adapter, but most (all?) of those drives are powered via the TB3 buss, and the TB2 >TB3 adapter won’t pass the buss power (I don't think TB2 buss power is enough anyways), so you’d need a TB3 drive with external power provision (doesn’t seem to exist), or get a big honking TB2/TB3 powered hub thing to power the TB3 drive, etc. Just a whole lotta add on’s to get an external Thunderbolt drive to work = not very portable, lol.
??
External Ssd For Macbook Pro 2015 Specs
- protools_format.JPG (85.4 KB, 18 views)