Good NVMe SSD for MacBook Pro

[ProjectBox153]

Hi everyone, I am looking to upgrade the 128GB SSD in my 2017 13" MacBook Pro and I would like some recommendations. I don't have any NVMe SSDs so I'm not sure which ones are considered best or not. Any suggestions? I'm looking for something in the 500GB range. Thanks. 

[Slottr]

Are the SSD's in these models not soldered..?

[ProjectBox153]

8 minutes ago, Slottr said:

Are the SSD's in these models not soldered..?

Not on the 2016 and 2017 13" MacBook Pros without the Touch Bar. Most people think they're soldered, and it confuses some people because every MacBook Pro with the Touch Bar has a soldered SSD.

[LIGISTX]

12 minutes ago, ProjectBox153 said:

Not on the 2016 and 2017 13" MacBook Pros without the Touch Bar. Most people think they're soldered, and it confuses some people because every MacBook Pro with the Touch Bar has a soldered SSD.

And it'll work with the, uh, does that macbook have a T2 chip? I have not heard of being able to replace the drive in a macbook since they used a 2.5 SATA drive. 

 

I guess if itll work, the cheapest drive you can find will likely be fine. I typically see the WD Blue nvme drives for really good prices.

[ProjectBox153]

2 minutes ago, LIGISTX said:

And it'll work with the, uh, does that macbook have a T2 chip? I have not heard of being able to replace the drive in a macbook since they used a 2.5 SATA drive. 

 

I guess if itll work, the cheapest drive you can find will likely be fine. I typically see the WD Blue nvme drives for really good prices.

My MacBook does not have the T2 chip. All MacBook Pros had replaceable SSDs until 2016, other than the non-Touch Bar 2016 and 2017 models. I would like something with decent performance, so how well does the WD Blue hold up?

[LIGISTX]

2 minutes ago, ProjectBox153 said:

My MacBook does not have the T2 chip. All MacBook Pros had replaceable SSDs until 2016, other than the non-Touch Bar 2016 and 2017 models. I would like something with decent performance, so how well does the WD Blue hold up?

The wd blue is a great lil drive. I have used them before personally.

[Phil Phletcher]

If your MacBook Pro doesn’t have a soldered SSD, take a look at Fledgling. They sell NVMe drives with adapters to fit on the MacBook motherboard, because Apple loves them proprietary parts.

I’m pretty sure you can use whatever NVMe SSD you want, but you may have to buy the adapter separately...I’d recommend giving the iFixit guide to updating your computer a good read to see exactly what your computer needs.

[ProjectBox153]

38 minutes ago, Phil Phletcher said:

If your MacBook Pro doesn’t have a soldered SSD, take a look at Fledgling. They sell NVMe drives with adapters to fit on the MacBook motherboard, because Apple loves them proprietary parts.

I’m pretty sure you can use whatever NVMe SSD you want, but you may have to buy the adapter separately...I’d recommend giving the iFixit guide to updating your computer a good read to see exactly what your computer needs.

They don't offer adapters that fit the MBP I have. I will be buying the adapter separately though, so that's fine. 

[pilot35]

Lol, 128GB on a Macbook "Pro". Luckily it has no soldered SSD, otherwise the laptop will be nigh useless in the future.

[ProjectBox153]

6 hours ago, pilot35 said:

Lol, 128GB on a Macbook "Pro". Luckily it has no soldered SSD, otherwise the laptop will be nigh useless in the future.

Very helpful. The SSD wasn't a problem when I got the machine and isn't really a problem now. I'm just looking to upgrade because I can. Not everyone needs a lot of storage. 

[ewitte]

Careful even if it isn't soldered Mac has used its own proprietary form factor in a lot of models.  You can get after market drives designed for it though that are still way more reasonable than getting directly from Mac.  Look up OWC.

[ProjectBox153]

39 minutes ago, ewitte said:

Careful even if it isn't soldered Mac has used its own proprietary form factor in a lot of models.  You can get after market drives designed for it though that are still way more reasonable than getting directly from Mac.  Look up OWC.

Yes, the drive in my MacBook Pro does use a proprietary connector but adapters are available to allow for the installation of a standard drive. OWC doesn't sell them, but even if they did I wouldn't buy from them unless they were my only choice.