NVMe drives are the future compared to AHCI PCIe drives which are no longer made.Īs of 2020 NVMe drives gives you unbeatable capacities, speed, and low prices.Īnd also, upgrading an old computer with a NVMe drive is always better for you and the planet than buying a new one. This guide is all about installing those new NVMe SSD replacements. So, now we can upgrade many 2013-2017 MacBook laptops with brand new, cheap NVMe SSDs carrying 3 to 5-years warranty, instead of expensive, used, out of warranty, AHCI SSDs. Thankfully, in 2017, macOS 10.13 (High Sierra) came out and it was discovered that it not only supported any tiers NVMe SSD but it also brought BootRom upgrades which enabled booting with NVMe SSD. support at the BootRom (firmware) level.To gain full NVMe support you need two things : PCIe M.2 AHCI SSD are no longer made : you can't buy new ones, and used ones are expensive with low capacity and no warranty.Īt the same time, NVMe 'blades' M.2 SSD are going more on more mainstream on the PC market, and there are literally dozens of brand new, cheap, super fast and reliable NVMe SSD on the market, with enormous capacities up to 4TB. go the DIY solutions buying a M.2 AHCI SSD with an adapter e.g.replace with expensive SSDs from OWC (Aura Pro, Aura Pro 2) or Transcend (820, 850).

replace with expensive used SSDs pulled from Apple laptops.

They had either 2x PCIe 2.0 Lanes (2013) or 4x PCIe lanes, and were made by Toshiba or Samsung (SSUAX or SSUBX)įor many years the only possible replacements or upgrades for those SSD were to : Between 2013-2017, Apple shipped laptops equipped with proprietary, AHCI 'blade' SSDs with a proprietary 'gumstick connector' (12+16 pins).

Macbook air 2013 storage