Replacing SSD in mid-2014 MacBook Pro

Question

So I bought a mid 2014 MacBook Pro apparently JUST BEFORE the early 2015 one was discreetly released. From what I've read so far the EARLY (not the new one) 2015 Mac can be upgraded easily, but mid 2014 is out of luck. Am I wrong? Is there any way I can get more than my horrible 128GB of storage? I am trying to do After Effects and other intensive tasks with 0-8 GB of available storage (it fluctuates a lot for no apparent reason). I really want more storage as it is essential for school. And yes I have external drives for storing large files, but I definitely need more room for my software to have some breathing room.

Solution 1

According to this: https://discussions.apple.com/thread/6527754?start=0&tstart=0

MacBook Pro's haven't had a standard mSATA connection since 2013. This likely being the "easy upgrade" you mentioned. I can personally confirm this info since I've worked on several dozen (retail returned) MacBooks over the past year and a half. The recent ones don't have the "easy" mSATA upgrade.

mSATA's are incredibly universal and on par with the standard SSD pricing. Many ultrabooks use this connection and you can easily buy adapters for regular laptops.

We are talking about an Apple product though and it goes without saying that nothing is going to be standard or easy. That being said, a simple answer to your question is, no. The only way to upgrade your MacBook (or more recent ones) is to buy an uncommon PCIe x2 SSD. Which means it's going to be more expensive off the bat since it's not in "high" demand and even more so since the seller probably knows it's intended for a MacBook.

I recommend checking out Transcend's JetDrive since it's a comparable price to the ifixit link. (it's not out of stock, btw.) Except you get a couple extra goodies like an USB 3.0 enclosure for the drive you replace, tools, replacement guide, screws, rubber feet, etc... Most importantly, it looks like they offer a scan to confirm the proper upgrade for your specific model.

Here's the direct Amazon Store that Transcend forwards you to in the link above.

Solution 2

There are 512GB and even 1TB SSDs for the late 2013 and mid 2014 MBP on ebay and the upgrade is easy, provided you are able to do a fresh install of OSx from USB or over the net. It´s difficult to get a good price though.

Now there are at least one chinese 3d party solution from Shenzhen Nuofang with 512GB drives for the MBP model A1502. They seem to use samsung ssd cards with some kind of custom made interface to fit the apple pcie connector. Ships with yosemite pre-installed. Speeds at least over 800 mb/s according to their screenshots. See link:

http://stores.ebay.com/Shenzhen-nuofang?_dmd=2&_nkw=ssd+a1502

Solution 3

Buy a "Nifty miniDrive" adapter (or analogue, there exist several) + microSD card of suitable size and speed for you.

Consider Sandisk (has 200gb card - maximum at the moment), Samsung (faster 128gb cards), Lexar (fastest 64gb cards) cards.

Solution 4

According to http://arstechnica.com/civis/viewtopic.php?t=1262461 and http://blog.macsales.com/25878-owc-gets-1200mbs-from-ssd-in-2014-macbook-pro-with-retina-display, OWC was supposed to come out with SSDs for the mid-2014 Macbook in Q2 of 2015. As of today, they still haven't. Check out the comments on the Macsales page (linked above).

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Comments

[Ramhound]

Follow the instructions already provided to you. There are solutions that exist. That particular drive does not appear to support the 2014 model but I am sure they do exist

[Connor]

Except for the fact that is not a solution... The only reason i'm here is I've already looked everywhere else.

[Admin]

@Connor. Ramhound's comment is actually a solution. He does actually answer your initial question. that it's not an easy upgrade. It's actually surprising you get any results/solutions considering the fact that you never actually mention basic information like your model number.

[MonkeyZeus]

Is there anything wrong with using an external HDD as a scratch disk or w/e After Effects calls it? using your SSD as a scratch disk will likely shorten it's lifespan significantly.

[Connor]

transcend is only for the 2013 and 2012

[Connor]

it gives me this after using their "quick finder" tool transcend-info.com/support/Compatibility/60344 so yeah none of their ssds are compatible

[Admin]

By compatible you mean they don't offer one's as big as you want them? Either way, You're questions been answered. My parting words; Don't buy a Mac and expect hardware, repairs, or upgrades to be inexpensive/universal. Additionally, strongly reconsider personal usage if JUST your software takes up 110+GB of data, as you claim. Going forward, if you expect to be able to use a computer for ~more complicated tasks like Video Editting, perhaps you should become more understanding of how much HDD space your going to use and need when making a $1000+ purchase.

[Craig Tullis]

No, by compatible he means that they don't work. Apple used PCIe SSD's for the mid-2014 MacBooks, but they fiddled with the electrical interface so that they aren't standard. The kits from Transcend are for older MacBooks, and as far as I know they finally gave up on making a kit that works with the mid-2014 MacBooks.

[Ramhound]

The seller you suggest, already suggested, a year ago. Since you provided links, but failed to include all the relevant information like you should within the answer itself, I fail to see how this answer adds anything the other answer doesn't already offer.