I currently have a mid-2015 Macbook Pro with 251 flash storage. I would like to upgrade to 1 TB SSD to buy some time until the next generation of Apple Silicon is available. I contacted Apple Support by phone and was told that it is not upgradable, my only option would be to buy additional iCloud storage. I checked the OWC website and found an upgrade kit for only $267 that looks like it would work. I have never done this before but am willing to give it a shot. Any thoughts, helpful suggestions, or shouldn’t I attempt this? Your input would be most appreciated.
First resolve the discrepancy in what is reported. Either the internal HD can be swapped out or it cannot be swapped out. Until you have a definitive answer on this, you should not proceed. Perhaps Apple really means, it cannot be upgraded without voiding the warranty (whatever is left) or because we no longer provide that service (but it may be possible to do through a third party such as OWC).
I’ve had no major problems to swap out internal hard drives (and RAM) on my MBPs over two different vintages. The OWC site has DIY videos that explain nicely exactly what to do. Use the right tools and take your time, especially to remove the screws on the back plate of your MBP (you do not want to strip these screws). While you are inside, you can clean out the dust and dirt that has likely accumulated on the vents. Some folks also take the time to re-do the heat sink paste (if you are so inclined).
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JJW
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I replaced the storage on a couple of, I think 2013, MacBook Pros. Read the How To a few times, then take your time, have the right tools and keep up with your screws, and you should be OK.
@DrJJWMac brings up an important point. Make sure your MBP and the new storage is compatible. The actual work requires care but doesn’t require much disassembly.
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Thanks JJW. I suspect Apple really meant we would rather you purchase additional storage each month. Device has been out of warranty for some time so that is not an issue. Will follow your advice.
Char
Thanks WayneG. Will double check everything before deciding to proceed. The iFixit link you provided looks like it is a doable replacement, as long as everything else checks out.
Char
This may be a little more information than you bargained for but here is a thread with 368 pages about people doing this.
Here is an 8 page extract of Aura comments specifically.
Basically, it’s possible and perfectly easy. Genuine Apple drives are the best if you can get your hands on one. They use more reliable memory chips than most consumer drives (MLC instead of TLC) and stability is a guarantee. I’ve personally swapped at least a dozen between different MacBooks, even MacBook Air to MacBook Pro and vice versa. Don’t go for Apple drives earlier than 2015, though. They are much slower. In 2015 Apple upgraded the speed of their drives significantly.
For aftermarket, OWC Aura is a decent choice since it has an Apple connector out of the box. That is theoretically one less failure point than a generic M.2 drive with an adapter, which is what most upgraders do. But a few people have experienced stability hiccups Aura and otherwise so back everything up. And, it may reduce your battery life a bit due to increased idle power consumption, unless you’re willing to do some kext hacking. Every so often in that big thread there are round-ups of the best current drives for speed and power consumption.
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I didn’t have good luck with OWC’s upgrade for the 2015 MBP I had. Returning for a refund was painless. At the time they were about $600.
After that, I tried a Fledgling Feather. I had some kernel panics and decided I couldn’t use it. After reporting my results here on the forum, they reached out and sent me a second generation drive which worked fine until I removed it to trade in the laptop back in January.
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I can second the experience from @JohnAtl about the Fledgling Feather drives. Mine were a bit flakey at first. I went through a set of terminal-level commands to reset them and all was well. They were quite fast.
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JJW
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If you go this route with OWC you might want to see if you can find someone who has successfully used the specific product you’re considering in your specific MBP model. I’ve had incompatibility issues and OWC was not helpful.
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Rather then upgrading the internal SSD consider upgrading your iCloud storage and utilize iCloud Drive.
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Wow - you have all given me so much to think about. Maybe changing out the SSD isn’t the way to go. So now I will consider buying additional iCloud storage (really don’t want to do this), purchasing an M1 Mac mini, or M1 iMac. The laptops are not an option for me due to my poor eyesight - 13" screen is not large enough
In January, I traded my 2015 MBP in on an M1 MBP and got $570 for it. I was really surprised.
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@Char there is one more option that may be of interest to you. You could buy an external 1TB SSD and use it to tide you over until you upgrade. This option may be less appealing if you need a really portable laptop (there is always the option of attaching the SSD to the laptop). However, it’s cheaper and easier than purchasing internal storage and you can keep it when you upgrade.
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You got that much for a 2015?! Where did you trade it in?
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To Apple themselves.
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It would be inconvenient if you need portability.
It sounds like you would really be happiest with an internal drive update. I’ve upgraded internal drives when it was the best option for me, even if the economics didn’t make sense. After all, a computer is a tool, so it should work for you.
I haven’t replaced an internal drive in a 2015 MBP, so I have no model specific advice. I did a very cursory Google search as I was curious about the difficulty/limitations of replacing a 2015 MBP drive. iFixit rates it easy and EveryMac.com appears to have very helpful information on SSD compatibility, suggesting an internal hard drive replacement is very doable.
Fledgling has a nice sidecar style drive that’s better than taping something to your laptop.
(Haven’t used it personally)
I’ve got a 13" early 2015 MBP. Just did the PowerOn estimate and they offered $280. It needs a new battery, but I haven’t gotten a new one because my wife’s needed it daily for work. She’s not one to complain, but I know it’s being throttled due to the battery. I’m sure she wouldn’t mind an M1 Air, and she can use my M1 MBP in the meantime.
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