Late 2013 Macbook Pro Super slow

I don't see any of the normal software issues which would cause any problems, but you have also omitted some sections of the EtreCheck report.

Your new SSD is very slow though. While I have seen one or two other people use a Timetec SSD on this forum, I don't recall or know anything about that brand. While the Timetec SSD is shown as an NVMe SSD it is not running at advertised speeds. Oddly, it is only running at SATA II speeds which max out at around 250MB/s. Something is really wrong here. The Etrecheck report is reporting the SSD connection at 5GT/s (or 5Gb/s which is approximately 500-700MB/s). The Timetec for Mac NVMe SSD product page shows this SSD should be capable of 1,000MB/s writes & 1,950 MB/s read speeds although on a macOS boot drive you will more often see write speeds cut in half in the EtreCheck report.

I suspect your new SSD is at fault, but the Logic Board could also be at fault. All things being equal, the SSD is usually the weakest link assuming no accidental liquid damage has occurred.

Of course, the problem could be with the Logic Board and/or the Battery. Power related issues can cause the laptop to run at slow .... even idle speeds which will cause very poor performance. There is no guarantee the SSD was ever the problem.

To help figure things out, you can try installing macOS onto an external USB3 SSD & boot from that external SSD to compare results. If booting from an external SSD is better, then the Timetec SSD is most likely at fault although the Logic Board's support circuitry for the SSD could be bad. If booting from an external USB3 SSD has the same performance issues, then most likely you have a Logic Board failure (or possibly a power/battery issue). It is best if the USB3 SSD supports UASP for optimal performance of USB3.

You can try checking to see if the CPU is being throttled. Run the following command from the Terminal app to see if the CPU is running at 800Mhz or at 2Ghz while performing tasks....viewing a YouTube video should definitely cause the CPU to run above 800Mhz. If the CPU frequency is stuck at 800Mhz, then it indicates the CPU is throttled for some reason....most likely a power related issue since you are not reporting the fans running at high speed. A power related issue can also be caused by the Logic Board, possibly the battery, or from liquid damage.

If the CPU is running above 800Mhz, it still does not mean everything is Ok since I have seen some Macs run at 2Ghz, but are extremely slow.....always has been due to some unknown Logic Board issue....most times associated with accidental liquid damage.

sudo  powermetrics  -s  smc  |  grep  -i  'system average'

This command will prompt you for your admin password. Nothing will appear on the screen as you type the password, so press the "Return" key to submit the password. This command will keep running until you press Control + C within the open Terminal window running this command.

FYI, here are instructions for posting an EtreCheck report:

How to use the Add Text Feature When Post… - Apple Community

LukasVys wrote:

I have tried to run the Terminal command, but nothing use to appear or to show on the screen. Tried to press Cmd+C as well, but nothing happened.

Sorry, I guess I got the command mixed up within another one I have used...it has been a while since I used it. Here is the proper command which I just tested on an Intel Mac:

sudo  powermetrics  |  grep  -i  'system average'

One thing to note that it's not always runs on when I press "on" button. Sometimes I would need to hold it or try 4-5 times.

You mean you don't see any signs of power? Or that you are not seeing any signs of booting?

Signs of power are hearing the startup chime, hearing fan, or see a flicker of the backlight (best to observe in a dark room, it will be a subtle effect).

Does the laptop feel warm? Best to power laptop completely off & let sit overnight so it is cold so when you press the power button once you can see whether the center area of the Bottom Case closer to the back vents feels warm. If it feels warm after sitting powered off overnight, then it is powering on with the first press of the power button. Also, check how the case feels after sitting overnight before attempting to open the lid or power it on so that you can confirm its current temperature.

Try removing the Timetec SSD and compare results since you should receive a blinking folder with question mark within a couple of minutes of pressing the power button if no other bootable volumes are present.

I've only seen a few people on this forum over the years utilizing a Timetec SSD, so I really have no clue about them. You can try checking the health of the SSD by running DriveDx (free trial period) and posting the complete text report here using the "Additional Text" icon which looks like a piece of paper on the forum editing toolbar.

Attribute #10 "Controller Busy Time" is shown to have a RAW value of 425 minutes which is about 7 hours. Your SSD has only been powered on for 20 hours. I've never seen this value with a non-zero RAW value. From DriveDX:

The SSD's temp is well within safe limits.

I've only seen a few people on this forum with the Timetec SSD. I don't recall anything specific other than they were asking for assistance.

Do you still have the original Apple SSD? If so, then it may be useful to compare results both with a DriveDx report & an EtreCheck report.

Try running the revised "powermetrics" command I posted the other day to make sure your CPU is actually running above 800Mhz (it should be in the Ghz range even doing simple tasks).

You should run the user diagnostic. it checks all the internal sensor for reasonableness, and runs the fans up and checks the fan RPM sensors during the test as well. If finds GROSS problems. But a disconnected or failed sensor IS such a problem.

Apple Diagnostics is supported for Macs from 2013 or later.

Grant Bennet-Alder wrote:

on possibility is that SSD drives, when they get hot, deliberately slow down to avoid overheating damage. the "controller Busy time Eero supports that theory.

FYI, neither DriveDx report shows excessive temps for either SSD. The reports lists the maximum SSD temps reached (for the life of the SSD, and perhaps even the current session).

The fact that the OP mentioned the laptop is only running at 800Mhz indicates the CPU is being throttled either due to a temperature sensor issue (OP did mention the fan was running at high speed) or to some sort of power related issue. The CPU frequency should be running at 1Ghz+ whenever performing even simple tasks. When the CPU frequency is showing 800Mhz, that indicates a hardware issue of some sort that is causing the CPU to run at its lowest speed (at least on the Intel Macs).

You can try disconnecting the battery, but usually on the Retina laptops the performance will drop to running the CPU at idle speeds. The fan running at high speed usually indicates a temperature sensor is not responding....it may be the one on the battery if the battery is not seen by macOS. I forget if the performance hit affects the 2013 models when the battery is disconnected (or not seen by macOS). I know it really affects the 2016+ USB-C models.

If booting macOS from an external USB3 drive had good performance, then more than likely the Timetec SSD is faulty. See if you can get a warranty exchange. Just make sure to erase the Timetec SSD so that your personal data is destroyed.

I don't see any red flags there, but HWTech is the expert on this reports.

My guess is that your SSD is just too SLOW and too hot, and possibly lacks certain expected features as well. It is also rather small for a Boot drive.

I recommend you obtain a more compatible SSD. If in the US, from OWC/Macsales

https://eshop.macsales.com/upgrades/mac-pro-12-core-late-2013-2.7-ghz/internal-drives

that one is rated 1500 M Bytes/sec. it works DIRECTLY in the special MacPro 2013 slot, No adapter required.

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that drive performance is still 8x better than a rotating magnetic drive. ** not very good. is there a cable involved> did you replace the cable when you installed the drive?

what are you running that calls in webKit networking but does not also show a Browser in the top CPU items?

If you are only seeing 800Mhz when initiating other tasks such as launching an app, then your laptop has some sort of hardware issue.

Usually the fan runs at high speed whenever a temperature sensor is not responding correctly. You can try running the Apple Diagnostics to see what errors it may report (use the original Apple OEM SSD internally). The diagnostics don't really give good error codes for narrowing down the issue these days).

More than likely the Logic Board has a hardware fault, but cannot say for sure since the MBAir does have an I/O Board & I/O Cable which could possibly cause problems. It is probably time to retire this laptop since it is 10 years old.

the drive you have installed now is worse performance that the other one.

on possibility is that SSD drives, when they get hot, deliberately slow down to avoid overheating damage. the "controller Busy time Eero supports that theory.

Some aftermarket SSD drives come with an additional heatsink, which can help the drive run cooler and stay fast. That MIGHT help your Mac run cooler and not throttle down as often.