Can I update the 2017 MacBook Pro 15" SSD?

Hey JSCX5,

It is impossible to upgrade the MacBook Pro 2017 afterwards. I´m using the MBP2017 13" with 512 GB, 3.5 Ghz and 512 GB. I also have to edit videos and have to do some stuff for School and I´m programming in Swift, Java and C++. 512 GB is enough for all of it. Just offload unimportant data like old videos or old projects and use the iCloud and a NAS or external HDD/SSD to store the old data which you don´t use. This way you have enough space for all! And it is much more cheaper and more scalable if you are planning to cut many videos.

Greetings,

Karim

Csound1 wrote:

It is.

Yep. Basically what they've managed to do is shrink the SSD to two NAND flash chips on either side. It would be one thing to replace the chips. It would be another to reprogram the firmware to make it behave like there's a new SSD ready to be formatted. And increasing the capacity? Good luck with that.

incanter wrote:

Not the original poster, but... OWC SSDs are not recognized as such by Apple and APFS could not be restored from TimeMachine backups to the "rotational" target. Not necessarily OWS's fault, but not a recommended upgrade any more.

OWC doesn't have anything for a 2017 MacBook Pro, and despite one earlier claim I don't believe a 2017 MBP (of any size/type) has a removable SSD.

Kémaël wrote:

I don't mean to start a debate but does that mean that Apple replaces the entire motherboard in order to fix a bad SSD or RAM?

Yes. Or alternatively replace the entire device with a new or refurbished one, and send the old device back to the manufacturer for refurbishing. Apple's contract manufacturers have workers who are very good at it.

That's kind of the way it is with modern BGA assembly. It's not easy to remove all those packages and place new ones in there, or even to fix a bad solder joint. It's almost impossible to probe (without test headers) a BGA package since the solder balls are hidden. There are services that say they'll do it, but I'd be skeptical that they could do it without returning it in nonworking pieces. If a technician could isolate a broken solder connection, it might be possible to "re-ball" the package and reinstall. But that's a big if. During manufacturing they almost never bother to try and repair a board that fails testing. Scrapping an entire board is just considered a manufacturing cost.

Not the original poster, but... OWC SSDs are not recognized as such by Apple and APFS could not be restored from TimeMachine backups to the "rotational" target. Not necessarily OWS's fault, but not a recommended upgrade any more.

jalber1 wrote:

This is a total disgrace and yet another sign of self-defeating corporate greed. Want a 2TB hard drive in your Macbook? Either pay £4,000 for a new computer (£4,000!!!!! and you're not able to replace the hard drive or CD drive if they give out, since everything is soldered in). Or keep going with your 2011 Macbook and install a new hard drive in it. Not only does this tarnish Apple's reputation, but they're losing revenue. If their products were priced correctly, I'd be more than happy to upgrade to a new Macbook

Worst case scenario is that if the internal SSD is damaged that one can still operate off of an external boot drive. With an external SSD and Thunderbolt it can be pretty fast. I remember there was a topic where someone was OK with it compared to the cost of a new logic board.

It's certainly a design decision, but not one that doesn't have certain advantages when it comes to physical compactness and reliability.

Most people don't really need a 2 TB internal drive. Many make do with a smaller drive and with an inexpensive external hard drive for the bulky data like video that doesn't really need to be that fast.

You could consider getting a very small SSD "stick" in a tiny bus-powered enclosure, and taping it to the lid or the side somewhere. This one is 0.4 in thick, by 2-in by 4.5In. 0GB for US$100:

OWC Envoy Pro - SSD Enclosure for 2013-Current Macs

Unless you have the equipment and knowhow to flow solder I would strongly advise against any do it yourself attempts to replace them.

OWC is an excellent company with a great reputation. Their extensive tear down video library is a godsend allowing many of us to do advanced upgrades with confidence. Their DataDoubler brackets for Minis and iMacs are ingenious.

SFCityHost wrote:

OWC is an excellent company with a great reputation. Their extensive tear down video library is a godsend allowing many of us to do advanced upgrades with confidence. Their DataDoubler brackets for Minis and iMacs are ingenious.

I don't know if they actually design much other than perhaps give specifications to a manufacturer. The Data Doubler isn't much different than the OptiBay or any number of different generic slimline optical drive to 2.5" SATA drive caddies. It's just a caddy with a passive slimline-SATA to 2.5" SATA adapter.

These aren't my listings, but just an example (some under $3)

New Universal Caddy SATA 2nd HDD SSD Hard Drive CD DVD ROM Optical Bay Adapter | eBay

Not that I don't agree that OWC provides excellent service. However, I'm not sure how they're going to move ahead given that there are so few upgrades that can be applied to the latest Macs.

That is an interesting query.

If you have any of those, OR a problem with Wi-Fi (which is no longer on a separate card either), then the only option is to replace the entire motherboard.

An interesting side effect is that Apple's total cost of inventory for spares for this model may not be strongly different from previous models. Yes the part required is more expensive, but you can use that one part to cover many more problems. A mainboard problem, a RAM problem, an SSD problem, or a Wi-Fi problem can all be covered with the same spare part.

send the old device back to the manufacturer for refurbishing. Apple's contract manufacturers have workers who are very good at it.

Interesting. When did Apple change policy and no longer refurbish themselves (in California)?

Thanks for the Answer. was about to buy one (Special deal) but only has 256Gb SSD. So if it can't be upgraded I guess it is a nogo for me. Unless Apple has an upgrade Service for the SSD. I still can't wrap my head around why it is not exchangeable. Ram and SSD are the most likely components to break down. So in this respect Apple needs to listen more to the customer needs, as Mr. Cook recently said in an Interview. Hope to see this in future Equipment again.

There are two competing forces at work here. One is Reliability, the other is Serviceability.

Reliabilty suggests you solder everything, because sockets are not very reliable when you can put a multi-G forces on your MacBook just by moving it around "normally".

Serviceability requires that the components, RAM DIMMs and SSD drives must have attained a certain level of innate reliability, such that the likelihood of having to replace them is so low, they could be considered essentially permanent. RAMs have finally gotten to that point, and Apple has decided that the SSD components they are using have reached that level as well.

The good news is that Apple is using components that are so solid, they will never need replacement (over a large sample).

OWC SSDs are not recognized as such by Apple and APFS could not be restored from TimeMachine backups to the "rotational" target.

No idea what you mean with "not recognized". I have/had OWC SSDs in all of my MBP's and haven't had a problem at all. Clearly you appear to have a problem with OWC - just not sure what that might be.