970 evo mac pro

I''ve being using this set up for about two weeks on my late 2013 Mac Pro: my initiation to get it done properly is as follows:

1- Save you data to start because you'll be removing the default Apple internal SSD.

2- just make sure BEFORE swapping the SSD that with High Sierra with all Security updaters or Mojave was installed on that computer before pulling the default SSD. You are trying to get the latest firmware update into that computer.

3- I used the Simtech with the Samsung 970 NVMe placed into it. Seat it properly then only install either High Sierra or Mojave onto that Samsung. Anything earlier is not going to work. Don't even use Disk Utility to try and make it an HFS disk. Not going to do the job.

4- the 2013 Mac Pro boots, sleeps and wakes properly.

5- ASP shows as TRIM = YES. amazing

6- ASP shows link width as 4 another amazing

7- HEAT I used Intel power gadget to measure and the heat difference between the Apple default and this Samsung was one degree, This was placing stress using Handbrake on one full encode. I have not used a heat sink on the Samsung. If you read the Samsung readme found online they spout off about their superior product to control heat. I'm pretty sure heat will not be a big issue especially not using a program such a Handbrake. But if over time it does then I'll just swap in my Apple default. Keep that default around in case you need to make any other firmware update.

Good luck for me so far so good.

ps I did try this on my late 2013 rMBPRO , it took my install but remained screen black but turned on and would not boot. So I pulled it and replaced the Apple default and got it back to normal. I'm thinking that I did not pull the battery connector and that might have caused an SMC problem which I could not clear. I'm going to try it again but I'm not hung up on this one.

Thanks for your answer Smokerz it was very helpful.

As additional clarification

• Apple themselves do not sell SSDs as upgrades for existing Mac Pro 2013 models, so if you originally got 256GB then Apple will not let you buy a 512GB or 1TB drive
• The original Apple SSD uses a proprietary connector but other than that is a standard M2 PCIe SSD
• The Sintech adapter converts from the proprietary Apple connector to a standard M2 connector thereby allowing you to fit standard M2 PCIe SSD drives like the Samsung 970 Evo
• What Smokerz has shown is that the Mac Pro 2013 supports booting from an NVMe type SSD, the older classic Mac Pro models do not support booting from NVMe drives and can only boot from older AHCI SSD drives
• Samsung no longer seem to make or sell older AHCI SSD drives
• The original Apple SSD would have had a heatsink fitted to it, in general third-party SSD drives do not have heatsinks fitted to them and therefore under heavy usage in a Mac Pro 2013 might overheat, this is why Smokerz discussed using the Intel power gadget to check heat output

Ben, are you using this adapter? https://www.amazon.com/Sintech-Adapter-Upgrade-2013-2016-2013-2015/dp/B07FYY3H5F/ref=pd_bxgy_147_3/261-5856238-7470418

i have tried this adapter with Samsung 960 eco, 970 evo, Intel 660p, 760p, all work without issues. All adapters are not created equal.

Ben, before you inserted that NVMe make sure you install either High Sierra latest version or Mojave so you get firmware updater to 127.0.0.0.0 or 128.0.0.0.0

once that is done then insert the NVMe into that 2013 Mac Pro. but make sure you use the sintech adaptor -c

I decided to not continue on with this project on my late 2013 rMBPro because I was getting into too frequent of SMC reset. I believe it has to do with the link width of 4 with the Samsung 970 NVMe. The original SSD had link width of 2 and when I did swap in my SSD from my late 2013 Mac Pro even though its link width was 4 in the Mac Pro it would be a 2 in the rMBPro. My late 2013 Mac Pro does just fine with this project. Also I'm not positive but I believe that portable Mac from 2014 thru 2017 had default link width of 4. If so then this project most likely would work without issues such as I have on my late 2013 rMBPro.

Please forgive me, I've rarely checked the S.M.A.R.T status of a drive and I'm not too sure what it all means, but I cannot see anything alarming with the Sintech adaptor and a Samsung 970 evo 1tb drive in my Mac Pro 2013.

Now looking at my other drives!

The 970 evo PLUS does NOT work in the mac pro with its controller and software. I am told the evo did work although I have not tried it. The 970 pro DEFINITELY WORKS because I have tried it in my 5,1 Mac Pro, with firmware 141.0.0.0. I thought the boot time was too long however so I switched back to an AHCI ssd. The operating speed difference was nil using a single slot adapter.

Replaced all with 970 EVO's. No Kernel Panics at all. Great speeds.

Hi Tabosko,

I have just done this myself, with the Sintech adaptor I have installed a Samsung evo 970 1tb, all looking really good so far – some breathing space at last! Double the read / write speeds coming from the standard 256gb ssd.

1) Do a Time machine backup

2) Prepare a usb installer of High Sierra or above, the drive will only be visible High Sierra onwards.

3) Do the brain surgery on your mac, be carful when removing and installing the adapter to the mac pro as the connection doesn't allow for the drive to lean forward, just very small pulls upwards and avoid touching any components in your mac.

4) Place the usb installer in and power on, hold the option key down

5) If you can see the drive in disk utility, erase and format the drive to APFS format

6) Close disk utility and restore from your time machine backup

These drives are like sticks of gum, they are tiny and the connections are too, take great care with EVERYTHING you do, small movements, gently place males into female connections etc...

This is just how I did things, and obviously take no responsibility if you do any damage to your machine.

Thanks,

Al

Your report is showing no errors so you may be fine. Here is a comment from someone who bought the same heatsink as you.

I got the Samsung 960 Pro and it fits on it, so the Evo should be fine. 

To install it you "sandwitch" it: heatsink bottom, the included thermal pad, NVME drive, another thermal pad, heatsink top, and hold it together with the clips on the side (use a tweezer/screwdriver to lift the clip in place). 

Be careful how you align the heatsink, so it doesn't cover the connectors, or the screw on the other side, make sure the screw can completely reach the nvme drive and the bottom of the heatsink doesn't interfere. I got it wrong the first time I mounted it, but was pretty easy to take it off, align it carefully so the heatsink doesn't extend beyond the connectors/mounting scew and then it was a perfect fit. 

The heatsink definetely makes a difference: without it the SM960 Pro would start to reduce speed (thermal throttle) when running a benchmark, with the heatsink on it kept running at full speed without thermal throttling.

I've read and re-read this post and still can't understand exactly your plan. Testing all those NVMes is a waste of time. Either they work or don't and most likely if your firmware is good and the sun tech is correct ending in -c then the Samsungs are going to function properly. As far as cloning just try it on one machine and see if it works or what the issues are....simplify the project. I swap my Mac Pro 2013 with three different internal drives, the original SSD , an SSD from a late 2015 rMBPro and the 970 NVMe. They all work all the time. I did not try a closing or migration because I don't care for the migration. I've never had a migration which did not cause some kind of situation so I do nothing but clean installs.

The procedure of replacing the SSD was simple and I was able to install the new drive and restore from back up in less than 45 minutes. Trim support was enabled by default and it appears that the Mac is able to wake up from hibernation without any issues. One slight problem I noticed was the boot up time was really slow, the screen remains blank for nearly 15 seconds after the startup chime before the Apple logo appears. I have reset the PRAM/SMC and restarted the startup disk but still getting slower boot times than the stock SSD. When the OS loads, however, the drive operates as normal and speeds through tasks without issue.

Sorry misspelled Sintech. and make sure if you order this product that when it arrives the LABEL reads -C in its ending. Most likely will.

https://www.amazon.com/Sintech-Adapter-Upgrade-2013-2015-MacBook/dp/B01CWWAENG/r ef=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1542983566&sr=8-1&…

and read all of this has good information

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/nvme-with-st-ngff2013-c-vega-internal-gpu-m ac-pro-2013-6-1.2085886/

Bugger. My Mac Pro's kernel panics got worse, to the point where it won't even boot. Running Disk Utility in (Internet-downloaded) Recovery Mode shows that the SSD doesn't even appear in the list of attached storage devices. So, to prove that it's the SSD and not something wrong with the Mac Pro, I swapped the SSDs between my Mac Pro and my rMBP (Apple-branded, 1TB). Voila, the problem is the EVO 960 - the rMBP exhibits the same issues with that SSD installed.

The rMBP started first time and I was able to run Recovery Mode (from the SSD, not the Internet) -> Disk Utility and verify that the SSD was present - I even ran First Aid on it. But after hitting Restart, it died shortly after loading the desktop and whilst loading startup apps, etc - heavy load for a boot drive.

Using a thermocouple to measure the temperature of the flash chips on the front-side (label-side) of the SSD, I can see that the chip nearest at the board-connector end gets way hotter than the others - it climbs to a max of 56 ºC (132-133 ºF) whereas the other chips stay at around 30-ish ºC. That max temp remains even after the rMBP has crashed (flashing folder "?" icon on screen), i.e. with no load on the SSD.

The EVO 960 is undoubtedly kaput, and it appears to be temperature-related - 'proven' through the fact that Recovery Mode loads off the SSD (not the Internet) and First Aid can be run on it - but 30-60 sec of boot-up and desktop load-up is too much for it. So my working theory is that the SSD has a temperature-related fault.

The SSD is still under warranty, but as FileVault is not enabled, there's no way I'm gonna send it back to Samsung for warranty replacement - not unless I can find a way of erasing it. I'm thinking that it might be worth buying a heatsink and seeing if I can keep the SSD cool enough for long enough to wipe the SSD. Bit of a long-shot, but at least it would allow me to ship the SSD back to Samsung for replacement without risking my security. If I erase the SSD via Recovery Mode then that'll eliminate the boot-up temperature-ramp that's crashing it out.

I installed a 970 pro in a carrier without heatsink on a 5,1 mac pro and got similar messages. I moved the blade to a carrier with a heatsink and the messages disappeared. For the 6,1 however, you would need a smaller heatsink that attached to the blade. OWC have a really nifty one that also contacts the shell of the mac and radiates heat from the ssd to the outside. It came with one of their 1TB ssds. My client said how come the outside case is getting a bit warmer ? And I said don't worry, thats actually a good thing !