Binary Badger posted:

So according to this MacRumors thread, it appears that updated firmware provided by upgrading to High Sierra brings better support for M.2 NVMe drives for use on older model rMBPs, most notably Late 2013 to Early 2015 models, both 13 and 15-inch.

Basically, with a $10 adapter, some Kapton or other electrical shielding tape, and a modern M.2 SSD, you can finally upgrade your older rMBP's SSD with a NEW one, not old, used, or refurbished without having to pay ridiculous sums for pulls out of old laptops on eBay.

Other pros include faster speeds depending on what you're upgrading from.

Cons include slightly less battery life, potential instability depending on parts, loss of deep sleep mode / hibernation. Doesn't look like anyone's tested full disk encryption / FileVault yet. And of course absolutely no support on Apple's part.

Upgrades can cost as little as $200 for 500 GB, $289 for 1 TB.

Looks like choices are limited to SM961s, Samsung 960 EVO/Pros, WD Black, Kingston and Intel 600p M.2s as those are the only ones tested / suggested so far.

Binary Badger posted:

Rather than point to the MacRumors thread that discusses this and tell you to read all 20 pages until you go insane, here's a quick and dirty guide to upgrading an rMBP Late 2013-Early 2015 with a third party M.2 2280 SSD:

1- Buy the adapter mentioned in my post, pick out an NVMe drive of the preferred size and buy that too

Makes known to work: Kingston M.2 HyperX Predator 240/480/960, Samsung SM 951 256/512 AHCI (good luck finding these for a decent price, they're among the most compatible SSDs but since they work in Mac Pros and Samsung doesn't make them anymore they're like loving gold,) Samsung 960 EVO, WD Black 512GB M.2 2280

2- Make sure you are updated to High Sierra, prepare a bootable USB HS install drive

High Sierra upgrades the BootROM so that it supports NVMe drives.

3- Pick up a T5 Torx and a pentalobe P4 to open up the laptop (or buy this kit which contains the adapter and both screwdrivers needed to disassemble late 2013 - Early 2015 rMBPs.)

4- open up laptop, use pentalobe to remove bottom case, use T5 to remove old SSD

5- Install adapter, then install SSD in adapter, then use T5 screw you took out to secure SSD

6- Close laptop, boot up HS Installer from USB, run Disk Utility, view all disks (SSD won't be visible at first), quit, run Disk Utility again, (SSD will appear this time) format SSD as desired; use HFS+ for compatibility, APFS for speed

The newer the OS, the more features Apple removes from Disk Utility.. sigh.

7- Either install fresh new system and use Migration Assistant to bring files and apps over, or clone over image from old drive

8- Enjoy new SSD that costs way the gently caress less than one from Apple

Will touch this up a bit over time.. neither me, MacRumors, nor SA assumes any responsibility for any damages from performing this procedure, good luck, etc.

brap posted:

It's a pain in the rear end that Apple thinks they're above just putting some high-end consumer hardware in a box and shipping it. Seems like there was nothing wrong with the pre-2013 Mac Pro design-wise.

Hell, I wish Apple had a powerful laptop with up to date hardware that wasn't plagued by one of those stupid loving touch bars. Every developer at my office who uses a Mac is sticking with their 2015 models.

Proteus Jones posted:

I just want my Minority Report style projected interactive displays with gesture controls and haptic feedback.

Binary Badger posted:

Like ratbert90 says, they're replaceable.

However, Apple's prices for the SSDs pretty much border on the ridiculous, as I'm sure you'll find out.

But if you are adventurous, there is this $18 option..

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01CWWAENG/

Simply put, this will allow you to use off-the-shelf M.2 SSD's in the rMBP 2013-2015. The only requirement is that you previously upgraded your machine to High Sierra.. the best SSDs to use are the EVO / Pro 960s and Toshiba XG4 at the moment..

You'll need HS on a bootable USB stick to wipe the drive with Disk Utility, after that you could install a fresh system or clone over your old drive with the appropriate equipment.

BobHoward posted:

Buy a decent USB DAC. Do not listen to people who claim "OMG YOU MUST USE SP/DIF AND/OR OPTICAL", it's bullshit, a well designed USB DAC is fine. To figure out which USB DACs are fine, I recommend Audio Science Review. (A theme there seems to be that Topping DACs perform very well, are well-built, and are cheap.)

https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/master-index-for-audio-hardware-reviews.2079/

Also lol don't do vinyl unless it's for reasons like "I enjoy finding and playing cool old records" rather than being one of the crazy people who think it's better than digital.

DEUCE SLUICE posted:

Vinyl is fun! I have a pretty small vinyl collection and a basic turntable, and I'll buy an album on vinyl if it's something I really really love. I don't give a poo poo about any audiophile reasons for vinyl, but I like it as a counterbalance to having Apple Music and being able to instantly listen to any song ever recorded wherever I am (and also to maintain the last little bit of owning music in a subscription world.) The slowing down of the process and physicality of it is nice sometimes.

landgrabber posted:

got any sevens posted:

As if storing things online is secure

Crunchy Black posted:

If it shut down without you manually powering it down as quickly as possible I'd say you're quite hosed.

Tayter Swift posted:

I think forums user "skull mask mcgee" back there may disagree.

skull mask mcgee posted:

So, I just spilled wine on my 2015 MBP. It shut down within a few seconds. Is it at all salvageable or am I as hosed as I assume I am?

nelson posted:

The discounts are just for the base version I thought. Anyway if it’s important you may just want to wait for the M2. It’s supposed to come out within a month or so.

Mercurius posted:

Having used a few different configurations of the 14" Pro through work I'll honestly be surprised if you can tell the difference between the core counts on the M1 Pro. CPU/GPU wise the actual upgrade is going from Pro to Max as the Max can go quite a bit harder GPU wise and supports an extra display but also uses a bit more battery as a tradeoff.

Memory and Storage upgrades are honestly both going to be a lot more impactful if you actually need them.

nelson posted:

Amazon was selling a selection of the MacBook Pros for $400 less than full price. I ordered a 16” for $2099, normal price is $2499.

Hasturtium posted:

Isn’t it loving stupid? The trackpad is responsive but feels like crap and is hyper-sensitive - I literally can’t type unless I put my fingers way above it like a 1930s movie monster sneaking up on a victim, or my palm will brush it and suddenly I’m typing on a totally different line or window. How the hell can they expect three grand plus for these machines and still get so much of the fit and finish wrong?

And, again, the power issues. Why the gently caress is it that I put the laptop to sleep, wait a few seconds to ensure it really is asleep, then unplug it from the dock, toss it into my bag, and hear the Windows “I’m up and ready to work” chime? By the time I drive a half hour to get home and set it back in the cradle for my dock there it’s eaten a noticeable amount of battery life doing nothing but heating the insides of my laptop bag. What the hell is this poo poo? I used PC laptops a decade ago that could reliably go to sleep, why is this a challenge now?