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Over time data sets multiply, applications bloat, and the goalposts change. Both 15 and 13-inch models sported dramatically higher resolution displays and a slimmer design that eschewed both a Superdrive and a spinning hard drives, instead providing a Solid State Drive (SSD) for internal storage. In 2012 Apple made a fundamental shift in the MacBook Pro line, introducing for the first time the Retina MacBook Pro series. This tutorial will walk you through the Retina MacBook Pro SSD upgrade process. For the 2015 laptop, the SSD storage is removable.Running out of space on your Retina MacBook Pro? Depending on the model, it’s possible to upgrade your internal storage with a larger SSD. Memory on the Apple Retina laptops is soldered onto the Logic Board and is not removable. Memory and storage (SSDs) are two totally different things. It is impossible to recover accidentally deleted data from an SSD after the Trash has been emptied plus an SSD can fail at any time without any warning signs (even a brand new SSD).Īlso you mentioned "memory". You should always have frequent and regular backups. I highly recommend keeping the original Apple SSD in case it is ever needed to install a system firmware update or to troubleshoot the laptop and the new SSD. After Monterey updates the laptops system firmware, then you should be able to install a third party SSD and install Monterey (in theory). If you are going to install Monterey, then keep in mind that at this time you will first need to install Monterey on this laptop while the original Apple SSD is installed internally in the laptop.
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Keep in mind that the M.2 SSD vendor will not assist you if there are problems with the SSD while it is installed in a Mac as that is an unsupported platform. My knowledge is from reading lots of posts on these forums. I have no personal experience with using a standard M.2 SSD and Sintech Adpater on a Mac.
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The Sintech adapter is the only one which seems to be reliable. If you use a standard M.2 SSD you will also need an SSD adapter. Sometimes OWC will have a used or Open Box enclosure for sale at a significantly reduced price. Very few vendors make them because there is such a small market for them. OWC Envoy Pro Enclosure is the only one I know about. Since Apple uses a proprietary SSD connector you will need to use an enclosure that has the same proprietary SSD connector.
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