[SOLVED] M2.NVME PCIE 2.0 x2 compatibility

[rolanddes]

Hi guys. I have been rocking a Macbook Pro with retina display 15'' (Model: A1398 MacBookPro11,2) Mid 2014 model since its launch. I wish to upgrade it's SSD which is rather small 250 GBs to a 1GB module. (I know there is the this difference between normal m2 SSD drive pins vs. Apple proprietary pins. So I already got an adapter for this.) However there is still things that I do not get:

1- My Macbook model's slot is PCIE 2.0 x2. However almost all the new m2 SSDs are newer PCIE models. Like: 2.0 x2 or 3.0 x4. What I want to know is if all these are backwards compatible with my earlier slot version.
2- The Everymac website says that Cylinder Mac Pro's SSD blade is compatible with my macbook pro and gives faster results. I checked what kind of SSD the Cylinder Mac Pro has: PCIe 2.0 x4. So this answers my first question, right?
3- Finally, what is the difference between the 2.0 3.0 4.0 versions vs x2 x3 x4 versions. Can someone explain this to me like I am 5 years old?

PS: Please see my SSD information screenshot and relevant piece from the Everymac article.

Thanks a lot.

 

[Lutfij]

PCIe version is the standard with which the device communicates with the platform, while the lanes allow for bandwidth. x4 means you have 4 lanes allocated to the drive. The lower the lane number the lower the amount of bandwidth.

So long as you have the adapter for the slot in your MacBook I think you're good to go with any M.2 PCIe based SSD but keep in mind that the reduced lanes and PCIe version will mean that the drive will be underperforming due to them.

 

[Krotow]

Ouch!

Technically for SSD there is no difference between PCIe 2.0 and 3.0. However Apple are arrogant jerks and did anything possible to make regular NVMe SSD drive using in Apple computers impossible. They even have proprietary SSD socket not compatible with M.2 socket. You must purchase special SSD model intended for use in Apple computers then. For extra price obviously. You can get it here for example

https://eshop.macsales.com/shop/ssd/owc/macbook-pro-retina-display/2013-2014-2015

Or maybe your local computer services will have appropriate Apple compatible SSD faster.