Chosen Solution
Not sure what is the best SSD that compatible with my old 13” MacBook in 2020. Would Samsung 970 EVO/PRO be compatible with this system? I was using Transcend 480GB JetDrive 720 when I upgraded this Mac back to 2013, but now in 2020 its a little bit slow and would like to see if there’s a better option. Also, is the memory replaceable? if so what’s the best option out there?
The NVMe SSDs like the 970 EVO or PRO will not work on this MacBook as this series uses an mSATA interface and not a PCIe interface like the 2013 and newer ones do. I know that the SATA m.2 / mSATA SSD adapters with a SATA based SSD will work but is not recommended on here. The options are to either get a Samsung or Toshiba original SSD. Problem is they are generally low in capacity like 128GB on this model so some may go the adapter method instead. I have not reported any major yet using SATA based SSD adapters. Only the ones I’ve seen problems with. One downside of using third party SSDs is that TRIM is disabled by default which can cause performance problems over time. The memory (RAM) is not replaceable on these MacBooks. From 2012 and later starting from the retinas they started soldering the memory chips onto the logic board making them not replaceable.
