Install macOS with WD_Black SN750 NVMe !

[kenwsf]

Dear all Users​

Hi, I am currently using SSD for my macOS build and boot.
I wish to upgrade to use Western Digital WD_BLACK 500GB SN750 NVMe - as this listed in the buying guide.
Due to the SN750 NVMe read speed and download speed is very faster than normal SSD.

And my motherboard is able to support for PCIe Gen3 M.2 Connector with up to 32Gb/s Data Transfer (PCIe NVMe ),
So I'd like to know that is the installation steps for WD_Black SN750 NVMe same as normal SSD?

Is it good to use NVMe or better use SSD for macOS install to boot?
Any suggestion?

 

[Edhawk]

The WD SN750 is not a good choice for macOS.

There are other better supported WD NVME drives, including the cheaper SN570 card, which would work just fine with your Skylake system.

 

[kenwsf]

The WD SN750 is not a good choice for macOS.

There are other better supported WD NVME drives, including the cheaper SN570 card, which would work just fine with your Skylake system.

@Edhawk
Thank for your info and so Lucky I've read your post.
This is reason why I'm written this post for asking yours all help.

I tot the WD_SN750 Black NVME is best choice as the Tonymacx86 buying guide recommended.

Yes, my macOS build is Skylake, the motherboard only support PCIe NVMe Gen3 x4 M.2 with 32GB/s Transfer.

Can you please info me which NVMe drive will be the best for my build beside WD SN570?
I would just get 500GB.
Please recommend so I have option to buy without wasting money.

 

[Edhawk]

A Crucial P3 drive would have a similar specification to the WD SN570 drive. I use a both of these drives in older Haswell and Skylake systems, with no issues.

Crucial P3 NVMe SSD -

With NVMe™ performance that’s nearly 5x faster than SATA and storage capacities up to 4TB, the Crucial P3 SSD leaves older storage technology in the dust.

uk.crucial.com

i would confirm my preference is for the WD SN570 drive, but for no logical reason.

 

[Jamesbond007]

The WD SN750 is not a good choice for macOS.

There are other better supported WD NVME drives, including the cheaper SN570 card, which would work just fine with your Skylake system.

Not a good choice? May be I am dumb, but is there something wrong with the SN750? Does it have problems when used as a boot drive with MacOS Monterey or Ventura?

If not, I don't see why it is not a good choice. I bought one some time ago and plan to test it on my Z390 system when I have time later.

 

[kenwsf]

A Crucial P3 drive would have a similar specification to the WD SN570 drive. I use a both of these drives in older Haswell and Skylake systems, with no issues.

Crucial P3 NVMe SSD -

With NVMe™ performance that’s nearly 5x faster than SATA and storage capacities up to 4TB, the Crucial P3 SSD leaves older storage technology in the dust.

uk.crucial.com

i would confirm my preference is for the WD SN570 drive, but for no logical reason.

@Edhawk
Thanks for your update info.
May I know how many GB you use for your macOS ?
Crucial P3 - 500GB / 1TB
WD SN570 - 500GB / 1TB
Which one NVMe you use for Skylake ?

And need any extra kext or extra boot-arg add-on for OC config.plist?

 

[kenwsf]

@

Not a good choice? May be I am dumb, but is there something wrong with the SN750? Does it have problems when used as a boot drive with MacOS Monterey or Ventura?

If not, I don't see why it is not a good choice. I bought one some time ago and plan to test it on my Z390 system when I have time later.

@Jamesbond007
Please share the build for WD SN750.

 

[Edhawk]

The SN750 uses a Phison controller, which are known to be troublesome when running macOS.

The other WD SN570, 770 etc. Drives use a Western Digital NVME controller, which works (better) with macOS. Have a read of this guide by @trs96 regarding NVME drives for use as a macOS boot drive.

Choosing a Compatible NVMe SSD for your macOS Boot Drive

Introduction to NVMe Choices If you have any previous hackintosh experience, you'll know that a limited number of hardware components have native support in macOS. You can't buy just any graphics card and expect it to work. Only certain Broadcom models of Wifi/BT cards have native support etc...

www.tonymacx86.com

 

[trs96]

The SN750 uses a Phison controller

Only the SE version. WD stupidly called the Phison controller version, SN750 SE, when their regular SN750 uses the standard WD proprietary controller. They like to create confusion or think it just doesn't matter to end users.

Here's the gist of the situation. The SN770 (Gen 4) replaced the older SN750 (Gen 3). They could have left it at that to avoid confusing customers. After that they released the Gen 4 SN750 SE with a Phison controller to cut costs. Most people think of SE as second edition even though it's not a newer version of the SN750. It was a mistake in WDs naming of the drive. The SE version only goes up to 1TB in capacity, it reads and writes much slower than the Gen 4 SN770. Not sure why it even exists really. It's only very slightly faster than the original SN750. Much like a Gen 3 drive.

SN750 SE

 

[Edhawk]

@trs96 thanks for the correction. I didn't realise there were two versions of the SN750.

So it is only the SE version of the SN750 that is going to behave poorly as a macOS boot drive.