MacBook Pro 15" Retina Upgrades

This page covers all the upgrades we sell for the MacBook Pro with Retina display 15". made between 2012 and the present. Choose the type of upgrade you are looking for from the tabs below. (Not the right Mac? See here for more MacBooks and MacBook Pros, or here for all Macs.)

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If you want specific upgrades for your exact model, choose it from the Model ID links below, or enter your serial number here:


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History

The MacBook Pro 15" with Retina display was introduced in June 2012. Its groundbreaking feature was its high-resolution 2880x1800-pixel "Retina" display. It also added a second Thunderbolt port, HDMI and USB 3.0. However it lost its DVD drive, along with ethernet and FireWire 800 ports (Thunderbolt adaptors for ethernet and FireWire 800 were sold separately).

It is much less upgradeable than previous models, with RAM being soldered onto the board and non-replaceable, the battery glued in place, and the SSD drive, while being upgradeable, is of a non-standard type. The case is put together with pentalobe screws.

The first, mid 2012, revision of the MacBook Pro 15" Retina was released in a 2.3GHz, 2.6GHz and a BTO option of 2.7GHz quad core Intel Core i7 CPU. RAM options were either 8GB or 16GB of 1600MHz DDR3 memory and there were 256GB, 512GB and 768GB SSD options. Apple specs here.

The line was refreshed in February 2013 with a 2.4GHz (BTO 2.7GHz option) and 2.7GHz (BTO 2.8GHz option) variants. Apple specs here.

New models were released in July 2014, with very little differences to the previous models beyond slight differences in CPU speeds - 2.2, 2.5 and 2.8GHz i7 models. Apple specs here.

In Late 2016 a new revision came with the new Touch Bar. These models have both soldered in RAM, and a soldered SSD, making them completely non-upgradeable.

How to Identify these Machines

The main distinguising feature between the MacBook Pro 15" with Retina display, and the MacBook Pro 15" Unibody is its very high-resolution display. It also has no optical (DVD) drive, no FireWire port and no ethernet port.

The machine is similar to the MacBook Pro 13" Retina with the screen size being the main difference.

Memory Upgrades

Memory is soldered onto the logic board in these machines, and cannot be upgraded after purchase.

We do not have RAM available for these Macs.

CD/DVD/Blu-ray Drive Upgrades

There is no internal DVD drive in the MacBook Pro 15" Retina, to use optical disks it requires an external device.

External USB 2.0 CD/DVD-RW Drive - Bus PoweredStock: Available£29.00 + vat (£34.80)

Any fitting information below is intended as a guide before purchase ONLY, when fitting these products you should refer to the original manual for your computer, and any instructions that come with the item. Please see this page for more information, or here for information on our fitting service.

Internal Hard Drive & SSD Upgrades

The MacBook Pro 15" Retina's SSD drive is a non-standard part, rather than the 2.5" SATA drive used on previous MacBook Pros. There are different parts available depending on the age of the machine. They come with USB 3.0 enclosures for the removed Apple SSD - allowing easy data transfer and leaving you with a handy (and blazingly quick) external SSD.

The Late 2016 (Touch Bar) models have a soldered in SSD and cannot take upgrades.

If you don't want to fit a new hard drive yourself, you can take advantage of the MacUpgrades Installation Service. Add the installation service from the list below to your cart along with your chosen hard drive. We can also clone your existing hard drive onto the new one, simply add the Clone Original Hard Drive service below to your cart.

Once you have booked the service, send your machine to us, we will carry out the work and return it to you. Alternatively, we do offer a Collection Service with our courier, please see here for details.

Installation Services

INSTALL SERVICE - Internal Drive in a MacBook/MacBook ProStock: Available£29.00 + vat (£34.80)
INSTALL SERVICE - Clone Original Internal DriveStock: Available£25.00 + vat (£30.00)
INSTALL SERVICE - Fit Customer Supplied PartStock: Available£17.50 + vat (£21.00)

SSDs for 2012 and Early 2013 MacBook Pro Retinas

OWC 240GB Aura Pro for MacBook Pro Retina L12/E13 with Envoy EnclosureStock: Special Order£121.37 + vat (£145.64)1
OWC 480GB Aura Pro for MacBook Pro Retina L12/E13 with Envoy EnclosureStock: Available£153.11 + vat (£183.73)1
OWC 960GB Aura Pro for MacBook Pro Retina L12/E13 with Envoy EnclosureStock: Available£234.35 + vat (£281.22)1
OWC 2TB Aura Pro for MacBook Pro Retina L12/E13 with Envoy EnclosureStock: Special Order£375.52 + vat (£450.62)1

SSDs for Late 2013 and later MacBook Pro Retinas

OWC 240GB Aura Pro X2 SSD and Enclosure (Req. High Sierra) for MacBook Air 2013 - 2017 and MacBook Pro Retina Mid 2013 - 2015Stock: Available£158.22 + vat (£189.86)2
OWC 480GB Aura Pro X2 SSD and Enclosure (Req. High Sierra) for MacBook Air 2013 - 2017 and MacBook Pro Retina Mid 2013 - 2015Stock: Available£193.58 + vat (£232.30)2
OWC 960GB Aura Pro X2 SSD and Enclosure (Req. High Sierra) for MacBook Air 2013 - 2017 and MacBook Pro Retina Mid 2013 - 2015Stock: Special Order£283.13 + vat (£339.76)2
OWC 2TB Aura Pro X2 SSD and Enclosure (Req. High Sierra) for MacBook Air 2013 - 2017 and MacBook Pro Retina Mid 2013 - 2015Stock: Available£442.43 + vat (£530.92)2
1For all Retina models prior to the Late 2013 revision. Note the included Envoy enclosure is for the original Apple supplied SSD only, fitting the new OWC SSD into it will damage it.
2Requires 10.13 High Sierra or later. For Retina models from the Late 2013 to the Mid 2015. Note the included Envoy enclosure is for the original Apple supplied SSD only, fitting the new OWC SSD into it will damage it.

Any fitting information below is intended as a guide before purchase ONLY, when fitting these products you should refer to the original manual for your computer, and any instructions that come with the item. Please see this page for more information, or here for information on our fitting service.

Difficulty 4/5

See OWC installation videos here.

Graphics Cards and Displays

The graphics card is not upgradeable in this machine.

Re-solder U8900 in MacBook Pro 15in Mid 2012/Early 2013 - fixes common black screen and/or kernal panic issueStock: Available£150.00 + vat (£180.00)1
1Repair service for the MacBook Pro Retina 15in Mid 2012/Early 2013 only.

Any fitting information below is intended as a guide before purchase ONLY, when fitting these products you should refer to the original manual for your computer, and any instructions that come with the item. Please see this page for more information, or here for information on our fitting service.

Expansion Card Upgrades

The MacBook Pro Retina does not have any expansion slots, however with its Thunderbolt ports a wide range of equipment can be used.

There are none available.

Keyboards & Mice

Desktop keyboards and mice can be used with the MacBook pro 15" Retina via USB.

REPAIR SERVICE - Replace Keyboard on MacBook Pro Retina 2012 - 2015 - Fitting & PartStock: Available£159.00 + vat (£190.80)1
Trust 3 button USB Optical MouseStock: Available£6.75 + vat (£8.10)
Cherry Strait 3.0 USB Keyboard - UK Mac LayoutStock: Available£32.00 + vat (£38.40)
1For all revisions made between 2012 and 2015.

Power Supplies & Batteries

The battery for this machine is glued in. We do not at present have power supplies for this machine.

Cables & Tools

Listed below are tools, cables and related products we supply for this Mac.

Apple Thunderbolt 3 to Thunderbolt 2 AdapterStock: Available£49.00 + vat (£58.80)1
Thunderbolt 2 Cable (White) - 1mStock: Special Order£31.78 + vat (£38.14)2
Startech USB-C to USB Adaptor M/F - USB-C/Thunderbolt 3 Male to USB 3.1 Gen 1 Type A FemaleStock: Available£15.00 + vat (£18.00)1
USB 3 to 2.5in SATA Drive Cable (for accessing a 2.5in SATA drive via USB)Stock: Available£6.49 + vat (£7.79)3
Torx Screwdriver Set - 20mm T6 T7 T8 T9 T10Stock: Available£8.00 + vat (£9.60)
Screwdriver Set - 20mm Phillips #00, #0, #1 - Flat 1.4mm, 1.8mm, 2.4mmStock: Available£5.00 + vat (£6.00)
Pentalobe ScrewdriverStock: Available£4.75 + vat (£5.70)
Anti Static Wrist StrapStock: Available£8.50 + vat (£10.20)
1For models with Thunderbolt 3.
2For models with Thunderbolt/Thunderbolt 2. Or Thunderbolt 3 with an adaptor.
3This can be connected to this models that have a USB Type-A connector, to access a 2.5in SATA drive. But this Mac does not use a 2.5in SATA drive internally.

External Drives & Enclosures

The MacBook Pro 15" Retina has USB 3.0 which can allow it to control a wide range of external storage. For high-end use it also has Thunderbolt ports.

3.5" USB 3 External Drives

SanDisk Extreme Portable 1TB USB-C & USB 3 External SSDStock: Available£151.66 + vat (£181.99)
SanDisk Extreme Portable 2TB USB-C & USB 3 External SSDStock: Available£281.24 + vat (£337.49)
WD Elements USB 3 (USB 2 compatible) 3.5in External HDD - 4TBStock: Available£91.46 + vat (£109.75)
WD Elements USB 3 (USB 2 compatible) 3.5in External HDD - 6TBStock: Available£141.51 + vat (£169.81)

2.5" USB 3 External Drives

Buffalo MiniStation 1TB USB 3.0 (USB 2.0 compatible) 2.5in Hard DriveStock: Special Order£71.62 + vat (£85.94)

Thunderbolt Enclosures

OWC Thunderbay 4 - Thunderbolt 3 Enclosure for 4 x 2.5in or 3.5in Drives - JBOD, RAID 0 and 1Stock: Available£347.78 + vat (£417.34)1
OWC Thunderbay 4 - Thunderbolt 3 Enclosure for 4 x 2.5in or 3.5in Drives - JBOD, RAID 0, 1, 4, 5, and 10Stock: Special Order£410.75 + vat (£492.90)1
OWC ThunderBay Flex 8 Thunderbolt 3 Enclosure (0 Drives)Stock: Special Order£1064.95 + vat (£1277.94)1

3.5" USB Enclosures

Startech USB 3.0 Enclosure for 3.5in SATA DrivesStock: Available£33.67 + vat (£40.40)2

2.5" USB Enclosures

Startech USB 3.0 (USB 2 compatible) Enclosure for 2.5in SATA Drive with UASPStock: Available£17.27 + vat (£20.72)3
1Fully compatible with models with Thunderbolt 3, will work with an adaptor and at reduced speed with models with Thunderbolt 1 or 2.
2This can be connected to models which have a USB Type-A connector, to access a 3.5in SATA drive. But this Mac does not use a 3.5in SATA drive internally.
3This can be connected to this models that have a USB Type-A connector, to access a 2.5in SATA drive. But this Mac does not use a 2.5in SATA drive internally.

Complete Machines - Refurbished

Any complete machines of this type or similar that we have for sale are listed here. Please note that these are refurbished models with a 3 month warranty, and that delivery is likely to take 3 - 5 working days. These can be purchased online with the standard website courier delivery charge for the mainland UK only. Please contact us for a quote on shipping to other areas.

There are none available.

Repair Services for this Mac

Here are the various repair services we offer for this Mac. You can have us take the machine in for evaluation, or book a fixed-price repair if you already know what the fault is and the service is listed below (for services without parts, please see the relevant tab on this page for compatible parts that we sell). If you know what the fault is, but we don't have a fixed-price repair listed below, please contact us for a quote.

Evaluation Services

Mac Repair - Evaluation ServiceStock: Available£39.00 + vat (£46.80)

Repair Services

Mac Laptop Logic Board Repair Service - NO FIX, NO FEE!Stock: Available£150.00 + vat (£180.00)
Re-solder U8900 in MacBook Pro 15in Mid 2012/Early 2013 - fixes common black screen and/or kernal panic issueStock: Available£150.00 + vat (£180.00)1
INSTALL AND PART - NewerTech NuPower Battery replacement for MacBook Pro Retina 15in Mid 2012/Early 2013Stock: Available£136.00 + vat (£163.20)2
INSTALL AND PART - NewerTech NuPower Battery replacement for MacBook Pro Retina 15in Late 2013 - Mid 2015 Stock: Special Order£136.00 + vat (£163.20)3

Installation Services (parts not included)

Collection ServiceStock: Available£24.68 + vat (£29.62)
INSTALL SERVICE - Internal Drive in a MacBook/MacBook ProStock: Available£29.00 + vat (£34.80)
INSTALL SERVICE - Clone Original Internal DriveStock: Available£25.00 + vat (£30.00)
1Repair service for the MacBook Pro Retina 15in Mid 2012/Early 2013 only.
2For MacBook Pro Retina 2012 and Early 2013.
3For MacBook pro Retina models from the Late 2013 revision to the 2015 revision.