Apple products have historically faced criticism for their limited upgradeability and repairability – but most users realize these aspects after the fact – say when they need to upgrade their aging SSD – because, like most other things in life, SSDs also have a limited lifespan. Bypassing Apple’s proprietary implementation, Polysoft has been developing custom reverse-engineered SSD PCBs, which you too can use, as shown by YouTuber Luke Miani in his latest video.
Last month, it was found that Apple’s Mac Mini M4 had a semi-upgradable SSD, provided you knew how to solder it, blank NAND modules, and a spare Mac on hand. Traditional SSDs feature NAND modules and the memory controller on the same package. Apple hardwires its SSDs in such a fashion that it offers modular PCBs with just the NAND flash but shifts the controller to the SoC. This forces users to purchase higher-capacity PCBs/modules directly from Apple – which may technically be classified as “upgradable” – if you can pay a pretty penny.
Polysoft Services, a French repair store, launched a Kickstarter campaign to raise funds for developing custom PCBs that users can easily swap in and out at much lower costs than Apple. Luke goes with this concept as he upgrades his Mac Studio from 512GB to a whopping eight TB across two modules, which is expected to retail in the US at $849 (799 Euros). A quick search shows us that Apple is charging $2,400 for a similar upgrade—that’s 2.8x more expensive!
Developing a custom AIC (Add-In Card) isn’t easy; you take an Apple PCB, sand it down, scan it, recreate the traces, and repeat this process for every single layer. Older Macs were notorious for supplying extra voltage to NAND chips, resulting in total data loss. A bonus point of this custom design is overvoltage protection, so you won’t have to worry about your SSD frying out of the blue.
Apple’s NAND modules are firmware-locked to the controller, which leaves us with just two options: either solder blank high-capacity NAND modules or get a custom PCB with pre-soldered NAND. That’s exactly what Polysoft is striving for. Admittedly, the pricing structure is a tad higher than if you were to purchase a standard 8TB SSD, but you have to appreciate the sheer hard work, research, and resilience involved in this project.
Polysoft is also developing custom PCBs for the Mac Mini M4, which are expected to arrive sometime next year. We’re all in for upgradeable and user-serviceable parts, especially when they’re essential, like storage.