I've spent $575.00 Retail price (Amazon) + 13.00 Artic pro kit. Plus the help from this forum which was priceless
Was there per processor? Or for both processors?
It seems like it's 575 per processor, so you paid $1150 for both?
Thanks
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2009 MP after all upgrades. Speed the same as 2012?
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Was there per processor? Or for both processors?
It seems like it's 575 per processor, so you paid $1150 for both?
Thanks
This what I get with my Samsung Pro 512GB on Sata3
I bought this card, see http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/NEW-2-Bay...Components_InterfaceCards&hash=item3cd59d8050
The advantage of this card is no boot delay unlike the Velocity Solo.The downside is that it takes two slots. But can take two 2.5 inch drives. This is a PCI x2 lane card.
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With my Crucial m4 512GB, I was getting 200/250 MB/s write/read speeds in the optical bay. With the Solo x1 it went to 250/385 MB/s write/read. Not a huge write speed increase but I think that's the SSD more than the card, and certainly worth the $50 asking price.
Also, the x2 isn't twice as fast as the x1. The max throughput goes from 400 to 550 MB/s. You would need a RAID 0 setup to get double the speed.
I'm in the process of upgrading my 4,1 and am debating how much $ I want to put into it. Even if you can get the processing and GPU power up close to a nMP I fear that you are limited by the I/O options on an old MP. I'm concerned about making a really fast machine that can't use TB or TB2 for external drives. I think if you're eventually going to be working with 4K video, which I hope to be doing in the next couple years than only having FW800, internal SATA drives and mediocre USB3.0 options is going to be a problem.
What are your thoughts on the I/O options with old MPs?
What are your thoughts on the I/O options with old MPs?
That's what I get in my mini with the same drive. I'm expecting the velocity x2 card to match this working from slot 2.
What do you need the external drives for? Storage of your data, working drive?
Or do you need to quickly export data to external drives?
If you only need a fast working drive (for current projects), why not try a raid 0 with two hdd's and the internal SATA2 ports?
I thought about going this route with my 4,1 4c but in the states I cannot find a w3680 outside of overpriced used CPUs off ebay. I keep going back and forth because to get close to either the CTO iMac / nMP I priced out:
1. used w3680: $600
2. Sonnet PCIe + larger 512GB EVO SSD: $515
3. eSata Card (I looked into USB 3 but it seems there's no consensus on a decent option) $97
4. GTX680 Mac or 7950 Mac: $460 - $620
Total: $1672 - $1832
Granted it's much less than $2999 for the nMP but do I want to put another $1.5k into a 5 year old machine? Ugh, I need to just make a decision.
1. used w3680: $600
2. Sonnet PCIe + larger 512GB EVO SSD: $515
3. eSata Card (I looked into USB 3 but it seems there's no consensus on a decent option) $97
4. GTX680 Mac or 7950 Mac: $460 - $620
Total: $1672 - $1832
Granted it's much less than $2999 for the nMP but do I want to put another $1.5k into a 5 year old machine? Ugh, I need to just make a decision.
I thought I read somewhere that Intel was coming out with a reference pcie TB card, so that manufactures can start pushing these out. The problem is that most people seem to be satisfied with USB 3.
That is my issue with my 5,1 quad. I can live with the fact that it Geekbenches slower than my MBP 2.3 quad but the I/O just kills me. The USB3 and eSATA cards I've had are only partially functional and more of a pain in the neck if anything. I'm right on the edge of replacing it with a mini.
There is no problem with I/O on the 4,1 or 5,1 Mac Pro. I have this exact card in my 4,1 (that I updated to 5,1). As you can see, it will run up to 3.6GB/second, which is a lot faster than anything you can do with the new Mac Pro tube. It's 3.6x faster than the internal SSD on the nMP, and Thunderbolt 2 will only give you about 1.3GB/sec tops in the real world... unless you build a custom solution that aggregates multiple Thunderbolt busses to overcome the x4 lane bottleneck of Thunderbolt.
I/O went *down* with the nMP's TB2. Some say that's ok, and that nobody needs faster than 1.3GB/sec, but it's just plain wrong to say that I/O is limited on the older Mac Pros. Get out from behind USB3 and eSATA and into a decent RAID card, and I/O opens up wide!
Thank you for the explanation. From a lay persons perspective (Me) it seemed the other way around. Perhaps from a consumer level of practicality the nMP is a bit easier with TB. Glad to hear that the CalDigit card is working well for you too.
Sorry Guys, but just want to confirm. I read somewhere not to have your boot System and apps mounted on a single SSD mounted on a PCIe like the (Apricorn Velocity Solo x2) it's better to leave the SSD on the regular Sata2.
Is this correct?
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Forgot to mention that I install this card yesterday (on sale at Microcenter store for $49 not on line) and it seems fine. The SSD icon doesn't look like the grey regular ones. It looks like an external drive (orange).
Is this correct?
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Forgot to mention that I install this card yesterday (on sale at Microcenter store for $49 not on line) and it seems fine. The SSD icon doesn't look like the grey regular ones. It looks like an external drive (orange).
If you're referring to the OWC Accelsior E2, I have one of those in my MP and I use it as the boot drive. And yes, they are pricey in comparison to just buying a PCIe SSD card like the Sonnet or Velocity (assuming you already have an SSD to mount onto such a card). However, if you have to buy BOTH the card and the SSD drives(s), suddenly the Accelsior isn't so expensive if you do the math. Of course many do not like SSDs that use a Sandforce controller so that's a factor too. I personally have not had any issues with it whatsoever. Plus it's nice to have a couple of eSATA ports on the same card - keeps me from having to take up a separate PCIe slot for my eSATA drive enclosure.
I currently have my System and apps on my single PCIe SSD and it works fine. I've also had my System and apps on an SSD connected to the stock SATA II bay and it worked fine then too. So I reckon it works fine either way.
Drives connected to PCIe cards, or PCIe SSD cards, will show up like external orange drive icons because they're connected via the PCIe slot. I wondered the same thing but after investigating I found out that this is normal.
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Thanks Macuser,
This is what I have now:
Samsung Pro 256GB mounted on Apricorn Velocity Solo x2 PCI2 card (Slot #2 above the GTX680) with my system and apps only. 4x 3TB 3.5 Seagates for storage (no raid). One of them portioned with a clone of my system. One intel 80GB SSD under the optical bay for Windows7 which I don't use much ( Don't even remember last time I needed).
I Have lots of pictures a family movies and I'm running ML (afraid to go with Maverick, Should I?).
What do you guys think about the way I have set up my station.
Thanks in advance
This is what I have now:
Samsung Pro 256GB mounted on Apricorn Velocity Solo x2 PCI2 card (Slot #2 above the GTX680) with my system and apps only. 4x 3TB 3.5 Seagates for storage (no raid). One of them portioned with a clone of my system. One intel 80GB SSD under the optical bay for Windows7 which I don't use much ( Don't even remember last time I needed).
I Have lots of pictures a family movies and I'm running ML (afraid to go with Maverick, Should I?).
What do you guys think about the way I have set up my station.
Thanks in advance
My pleasure, man. Anytime. I think you have quite a lot of storage space! 12TB. Nice. I haven't made the move to Mavericks yet. Still using Snow Leopard actually.
I thought about going this route with my 4,1 4c but in the states I cannot find a w3680 outside of overpriced used CPUs off ebay. I keep going back and forth because to get close to either the CTO iMac / nMP I priced out:
1. used w3680: $600
2. Sonnet PCIe + larger 512GB EVO SSD: $515
3. eSata Card (I looked into USB 3 but it seems there's no consensus on a decent option) $97
4. GTX680 Mac or 7950 Mac: $460 - $620
Total: $1672 - $1832
Granted it's much less than $2999 for the nMP but do I want to put another $1.5k into a 5 year old machine? Ugh, I need to just make a decision.
just do it...get nMP...gotta keep up with the time..and i think you would save lot more money than keep upgrading on 4,1.
Im an EPP operator and also using SL at work. Can't beat SL for Desktop Publishing.
ML at home works good eventually I'll try Maverick.
As I mentioned before this is a 2009 MP that I got from ebay. Between the machine and the upgrades (W3680, GTX 680, 32GB and the PCIe card. Total was around $2200. All the drives came from my old 2006 2.66.
For me I think was a better deal than the 2013 MP which I think I would have to pay a lot more because I wouldn't go for the base model of the new ones but the one in the middle. Had I spent the money on a new 2013 MP, I would be waking up with it next me in my bed instead of my wife She would't forgive me
ML at home works good eventually I'll try Maverick.
As I mentioned before this is a 2009 MP that I got from ebay. Between the machine and the upgrades (W3680, GTX 680, 32GB and the PCIe card. Total was around $2200. All the drives came from my old 2006 2.66.
For me I think was a better deal than the 2013 MP which I think I would have to pay a lot more because I wouldn't go for the base model of the new ones but the one in the middle. Had I spent the money on a new 2013 MP, I would be waking up with it next me in my bed instead of my wife
She would't forgive meIm an EPP operator and also using SL at work. Can't beat SL for Desktop Publishing.
ML at home works good eventually I'll try Maverick.
As I mentioned before this is a 2009 MP that I got from ebay. Between the machine and the upgrades (W3680, GTX 680, 32GB and the PCIe card. Total was around $2200. All the drives came from my old 2006 2.66.
For me I think was a better deal than the 2013 MP which I think I would have to pay a lot more because I wouldn't go for the base model of the new ones but the one in the middle. Had I spent the money on a new 2013 MP, I would be waking up with it next me in my bed instead of my wife
I do the same kind of work (production and design) and yes, SL is nice. Only thing I've noticed about it is that the mouse icon occasionally jumps out of place (which did not happen in Leopard). I assumed since I was seeing that happen on both my work and home Macs that it was something OS-related with SL (a bug that they perhaps never fixed?) rather than something hardware-related. Have you ever seen that happen in SL?
I bought an '09 MP from OWC back in Sept. and put a W3680 in it also after doing the 5.1 firmware flash. I have yet to upgrade the RAM or GPU though. I want to, but other things are higher priority right now.
Macuser, I've never noticed the mouse icon jumping in SL (Cursor right?)
I use Steermouse mouse with Razer Diamondback, Im not a gamer but this is an old and light comfortable mouse to use for 9 straight hours.
I've seen Logitechs wireless jumping a lot.
I use Steermouse mouse with Razer Diamondback, Im not a gamer but this is an old and light comfortable mouse to use for 9 straight hours.
I've seen Logitechs wireless jumping a lot.
In a 4,1 upgraded with 5,1 firmware: Here is a recent benchmark on a NGFF Flash drive using the same controller in the 6,1, coupled with a 4x PCIe adapter. Market availability on the XP941 is beyond constrained. Adapters can be found, tracking down the SSD is the trick.
I just tried out a Velocity x2 card this afternoon with no luck. I know other people have this working but I could not get it to boot my SSD. The card shows up on its own in system profiler but once I put my sammy SSD in it never boots. I spent all day trouble shooting pulled every card except my radeon and tried all 4 slots. I must have gotten a dud. The drive boots from the stock sled locations, just not on the pcie card.
Meanwhile my Mac mini is mocking its older brother:
