Amfeltec x16 PCIe with 4 SSDs: 5900+ MB/s

[cerberusss]

Just read an interesting review of a PCIe card which accepts four flash blades:
http://barefeats.com/hard210.html

Intro from the article:
"Our readers have been frustrated by the inability to get more than 1500MB/s from Samsung SM951 flash blades mounted in slots 3 and 4 of the 2009-2012 Mac Pro tower. The x16 slot 2 has not been a helpful -- until now. One of those frustrated readers turned us on to a new x16 PCIe M.2 carrier board by Amfeltec in Canada. We obtained a sample which we populated with four SM951s. After striping them (RAID 0), we ran our storage benchmarks."

 

[lowendlinux]

Yes please

 

[SoyCapitanSoyCapitan]

Highly recommendable for professionals who need a disk especially for multi-layer 4K workflows.

Getting that data into the computer will always be much slower. It's too bad this adapter doesn't have I/O ports for video feeds.

Just be weary that using that kind of bandwidth frequently on that poorly cooled X58 chipset will reduce the life of the system. Apple's implementation already runs 20C above Intel recommendations.

 

[lowendlinux]

I sent a request for a quote we'll see how much this thing costs

 

[h9826790]

Just be weary that using that kind of bandwidth frequently on that poorly cooled X58 chipset will reduce the life of the system. Apple's implementation already runs 20C above Intel recommendations.

Thanks for the info. I am not familiar with this, may I know how to monitor this X58 chipset's temperature. Is this parameter available in iStat?

 

[SoyCapitanSoyCapitan]

Thanks for the info. I am not familiar with this, may I know how to monitor this X58 chipset's temperature. Is this parameter available in iStat?

Yes it's the PCH/IOH reading. Idle temperature in cMP is 70-75c. Intel's manual recommends 20c less and the EVGA SR-2 had the proper cooling system for the X58 chipset to stay under 60C.

If you get this adapter I'd recommend 2 X RAID0 sets for the most practical multiplayer 4K editing. There are also limits to how well the viewport in Premiere and After Effects perform. There comes a point where no matter how fast the drive you use the viewport won't perform any better because it is held back by CPU, GPU and media APIs.

 

[h9826790]

I see, so the "north bridge" is actually the x58 chipset?

From memory, intel says that chip can work up to something like 105C, isn't it? So, even though our idle temperature is much higher, but still far from the upper limit, am I right?

 

[SoyCapitanSoyCapitan]

I see, so the "north bridge" is actually the x58 chipset?

From memory, intel says that chip can work up to something like 105C, isn't it? So, even though our idle temperature is much higher, but still far from the upper limit, am I right?

Over 95C the system will become unstable and shut off. Running it close to those temperatures daily will just reduce the lifespan of the chipset. Also the Barefeats article notes that a RAID that fast causes the SSDs to operate at their maximum recommended temperatures. These SSDs haven't been on the market long enough to tell how well they handle this heat in long term.

 

[lowendlinux]

Here's the quote:

SKU-086-01 SQUID PCIe Carrier Board for M.2 SSD modules 1 $ 297.38 USD (M.2 key M)

 

[LightBulbFun]

the Mac Pro 4,1/5,1 does not use the X58 chipset thats a common misconception it uses the a Server/workstation chipset from intel that uses the same CPUs (I don't remember the model number exactly im sure others can chip in) but I have never seen a North bridge die on a Mac pro 4,1/5,1 (apart from when the Plastic rivets break and the heat sink falls off)

 

[h9826790]

I don't remember the model number exactly im sure others can chip in

E8500?

 

[lowendlinux]

E8500?

5500

 

[h9826790]

5500

Doesn't look right. Both W36xx and X56xx are not on the list.

 

[SoyCapitanSoyCapitan]

the Mac Pro 4,1/5,1 does not use the X58 chipset thats a common misconception it uses the a Server/workstation chipset from intel that uses the same CPUs (I don't remember the model number exactly im sure others can chip in) but I have never seen a North bridge die on a Mac pro 4,1/5,1 (apart from when the Plastic rivets break and the heat sink falls off)

Because you have never seen a Northbridge using PCIE RAIDs, x5690 upgrades and modern GPU upgrades long enough, therefore you should maintain precaution. In the last year enthusiasts have been pushing the chipset beyond what it was meant for. That's OK if some people have money to throw away, but they should also give good advice to people on a budget.

Yes I meant Intel 5520 chipset,(this is what Windows reports), but it basically has the same spec sheet as X58 so sometimes on PC and Mac forums they are used interchangeably, though it does help to be specific. The EVGA SR2 I mentioned is based on Intel 5520 and runs a lot cooler.

95c maximum allowed.

http://ark.intel.com/products/36783/Intel-5520-IO-Hub

 

[lowendlinux]

Doesn't look right. Both W36xx and X56xx are not on the list.
View attachment 598975

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intel_Xeon_chipsets

Dual processor Nehalem-based Xeon chipsets[edit]
The Nehalem-based Xeons for dual-socket systems, initially launched as the Xeon 55xx series, feature a very different system structure: the memory controllers are on the CPU, and the CPUs can communicate with one another as peers without going via the chipset. This means that the 5500 and 5520 (initial codename Tylersburg-EP) chipsets are essentially QPI to PCI Express interfaces; the 5520 is more intended for graphical workstations and the 5500 for servers that do not need vast amounts of PCI Express connectivity

Launch name Codename QPI ports QPI speed Fast I/O IOCH Other features
5500 Tylersburg-24S,
Tylersburg-24D[13] 1,
2 4.8, 5.86 or 6.4 GT/s 1 ×16 PCIe Gen 2, 2 ×4 PCIe Gen 1 to talk to southbridge ICH10 (ICH9 also possible) Integrated Management Engine with its own 100 Mbit Ethernet [14]
5520 Tylersburg-36S,
Tylersburg-36D 1,
2 4.8, 5.86 or 6.4 GT/s 2 ×16 PCIe Gen 2, 1 ×4 PCIe Gen 1 to talk to southbridge ICH10 (ICH9 also possible) Integrated Management Engine with its own 100 Mbit Ethernet[14]

===

Single processor Nehalem-based Xeon chipsets[edit]
The 3450 chipset is also compatible with an Intel Core i5 or Intel Core i3 processor.

Product name Codename DMI Fast I/O Other features
3400 Ibex Peak 1.0, 100 MHz PCI Express 6 ×1 ports, single 32-bit 33 MHz PCI bus, DMI for processor 8× USB 2.0, 4× SATA, Integrated LAN
3420 Ibex Peak 1.0, 100 MHz PCI Express 8 ×1 ports, single 32-bit 33 MHz PCI bus, DMI for processor 12× USB 2.0, 6× SATA, Integrated LAN
3450 Ibex Peak 1.0, 100 MHz PCI Express 8 ×1 ports, single 32-bit 33 MHz PCI bus, DMI for processor 14× USB 2.0, 6× SATA, Integrated LAN

Last I knew all 4,1 and 5,1 were on Tylersburg

 

[SoyCapitanSoyCapitan]

Last I knew they were running all 4,1 and 5,1 on Tylersburg

Yes that's what AIDA64 reports on Windows.

 

[AidenShaw]

Yes I meant Intel 5520 chipset,(this is what Windows reports), but it basically has the same spec sheet as X58 so sometimes on PC and Mac forums they are used interchangeably, though it does help to be specific.

The X-series chipsets for the high end Core CPUs are nearly the same as the Xeon chipsets for the same socket. In fact, Dell says that my E5-1650v2 Precision Workstation has a C602 chipset. CPU-Z reports it as an X79.

I suppose that's OK, since Intel puts them on the same datasheet. http://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/chipsets/c600-series-chipset-datasheet.html

(Note that this is a 1000 page PDF that details physical parameters, socket pinouts, signals, electrical and thermal parameters for the chipset - to use the same datasheet the C600 and X79 have to be basically the same silicon with some market segmentation.)

 

[SamPotts]

Shame that adapter is so massively overpriced. Hopefully the price drops a bit.

 

[AidenShaw]

Shame that adapter is so massively overpriced. Hopefully the price drops a bit.

Less than $75 per drive port - that seems to be very reasonable.

 

[SamPotts]

Less than $75 per drive port - that seems to be very reasonable.

True. I guess it's just our piss weak Aussie Dollar that makes it seem so bad.

 

[handheldgames]

I have one on the way,

Less than $75 per drive port - that seems to be very reasonable.

IMO.. compared to the cost of external expansion, its worth the price. it allows my cmp to have 4 x4 m.2 ssd's, usb 3.1, sata 3. etc.

 

[SamPotts]

True. When you look at it like that it's not too bad. I guess we were just spoilt with the super cheap SinTech adapters etc. Reckon an adapted Apple 1TB blade will mount on there? That plus 2 256GB SM951s in RAID0 would be pretty decent.

 

[handheldgames]

True. When you look at it like that it's not too bad. I guess we were just spoilt with the super cheap SinTech adapters etc. Reckon an adapted Apple 1TB blade will mount on there? That plus 2 256GB SM951s in RAID0 would be pretty decent.

in theory, with the correct adapter the apple ssd should. i have 2 apple ssd -> m2 adapters on the way and will report back on the fitting.

 

[box185]

in theory, with the correct adapter the apple ssd should. i have 2 apple ssd -> m2 adapters on the way and will report back on the fitting.

Based on what I have seen, I expect fit issues with the larger 1TB Apple blades and the adapters you write about. Looking forward to seeing the results of your investigation though - thank you for investing in the hardware to report your findings.

 

[handheldgames]

Based on what I have seen, I expect fit issues with the larger 1TB Apple blades and the adapters you write about. Looking forward to seeing the results of your investigation though - thank you for investing in the hardware to report your findings.

Yep. The lack of space between the m.2 slots is super tight and limits functionality. Ill know more once i have the board and adapters in hand. there may be m2 extender boards, but again the clearance is tight.