Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
MP 1,1-5,1 Aqua Computer kryoM.2 evo PCIe 3.0 x 4, adapter
- Thread starter Matty_TypeR
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
Doh... OK. Thanks. Would this be good replacement? Samsung MZ-V7S1T0BW 970 EVO Plus 1 TB
Thanks again!
Thanks again!
No, 970 EVO Plus is not compatible with macOS. Buy the 970 EVO non-Plus version or the 970 PRO version.
Read the first post of this thread: Blade SSDs - NVMe & AHCI.
The maximum speed caps out at ~1500MBps for this thing, right? So there’s no point in spending extra for a 970 Pro apart from durability?
Yes, you are correct. I personally went with an HP EX920 1TB because I found one for under $100 and it does indeed hit the speed cap of around 1500MBps.
With a M.2 installed on a PCIe 2.0 slot, the advantage of a 970PRO, or other high end blades, is basically the write speeds after the SLC/MLC buffer is full and the write persistency. Any QLC blade has a significant performance drop after the buffer is full.
If you have an application that constantly writes to the blade or write big data chunks, it's better to use one made with SLC/MLC cells than QLC.
For casual uses, it's not worth spending more.
Hi Alex -
I really appreciate the thorough work that you do on all the third party Mac Pro tower components..
When it comes to this ANGELBIRD PX1 adapter - I just wanted to throw some of my personal experience into the mix. My observations don't amount to corrections or even solutions – they are just the results of my own personal testing.
Whenever I come across an "exception" in my hardware testing I like to share it with the community to see if someone can provide a plausible explanation for the divergence or anomaly.
So here goes.. when i owned a LYCOM DT-120 positioned in slot 2, my SM951 would only connect at (x2). This is discussed elsewhere on the forums and everyone agrees - if you use slot 2 with a x4 PCI-e SSD then the Mac Pro incorrectly negotiates a x2 link speed (easily solved by repositioning adapter in Slot 3 or 4).
The weird thing is - the ANGELBIRD PX1 adapter correctly negotiates a x4 link speed in slot 2. Any thoughts on why this might be..?
I have used this exact setup, a Lycom DT-120, with a Samsung 951 AHCI blade in slot 2, and it negotiates at x4, 5GT/s and returns ~1200-1400MB/s
From memory it didn't when I first tried it and it only neg'd at 2.5GT/s but after firmware updates it worked as it should.
I have heard of link speed problems where PCIe 3.0 devices (8GT/s) run at PCIe 1.0 speed (2.5GT/s) but that was with the pre Mojave firmware (still a problem with MacPro3,1). I haven't heard of any link width problems (I know that MacPro3,1 doesn't support x2 in slot 3 and slot 4).
You are probably remembering incorrectly or had a defective adapter.
Before 138.0.0.0.0, slot 2 would default to PCIe 1.0 x4 (~750MB/s usable) and not PCIe 2.0 x2 when using PCIe 3.0 devices. Since slot 3 and 4 are behind a switch, the default was always PCIe 2.0 and you had PCIe 2.0 x4 (~1500MB/s usable) connection when using a PCIe 3.0 device.
After 138.0.0.0.0 the default state is PCIe 2.0 for all slots when using a PCIe 3.0 device.
Welp, I picked up my Kryo from the post office today, but the parts shop sold out of the SSD I was going to buy.
According to an Amazon review, the bottom heat sink won’t fit when using a double-sided blade like the Adata SX8200 Pro or HP EX950.
How do you tell if a blade is two-sided or not? I'm not sure I see that info on the product pages?
I was hoping to get the Addlink S70 2TB NVMe PCIe Gen3x4 M.2 2280 SSD R/W 3500/3000MB/s Internal Solid State Drive https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07MNKJLTS?ie=UTF8&tag=twea-20&creativeASIN=B07K7LRB2T&th=1
to use with the Kryo... does anyone know if this will work? If not, what is a good alternative in adapters that work with two-sided blades? Thanks!
I was hoping to get the Addlink S70 2TB NVMe PCIe Gen3x4 M.2 2280 SSD R/W 3500/3000MB/s Internal Solid State Drive https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07MNKJLTS?ie=UTF8&tag=twea-20&creativeASIN=B07K7LRB2T&th=1
to use with the Kryo... does anyone know if this will work? If not, what is a good alternative in adapters that work with two-sided blades? Thanks!
As an Amazon Associate, MacRumors earns a commission from qualifying purchases made through links in this post.
1TB models are double sided for sure. This is what I have.
I don't find that specific information on the product page.
Below is the product page for that model. Click on the "Contact Us" button and ask them directly. Otherwise, you can buy if from Amazon and just return it if needed. I don't know, but I would just check with them.
https://www.addlink.com.tw/ssd-s70
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1B27_j9NDPU3cNlj2HKcrfpJKHkOf-Oi1DbuuQva2gT4/edit#gid=0
Last edited:
As an Amazon Associate, MacRumors earns a commission from qualifying purchases made through links in this post.
Addlink just got back to me and said that the 2TB drive is two sided, unfortunately. So, are there any other adapters out there comparable to the Kryo that would work with two sided drives?
Well now we know...
I’m sure some google-fu on your part will turn something up..
https://www.axagon.eu/en/produkty/pcem2-s
https://www.amazon.com/Ableconn-PEXM2-11H-Express-Carrier-Adapter/dp/B01M2Y7RSO
I googled and found adapters that would probably work (based on the inclusion of tall standoffs, and thermal pads for both sides). You’re going to have to search and then contact the vendor and ask. Almost no one specifically advertises that feature, but it doesn’t mean it won’t work. Hopefully someone here on the forums is using a similar double-sided NVMe and give a recommendation.
Last edited:
As an Amazon Associate, MacRumors earns a commission from qualifying purchases made through links in this post.
AquaComputer have various kryoM.2 models, kryoM.2 EVO model supports double sided M.2 blades, that's why it have another heatsink on the back, while plain kryoM.2 model do not support.
So this one DOES support double sided.
Im pretty sure that’s the one I suggested, but I didn’t consider single-sidedness vs double-sidedness.
As an Amazon Associate, MacRumors earns a commission from qualifying purchases made through links in this post.
But it says right in the description it’s for one sided drives? And I know I’ve read reviews somewhere that mentioned people bought it and had to return it since it was one side only? I’ve put an email into the company to confirm...
Take a close look at the enlarged pic. The PCB is a big rectangle hole that allows the extra chips to extend through to the other side, and then I guess you slap on that other heat sink for those chips.
I read the reviews and indeed they do say that it won’t work with the backside heatsink. Ask them to clarify this for you.
Last edited:
A lot of people here have Samsung double sided blades like XP941, SM951-AHCI, SM951-NVMe and others with kryoM.2 EVO, these double sided blades fit even an Angelbird PX1. Some datacenter blades don't fit (usually S3 doublesided), so you have to check the height with the data sheet.
Btw, seems that most M.2 connectors are made to support the height of double sided blades, but some cards are using slim connectors that don't fit double sided blades, this is the case with the new Sonnet M.2 4x4 PCIe card.
From the data sheet of the Addlink 2TB NVMe (double sided) blade, it says the height is 2.3mm. Would that height fit in the kryoM.2 EVO, even with the heat sink on the back?
Thanks!
2.3mm is the usual height for most single sided blades, so I doubt that this information is correct.
SM951 128GB is a single side blade with 2.38mm, while 512GB is a double sided with 3.73mm height:
Last edited:
Well either customer service was incorrect in stating it was a dual sided blade, or the info on the product page is as well, but I’ll find out soon enough when it arrives and I’ll let everyone know how it fits in the kryoM.2 EVO! 