Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

Best way to install SSD in Mac Pro Bay Sled

cjgonzales1900

cjgonzales1900

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Jan 10, 2009
292
45
Hey guys,

So i have this problem wanna help?
I want to install the OWC 115GB SSD Here and was wondering what the best way to mount it in the drive bays sled would be.

I have seen several different ways on this forum. from homemade to bought.
I have the MP 1,1. Would this work? Here
It says No, but are the drive sleds different between the years of MP?
 
it specifically says that it is not compatible with the mac pro 1,1. the SATA ports mighT not be in the exact same location in the mac pro 1,1. So the the SSD wouldn't align with them and therefore not connect. So dont risk it id say.

dont judge the quality of the adapter hellhammer posted because it plastic. SSD's produce literally no heat and they weigh hardly anything. it will be all you need. You wont see that adapter once its inserted incase you worrying about looks.

You could also install the SSD like this guy did:
http://www.macprossdinstall.com/Mac_Pro_SSD_Install.html
Step by step guide of how to make an adapter, i did it for a friend following those instructions and it works perfectly.
 
The-Pro said:
it specifically says that it is not compatible with the mac pro 1,1. So dont risk it id say.
dont judge the quality of the adapter hellhammer posted because it plastic. SSD's produce literally no heat and they weigh hardly anything. it will be all you need.

You can do it like this:
http://www.macprossdinstall.com/Mac_Pro_SSD_Install.html
Step by step guide of how to make an adapter, i did it for a friend following those instructions and it works perfectly.
Click to expand...

If i was planning on buying the plastic one, i would rather do the DIY project seeing how the ssd would not be enclosed. Also i would make changes. such as not using tape, and making the mounting part out of aluminum. Also use screws to mount the ssd to the aluminum and then use the other screws already on the sled to secure it.

Thanks for the help. Plus i know where i can get some aluminum to try this out for free lol and screws cost under $1 will post here when done sometime this month hopefully.
 
Also I wanted to ask. I want to buy the 115GB SSD but would say 60GB be enough for a boot drive. I would keep say music and movies and any other files such as downloads or torrent downloads on my other HD.
 
cjgonzales1900 said:
Also I wanted to ask. I want to buy the 115GB SSD but would say 60GB be enough for a boot drive. I would keep say music and movies and any other files such as downloads or torrent downloads on my other HD.
Click to expand...

id say get the 115GB, that way you can have all your applications running on it aswell so that everything loads super fast :) i have 150Gb of applications so id go at least 115GB.
 
Finally, somebody else not willing to pay ~$20 to make something look good that's in a closed computer case most of the time.
 
^ what he said. For your machine and your specific user case, it may just be easier to buy some brackets and mount the SSD in the optical bay if you don't want to use the IcyDock. You can easily find them at Frys or Newegg. Personally, I don't really see the issue with the IcyDock, a lot of people use them and are very happy with them. You already spent some good money on both the SSD and the Pro, you might as well mount it correctly.
 
cjgonzales1900 said:
If i was planning on buying the plastic one, i would rather do the DIY project seeing how the ssd would not be enclosed. Also i would make changes. such as not using tape, and making the mounting part out of aluminum. Also use screws to mount the ssd to the aluminum and then use the other screws already on the sled to secure it.

Thanks for the help. Plus i know where i can get some aluminum to try this out for free lol and screws cost under $1 will post here when done sometime this month hopefully.
Click to expand...
The SSD's rectangular enclosure is made out of plastic for most of them (seem to recall Intel uses aluminum). But as mentioned, they use very little power, so they don't get hot. So if you do enclose it, it's not going to be damaged (they survive in laptops after all, and there's very little room for drives and ventilation in those vs. a MP).

But if you want to go DIY, you don't even need to get that complicated. Just use Velcro or Zip Ties. ;) Others have done this before, and it works. Combine cheap + easy + effective of either of these solutions, I don't see any real reason why more complicated and expensive is worth the effort. :p

Just a thought anyway. ;)

handheldgames said:
Ok. Maybe I'm cheap. It's a ssd in plastic housing already... Right? I'm thinking about using Velcro... :D
Click to expand...
See above. ;)
 
After some research on the forums, it looks like there are three main ways to interface directly with the SATA connector in the Mac Pro.

2006-2008 Mac Pro: Use MaxUpgrades' MaxConnect sled for 2006-2008 machines

2009-2010 Mac Pro: Use OWC's Mount Pro or MaxUpgrades' sled for 2009-2010 machines

Any Mac Pro: Use OWC's Multi-Mount adapters for the optical bay (scroll down for Mac-specific options)

Also, there are cheap 5.25" to 3.5" adapters on Newegg which would probably work in the Mac Pro optical bays. But the 3.5" to 2.5" ones probably won't work for the 4 SATA bays since the Mac Pro sleds attach to the hard drive from the large bottom surface, while most adapters are for the sides.

Another possibility is the Icy Dock, but I've seen lots of complaints that the adapter is flaky due to the fact that Icy Dock is not a direct connection to the Mac Pro's SATA connector. Perhaps they've finally fixed the problem.
 
Tibbar said:
Another possibility is the Icy Dock, but I've seen lots of complaints that the adapter is flaky due to the fact that Icy Dock is not a direct connection to the Mac Pro's SATA connector. Perhaps they've finally fixed the problem.
Click to expand...
:confused:

It attach's to the tray, and that fits the backplane connector (2009/10's have the backplane connector soldered to the logic board, while earlier versions use cables with backplane ends that screw to 2 metal tabs back inside the HDD bay area (1x per HDD bay)).

There were problems with the plastic versions (flaky ones), and had to do with Quality Control (bad solder joints and flux residue all over the soldered area). The metal versions OTOH, fared much better.

Icy Dock is aware of the problem (a company employee created an account and posted about this). I'm not sure if they ironed the issue out or not for certain, but I presume they did as I don't recall any recent posts in that thread.

Just for clarification. ;)

Personally, I like the Velcro or Zip Tie method as you don't need to wait for a package from UPS before the SSD can be used (satisfies the symptom of impatience that results from new toy-itis :p). Your local hardware store carries these products as do most Wal*Marts, so it's an easy and inexpensive cure. :D
 
The issues with the IcyDock were related to the metal versions (MB982IP-1S)... It seems the problem was solved by cleaning any residue from the manufacturing process off the problem connector and they got their production folks on it right away...

We have done some extensive research on the issue with the MB982IP-1S in combination with the Mac Pro. We have found that the SATA connection between the MB982IP-1S and the Mac Pro is causing the issue. This is because of two things; the female SATA connector on the Mac Pro is much shorter than any other system that we have seen, second we have found that a very small amount of the SATA connectors have some sort of residue on the actual SATA connector on the MB982IP-1S maybe making a bad connection. The supplier of the SATA connector has been notified of the issue. We have also told our production line to check the connector to address any issues. Some of our customers that have had this issue have found that cleaning the SATA connector on the MB982IP-1S with rubbing alcohol and a toothbrush have solved the problem. We recommend trying this solution to fix the problem, if problem still persists please contact us for further instructions.
Click to expand...

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/1087399/

Here's another relevant thread related to any impact on performance... (of course there is none!)

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/1019644/

I have a few of the plastic MB882 series Icydock's and haven't had any issues with them. For less than $20 they are the best solution available IMHO.

If those don't do the trick, you can always buy the official Apple SSD carrier for a mere $292... :eek:

http://www.macpartsonline.com/922-9629-ssd-carrier-adapter-mac-pro-mid-2010-a1289.html
 
VirtualRain said:
The issues with the IcyDock were related to the metal versions (MB982IP-1S)... It seems the problem was solved by cleaning any residue from the manufacturing process off the problem connector and they got their production folks on it right away...



https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/1087399/

Here's another relevant thread related to any impact on performance... (of course there is none!)

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/1019644/

I have a few of the plastic MB882 series Icydock's and haven't had any issues with them. For less than $20 they are the best solution available IMHO.

If those don't do the trick, you can always buy the official Apple SSD carrier for a mere $292... :eek:

http://www.macpartsonline.com/922-9629-ssd-carrier-adapter-mac-pro-mid-2010-a1289.html
Click to expand...
Oops. Got the metal and plastic reversed. :eek: Seem to be having one of those days...

But I do recall that in the back and forth in that thread, details emerged that it was more to do with bad joints and boards that hadn't been cleaned properly (connector not soldered properly or had flux on the contact pins = poor or no signal either way) than the connector's length (didn't indicate that the P/N used was out of spec, such as not molded properly/fully, which I've seen in SATA data cables).

Shortcuts to reduce costs are so lovely aren't they? :eek: ;) :p
 
Thank you everyone. I will be buying the SSD sometime in the next month. Hopefully by then I will be able to make a decision on which way I want to mount it. I know i dont want to use the Icy dock, so most likely I will DIY project.
 
cjgonzales1900 said:
Thank you everyone. I will be buying the SSD sometime in the next month. Hopefully by then I will be able to make a decision on which way I want to mount it. I know i dont want to use the Icy dock, so most likely I will DIY project.
Click to expand...

I just ordered my Samsung 470 256mb. Looking forward to using a standard Sata cable hooked up to the optical disc SATA port, secured with Velcro, just enough to keep it from moving around. :cool:
 
I use the Icy Dock in the spare optical bay of two different Mac Pro's. Haven't had a problem with either one. You could also use an OWC multimount instead of the Icy Dock.

Can't live without SSD boot anymore.
 
This is cool, too.

owcmountpro_hero.jpg
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back