MP All Models Bootable PCI SSD Cards/Drives for Mac Pro (NVMe M.2, U.2, EDSFF E3.S, etc.)

[ZombiePhysicist]

Thread Update 2024-06-30:
Update on deteriorating NVMe compatibility on macOS

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/bootable-pci-ssd-cards-drives-for-mac-pro-nvme-m-2-u-2-edsff-e3-s-etc.2179713/post-33185235

Thread Update 2024-06-12:
Currently, only 2 (U.2/U.3) SSD drives that are 30TB or larger are known to work as boot drives:

1. SOLIDIGM D5-P5336 Series (30.72TB, 2.5”) SBFPF2BV307T001 (confirmed)
2. SOLIDIGM D5-P5336 Series (61.44TB, 2.5”) SBFPF2BV614T001 (confirmed)

Also the Micron 9300 Pro 15TB U.2 drive is also confirmed to work (while the later 9400 Pro U.3 does not), but you have many more options of SSD drives that do work as boot drives that are 15TB or smaller.

Other compatibility lists are tracked by the following manufacturers, but only Sonnettech lists what is actually compatible, not just with their cards, but, more crucially, with macOS:

Sonnettech List:

https://www.sonnettech.com/support/downloads/manuals/u2_ssds.pdf

HighPoint List:

Nvme Ecosystem | HighPoint-tech.com

www.highpoint-tech.com

Thread Update 2023-11-17:
Preliminary list of Mac compatible U.2/U.3 dives found from Sonnet, but no 30TB or larger drives are known successfully to work as boot drives, yet.

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/bootable-pci-ssd-cards-drives-for-mac-pro-nvme-m-2-u-2-edsff-e3-s-etc-was-micron-9300-pro-15-36tb-u2.2179713/post-32470574

And more compatible drives in lists maintained by HighPoint:

Nvme Ecosystem | HighPoint-tech.com

www.highpoint-tech.com

Thread Update 2023-08-21:
Highpoint 1580 Rocket PCIe4 HBA card works on 2019 Mac Pro and seems to provide double the bandwidth even via PCIe3 (although successful with the Micron 9400 Pro only in windows, but it does continue to drive the Micron 9300 Pro even in macOS but at same speeds at the Highpoint 7120);

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/bootable-pci-ssd-cards-drives-for-mac-pro-nvme-m-2-u-2-edsff-e3-s-etc-was-micron-9300-pro-15-36tb-u2.2179713/post-32384656

Thread Update 2020-09-25:
Sonnet card supporting 2 u.2 drives mentioned here:

Mac Pro support for NVMe U2 Micron 9300 Pro 15.36TB U.2 Drive SSD?

Sonnet unveiled a new u.2 NVME card that can hold 2 u.2 drives on the card. No fan. https://www.sonnettech.com/product/fusion-dual-u2-ssd/overview.html You can RAID 0 but you cannot boot the raid drive unfortunately... Interesting and tidy solution. It wastes a 16lane slot to some degree in...

forums.macrumors.com

Thread Update 2020-01-09:
2019 First solutions supporting 4 u.2 drives:

Mac Pro support for NVMe U2 Micron 9300 Pro 15.36TB U.2 Drive SSD?

Ok so I got the drive. I got a bracket and it all seems to fit in decently tidy. Some pics: So I have the Pegasus J2i in there. Swapped the useless 8TB for a 16TB spinner. I got a 3.5" to 2.5" bracket. One note, the screws in the J2i that hold larger drives, are too big for both the 2.5"/3.5"...

forums.macrumors.com

Original Post:
So micron has come out with some really much more affordable high capacity SSDs recently. For example, if you are in the market for a 7.68 TB SATA based Drive, I’ve seen this drive for under $1000:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07JQ2F2WG/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o09_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1


However, they have recently released drives with even greater capacity, and more importantly nvme read and write speeds. Even the 15 TB drive is now under $3300, which makes it compelling if still somewhat expensive:

https://www.guru3d.com/news-story/1...-offers-850k-iops-and-75-petabyte-writes.html

Micron 9300 Pro 15.36TB NVMe U.2 Enterprise Solid State Drive

Performance-critical cloud and enterprise workloads demand consistently Fast throughput and immediate access to data. The Micron 9300 Series of NVMe SSDs delivers industry-leading sequential write performance with the lowest write latency on the market, to accelerate your datacenter to meet the g...

www.amazon.com

This drive uses what looks like a 2.5” drive form factor, but is called a U.2 form factor with a PCIe Gen3 x 4 NVMe interface, and is Capable of 3500 MB per second read and write speeds.

So the question is, is there a controller card that can make use of the drive’s interface and form factor that works in a Mac Pro? Any pointers will be appreciated! Some details on many PCI options in this thread (threads have since been combined) too:

Suggestions for best bootable PCI NVMe card for 2019 nCMP 7,1 Mac Pro

So I’m looking to use the 15tb micron 9300 pro drivehttps://www.amazon.com/Micron-15-36TB-Enterprise-Solid-State/dp/B07SK8GSYZ as my boot/main drive with the new 7,1 Mac Pro. Thread on that drive can be found here...

forums.macrumors.com

 

[tsialex]

So micron has come out with some really much more affordable high capacity SSDs recently. For example, if you are in the market for a 7.68 TB SATA based Drive, I’ve seen this drive for under $1000:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07JQ2F2WG/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o09_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1


However, they have recently released drives with even greater capacity, and more importantly nvme read and write speeds. Even the 15 TB drive is now under $3300, which makes it compelling if still somewhat expensive:

https://www.guru3d.com/news-story/1...-offers-850k-iops-and-75-petabyte-writes.html

https://www.cdw.com/product/micron-9300-pro-solid-state-drive-15.36-tb-u.2-pcie-nvme/5529945


This drive uses what looks like a 2.5” drive form factor, but is called a U.2 form factor with a PCIe Gen3 x 4 NVMe interface, and is Capable of 3500 MB per second read and write speeds.

So the question is, is there a controller card that can make use of the drive’s interface and form factor that works in 5,1 cMP? Any pointers will be appreciated!

Yes, High Point has a SSD7101-A equivalent card with U2 connections, SSD7120 - should work nicely with MP5,1, it's just another form factor of the SSD7101-A/SSD7102 cards and no fan!

http://highpoint-tech.com/USA_new/series-ssd7120-overview.htm

 

[ZombiePhysicist]

Yes, High Point has a SSD7101-A equivalent card with U2 connections, SSD7120 - should work nicely with MP5,1, it's just another form factor of the SSD7101-A/SSD7102 cards.

http://highpoint-tech.com/USA_new/series-ssd7120-overview.htm

Wow Thanks Alex! So I guess there is some kind of U.2 cable to connect the drive to that card. Do you know if there is a U.2 bracket adapter that would hold the U.2 drive in one of the 3.5” bays? Would the normal 2.5” adapter brackets also work for the U.2 drive?

 

[tsialex]

Wow Thanks Alex! So I guess there is some kind of U.2 cable to connect the drive to that card. Do you know if there is a U.2 bracket adapter that would hold the U.2 drive in one of the 3.5” bays? Would the normal 2.5” adapter brackets also work for the U.2 drive?

I have a similar setup in a client Mac Pro, SSD7120 + 2 U2 1.96TB Micron drives. I installed two Orico 5,25" to 2,5" adapters and passed the cables with the same opening that the optical SATA cable uses, replacing the DVD drives. You can't use U.2 drives with the original SATA caddies.

U.2 drives that I used had the standard 2,5" form factor, same screw places, same size, different connectors. Check if the drive that you want has the same form factor, some drives don't have.

 

[ZombiePhysicist]

Looks like this cable will connect the drive:

https://www.amazon.com/Highpoint-86...SNP5751D4FG&psc=1&refRID=FSYAHWNX6SNP5751D4FG

 

[tsialex]

Looks like this cable will connect the drive:

https://www.amazon.com/Highpoint-86...SNP5751D4FG&psc=1&refRID=FSYAHWNX6SNP5751D4FG

Yes, it's the same cable that I used. If you remove the original SATA cable, you can install/pass the U.2 connector from the optical bay to the backplane area.

 

[ZombiePhysicist]

Thanks so much for the great pointer! This is your 5.25” to 2.5” adapter, I think:
https://www.amazon.com/ORICO-Alumin..."&qid=1556623536&s=electronics&sr=1-1-catcorr

It would be great if someone made a 3.5” sled with space for the U.2 adapter cable and the U.2/ 2.5” drive so it could slot into one of the 4 bays.
[doublepost=1556624073][/doublepost]

Yes, it's the same cable that I used. If you remove the original SATA cable, you can install/pass the U.2 connector from the optical bay to the backplane area.

Don’t you need that SATA cable for power, or does the card supply enough power?

 

[tsialex]

Thanks so much for the great pointer! This is your 5.25” to 2.5” adapter, I think:
https://www.amazon.com/ORICO-Aluminum-Internal-Mounting-Absorption/dp/B07K8G41FZ/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=Orico+5,25"+to+2,5"&qid=1556623536&s=electronics&sr=1-1-catcorr

It would be great if someone made a 3.5” sled with space for the U.2 adapter cable and the U.2/ 2.5” drive so it could slot into one of the 4 bays.

Yes, exactly.

I doubt that anyone will make an adapter for the caddy, it's a small niche of an already niche product. If you install in the optical drive bays, you can use the HDD bays for a fast internal backup.

Next time I'll go there, I'll take photos of the setup. I did a quick throughput test, without heatsink, with my SSD7101-A + M.2 to U.2 adapter and the 9300 1.96TB Micron drive is slower than my 970Pro, but for the size/price it's worth.

 

[ZombiePhysicist]

Wow thanks so much. A photo would be great and very helpful!

 

[tsialex]

Don’t you need that SATA cable for power, or does the card supply enough power?

You have to remove the SATA cable, install the U.2 cables, then reinstall the SATA cable, the opening is tight for the U2 connector.
[doublepost=1556624917][/doublepost]Btw, it's a very clean install, everything is hidden, you just see the U.2 cables next to the PCIe fan.

 

[bsbeamer]

@ZombiePhysicist Take extra caution if you plan to RAID these for increased speeds. 10.14.5 public release MIGHT fix some of the issues, but the Mojave RAID issues with U2 drives were even more pronounced than straight SATA drives for some reason. Had a client who decided to repurpose (much lower capacity) server U2 SSDs for video usage, got everything working, then basically lost everything a week or so later. As singles they appear to be 100% fine. Backup and backup often.

 

[tsialex]

One thing I liked about SSD7120, no fan, zero noise - but U.2 drives are stupidly hot. Something like the first WD Velociraptor 3,5" to 2,5" adapter, or that Chinese clone without the SATA connector, seems a smart choice to install U.2 drives
[doublepost=1556627644][/doublepost]

 

[ZombiePhysicist]

@ZombiePhysicist Take extra caution if you plan to RAID these for increased speeds. 10.14.5 public release MIGHT fix some of the issues, but the Mojave RAID issues with U2 drives were even more pronounced than straight SATA drives for some reason. Had a client who decided to repurpose (much lower capacity) server U2 SSDs for video usage, got everything working, then basically lost everything a week or so later. As singles they appear to be 100% fine. Backup and backup often.

Thank you. If. I get this, I will get just the one 15tb drive, maybe a 2nd as a backup, but no raid. It’s about 3700bux, so I’m going to wait to see if wwdc intros the new Mac Pro.

If it’s like the cheese grater Mac with pci, I will get that and invest in upgrades there. If it’s another 2013 trash can “modular” disaster, I will eventually dump apple hardware (maybe go to Linux and just run OS X in emulation as I transition). It’s worth it to wait a couple of months before investing in this depending on what apple releases. If they mess up, then this upgrade might get me through a few more years as I learn about transitioning away from the Mac. If they make a great pci based Mac Pro, hooray, happy days.

Btw, looks like the price is already dropping under $3000:
http://www.shopblt.com/cgi-bin/shop...300000U01125_B6NN193P.shtml&order_id=!ORDERID!

 

[ZombiePhysicist]

Wow price has come down to under $2800:

https://www.nothingbutsavings.com/P...MI9t7d9tme4gIVQ0sNCh2b6AcWEAkYASABEgLlPfD_BwE

 

[ZombiePhysicist]

So I’m looking to use the 15tb micron 9300 pro drivehttps://www.amazon.com/Micron-15-36TB-Enterprise-Solid-State/dp/B07SK8GSYZ as my boot/main drive with the new 7,1 Mac Pro. Thread on that drive can be found here:

Mac Pro support for NVMe U2 Micron 9300 Pro 15.36TB U.2 Drive SSD?

ZombiePhysicist, where you able to get the 9300 SSD running in the Mac Pro 7,1? The 9300 is the drive I've settled on but I haven't been able to find any confirmation that the drive will work under Catalina. (I understand that the 9300 will need a PCIe to U.2 adapter or RAID controller.)

forums.macrumors.com

Any suggestions on what are the good pci cards that might work best on the 2019 Mac Pro? I’m guessing I could bracket the micron drive in the Pegasus 2ji bracket https://www.promise.com/us/Promotion/PegasusStorage .

Update 2020-02-02:
Just thought I'd update this thread in that I went with the Highpoint 7120 and Micron 9300 Pro 15.36TB drive option. Lot of details of getting it to work found in this thread:

Mac Pro support for NVMe U2 Micron 9300 Pro 15.36TB U.2 Drive SSD?

Ok so I got the drive. I got a bracket and it all seems to fit in decently tidy. Some pics: So I have the Pegasus J2i in there. Swapped the useless 8TB for a 16TB spinner. I got a 3.5" to 2.5" bracket. One note, the screws in the J2i that hold larger drives, are too big for both the 2.5"/3.5"...

forums.macrumors.com

 

[JesterJJZ]

Why do you need/want a boot drive that large? For best performance/practice you only keep your OS and apps on a boot drive, maybe user folders. Everything else goes on other drives, especially on an expandable system such as a Mac Pro.

 

[ZombiePhysicist]

Why do you need/want a boot drive that large? For best performance/practice you only keep your OS and apps on a boot drive, maybe user folders. Everything else goes on other drives, especially on an expandable system such as a Mac Pro.

Because it always ends up messing things up. When you have your photos library or music library on an external drive, and then that drive doesnt mount on some boot, and all the pointers get messed up. It's a pain. I've tried it several times. And in theory it works. In practice it inevitably fails and causes trouble. If it works for you, that's great. YMMV and all that.

Also, I see no downside. The 15TB is fast and spacious. I can put my entire world on it. Get a 2nd one to be a bootable recovery clone. Maybe throw in a 16TB spinner for a time machine archive of everything.
[doublepost=1562911071]https://forums.macrumors.com/thread...-pro-15-36-tb-nvme-ssd.2179713/#post-27323732 [/doublepost]

So from another thread, the Highpoint SSD7120 http://highpoint-tech.com/USA_new/series-ssd7120-overview.htm seems to be a good choice for the 5,1 Mac Pro. I wonder if it's also a good choice for the 7,1?

 

[ZombiePhysicist]

I could swear there was a slide from one of the WWDC presentations that showed at least one company was going to offer PCI cards for SSDs. Does anyone know of the company or recall/have a link to that slide?

 

[tsialex]

I could swear there was a slide from one of the WWDC presentations that showed at least one company was going to offer PCI cards for SSDs. Does anyone know of the company or recall/have a link to that slide?

The card pictured on the keynote was the Sonnet M.2 4x4 PCIe Card FUS-SSD-4X4-E3 and it's not a particular good card, several restrictions like the size and format of the blades.

I wrote about it on the Blade thread:

• Sonnet M.2 4x4 PCIe Card FUS-SSD-4X4-E3: Supports four single side 80mm M.2 blades. Uses PLX PEX8747 switch. Heatsink with a fan over the blades and PCIe switch. Needs a GPU with pre-boot configuration support. Do not buy it if you need to boot Windows from the blades or will upgrade to a PC later, this card can't boot Windows.

 

[ZombiePhysicist]

The card pictured on the keynote was the Sonnet M.2 4x4 PCIe Card FUS-SSD-4X4-E3 and it's not a particular good card, several restrictions like the size and format of the blades.

I wrote about it on the Blade thread:

• Sonnet M.2 4x4 PCIe Card FUS-SSD-4X4-E3: Supports four single side 80mm M.2 blades. Uses PLX PEX8747 switch. Heatsink with a fan over the blades and PCIe switch. Needs a GPU with pre-boot configuration support. Do not buy it if you need to boot Windows from the blades or will upgrade to a PC later, this card can't boot Windows.

Thank you so much. You dont happen to have a direct link to the post where you talk about it?

 

[tsialex]

Thank you so much. You dont happen to have a direct link to the post where you talk about it?

Start here #771, we discussed it for some time.

 

[ZombiePhysicist]

Start here #771, we discussed it for some time.

Thank you!

 

[ZombiePhysicist]

So I’m looking to use the 15tb micron 9300 pro drivehttps://www.amazon.com/Micron-15-36TB-Enterprise-Solid-State/dp/B07SK8GSYZ as my boot/main drive with the new 7,1 Mac Pro.

Any suggestions on what are the good pci cards that might work best on the 2019 Mac Pro? I’m guessing I could bracket the micron drive in the Pegasus 2ji bracket https://www.promise.com/us/Promotion/PegasusStorage .

Hmmm. So reading on the HighPoint site regarding the SSD7120, looks like it's not bootable. So that makes it a no-go. Bummer... I wonder if this might change for the 2019 Mac Pro?

Q: Can I use this card to boot from an NVMe drive or RAID array?
A: The SSD7101A-1 and SSD7120 cannot be used to boot. However, the SSD7102 and SSD7110 do support bootable NVMe drives or RAID arrays.​

 

[tsialex]

Hmmm. So reading on the HighPoint site regarding the SSD7120, looks like it's not bootable. So that makes it a no-go. Bummer... I wonder if this might change for the 2019 Mac Pro?

Q: Can I use this card to boot from an NVMe drive or RAID array?
A: The SSD7101A-1 and SSD7120 cannot be used to boot. However, the SSD7102 and SSD7110 do support bootable NVMe drives or RAID arrays.​

All Highpoint cards are bootable with a MP5,1. It's not the card firmware that makes it boot, but the Mac Pro BootROM infrastructure. This has some particularities.

My SSD7101-A boots from day one, but RAID booting is software dependent. Mojave don't have any official support from booting from an APFS array. Apple started to change things with Catalina DP3 and seems Catalina will finally have official support to boot from an APFS array.

With High Sierra you just need to use HFS+ and you can use a bootable 4-blade HFS+ array - use startosinstall to install.

With Mojave, to have correct support you boot from one blade and use the other three as a data array. If you make a 4-blade APFS array, you can't update macOS - software updates don't work at all.

 

[ZombiePhysicist]

All Highpoint cards are bootable with a MP5,1. It's not the card firmware that makes it boot, but the Mac Pro BootROM infrastructure. This has some particularities.

My SSD7101-A boots from day one, but RAID booting is software dependent. Mojave don't have any official support from booting from an APFS array. Apple started to change things with Catalina DP3 and seems Catalina will finally have official support to boot from an APFS array.

With High Sierra you just need to use HFS+ and you can use a bootable 4-blade HFS+ array - use startosinstall to install.

With Mojave, to have correct support you boot from one blade and use the other three as a data array. If you make a 4-blade APFS array, you can't update macOS - software updates don't work at all.

This is really interesting. So even though their FAQ says it's not bootable, it will be bootable with a single drive? So for example, I could have a single 15TB boot SSD drive, and then use the other 3 ports to do a software raid with 3 additional drives?

That's great news then! I wonder why they don't update their FAQs...