Faulty SSD expansion kit?

[Ravich]

So I came here to ask for recommendations regarding storage expansion for my Mac Pro, and was recommended this little bugger:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Apple-Mac-P...760?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item258e46ecc8


It worked flawlessly up until now. When I woke up my Mac Pro, I got a message saying that the disc was not properly ejected, which I thought was weird, but dismissed until I tried loading up a project and files couldnt be found. I realized that one of the SSDs connected through the raid card was blank. The other one still had the normal files on it. I decided to try restarting my Mac Pro, which led to both SSDs being blank and unreadable by the computer (needed to be initialized and whatnot).

I didnt lose any valuable information, as I just keep sample libraries on them, but given the symptoms, it would seem that the raid card experienced some sort of failure that I should probably be concerned about. It is very unlikely that both SSDs would spontaneously freak out like that.

Where should I go from here? Is there any sort of test that I should run? Is it likely that the SSDs are damaged? Any ideas as to what the problem is likely to be?

These things supposedly have a 1 year warranty, so I can get a replacement it seems...


Any advice?

 

[macuser453787]

The ebay listing says that card supports RAID 0, 1, and 10. Did you have the two SSDs configured as RAID on the card or were they kept as independent drives? If RAID, is the RAID controlled by the card or is it setup as a software RAID via Disk Utility?

From a troubleshooting standpoint, I'm inclined to agree that it's probably not the SSDs. Since the data wasn't critical, I'd suggest reformatting the SSDs--after restoring them to individual drives if they are currently configured as RAID--and see if they will retain data. And don't keep them on that card but plug them into a couple of the on-board drive bays if you've got the room.

IMO, it would probably be best to not use that card any further. A return/refund may be a good idea, followed by a different choice of card altogether.

 

[Ravich]

They are separate drives (not in raid), but unfortunately I dont have any additional space internally.

I guess I'll do what I can about getting an exchange. Thanks for the input.

 

[macuser453787]

They are separate drives (not in raid), but unfortunately I dont have any additional space internally.

I guess I'll do what I can about getting an exchange. Thanks for the input.

Glad to help. I suggest caution though as the card appears to be of generic manufacture and doesn't appear to be high quality from how it looks in the listing, and from the situation you described. The problem could very well be related to poor quality manufacturing, which is to say all of those cards may be that way and not necessarily just the one specific card that you purchased.

 

[crjackson2134]

Glad to help. I suggest caution though as the card appears to be of generic manufacture and doesn't appear to be high quality from how it looks in the listing, and from the situation you described. The problem could very well be related to poor quality manufacturing, which is to say all of those cards may be that way and not necessarily just the one specific card that you purchased.

I'm pretty sure it was made by SYBA (I contacted the seller). It does have the Marvell 9230 chipset. I've read some really negative posts about it's quality. I would probably spend the money on a Apricon Solo X2 card and be done with it.

 

[macuser453787]

I'm pretty sure it was made by SYBA (I contacted the seller). It does have the Marvell 9230 chipset. I've read some really negative posts about it's quality. I would probably spend the money on a Apricon Solo X2 card and be done with it.

Yeah, might not be a bad idea to get away from the SYBA card then, particularly if multiple posters are saying similar things about it.

 

[crjackson2134]

Yeah, might not be a bad idea to get away from the SYBA card then, particularly if multiple posters are saying similar things about it.

For $10 more you can get this card. Everyone swears by them. I'm planning to get one myself. Right now it has a $20 rebate so it's actually $10 less.

 

[m4v3r1ck]

For $10 more you can get this card. Everyone swears by them. I'm planning to get one myself. Right now it has a $20 rebate so it's actually $10 less.

A very solid product indeed in terms of build and stability! Working flawless for months now in my MP 3.1.