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Mac Pro 2009 Superdrives

D

DenBeke

macrumors regular
Original poster
Aug 11, 2011
192
8
Antwerp
Yesterday I bought a Mac Pro 2009. The machine worked fine, but I had only an issue with the superdrives. They don't take DVDs. They are thrown out immediately.

Anyone who has ever had the same problem?

I also have a Mac Pro 2008. Can I put a superdrive of that model into my Mac Pro 2009?
 
DenBeke said:
I also have a Mac Pro 2008. Can I put a superdrive of that model into my Mac Pro 2009?
Click to expand...
The 2008 MP optical drive used an IDE interface, while the 2009 one had an SATA interface and they are not compatible without using an IDE to SATA converter. Instead you can use any desktop PC optical drive with an SATA interface in your 2009 MP, just make sure to remove the front plastic bezel of the disc tray before installing it.

Here's a link on how to remove the bezel in case you haven't done it before.
 
Last edited:
DenBeke said:
Yesterday I bought a Mac Pro 2009. The machine worked fine, but I had only an issue with the superdrives. They don't take DVDs. They are thrown out immediately.

Anyone who has ever had the same problem?

I also have a Mac Pro 2008. Can I put a superdrive of that model into my Mac Pro 2009?
Click to expand...

For the sake of clarity (I'm kind of sleepy right now, so I need you to elaborate), can you explain what you mean by "They are thrown out immediately"?

I think you mean they are ejected right after you load them. Are you sure they aren't CD ONLY drives, or could that be what you are reporting and want to know about installing a newer DVD drive.

If you just want to upgrade from a CD to DVD drive there are many drives available depending on weather you want to use IDE or SATA platforms.
 
The drives are the original superdrives. So they should be dvd/cd (read and write).

When you insert a DVD it will be come out before even appearing in Finder.
 
Look in System Information. You should see something like the attached. If you do and it's not reading or recording DVDs, something is wrong with your player/writer.

Lou
 

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The Superdrive should accept DVDs. IF it spits them out, then the drive is probably no good anymore.

You can easily install a new optical drive in its place. ANy brand will do. You don't need Apple branded superdrive.
 
Personally had problems with my 5,1 origonal Optical Drive. Ripping DVD's etc seemed so slow, yet worked.

Replaced with an Optiarc AD-7240S from my efi-x machine, and the difference was noticeable.

As such I would probably recommend replacing the Optical Drive anyway that Apple ship.
 
mcnallym said:
Personally had problems with my 5,1 origonal Optical Drive. Ripping DVD's etc seemed so slow, yet worked.

Replaced with an Optiarc AD-7240S from my efi-x machine, and the difference was noticeable.

As such I would probably recommend replacing the Optical Drive anyway that Apple ship.
Click to expand...

The factory drive ships with Riplock enabled. The Riplock objective is to make the ripping process take so long that you won't want to rip movies with. It promotes anti-piracy and protects the drive from damage caused by high RPM/Vibrations. There's nothing wrong with the drive just because you have trouble ripping.

The firmware on many drives can be updated to remove Riplock, make the drive region free, enable faster burning, and improve media compatibility. I like Pioneer drives best. Determine how you plan to use the drive the do some research as to which drive is most popular for your objective, and buy that one. Update the firmware if needed and you're set.
 
DenBeke said:
That happens on both the drives. So I thought this could be a known firmware/software problem
Click to expand...

That is a reasonable conclusion to make if BOTH superdrives exhibit the same behavior.
I would be curious to know how a new DVD drive would perform in your machine. If you really need to use DVDs, then it might be worthwhile to purchase a cheap optical drive to test.

Your post motivated me to test my Apple Superdrive (2009 Mac Pro). I've not had the machine for long and have not really used the drive.
It accepted a DVD and played it without any troubles.
 
Could I use a 2008 drive with an IDE/SATA adapter?
Would I need drivers to do so?
And will this (or any other replacement drive) be bootable?
 
DenBeke said:
Could I use a 2008 drive with an IDE/SATA adapter?
Would I need drivers to do so?
And will this (or any other replacement drive) be bootable?
Click to expand...

That might be more trouble than it is worth.

I believe that the adapters might cost as much as or more than a new SATA drive. And there is no guarentee it will work consistently (or work at all).

I've read lots of negative reviews on some of these adapters. The connections are poor or they make loud clicking noises, or they simply don't work.
 
Alright, I'll pick up a new optical drive...
Thanks for the feedback!

I'll just put an LG in my Mac Pro.

I hope I won't need any driver...
 
5 mins after I commanded a drive at Amazon I fixed to drives by putting an old cleaning cd in it.

Just cancelled the command of the drive. Now I hope I'll not pay the bill :)
 
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