MacPro 4,1 SSD/PCI card connection help

[DB10]

I'm planning to get this Samsung 1TB SSD for my 2009 MacPro 4,1. https://www.amzn.com/B00OBRFFAS/
I have a CalDigit Fasta-6GU3pro USB/SATA PCI card & I believe it has internal SATA III ports.

Is it possible to connect this SSD drive to the Caldigit card or internally in one of the hard drive bays? What are the options?

I never dealt with SSD drives & have no idea.

2009 MacPro 4,1
1 x Apple ATI 4870 video card
1 x Caldigit Fasta-6GU3pro
4 x 1TB internal Hard Drives
1 x Apple DVD-ROM burner

Appreciate any suggestions. Thanks!

 

[h9826790]

Just treat it like any SATA HDD, connect it to any of the SATA port then you are good to go.

 

[Synchro3]

I have a CalDigit Fasta-6GU3pro USB/SATA PCI card & I believe it has internal SATA III ports.

Is it possible to connect this SSD drive to the Caldigit card or internally in one of the hard drive bays? What are the options?

Yes, you can connect the drive internally to the Caldigit card (much faster than the internal drive bays), but you have to organize power: https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/motherboard-to-pcie-sata-power.1712884/#post-18855446

 

[DB10]

Yes, you can connect the drive internally to the Caldigit card (much faster than the internal drive bays), but you have to organize power: https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/motherboard-to-pcie-sata-power.1712884/#post-18855446

Great, thanks. Can't find the Kingston but found this mount: https://www.amzn.com/B002Z2QDNE

Gotta decide real soon between these 2 with BF prices before it's over:

Crucial 750GB $120
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/prod...ct750mx300ssd1_750gb_mx300_sata_internal.html

Samsung 1TB $250
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1086227-REG/samsung_mz_75e1t0b_am_853_evo_1tb_2_5.html

 

[chriz_r]

You'll have to rotate and mount the SSD have the connectors point towards the outside, so you can plug in a SATA cable and power cables to it. You wont be using the Mac Pro's internal drive connectors if thats what you're asking. If you're not using the other sata connector in the optical drive bay, my suggestion would be to plug in an SSD in there to the free bottom connector.

​

These plugs are towards the front of the mac, just behind the PCI fan.

https://www.amazon.com/NSI-LK-13526...553&sr=8-1&keywords=sata+data+cable+extension

Pull the bottom cable labeled "Molex B" and use the male end of the extender to the cable (not the board)

​

and plug the other end of the extender to the CalDigit sata port

​

This would be cheaper and less work to do.

 

[Synchro3]

Great, thanks. Can't find the Kingston but found this mount: https://www.amzn.com/B002Z2QDNE

Gotta decide real soon between these 2 with BF prices before it's over:

Crucial 750GB $120
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/prod...ct750mx300ssd1_750gb_mx300_sata_internal.html

Samsung 1TB $250
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1086227-REG/samsung_mz_75e1t0b_am_853_evo_1tb_2_5.html

Yes, it's the same adapter as the Kingston. And with a SATA Power Y Splitter Cable you can power two SSD's. http://www.ebay.com/bhp/sata-y-splitter?afsrc=1&rmvSB=truec

I'm using my Caldigit FASTA-6GU3 Pro now for two years with this workaround without issues.

Both brands are good, I'm using Crucial and Samsung SSD's.
[doublepost=1480179353][/doublepost]

You'll have to rotate and mount the SSD have the connectors point towards the outside, so you can plug in a SATA cable and power cables to it. You wont be using the Mac Pro's internal drive connectors if thats what you're asking. If you're not using the other sata connector in the optical drive bay, my suggestion would be to plug in an SSD in there to the free bottom connector.

View attachment 674744



View attachment 674740​

These plugs are towards the front of the mac, just behind the PCI fan.

https://www.amazon.com/NSI-LK-13526...553&sr=8-1&keywords=sata+data+cable+extension

Pull the bottom cable labeled "Molex B" and use the male end of the extender to the cable (not the board)

View attachment 674742​

and plug the other end of the extender to the CalDigit sata port

View attachment 674743​

This would be cheaper and less work to do.

OP wrote he has already a Caldigit FASTA-6GU3 Pro card installed with two internal SATA 6G connectors (bootable, by the way). Quite clear to make use of these connectors, just my opinion.

 

[chriz_r]

OP wrote he has already a Caldigit FASTA-6GU3 Pro card installed with two internal SATA 6G connectors. Quite clear to use these connectors, just my opinion.

Yes I do understand that. What I'm trying to say is that since it looks like he has 4 bays populated with 1TB drives, and he wants to run an ssd (or two) with the caldigit, he can basically move the internal macpro sata cable from the drive bay to use the caldigit sata port and the power is already present. So all he has to buy is the sata extension cable that I linked to. It's just gonna be a one wire setup. This route will then abandon one of the macpro's internal sata port on the backplane that is originally giving data to the optical drive bays.

the red line will be the extension cable, and the top sata cable is the dvd drive sata cable. If he wishes to have another ssd and forgo the dvd drive, he can do the same thing. Power is already provided internally.

 

[DB10]

Great, thanks for all the suggestions.
So does #1 look right for just one SSD?

Could you also do these:
#2 Using the "Molex A" cable that's already there for the DVD
#3 Possible to power 2 x SSD drives with a power splitter cable?

 

[chriz_r]

Yes you can split the power there and run two full length sata cables 18-24" long from both caldigit ports into the optical drive cage like #3.

Keep the molex A plug connected for DVD and molex B is at your discretion if you want to plug it or not because you won't be using it with a sata power y-splitter.

Too bad my 3D renders didn't come out as amazing as yours, since the quantum computer I used to model and export it didn't have NVidia Pascal webdriver available. Haha

 

[itdk92]

Great, thanks for all the suggestions.
So does #1 look right for just one SSD?
View attachment 675003


Could you also do these:
#2 Using the "Molex A" cable that's already there for the DVD
#3 Possible to power 2 x SSD drives with a power splitter cable?
View attachment 675004
View attachment 675005

Following up on this..

I have this card + 1TB EVO SSD, and I am wondering what speed I could achieve raiding 2 x 1TB EVO? Or in general just two good SSDs

Anybody tried this with the internal connections of the Caldigit 6GU3 Fasta Pro?