MacPro3,1 Drive sled screw holes 8TB 10TB drives?

[TheBigearedOne]

Hi,
I currently have 4 x 4TB drives in my MacPro3,1 2008 8core 2.8mhz

I'd like to put 8TB or 10TB drives in but OWC told me that the screw holes on the bigger capacity drives have changed location and my MacPro drive sleds wont work.

Has anyone found drive sleds/brackets which will work in the MacPro3,1 and hold those 8 or 10Tb drives?

I see sleds for Mac Pro (2009-2012) https://eshop.macsales.com/item/OWC/MPRODBKTLG6/ but they dont make them for my 2008 macpro so I wonder is anyone else making them?

Im not aware of any max total TB capacity in this desktop so I might go for 4 x 10TB drives for a total of 40TB inside?

Thanks for any tips!

 

[William_si]

they should be the same? i'm sure i use the owc ssd sled from my 1,1 now in a 4,1 - no issue...

 

[flowrider]

^^^^But they're not! See this thread:

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/8tb-in-2012-mac-pro.2018132/#post-24000197

and this:

http://www.storagereview.com/6tb_hdds_causing_problems_for_system_vendors_but_not_the_way_you_think

I don't see a solution for the 3,1 cMPs.

1,1 cMP to a 4,1 -

Lou

 

[jbarley]

It would appear from looking at the drive mounting holes in this link that at least 1 set of holes (nearest the connection) remains usable, this should be enough to keep the drive positioned in the mounting tray.
A DIY zip-tie or rubber band might be used to support the back end of the drive.

 

[Zlobnick]

Exactly... that's how I solved it

 

[ActionableMango]

they should be the same? i'm sure i use the owc ssd sled from my 1,1 now in a 4,1 - no issue...

I don't know anything about the OWC SSD sled--maybe they made a universal one. But I do know that the factory Apple drive sleds for a 1,1 and 4,1 are different.

 

[typecase]

The solution is this. I love that someone is looking out for us Mac Pro lovers now that Apple has abandoned us.

https://eshop.macsales.com/item/OWC/MPRODBKTLG6/

 

[RyanXM]

The solution is this. I love that someone is looking out for us Mac Pro lovers now that Apple has abandoned us.

https://eshop.macsales.com/item/OWC/MPRODBKTLG6/

Those are for the MacPro4,1 and MacPro5,1.....the OP needs them for the MacPro3,1.

 

[nigelbb]

The solutions as noted earlier in the thread is that two of the screw holes do match up & that combined with some gaffer tape or other fixing is sufficient to hold the drive in the sled.

 

[MIKX]

( SORRY EVERYONE - this mod is only for SSD drives . . but still perhaps useful )

I make my own sled adaptors.
4 Flat head screws + washers & 2 nuts. + a piece of plastic/metal with one L-shaped side.
Lay the cMP down on it's side ( powered off of course).
Insert the SSD drive lightly taped to the original Apple sled into the onboard SATA socket.
Ensure that thereis a solid connection.
Wrap new tape tightly around both the whole contrived & original sled.
Now you can see where to drill the holes for permanent instalation on the Apple sled.
(NOTE : You will have to champer the 'side' holes to allow the two flathead screws + washer & nut to be flush.)

30 minute job.

 

[DeepYogurt]

Exactly... that's how I solved it

Can you post a photo of what your setup looks like? It would seem that anything like a zip tie or tape would interfere with the rail that the sled slides into on the case and not allow you to slide the drive and sled into the existing grooves in the case???

I wonder why OWC doesn't make the newer 3-hole sleds for older MacPro systems that use the shorted sled? Perhaps if everyone who has one of these older MacPro's would call them to ask for these sleds, OWC would see a reason to have them made??

Thanks ...

 

[jbarley]

I'm sure everyone is aware but it appears we might need reminding,
the sleds for a MP1,1/ 3,1 are totally different then for the 4,1/5,1 as seen in this photo.
1,1/3,1 sled on the left is quite a bit shorter then the one on the right for the 4,1/5.1 MP's.

 

[Zlobnick]

Can you post a photo of what your setup looks like? It would seem that anything like a zip tie or tape would interfere with the rail that the sled slides into on the case and not allow you to slide the drive and sled into the existing grooves in the case???

I don't have a photo, but I sketched it for you. Two screws will actually fit, and the other side you can fit with some scotch tape around the drive and it works pretty good. Doesn't interfere with the rail. I did the same in both 2,1 and 5,1, so it should work with a 1,1/3,1/4,1 also

 

[cmaier]

For what its worth, i recently bought a couple of new seagate barracuda 8tb drives, and they seem to have all the old screw holes again.

 

[DeepYogurt]

I'm sure everyone is aware but it appears we might need reminding,
the sleds for a MP1,1/ 3,1 are totally different then for the 4,1/5,1 as seen in this photo.
1,1/3,1 sled on the left is quite a bit shorter then the one on the right for the 4,1/5.1 MP's.
View attachment 822995

Thanks very much for posting the photo -- makes it very clear what is going on with the two different drive sleds.

If you don't mind could you take another photo of the two sleds next to one another, only this time line up the back instead of the front? The reason for this is I'm wondering if I order the new sled from OWC that fits the 4,1 and 5,1 MacPro's, if I could simply cut off part of the front that would prevent the side panel from being put in place. I realize it might make it not so easy to remove the drive, but that's an easier thing to deal with than not being able to use a newer/larger SATA drive in my MacPro 3,1 system that is still doing fine and runs perfectly OK for my purposes.

I just like the idea of having drive mounted with four screws instead of two. But now that I've seen Zlobnick photo as well, it's certainly an option also. Thanks to Zlobnick also.

Thanks very much!!
[doublepost=1550855248][/doublepost]

For what its worth, i recently bought a couple of new seagate barracuda 8tb drives, and they seem to have all the old screw holes again.

Do the Barracuda drives have 6 mounting holes on bottom so they can be mounted with either old or new hole spacing? Has anyone else put in some of these larger (8-10-12TB) drives in their MacPro 3,1 and older system without any problems? What kind of drive did you use?

For anyone that is interested, the SFF-8300 or SFF-8301 spec is what talks about hole spacing on drives. It shows all you want to know about this drive mounting hole issue. See https://doc.xdevs.com/doc/Seagate/SFF-8300.PDF for more info (especially page 10 and 11).

Thanks.
[doublepost=1550855494][/doublepost]

I don't have a photo, but I sketched it for you. Two screws will actually fit, and the other side you can fit with some scotch tape around the drive and it works pretty good. Doesn't interfere with the rail. I did the same in both 2,1 and 5,1, so it should work with a 1,1/3,1/4,1 also

Thanks for this illustration. With the tape at the front part of the sled & drive, it won't interfere with the rail guides. Very clever. Does the internal heat in the MacPro affect the tape over time - like make it start to melt? Or do you use heat-resistant tape?

Thanks again...

 

[cmaier]

Thanks very much for posting the photo -- makes it very clear what is going on with the two different drive sleds.

If you don't mind could you take another photo of the two sleds next to one another, only this time line up the back instead of the front? The reason for this is I'm wondering if I order the new sled from OWC that fits the 4,1 and 5,1 MacPro's, if I could simply cut off part of the front that would prevent the side panel from being put in place. I realize it might make it not so easy to remove the drive, but that's an easier thing to deal with than not being able to use a newer/larger SATA drive in my MacPro 3,1 system that is still doing fine and runs perfectly OK for my purposes.

I just like the idea of having drive mounted with four screws instead of two. But now that I've seen Zlobnick photo as well, it's certainly an option also. Thanks to Zlobnick also.

Thanks very much!!
[doublepost=1550855248][/doublepost]

Do the Barracuda drives have 6 mounting holes on bottom so they can be mounted with either old or new hole spacing? Has anyone else put in some of these larger (8-10-12TB) drives in their MacPro 3,1 and older system without any problems? What kind of drive did you use?

For anyone that is interested, the SFF-8300 or SFF-8301 spec is what talks about hole spacing on drives. It shows all you want to know about this drive mounting hole issue. See https://doc.xdevs.com/doc/Seagate/SFF-8300.PDF for more info (especially page 10 and 11).

Thanks.
[doublepost=1550855494][/doublepost]


Thanks for this illustration. With the tape at the front part of the sled & drive, it won't interfere with the rail guides. Very clever. Does the internal heat in the MacPro affect the tape over time - like make it start to melt? Or do you use heat-resistant tape?

Thanks again...

Yes the barracudas have 6 holes. ]I use them in a Synology NAS, and other drives i have tried are missing holes and can only be connected by two screws in those sleds. This drive seems to have restored the holes. Model is ST8000DM004. I was shocked and joyful when I discovered the holes are back.

 

[jbarley]

Thanks very much for posting the photo -- makes it very clear what is going on with the two different drive sleds.

If you don't mind could you take another photo of the two sleds next to one another, only this time line up the back instead of the front?

Something like this maybe?
Appears to me the cut you have in mind would create two separate rails.
Although once screwed to the HDD might still slide in place and work.

 

[DeepYogurt]

Yeah, cutting the longer sled to the same as the shorter one would create two pieces. Think it would still allow you to insert the drive into the drive slot, but getting it out might be a bit difficult.

It really puzzles me why OWC didn't come out with the 6-hole sleds for the older MacPro system. Whoever manufactures the sled for them could modify the process that makes the new sleds ever so slightly and all of us with older MacPro system would be happy campers too. They are missing out on making money for a minor change to an existing product. But, that's only my opinion. Who knows why they didn't do it.

It appears that there are a few options for folks with older MacPro systems -- use current sleds and tape or some other way of attaching along with the two non-changed screws, or find drives that still have the old set of holes, or cut the new 6-hole sleds so they fit and live with the removal problems.

Thanks everyone for making this a lot more clear as to what the issues are.

 

[Zeke D]

I suggest 3D printing drive sleds. If you don't have a 3D printer, or a friend with one, many public libraries have 3D printers, and it's just a matter of getting your 3D model compatible with that particular printer. PLA filament is cheap and non-toxic, but suffers from shrinkage. A heated bed and a slower print can alleviate this. I've printed many sleds with the 6-hole pattern on a cold bed with PLA, and they're fine for permanent mounting- just keep the front screws a little bit loose.

 

[DeepYogurt]

I suggest 3D printing drive sleds. If you don't have a 3D printer, or a friend with one, many public libraries have 3D printers, and it's just a matter of getting your 3D model compatible with that particular printer. PLA filament is cheap and non-toxic, but suffers from shrinkage. A heated bed and a slower print can alleviate this. I've printed many sleds with the 6-hole pattern on a cold bed with PLA, and they're fine for permanent mounting- just keep the front screws a little bit loose.

Zeke,

What a great idea -- I don't know much about 3D printing. Can you share/post your 3D file for this sled part? What sort of 3D printers can use this file - ie are these design files vendor specific or is it a universal format that all 3D printers can use? Thanks very much for the suggestion. I am doing a search now for 3D resources in the Phoenix area and there look to be a few but don't see any at a library so far.

-bob

 

[Zeke D]

Zeke,

What a great idea -- I don't know much about 3D printing. Can you share/post your 3D file for this sled part? What sort of 3D printers can use this file - ie are these design files vendor specific or is it a universal format that all 3D printers can use? Thanks very much for the suggestion. I am doing a search now for 3D resources in the Phoenix area and there look to be a few but don't see any at a library so far.

-bob

I got it from thingverse:
https://www.stlfinder.com/model/mac-pro-11-to-31-universal-35-hdd-sled-tNeOKQNZ/7786332
https://www.stlfinder.com/model/mac-pro-41-and-51-universal-35-hdd-sled-Gmp51aGw/7786333
I guess I'm just spoiled. The Library up here in Prescott Valley has a 3D printer, as does Yavapai College. I ended up getting a super cheap 3D printer off of Amazon. It was under $150 if I recall correctly, and PLA filament is about $25 for a huge roll.

You should also check to see if you have any friends enrolled at GCC. Like YC, they have an additive manufacturing certificate.

I've attached some photos of the sleds I've printed for my 1,1 and my 4,1. In the closeup of the hitachi drive, you can see how the shrinkage of PLA has caused the edges to shrink away from the edge of the Mac Pro frame. Leaving the leading screws just a bit loose takes care of this.

 

[2kvfr800]

I got it from thingverse:
https://www.stlfinder.com/model/mac-pro-11-to-31-universal-35-hdd-sled-tNeOKQNZ/7786332
https://www.stlfinder.com/model/mac-pro-41-and-51-universal-35-hdd-sled-Gmp51aGw/7786333
I guess I'm just spoiled. The Library up here in Prescott Valley has a 3D printer, as does Yavapai College. I ended up getting a super cheap 3D printer off of Amazon. It was under $150 if I recall correctly, and PLA filament is about $25 for a huge roll.

You should also check to see if you have any friends enrolled at GCC. Like YC, they have an additive manufacturing certificate.

I've attached some photos of the sleds I've printed for my 1,1 and my 4,1. In the closeup of the hitachi drive, you can see how the shrinkage of PLA has caused the edges to shrink away from the edge of the Mac Pro frame. Leaving the leading screws just a bit loose takes care of this.

These are a great idea! however I have a highpoint PciE raid card 6gbs card and a 12TB Seagate barracuda pro HD that needs the the wider tray holes. how do i get this drive in a tray with enough room to connect the power and data cables? thanks!