MP 1,1-5,1 NVME boot drive and RAID

[Emen Mali]

So I have a 512gb 980 Pro that I would like to use as my boot drive on a single card NVME card (OWC brand) and I have the Sonnet 4x4 with 4 2tb WD NVME.

Currently I use the Sonnet as my boot drive and have the other 3 NVME as a 6tb RAID. Open Core is installed and currently on Big Sur (Mac Pro 5,1)

Is it a good idea to install and boot Big Sur (again with OpenCore) on the 512 nvme and have my user folder moved over the to the RAID so that I have the full 8tb. I've removed all internal drives due to heat except for the Sonnet 4x4.

 

[14UG]

That’s a neat way of setting it up if you need the full 8TB but I’d imagine the difference in performance between the two approaches might be not be that evident to the user in every day use.

What speeds are you getting from the 980 in OWC vs the Sonnet? I’m guessing it is nowhere near its top speed in the OWC at PCIe 2.0 speeds. You could probably have saved some cash by buying the previous generation of silicon.

 

[joevt]

The Samsung 980 Pro can only do 1500 MB/s in the OWC in a PCIe 2.0 slot.
It can only do 3500 MB/s in the Sonnet.
You need something like the HighPoint SSD7505 to get the full 7000 MB/s (but a PCIe 2.0 slot limits that to 6000 MB/s).
(give or take a few hundred MB/s)

The MacPro5,1 only has two x16 slots and one is used by the GPU so you don't have any choice for the 5th NVMe... unless you get an M.2 card with more slots, like the HighPoint SSD7540. With either HighPoint card, the fan may interfere with the next slot.

I suppose you won't notice a difference with wherever you put the OS. Even the SATA II bays should be sufficient with a 2.5" SSD (250 MB/s).