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PCIe Expansion for 2012 Mac Pro - non gpu

Graham King

Graham King

macrumors regular
Original poster
Mar 27, 2011
161
114
Oakland, CA
Is there an affordable solution for adding external PCIe slots to the 2012 Mac Pro? Not looking to run a GPU as that can stay inside the machine. I'd like to run a HighPoint 4-Port USB3 1144D and a Blackmagic Decklink SDI 4K Capture Card. I believe they are 4 lane gen 2 and 4 lane gen 1 respectively. I don't need to run both cards at the same time although I will probably need to run multiple USB3 ports at the same time.

Affordable to me in this case would be a couple hundred bucks but maybe that's wishful thinking. Anything close out there?

I don't have any experience with PCIe expansion so I sent an email to Amfeltec to ask for a recommendation and I got an answer that wasn't very helpful: "Our backplane has x1 PCI Express Gen2 connection to host computer. It may be slowdown the USB3 or your Capture Board." So do they offer something else that would be appropriate?
 
h9826790 said:
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/amfeltec-pci-express-splitter.2027827/#post-24201730
Click to expand...

Thanks but are the cards I mentioned mini PCIe? I thought that interface is for M.2 and similar devices. Just want to make sure before I hijack their thread.

Would something like this be right for me instead? http://amfeltec.com/products/flexible-x4-pci-express-4-way-splitter/

Also, is there a way to get Amfeltec products into some kind of a box or do they just sit on your desk bare and if so, how do you hold them down if a cable tugs on them as is the case with both of the cards I want to use with it?
 
Graham King said:
Is there an affordable solution for adding external PCIe slots to the 2012 Mac Pro? Not looking to run a GPU as that can stay inside the machine. I'd like to run a HighPoint 4-Port USB3 1144D and a Blackmagic Decklink SDI 4K Capture Card. I believe they are 4 lane gen 2 and 4 lane gen 1 respectively. I don't need to run both cards at the same time although I will probably need to run multiple USB3 ports at the same time.

Affordable to me in this case would be a couple hundred bucks but maybe that's wishful thinking. Anything close out there?

I don't have any experience with PCIe expansion so I sent an email to Amfeltec to ask for a recommendation and I got an answer that wasn't very helpful: "Our backplane has x1 PCI Express Gen2 connection to host computer. It may be slowdown the USB3 or your Capture Board." So do they offer something else that would be appropriate?
Click to expand...
https://www.onestopsystems.com/desktop-pcie-enclosures

Note that these used to be "Magma" branded - OSS bought Magma.
 
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you have two league :

thunderbolt /commercial x1/2/4 pcie sub 500$

look at netstor used products
they have a super cool 19 » x 16 bay pcie 2x8 expender...
gives you storage AND pcie expension.

then you have

professional/industrial/military stuff pcie 16x ...

OSS or cyclone micro system.

the second one can be found from time to time on ebay used.

whatch out what you buy because they are pull offs and if you miss one of the components you are f***ed.

I had the netstor, went to cyclone

now i own a 5 double slot x16 (x16x16x8x8x8) gen2 expension system and a 10 double width slot x16 expension chassis. (x8x8x8x8x16x16x8x8x8x8)

cyclone or netstor are system agnostic so it is plug and play. no driver needed.

waiting on a deckink 8k pro to see if the machine can record 8k uncompressed footage... should be possible even on pcie gen2 x8 ....

any way : pcie expension is the future because it is fully backward compatible and it is not going anywhere because it is gpu and accessory standard for everything !

your netstor 8x gen2 will still push 2 Gb/s bandwith in 10 years.
 
startergo said:
This looks cool:
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/prod...A221A_NB_1_SLOT_PCIe_EXPANSION_ENC_EXC34.html
[doublepost=1548671242][/doublepost]And this :
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/prod...ower_usa_na211a_g3_netstor_pcie_3_0_slot.html
[doublepost=1548671643][/doublepost]Or this on the expensive end:
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/980261-REG/dynapower_usa_na255a_xgpu_netstor_6_slot_pcie.html
Click to expand...

dynapower = netstor

1x pcie gen 2 lane = theoric 500 mb/s
4x= 2000
8x= 4000
16x=8000.

real world is on a x16 gen 2 when you hit 5-6 Gb/s you are at the speed of you ram...

either on the mac pro or on the xserve I never managed to saturate a X16 link.

keep in mind that a 1m x16 cable is 500€ new...
 
A 'cheap' solution: http://www.hwtools.net/Adapter/PE4C V3.0.html

The exact model with PCI-E connector is PE4C-HP060A V3.0

PE4C_V3.0_All_1.jpg

Dell DA-2 PSU is not included: https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=m570.l1313&_nkw=Dell+DA-2&_sacat=0 It's the model with PCI power connector:

Dell DA2 PCI.png

Newer modell PE4C-H4060A V4.1: http://www.hwtools.net/Adapter/PE4C V4.1.html

I did this in 2014: https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/mac-pro-with-express-card-34-adapter.1695547/
 
Last edited:
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Synchro3 said:
A 'cheap' solution: http://www.hwtools.net/Adapter/PE4C V3.0.html

The exact model with PCI-E connector is PE4C-HP060A V3.0

View attachment 818769

Dell DA-2 PSU is not included: https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=m570.l1313&_nkw=Dell+DA-2&_sacat=0 It's the model with PCI power connector:

View attachment 818771

Newer modell PE4C-H4060A V4.1: http://www.hwtools.net/Adapter/PE4C V4.1.html

I did this in 2014: https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/mac-pro-with-express-card-34-adapter.1695547/
Click to expand...

PE4C V4.1-H4060A V4.1 is an x4 PCIE passive interface. It looks like a good solution if there is a space concern for internal install plus the power is provided externally so no need for Pixla's mods. I wonder if somebody tested this one.
the price is 175$, but it is out of stock:
http://www.mfactors.com/pe4c-v4-1-pci-express-16x-card-to-m-2-card-or-pcie-x4-connecter/
 
My old PE4C-EC060A V3.0 worked fine on the Mac Pro. I guess the newer PE4C V4.1-H4060A V4.1 will work in a Mac Pro without problems.

Downside of the PE4C V4.1-H4060A V4.1 is that the data cable is not routed out of the bracket:
PE4C-HP060A V3.0.png PE4C V4.1-H4060A V4.1.png
 
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