PCIe slots on 3,1

[musique]

I have an Early 2008 Mac Pro (3,1) and there is an ATI 5770 card in PCIe slot 4. I just purchased a Crucial 512GB SSD and thought I could get away with a fudging it into a regular drive bay. That’s not working out because the plastic adapter doesn’t appear to be aligning the physical interface properly. Instead, I'm looking at PCIe cards for the SSD. Because the graphics card is so thick I don’t think I’ll be able to use slot 3, the only other 16-Lane (2.0) PCIe slot.

So, can I put a SSD drive card (like the Velocity) in slot 2 (a 1.0 PCIe slot)? If I do, will I see a performance hit? Alternatively, can I move the graphics card to slot 2 and put the Velocity card in slot 4?

Thanks for any advice you can provide.

 

[flowrider]

First of all slot 1 is at the bottom, slot 4 at the top. You don't need 16 lanes for an PCIe card like the Apricorn Velocity Solo x2 or Duo x2, but you do need PCIe 2.0, and that's only available in the first or the second slot on a 3,1 (2008) Mac Pro. The top two slots are PCIe 1.0. And, I know for a fact, that a PCIe card will work quite nicely in slot 2 with an AMD HD5770 in slot 1, they are a double wide card.

However, the Apricorn Velocity Solo x1 will work in the top two slots of a 3,1, but of course it's slower, and also less expensive than an x2.

Lou

 

[musique]

Thanks for the reply. So I will be able to boot from the Apricorn Velocity card? That would be great.

I'm still a little confused about whether I need to get the VEL-SOLO-X1 or the VEL-SOLO-X2 based on the graphics card in the bottom slot.

Also, pardon my confusion: On the motherboard of my machine as it's standing on the floor, the name on the lowest slot (closest to the floor) is "Slot 4" and the numbers get lower as you move upward.

 

[Stageshoot]

Thanks for the reply. So I will be able to boot from the Apricorn Velocity card? That would be great.

I'm still a little confused about whether I need to get the VEL-SOLO-X1 or the VEL-SOLO-X2 based on the graphics card in the bottom slot.

Also, pardon my confusion: On the motherboard of my machine as it's standing on the floor, the name on the lowest slot (closest to the floor) is "Slot 4" and the numbers get lower as you move upward.

Have you got it upside down

The Mac Pro slots are numbered from 1 being te lowest and the numbers are on the grey plastic at the far end of the slots as in image

 

[Baunkjaer]

In my former 3,1 I were using Tempo Pro in slot 1, and GTX 570 in slot 2.
The other way around, blocked the air to the GTX, hence overheating and shut down.
Buy the x2 in order to get full advantage of your SSD.

 

[flowrider]

Thanks for the reply. So I will be able to boot from the Apricorn Velocity card? That would be great.

I'm still a little confused about whether I need to get the VEL-SOLO-X1 or the VEL-SOLO-X2 based on the graphics card in the bottom slot.

Also, pardon my confusion: On the motherboard of my machine as it's standing on the floor, the name on the lowest slot (closest to the floor) is "Slot 4" and the numbers get lower as you move upward.

First of all slot 1 is at the bottom, slot 4 at the top.

- The bottom is closest to the floor is it not? The bottom slot (closest to the floor) is Slot 1.

Yes, you can boot from the Solo x1 or x2, but the x2 is a faster card that can only reach it's full potential in a PCIe 2.0 slot. Slot 2, just above the HD5770. The Solo is a short card and the 5770 doesn't run hot, so it will be fine staying in slot 1.

I'm running 2 Duo x2s in slots 2 and 3 in my 5,1. The Duo is a full length PCIe card, the Solo is a smaller card. My Video card is a GTX 780, a hotter running card than the 5770, and I have no issues.

Lou

 

[musique]

Once again, thanks. I just placed an order for the Velocity Solo X2. With luck I'll be able to fit it into the other PCIe X2 slot. As much as I'd like to get more faster hardware, I'm just hoping this will give me a little bang for the buck and let me extend the life of my 7-year old Mac Pro another year or more. Then maybe a refurb nMP...

You were correct and I was completely wrong about the slot numbers. (I was so sure what I remembered was correct: I hope I don't need to look into an early onset Alzheimer's group! )

 

[OS6-OSX]

I'm just hoping this will give me a little bang for the buck and let me extend the life of my 7-year old Mac Pro another year or more.

Other things that will have your 3,1 running really well are 1. enough ram and 2. the OS that suits the amount of ram you have and your apps.

It has been said to have 2GB of ram for every core.