MP All Models PCIe SSDs - NVMe & AHCI

[flyproductions]

When I was researching Sabrent NVMEs there were a LOT of reports of spontaneous drive failures, right around the warranty period.

Thanx for reminding! Yes, i kind of remember having heared similar about the Sabrents in some YT-video a while ago. Plus arrogant and ignorant support.

I ordered a Hynix Gold now, which was little more than half the price.

 

[NinjaDuets]

Hi @tsialex and All

Very new to the site.

Please, please can someone help me with making the right decision to upgrade our Mac Pro mid 2010 5,1 that we use primarily for editing in the studio.

The Mac has been fitted with a Radeon RX 570 card so we could upgrade the OS to Mojave, but we plan to use Open Core to bring it up to at least Ventura.

At the moment the boot / application and storage drive is as follows:-

Boot Drive - Crucial CT2000MX500SSD1 SATA SSD 2TB

Storage - PCI-Express slot fitted with a Lycom DT-129 1 Port PCIe x4 NVMe Gen4/Gen3 M.2 Host Adaptor Card and a Corsair MP600 CORE 4TB NVMe card, this is used only for cloud storage, so DropBox, Google Drive etc

The plan is to move the boot / application drive to the PCI-Express slot with an adapter and NVMe card as well so the drives and speeds can be the same but then upgrade to Ventura via OpenCore.

As far as the storage drive goes I'm happy keeping the Corsair MP600 CORE 4TB NVMe card, its been in there for 2 years now without any problems.

N.B. After speaking to Charles at Macfinder I have ordered the following yesterday but wanted to run it past everyone on this PCIe SSDs - NVMe & AHCI thread.

SCAN - Corsair MP600 ELITE /w Heatsink 2TB M.2 PCIe NVMe SSD/Solid State Drive
Amazon - Aquacomputer kryoM.2 evo PCIe 3.0/4.0 x4 adapter for M.2 NGFF PCIe SSD, black

Looking forward to hearing back.

 

[tsialex]

SCAN - Corsair MP600 ELITE /w Heatsink 2TB M.2 PCIe NVMe SSD/Solid State Drive

PCIe v4.0 drives are known to not work correctly with MacPro5,1 PCIe v2.0. No one reported that this blade works correctly with a MacPro5,1 and there are one report of not working for a MP600 Pro:

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/pcie-ssds-nvme-ahci.2146725/post-32946505

The usual workaround for PCIe v4.0 incompatible blades is to install to a PCIe v3.0 switched card, like a HighPoint/Sonnet one.

 

[NinjaDuets]

PCIe v4.0 drives are known to not work correctly with MacPro5,1 PCIe v2.0. No one reported that this blade works correctly with a MacPro5,1 and there are one report of not working for a MP600 Pro:

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/pcie-ssds-nvme-ahci.2146725/post-32946505

The usual workaround for PCIe v4.0 incompatible blades is to install to a PCIe v3.0 switched card, like a HighPoint/Sonnet one.

Hi @tsialex

thanks for sharing that thread.

So I've already got this coming from Amazon - https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0742LW4WB?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title

Which is a Aquacomputer kryoM.2 evo PCIe 3.0/4.0 x4 adapter for M.2 NGFF PCIe SSD

Will that work or am I sending straight back to Amazon?

 

[tsialex]

Hi @tsialex

thanks for sharing that thread.

So I've already got this coming from Amazon - https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0742LW4WB?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title

Which is a Aquacomputer kryoM.2 evo PCIe 3.0/4.0 x4 adapter for M.2 NGFF PCIe SSD

Will that work or am I sending straight back to Amazon?

You can test and confirm/disprove the previous report, but since you didn’t bought a PCIe switched adapter the most probable outcome is to not work correctly.

 

[NinjaDuets]

You can test and confirm/disprove the previous report, but since you didn’t bought a PCIe switched adapter the most probable outcome is to not work correctly.

Hi @tsialex

Well it works as a storage device with the adapter I bought but when testing speeds my other storage device is getting 1500 while the new one is only getting 600

Bit more research on this thread and I see now about the way the PCIe slots work - so its non starter in my view!

Ok so looks like I need a switch / controller? the ones from HighPoint seem the best?

What I need is one for booting and then one for storage, what's my options?

 

[tsialex]

Ok so looks like I need a switch / controller?

Yes, if you re-read my posts to you I made that clear from the start.

the ones from HighPoint seem the best?

I have a SSD7101A-1 and would buy another if the need arrive, but a lot of people here also like the Sonnet cards.

What I need is one for booting and then one for storage, what's my options?

First post is the reference, see the confirmed working cards there.

Also glance the last ten pages here to see what people have been using.

 

[NinjaDuets]

With any PLX card( SSD7101-A, SSD7102, Squid) you can use one blade for boot, the three other blades for a data RAID volume.

Hi @tsialex

Had a look through the last 10 pages and the first post and then came across your post above, about just using one controller like you said above the SSD7101-A, one blade for booting into OS and then the other 3 for a data Raid volume.

Can you install Ventura onto the boot blade via OpenCore with that config though?

 

[tsialex]

Can you install Ventura onto the boot blade via OpenCore with that config though?

The switched card does not add any limitations.

Ventura/Sonoma/Sequoia does not run correctly with a MacPro5,1. If you are doing this upgrade to run it, be aware of the limitations of running it without a CPU that supports AVX2 - anyway, this is not the thread for this discussion.

 

[NinjaDuets]

The switched card does not add any limitations.

Ventura/Sonoma/Sequoia does not run correctly with a MacPro5,1. If you are doing this upgrade to run it, be aware of the limitations of running it without a CPU that supports AVX2 - anyway, this is not the thread for this discussion.

Hi @tsialex

Thanks for the info and yes will keep that in mind.

One last thing which blades are you currently using with your Highpoint?

 

[0134168]

Hi @tsialex

Thanks for the info and yes will keep that in mind.

One last thing which blades are you currently using with your Highpoint?

This Startech works like a charm. It´s the one I use.

StarTech.com Tarjeta Adaptadora para 2 SSD M.2 PCIe SSD, Dos SSDs NVMe o AHCI M.2 SSD a x8/x16 PCI Express 3.0, Compatible con PCIe M.2 NGFF (M-Key) , Admite 2242, 2260, 2280, Mac y PC (PEX8M2E2)

Actualice el rendimiento y velocidad de su sistema mediante este adaptador.ssd pcie m.2.dual.le permite agregar.dos unidades ssd pcie 3.0 m.2.(nvme y ahci) de alto rendimiento y categoría empresarial en la ranura pcie.de 8 carriles.o superior, de su.ordenador de sobremesa o servidor. Aumente el r...

www.amazon.es

 

[NinjaDuets]

This Startech works like a charm. It´s the one I use.

StarTech.com Tarjeta Adaptadora para 2 SSD M.2 PCIe SSD, Dos SSDs NVMe o AHCI M.2 SSD a x8/x16 PCI Express 3.0, Compatible con PCIe M.2 NGFF (M-Key) , Admite 2242, 2260, 2280, Mac y PC (PEX8M2E2)

Actualice el rendimiento y velocidad de su sistema mediante este adaptador.ssd pcie m.2.dual.le permite agregar.dos unidades ssd pcie 3.0 m.2.(nvme y ahci) de alto rendimiento y categoría empresarial en la ranura pcie.de 8 carriles.o superior, de su.ordenador de sobremesa o servidor. Aumente el r...

www.amazon.es

Hi @*******

Sorry I was asking @tsialex which NVMe SSD's he uses with his Highpoint SSD7101A-1

Is this StarTech PCIe card just an Adapter or a controller / switch? as I'm trying to get the max speeds possible from my Mac Pro 5,1.

 

[Dolphins1972]

Hi @*******

Sorry I was asking @tsialex which NVMe SSD's he uses with his Highpoint SSD7101A-1

Is this StarTech PCIe card just an Adapter or a controller / switch? as I'm trying to get the max speeds possible from my Mac Pro 5,1.

I believe the Sonnet cards are the fastest and rock solid. They are specifically designed for Mac Pros. You can see my specs in my signature

Here's my results in slot 2 on my other 4,1/5,1 with the same setup as my current except it's a single quad core 2.66:


My daily driver shown in my signature with Sonnet M.2 moved to slot 4 because it was blocking the fans on my GPU.

 

[NinjaDuets]

I believe the Sonnet cards are the fastest and rock solid. They are specifically designed for Mac Pros. You can see my specs in my signature

Here's my results in slot 2 on my other 4,1/5,1 with the same setup as my current except it's a single quad core 2.66:

View attachment 2406691

Hey @Dolphins1972

What are using to boot your Mac Pro?

 

[Dolphins1972]

Hey @Dolphins1972

What are using to boot your Mac Pro?

I keep MLOC with Mojave on a SATA SSD in bay 1 and I boot Monterey from 970 EVO Plus (see my signature). That way if anything were to happen to Monterey drive, OC is safely tucked away on Mojave drive.

 

[basslik]

Hi @tsialex

thanks for sharing that thread.

So I've already got this coming from Amazon - https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0742LW4WB?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title

Which is a Aquacomputer kryoM.2 evo PCIe 3.0/4.0 x4 adapter for M.2 NGFF PCIe SSD

Will that work or am I sending straight back to Amazon?

Sonnetech MacFiver is the best full featured.
The only multifunction PCIe adapter card with M.2 NVMe storage, 10Gb Ethernet, and 10Gbps USB-C connectivity

Are you looking to add SSD storage, ultra-high-speed Ethernet connectivity, or high-performance USB-C® ports to your setup? Or all three? Even in computers with multiple expansion card slots, installing three adapter cards to get the interfaces you need may not be feasible. Sonnet’s engineers designed a truly unique solution — the McFiver™ PCIe® Card. Mac, Windows, and Linux compatible, this professional, multifunction adapter includes five interfaces — this is the only adapter card to feature dual M.2 NVMe SSD slots, one RJ45 10Gb Ethernet port, and two 10Gbps USB-C ports, fitting them all on a standard full-height PCIe card.
Two M.2 NVMe Slots

Add up to 16TB of storage with your own high performance M.2 NVMe SSDs

 

[flyproductions]

Ok so looks like I need a switch / controller? the ones from HighPoint seem the best?

If you are a bit on the adventurous side and out for a bargain, you can also have a look around on Aliexpress for one of these:

Just search for PLX8747 or PLX8748. I think they are what is mentioned as "PLX8747 Generic" at "TheDefinitive Mac Pro Upgrade Guide". They appear from time to time for very affordable prices. I got mine for as low as 170 Euros. Using it for two years by now and it still runs like a charme. Even without the screamin fan, as the 5,1's PCIe fan blows right into the back of the heatsink, keeping everything within bearable temperature ranges even with four blades.

And it shows some nice numbers for my boot-drive, an SK Hynix Gold P31 2TB...

...and even nicer ones for a Raid 0 of two SAMSUNG 970 EVO plus 1TB.

Ok, random write is messy for the Raid. But it's only used for media storage anyway.

 

[0134168]

Hi @*******

Sorry I was asking @tsialex which NVMe SSD's he uses with his Highpoint SSD7101A-1

Is this StarTech PCIe card just an Adapter or a controller / switch? as I'm trying to get the max speeds possible from my Mac Pro 5,1.

Can´t be just an adapter, as it ´s a 2 nvme´s card, and mac pros does not support bifurcation on Pcie slots. Of course it´s a "controller". Bought in december 2021, has been working daily like a charm everyday, many hours a day.

Anyway, I will tell you that unless you work with large files, macOS don´t run much faster that with a good SSD drive. That´s my experience.

 

[0134168]

Sonnetech MacFiver is the best full featured.
The only multifunction PCIe adapter card with M.2 NVMe storage, 10Gb Ethernet, and 10Gbps USB-C connectivity

Are you looking to add SSD storage, ultra-high-speed Ethernet connectivity, or high-performance USB-C® ports to your setup? Or all three? Even in computers with multiple expansion card slots, installing three adapter cards to get the interfaces you need may not be feasible. Sonnet’s engineers designed a truly unique solution — the McFiver™ PCIe® Card. Mac, Windows, and Linux compatible, this professional, multifunction adapter includes five interfaces — this is the only adapter card to feature dual M.2 NVMe SSD slots, one RJ45 10Gb Ethernet port, and two 10Gbps USB-C ports, fitting them all on a standard full-height PCIe card.
Two M.2 NVMe Slots

Add up to 16TB of storage with your own high performance M.2 NVMe SSDs

Nice card.

 

[flyproductions]

If you are a bit on the adventurous side and out for a bargain, you can also have a look around on Aliexpress for one of these...

They are even on ebay...but sadly out of stock at the moment.

 

[JedNZ]

They are even on ebay...but sadly out of stock at the moment.

Is the PLX8748 compatible in a Mac Pro 5,1?

 

[flyproductions]

Is the PLX8748 compatible in a Mac Pro 5,1?

Yes, as far as i know, it works. But mine is 8747.

 

[TzunamiOSX]

PCIe v4.0 drives are known to not work correctly with MacPro5,1 PCIe v2.0. No one reported that this blade works correctly with a MacPro5,1 and there are one report of not working for a MP600 Pro:

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/pcie-ssds-nvme-ahci.2146725/post-32946505

The usual workaround for PCIe v4.0 incompatible blades is to install to a PCIe v3.0 switched card, like a HighPoint/Sonnet one.

Is this a 5,1 PCI 2.0 only problem? Because a Kingston Fury Renegade 4.0 is running very well in the PCIe 2.0 slot of the 6,1.

 

[tsialex]

Is this a 5,1 PCI 2.0 only problem? Because a Kingston Fury Renegade 4.0 is running very well in the PCIe 2.0 slot of the 6,1.

Some blades that are renowned to work very well with MacPro6,1 or a MacBookPro late-2013 to mid-2015, like WD SN770 for example, do not work acceptably with a MacPro5,1 - this is caused by a combo of reasons and not just the PCIe v2.0 itself, but the MacPro5,1 implementation of it.

To talk just about two things, firmware support and the ancient IDT PCIe v2.0 switch of MacPro5,1 are also major factors compatibility wise. For example, some newer blades work acceptably with PCIe slots 1&2 (CPU <-> PCIe slots 1&2 <-> blade) and not with slots 3&4, because all the overhead and quirks required for interoperability with the ancient ICH9 sothbridge and IDT switch combo (CPU <-> ICH9 southbridge <-> IDT switch <-> slots 3&4 <-> blade).

Apple constantly tweaked MacPro6,1 suppport of NVMe blades until recently (481.0.0.0.0) while MacPro5,1 stopped in time back in 2019 (144.0.0.0.0), there are over 5 years of little corrections and improvements that MacPro5,1 are missing and is not just the matter of the NVMe module support, but PCIe subsystem and etc. This seems minor, but is really important compatibility wise.

Also there is the other side of this whole issue, modern PCIe v4.0 and v5.0 blades are not being tested with ancient systems and quirks required for backward compatibilty with older PCIe slots versions were abandoned long ago. Thats why some recent blades only work correctly if you connect thru a PCIe switched card.

If SSD manufacturers still did qualification tests with ancient systems like MacPro5,1, several issues were detected from the start and not after years of firmwares updates, see Samsung 970 EVO Plus.

 

[flyproductions]

Lately i tested one of my 980 PROs with one of those cheap "no switch" adapters in the 5,1 (I know, i should not). Basically it works fine. But, when used in one of the upper slots (3 and 4), it only reaches speeds of about 750 MB/s, which is about half of what could be expected. While in one of the lower x16-slots, it runs to it's full potential of 1.500.

Also 970 EVO and EVO plus, which are PCIe 3.0, reach the full speed even in the upper slots.

Is there any technical explanation for that? Looks like the PCIe 4.0 SSD can only use two lanes or anything like that...