MP All Models PCIe SSDs - NVMe & AHCI

[startergo]

There no such thing, every card with PCIe switch starts around $200.

Any card that don’t have a PCIe switch needs bifurcation and don’t work with a Mac Pro.

No I was referring to a cheap dual adapter without PCIE switch temporarily the card he linked is apparemtly working topping 1500 as you said (don't know if out of the box)
Or are you saying that for dual card I need bifurcation ?

 

[tsialex]

No I was referring to a cheap dual adapter without PCIE switch temporarily the card he linked is apparemtly working topping 1500 as you said (don't know if out of the box)
Or are you saying that for dual card I need burification?

Any card with more than one M2 connector needs a switch or bifurcation.

 

[startergo]

Any card with more than one M2 connector needs a switch or bifurcation.

Thanks I may end up with 2 Lycom DT-120 for now

 

[tsialex]

Thanks I may end up with 2 Lycom DT-120 for now

I bought this one, cheap and it’s just for tests https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/bpg4ynzR

 

[ericj2109]

On AliExpress I saw x16 card for $4 https://www.aliexpress.com/item/New...-M-Key-Interface-For-Windows/32917164778.html this is that card? Interesting, through it can skip more than 1500mbs?

That's exactly what I have. Just a simple adapter with four blue LEDs that came with some thermal pads. NVMe has a little heatsink. Like everyone said, it won't go any faster than 1500 mb/s.

 

[alphaod]

Since I'm about to install an SSD in mine too (just waiting on a heatsink for it now): is that really all you had to do to make it work? I was under the impression you had to start a fresh install on the NVMe blade?
Would cloning the factory High Sierra install be sufficient?

On my trashcan Mac Pro, I cloned Mojave with Carbon Copy Cloner which clones the pre-boot and recovery partitions automatically from the Apple SSD to the new 970 EVO I got inside an external enclosure.

Then I used CCC on my cheese grater Mac Pro to the old Apple SSD I removed from the trashcan, and that computer boots up just fine.

I am running Mojave on all my Macs, I imagine there isn't much difference with High Sierra.

I think the key is the using CCC. I don't think you can clone with Disk Utility.

(BTW the trial version of CCC works just fine if you don't already own it)

 

[flowrider]

^^^^Or SuperDuper.

Lou

 

[ydeng]

Thanks Alex. I was hoping to get away with something really cheap and simple for this. I will keep an eye open. The SSD7101A requires it go through the board correct? The Amfeltec is a direct passthrough adapter?

I'm wondering if this adapter works just as well or not?
http://amfeltec.com/products/pci-express-gen-3-carrier-board-for-m-2-ssd-module/
or
http://amfeltec.com/products/pci-express-gen-3-carrier-board-for-2-m-2-ssd-modules/
[doublepost=1540331062][/doublepost]

Gen 2.0 x8 is 4000MB/s correct?

amfeltec has ridiculous return policy http://amfeltec.com/return-policy/ . Stay away.

 

[Tedirving]

Doing my very first Lycom DT-120 w/Samsung 500GB V-NAND SSD 970Evo M.2 on a Mid2010 Mac Pro running high sierra. After booting, monitors don’t
Show anything. Tried optionat boot to choose 3.5 main hd as boot but no go. Any ideas? I’m in the second PCIe slot or was there a firmware or BootROM flash I needed?

 

[AliGT83]

I purchased a Aquacomputer KryoM.2 PCIe 3.0 X4 adapter and a Samsung 960 evo 1TB. After putting those together and installing on my MacPro I cannot see the drive nor the adapter under PCI in system report. Am I doing something wrong? Did I miss something? How can I tell if it is the drive or the adapter that is failing? I've moved the adapter around all 4 slots.

MacPro 4,1 -> 5,1
2 x X5690 @ 3.46GHz
24GB RAM
Saphire Pulse RX580 Slot 1
KryoM.2 + 960 EVO Slot 3 (failing)
Sonnet Allegro USB 3.0 Card Slot 4

macOS: 10.14.1
BootROM: 140.0.0.0 (cleaned by @tsialex)

Adapter:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01H0BC8FG/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

[tsialex]

I purchased a Aquacomputer KryoM.2 PCIe 3.0 X4 adapter and a Samsung 960 evo 1TB. After putting those together and installing on my MacPro I cannot see the drive nor the adapter under PCI in system report. Am I doing something wrong? Did I miss something? How can I tell if it is the drive or the adapter that is failing? I've moved the adapter around all 4 slots.

MacPro 4,1 -> 5,1
2 x X5690 @ 3.46GHz
24GB RAM
Saphire Pulse RX580 Slot 1
KryoM.2 + 960 EVO Slot 3 (failing)
Sonnet Allegro USB 3.0 Card Slot 4

macOS: 10.14.1
BootROM: 140.0.0.0 (cleaned by @tsialex)

Adapter:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01H0BC8FG/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Nothing on NVMExpress tab?

 

[AliGT83]

Nothing on NVMExpress tab?

Nothing other than the standard message when there are not NVME devices

This computer doesn’t contain any NVMExpress devices. If you installed NVMExpress devices, make sure they are connected properly and powered on.

 

[tsialex]

Nothing other than the standard message when there are not NVME devices

This computer doesn’t contain any NVMExpress devices. If you installed NVMExpress devices, make sure they are connected properly and powered on.

Time to test the blade into another adaptor, or vice-versa.

 

[AliGT83]

Time to test the blade into another adaptor, or vice-versa.

That is what I thought. Sadly where I'm located, it is hard to get either one. So I will have to wait about a week to be able to test. Thanks

 

[tsialex]

That is what I thought. Sadly where I'm located, it is hard to get either one. So I will have to wait about a week to be able to test. Thanks

Don't worry with a week. I bought my SSD7101A October 23, arrived only yesterday…

 

[AliGT83]

Don't worry with a week. I bought my SSD7101A October 23, arrived only yesterday…

Since I will be buying another PCIe adaptor, do you think the KryoM.2 is a good option or should I invest in other model?

 

[sammysam12]

Thank you everyone for all the amazing advice on this thread. It saved me from yanking all my hair out during this process.

I naively purchased a EVO 970 NVME M.2 and a Mailiya M.2 PCIe to PCIe 3.0 x4 Adapter hoping to use this as my main boot drive with Mojave.

The NVME drive shows up as an External Disk. So I ordered a Angelbird Wings PX1 PCIe x4 M.2 Adapter

Again the same problem, the disk shows up as an External Disk. I've moved it around from Slot 2 to 4 with no luck.

I have Erased it, formatted as Mac Journaled Case Sensitive and MS DOS etc - no luck. I don't see the APFS option when trying to format it.

I'd like to realistically use this as PCI/NVME as a boot drive with a fresh install of Mohave (I was reading that Mojave has to be installed as an upgrade)


MacPro 4,1 -> 5,1
2 x 2.4Ghz 6 Core Xeon
32GB RAM
MSI Radeon 560
macOS: 10.14.1
BootROM: 140.0.0.0

 

[tsialex]

Thank you everyone for all the amazing advice on this thread. It saved me from yanking all my hair out during this process.

I naively purchased a EVO 970 NVME M.2 and a Mailiya M.2 PCIe to PCIe 3.0 x4 Adapter hoping to use this as my main boot drive with Mojave.

The NVME drive shows up as an External Disk. So I ordered a Angelbird Wings PX1 PCIe x4 M.2 Adapter

Again the same problem, the disk shows up as an External Disk. I've moved it around from Slot 2 to 4 with no luck.

I have Erased it, formatted as Mac Journaled Case Sensitive and MS DOS etc - no luck. I don't see the APFS option when trying to format it.

I'd like to realistically use this as PCI/NVME as a boot drive with a fresh install of Mohave (I was reading that Mojave has to be installed as an upgrade)

View attachment 805340
MacPro 4,1 -> 5,1
2 x 2.4Ghz 6 Core Xeon
32GB RAM
MSI Radeon 560
macOS: 10.14.1
BootROM: 140.0.0.0

All PCIe drives, AHCI or NVMe, are external drives for the Mac Pro 5,1 firmware. You can use it normally and if you worried about unmount, it's not possible to unmount your boot drive.

The installing is warning that you formatted wrongly your blade. You have to totally erase your NVMe drive, then format it with GUID partition table format.

 

[tsialex]

Since I will be buying another PCIe adaptor, do you think the KryoM.2 is a good option or should I invest in other model?

I don’t have one, I have two AngelBird Wings PX1 and the HighPoint SSD7101A, but friends that bought it like it a lot.

AquaComputer has good design/manufacture and everything I saw from them is a good product.

Adorama eBay Store sometimes have sales of open box products, I bought my 2nd PX1 for $40, immaculate. Maybe you can make a eBay search to warn you.

 

[1151105]

How about this 4 blade for $169 due to be released in October. https://store.mineority.io/sqrl/acorn-nest-x4/


I can't see a PLX switch on their board diagram.

From their webpage : " AcornNest X4 allows you to host four Acorn units in a PCIe 2.0/3.0 x16 or PCIe 3.0 x8 slot without any special motherboard requirements."

birfucation ?

I found this in post #485 https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=4391318.480

" The Nest X4 has a PCIe switch so it eliminates the need for the MB to support bifurcation to share the power of the acorns."

I wonder .. . .

did you hear back from them at all?
first units are supposed to ship this month.

 

[AliGT83]

I don’t have one, I have two AngelBird Wings PX1 and the HighPoint SSD7101A, but friends that bought it like it a lot.

AquaComputer has good design/manufacture and everything I saw from them is a good product.

Adorama eBay Store sometimes have sales of open box products, I bought my 2nd PX1 for $40, immaculate. Maybe you can make a eBay search to warn you.

Just got the angelbird wings px1 for $45 brand new from ebay. Now on to the wait for it to get delivered :/
[doublepost=1542721263][/doublepost]For anyone interested in getting the PX1, here is the listing for the seller i got it from. It says $48 or best offer so I am sure it can be purchased for a little less.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Angelbird-...h=item56bac1e0d3:g:t-8AAOSw8cFb6jSz:rk:6:pf:0

 

[cdf]

The NVME drive shows up as an External Disk.

Check out Innie; it can fix this.

 

[sammysam12]

All PCIe drives, AHCI or NVMe, are external drives for the Mac Pro 5,1 firmware. You can use it normally and if you worried about unmount, it's not possible to unmount your boot drive.

The installing is warning that you formatted wrongly your blade. You have to totally erase your NVMe drive, then format it with GUID partition table format.

Thank you @tsialex, it WORKS. I now have a fresh Mojave install on Samsung 970. Almost three times faster than my previous drive!

For anyone having trouble figuring out how to do GUID here is a link
https://www.macobserver.com/tips/quick-tip/how-to-format-drive-guid/

"Click the View widget in the upper left corner of the Disk Utility window and choose Show All Devices. Now you should see your drive device descriptions with the drive name nested underneath. Select the drive description just above the drive name for the device you want to format."

 

[Enricote]

What about NVMe Crucial P1 in combination with Aquacomputer kryoM.2 card for my MP 5,1 (upgraded from 4,1) using Mojave 10.14.1 and BootROM: 140.0.0.0?

https://www.amazon.com/Crucial-500G...id=1542742698&sr=8-1&keywords=crucial+p1+nvme

Aqua Computer kryoM2 evo: Aqua Computer kryoM.2 evo PCIe 3.0 x 4, adapter

Price is cheaper than Samsung EVO 970 in both 500Mb and 1TB

 

[smirk]

Is there some way of knowing in advance if a particular NVMe will work in a Mac Pro, based on its specifications? The wiki on the first page lists a handful of "known to work" SSD drives, but it would be really helpful if people could make an educated guess on different models instead of being limited to those on page 1 or ignorantly rolling the dice and just buying something. Do we know why certain models don't work?