USB 3.x PCIe Cards for Classic Mac Pro

[hwojtek]

All 5 ports work great using the expansion header for 2 more 3.0 ports. After reading that page i'm guessing the extra sata power is for the dedicated fast charging port which i don't use to charge iPads/Notebooks

I have a PCIe card that presents exactly the same System Report data, however it features just a single USB 3.0 and a single USB-C connector.
While the USB 3.0 A connector work flawlessly, I get no data on USB-C connector. When connected to USB-C, my external HDD lights up, doesn't show up on Desktop, though.
The card is fed additional power using a single SATA power cable.

How do I get USB-C working?

(Mac Pro 5,1, Catalina/OC)

 

[joevt]

I have a PCIe card that presents exactly the same System Report data, however it features just a single USB 3.0 and a single USB-C connector.
While the USB 3.0 A connector work flawlessly, I get no data on USB-C connector. When connected to USB-C, my external HDD lights up, doesn't show up on Desktop, though.
The card is fed additional power using a single SATA power cable.

How do I get USB-C working?

(Mac Pro 5,1, Catalina/OC)

Try a different USB-C cable?

 

[jscipione]

Hi everyone in this amazing thread. I purchased a KT4004 recently for my Mac Pro 2009 (4.1 flashed to 5.1) running 10.13 and.... am confused. Eventually i got it to show up, and some drives i have on hand will mount from it. But others, including some usb sticks, won't, ever.

After doing some speed tests it seems like i'm topping out around 40ish MBps, which is admittedly a bit faster than the 32ish i'm getting on the original USB 2.0 ports with the same drive, but i'm suspicious that that could be just a difference of system overhead on the controllers, and that i'm not actually getting USB 3 on the card.

Seeing that some people don't seem to get these Inateck cards to work on every machine i'd be content to return this card and get another one, probably one of the newer chipset cards i'm guessing (recommendations welcome!). But thought i'd ask first if there are any other troubleshooting procedures anyone's had luck with getting the KT4004 to work on 10.13, suggestions for things to try while i've got it, or ultimately, ideas for another card to try. (This FebSmart card caught my eye, anyone try it?)

The card shows this in system info btw:

PXS2:
Type: USB eXtensible Host Controller
Driver Installed: Yes
MSI: Yes
Bus: PCI
Slot: Slot-2
Vendor ID: 0x1b73
Device ID: 0x1100
Subsystem Vendor ID: 0x1b73
Subsystem ID: 0x1100
Revision ID: 0x0010
Link Width: x1
Link Speed: 5.0 GT/s

Looks good to me. It seems like you are connecting over USB2 instead of 3. Plug in your device, go into System Information, go to USB. Look for the device you plugged in in the tree. Is it listed under USB3 bus or USB2 bus?

 

[hwojtek]

Try a different USB-C cable?

Nope. This cable works on my MBA with the same external HDD so it's a non-issue.

 

[Chrisl33]

Thank you Macshrauber and others for the help.

It turns out to work in slot 2, so I guess there is a problem with the others.

I didn’t think there was room above the graphics card so I tried the other two slots first.

Is there any way to fix a faulty backplane?

Once again, thank you.

 

[Macschrauber]

Thank you Macshrauber and others for the help.

It turns out to work in slot 2, so I guess there is a problem with the others.

I didn’t think there was room above the graphics card so I tried the other two slots first.

Is there any way to fix a faulty backplane?

Once again, thank you.

you cant fix a backplane with diy methods.

as 3 and 4 are dead (I have one backplane with that problem) you can set your gpu to slot 2 and the USB Card to Slot 1

gives room and pretty airflow

 

[goodfidelity]

Did anyone try this kind of card, with multiple USB ports (7 of them):

VL812 and VL805 chipset

I read that those chipsets should work, however i dont know if this works with all kinds of USB units, or only storage?

I read from first post in thread, but these chipsets are not mentioned. At the same time i can read successful posts about other using USB hubs with these chipsets.

There is also this model, but more expensive, and also only 2 ports:
ASM3142 chipset

Anyone tried these kind of cards, preferably the 7 port one?

I am looking for cheap USB card from ebay/aliexpress. Preferably with many ports that can control ALL kind of units not just storage. However compatibility is issue for me so i will always prioritize 100% working unit. (no kext, drivers and stuff like that)

Happy for any answers here!

//GF

 

[joevt]

Did anyone try this kind of card, with multiple USB ports (7 of them):

VL812 and VL805 chipset

I read that those chipsets should work, however i dont know if this works with all kinds of USB units, or only storage?

I read from first post in thread, but these chipsets are not mentioned. At the same time i can read successful posts about other using USB hubs with these chipsets.

There is also this model, but more expensive, and also only 2 ports:
ASM3142 chipset

Anyone tried these kind of cards, preferably the 7 port one?

I am looking for cheap USB card from ebay/aliexpress. Preferably with many ports that can control ALL kind of units not just storage. However compatibility is issue for me so i will always prioritize 100% working unit. (no kext, drivers and stuff like that)

Happy for any answers here!

//GF

VL812 is a USB 3.0 hub. This thread is mostly about USB host controllers.
VL805 is a USB 3.0 host controller.
Either should work since they should follow the USB spec and Apple's driver should support USB devices and controllers that follow the USB spec.
USB 3.0 is 5 Gbps.

ASM3142 is a USB 3.1 gen 2 host controller which can do 10 Gbps so of course it is more expensive. It only does 8 Gbps in a classic Mac Pro unless you get a PCIe card that has more than one controller and a PCIe 3.0 switch which greatly increases the price.

edit: got VL812 and VL805 mixed up

 

[goodfidelity]

Thanks for reply!

The first one is also PCI card, but with 7 pors. So i guess it is HUB on the PCI card then.

Not sure if it will work anyway without extra power?

Do you knoe the limit of the older VL805 / VL812 controllers?

You think these cards will connect scanners/audiointerface and such things also?

Thanks for your reply!

//GF

 

[joevt]

The first one is also PCI card, but with 7 pors. So i guess it is HUB on the PCI card then.

The VL812 Hub is connected to the VL805 host controller (must always be a host controller between PCIe bus and USB device). I think we've heard about similar cards before. In this case, the 4 port usb host controller uses one port to connect a 4 port usb hub which gives 7 ports total.

Not sure if it will work anyway without extra power?

Do you know the limit of the older VL805 / VL812 controllers?

You think these cards will connect scanners/audiointerface and such things also?

I don't know. It might not be compatible with Macs. You need to find a card with the VL805 host controller that says it is compatible with macOS before you can assume this card will work with macOS.

I know FL1100 host controller is compatible with macOS.

 

[goodfidelity]

Is it a common problem that the discs unmount when Mac goes to sleep, are there any models that dont have this habit?

Thanks for all the good info in this thread. Massive amount of info here. Sorry to be repeating.

//GF

 

[trifero]

Is it a common problem that the discs unmount when Mac goes to sleep, are there any models that dont have this habit?

Thanks for all the good info in this thread. Massive amount of info here. Sorry to be repeating.

//GF

I vave the FASTA-6GU3 Plus and Pro. They work even after sleep. Though they have Esata ports also.

 

[redbandit0]

I apologize if this has been asked already a million times, but I am not quite savvy enough about my types of PCI slots etc to confidently know what I need. Much info in that first post goes over my head, but if explained, I'm willing to try.

I have a mid-2010 Mac Pro 5,1. I run a couple of partitions, my main one is 10.11.6 El Capitan. Other is 10.12.4 High Sierra.

I would like to add multiple USB 3.1 or 3.2 ports, primarily for Hard Drives, and have them get simultaneous fast transfer rates (more than one dedicated channel, I think it's called). I am not sure if the Mac Pro can handle 3.2? That's the one that is 20Gbps right?

I currently have a Video Card and eSata card in there. I don't know what sort of PCI slots I have. The top most one says "4x RAID" and is free. The 2nd one from top says "4x" and has the eSata card in it. The 3rd one from top is free, and i don't see anything written under it. The 4th (bottom) has the Video Card.

Looking around it seems like people are powering some of these cards off their 4th Hard Drive Bay. All my bays are full, so I couldn't do that. Is there an option not to have that?

I am also looking to get a new video card and think the one I may get takes up 2 slots, so only the top slot would likely be the one I can use. The CalDigit Fasta-6GU3plus seems OK and I like that it has eSata (so I can replace that card and free up a slot) but I do want more than 1 USB 3 port.

And finally, I'd prioritize cards under $100, but that isn't a deal breaker. Thank you for your help and what I hope to be an educational experience.

 

[joevt]

I apologize if this has been asked already a million times, but I am not quite savvy enough about my types of PCI slots etc to confidently know what I need. Much info in that first post goes over my head, but if explained, I'm willing to try.

I have a mid-2010 Mac Pro 5,1. I run a couple of partitions, my main one is 10.11.6 El Capitan. Other is 10.12.4 High Sierra.

I would like to add multiple USB 3.1 or 3.2 ports, primarily for Hard Drives, and have them get simultaneous fast transfer rates (more than one dedicated channel, I think it's called). I am not sure if the Mac Pro can handle 3.2? That's the one that is 20Gbps right?

I currently have a Video Card and eSata card in there. I don't know what sort of PCI slots I have. The top most one says "4x RAID" and is free. The 2nd one from top says "4x" and has the eSata card in it. The 3rd one from top is free, and i don't see anything written under it. The 4th (bottom) has the Video Card.

Looking around it seems like people are powering some of these cards off their 4th Hard Drive Bay. All my bays are full, so I couldn't do that. Is there an option not to have that?

I am also looking to get a new video card and think the one I may get takes up 2 slots, so only the top slot would likely be the one I can use. The CalDigit Fasta-6GU3plus seems OK and I like that it has eSata (so I can replace that card and free up a slot) but I do want more than 1 USB 3 port.

And finally, I'd prioritize cards under $100, but that isn't a deal breaker. Thank you for your help and what I hope to be an educational experience.

You have a MacPro5,1. All your slots are PCIe 2.0 (or gen 2 or 5 GT/s). The top slots have 4 lanes (2000 MB/s which allows about 1500 MB/s of actual data). The bottom two slots are x16 lanes (8000 MB/s which allows about 6000 MB/s of data).

1.1 or 2.0 or 3.0 or 3.1 or 3.2 or 4 are just version numbers of the USB spec. Each spec defines new speeds but can use all the old speeds. If you have a card that mentions a USB spec version, it does not necessarily mean the card supports all the speeds that are supported by the spec.

USB 1.1: Low Speed: 1.5 Mb/s; Full Speed: 12 Mb/s
USB 2.0: High Speed: 480 Mb/s
USB 3.0: SuperSpeed: 5 Gb/s (also known as USB 3.1 gen 1, or USB 3.2 gen 1 - the important part is the gen number)
USB 3.1: SuperSpeed+: 10 Gb/s (also known as USB 3.1 gen 2, or USB 3.2 gen 2)
USB 3.2: SuperSpeed+: 20 Gb/s (also known as USB 3.2 gen 2 x 2; there is also USB 3.2 gen 1 x 2 which is 10 Gb/s)
USB4: 40 Gb/s (also known as USB 4 gen 3 x 2; there is also a USB4 gen 2 x 2 which is 20 Gb/s but is different than USB 3.2 gen 2 x 2 because USB4 is more like Thunderbolt)

A Mac Pro can handle any USB as long as the driver exists. I'm not sure anyone has tried USB 3.2 gen 2 x 2 in a Mac yet (might not have a driver?). So stick with USB 3.1 gen 2 as the max.

Read wikipedia about USB at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USB

I don't think you have enough power to use two video cards.

You can split power from the hard drive bays and still be able to use the bay for a hard drive - you just need to mount the hard drive differently.

how many HDs in MP1,1

According to #1 , the MacPro1,1 has 6 SATA ports (4 drive bays plus two ODD ports) and 2 PATA ports. You could probably use the 2 extra SATA ports. You just need to get some SATA data cables and split SATA power from one of the 4 drive bays...

forums.macrumors.com

USB C Cards for Mac Pro 5,1/4,1

This picture shows the DVD drive bay in the top left where you would add a power splitter to the molex connector (MacPro3,1 in this picture) or SATA connector (your MacPro5,1), and the far left corner is where you extend an extension cable from the splitter into the PCIe area. Bay 1 and bay 2...

forums.macrumors.com

The CalDigit Fasta-6GU3 Plus has two USB 3.1 gen 2 ports (10 Gb/s). One is USB-C and the other is USB-A. It uses an ASM1142 chip which is limited to 8 Gb/s shared by both ports so you can expect up to 750 MB/s (total) instead of 980 MB/s per port (1500 MB/s total).

 

[joevt]

Found this interesting thing:

U31X4-PCIE8XE101 | Quad Channel 8-port USB 3.1 to PCI Express x8 Gen 3 Host Card | U31X4-PCIE8XE101

Eight USB 3.1 gen 2 ports. Uses four ASM3142 chips. x8 upstream connection. That's like 2 Sonnet Allegros put together.

Did we ever find out if the Sonnet Allegro USB-C 4-Port PCIe (USB3C-4PM-E) has a PCIe 3.0 or PCIe 2.0 switch?
Or the Sonnet Allegro Pro Type A USB 3.2 PCIe USB3-PRO-4P10-E with ASM3142?

 

[chuco915]

VL812 is a USB 3.0 hub. This thread is mostly about USB host controllers.
VL805 is a USB 3.0 host controller.
Either should work since they should follow the USB spec and Apple's driver should support USB devices and controllers that follow the USB spec.
USB 3.0 is 5 Gbps.

ASM3142 is a USB 3.1 gen 2 host controller which can do 10 Gbps so of course it is more expensive. It only does 8 Gbps in a classic Mac Pro unless you get a PCIe card that has more than one controller and a PCIe 3.0 switch which greatly increases the price.

edit: got VL812 and VL805 mixed up

Hey Joevt

You stated: "unless you get a PCIe card that has more than one controller and a PCIe 3.0 switch which greatly increases the price."

What card are you talking about?

I just purchased the (Ableconn PEX-UB160 USB 3.2 Gen2 (10 Gbps) 4-Port PCIe 3.0 Card (2X USB-C + 2X USB-A) - PCI Express Gen3 x4 Lane Host Adapter Card (Dual ASMedia ASM3142 Controllers) - 2A2C), are you referring to that one? Or which one are you referring?

Also, any word on getting 5,1 Mojave drivers for the ASMedia ASM3242 Controller yet?

Thanks

 

[joevt]

You stated: "unless you get a PCIe card that has more than one controller and a PCIe 3.0 switch which greatly increases the price."

What card are you talking about?

I just purchased the (Ableconn PEX-UB160 USB 3.2 Gen2 (10 Gbps) 4-Port PCIe 3.0 Card (2X USB-C + 2X USB-A) - PCI Express Gen3 x4 Lane Host Adapter Card (Dual ASMedia ASM3142 Controllers) - 2A2C), are you referring to that one? Or which one are you referring?

The Ableconn PEX-UB160 appears to be a good example. It has two controllers (both ASM3142) which means it must have a PCIe switch. If the controllers can connect as PCIe 3.0 x2, then the PCIe switch is a PCIe 3.0 switch and you should be able to get 980 MB/s in a PCIe 2.0 slot. Otherwise you will be limited to 750 MB/s per port.

Sonnet has told me that the Sonnet Allegro USB-C 4-Port PCIe (USB3C-4PM-E) and the Sonnet Allegro Pro Type A USB 3.2 PCIe USB3-PRO-4P10-E with ASM3142 both have PCIe 2.0 switches, which means I can't recommend them for anything but a PCIe 1.0 slot since the chips are limited to PCIe 2.0 x2 speed.

The CalDigit FASTA-6GU3 Plus has a PCIe 2.0 switch connecting an ASM1142 USB 3.1 gen 2 controller and a ASMedia SATA controller. I use this in a PCIe 1.0 x4 slot of my MacPro3,1.

Also, any word on getting 5,1 Mojave drivers for the ASMedia ASM3242 Controller yet?

I don't think anyone knows the behaviour of USB 3.2 gen 2x2 cards in a Mac yet. The Ableconn PEX-UB159 says it is supported in macOS 10.15.3 Catalina. I don't know if that means gen 2x2 (20 Gbps) is supported.

I added notes about the Sonnet cards, USB 3.2 gen 2x2, and USB4 to the first post. If you test any of these then let us know.

 

[chuco915]

The Ableconn PEX-UB160 appears to be a good example. It has two controllers (both ASM3142) which means it must have a PCIe switch. If the controllers can connect as PCIe 3.0 x2, then the PCIe switch is a PCIe 3.0 switch and you should be able to get 980 MB/s in a PCIe 2.0 slot. Otherwise you will be limited to 750 MB/s per port.

Sonnet has told me that the Sonnet Allegro USB-C 4-Port PCIe (USB3C-4PM-E) and the Sonnet Allegro Pro Type A USB 3.2 PCIe USB3-PRO-4P10-E with ASM3142 both have PCIe 2.0 switches, which means I can't recommend them for anything but a PCIe 1.0 slot since the chips are limited to PCIe 2.0 x2 speed.

The CalDigit FASTA-6GU3 Plus has a PCIe 2.0 switch connecting an ASM1142 USB 3.1 gen 2 controller and a ASMedia SATA controller. I use this in a PCIe 1.0 x4 slot of my MacPro3,1.


I don't think anyone knows the behaviour of USB 3.2 gen 2x2 cards in a Mac yet. The Ableconn PEX-UB159 says it is supported in macOS 10.15.3 Catalina. I don't know if that means gen 2x2 (20 Gbps) is supported.

I added notes about the Sonnet cards, USB 3.2 gen 2x2, and USB4 to the first post. If you test any of these then let us know.

I'm getting those speeds above with SLOT 4

As you can see above it state Up to 10 Gb/sec when I did BMD Disk speed via USB-A to USB-C external drive.
The drive is Sabrent Rocket Nano 1TB USB 3.2 10Gb/s External Aluminum SSD (Black) (SB-1TB-NANO-BLK)

Tomorrow I'll test USB-C to USB-C and hope to get 980 MB/s. You think that will be possible?

 

[joevt]

Tomorrow I'll test USB-C to USB-C and hope to get 980 MB/s. You think that will be possible?

No. Speed of USB-A and USB-C are the same speed for USB3.1 gen 2 or earlier (≤ 10 Gbps).
727 MB/s is slow. It may be that the PCIe switch is running at PCIe 1.0 speed.
What firmware does your Mac Pro have? Did you upgrade to Mojave to get the latest firmware?

MP5,1: What you have to do to upgrade to Mojave (BootROM upgrade instructions thread)

Please fully read this first post, you will probably find that you have one or more problems described into the various notes below. Mojave will only install if you have upgraded your BootROM to the current release and your Mac Pro have a Metal capable GPU*. If you are trying to install Mojave...

forums.macrumors.com

System Information.app doesn't show PCIe switches in the PCI output.
Use this:

A bash script to produce more informative output than lspci -nntv

A bash script to produce more informative output than lspci -nntv - pcitree.sh

gist.github.com

 

[chuco915]

No. Speed of USB-A and USB-C are the same speed for USB3.1 gen 2 or earlier (≤ 10 Gbps).
727 MB/s is slow. It may be that the PCIe switch is running at PCIe 1.0 speed.
What firmware does your Mac Pro have? Did you upgrade to Mojave to get the latest firmware?

MP5,1: What you have to do to upgrade to Mojave (BootROM upgrade instructions thread)

Please fully read this first post, you will probably find that you have one or more problems described into the various notes below. Mojave will only install if you have upgraded your BootROM to the current release and your Mac Pro have a Metal capable GPU*. If you are trying to install Mojave...

forums.macrumors.com

System Information.app doesn't show PCIe switches in the PCI output.
Use this:

A bash script to produce more informative output than lspci -nntv

A bash script to produce more informative output than lspci -nntv - pcitree.sh

gist.github.com

I'm currently in latest High Sierra Version with Boot ROM 144

Do I have to make the jump to MOJAVE OS to get the PCIe 2.0 speed?

I didn't run the script because I wanted to ask if I need to do that in Mojave or can it be done in High Sierra?

 

[joevt]

I'm currently in latest High Sierra Version with Boot ROM 144
View attachment 1669469 View attachment 1669470

Do I have to make the jump to MOJAVE OS to get the PCIe 2.0 speed?

I didn't run the script because I wanted to ask if I need to do that in Mojave or can it be done in High Sierra?

High Sierra should work for the script. Follow the instructions at the end of that page.
You have the latest boot rom version (144.0.0.0.0) so there shouldn't be a problem with the PCIe 3.0 card running at PCIe 1.0 speed. The script should show us if that's a problem.

 

[chuco915]

High Sierra should work for the script. Follow the instructions at the end of that page.
You have the latest boot rom version (144.0.0.0.0) so there shouldn't be a problem with the PCIe 3.0 card running at PCIe 1.0 speed. The script should show us if that's a problem.

Can you direct me to a link that shows the step by step process?

When you refer to instructions at the end of the page, do you mean this below:

 

[joevt]

When you refer to instructions at the end of the page, do you mean this below:

Yes

 

[chuco915]

Yes

I'm kinda confused, please help.

So I open Terminal?

Then copy and paste sudo nvram boot-args="debug=0x144"

Then I get the error image below:

Then I copy and pasted: sudo nvram boot-args="debug=0x144 ... other contents of boot-args here ..."
And got the same error image below:

So does this mean I have to go to Recovery and run the script there? without sudo? Again, that's why I was asking for a step by step process because I have never done this before.

Greatly appreciate the help.

 

[joevt]

I'm kinda confused, please help.

So I open Terminal?

Then copy and paste sudo nvram boot-args="debug=0x144"

Then I get the error image below:
View attachment 1669964

Then I copy and pasted: sudo nvram boot-args="debug=0x144 ... other contents of boot-args here ..."
And got the same error image below:
View attachment 1669969

So does this mean I have to go to Recovery and run the script there? without sudo? Again, that's why I was asking for a step by step process because I have never done this before.

Greatly appreciate the help.

Do the nvram command from Recovery or disable SIP.

Everything else should be doable from macOS.