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MattDSLR

macrumors 6502
Jan 23, 2011
326
0
Canada
Any issues found with the Sonnet Tango? Seems the best option as does not require fiddling for internal power.

I used out of the box
no drivers required and no power required neither
my drobo D speeds went from 40 to almost 200 mb/s on USB3
my internal black drive get about 120 to 140 MB/s
it doesn't work will all the drive boxes but works with most
 

OSXphoto

macrumors 6502
Dec 23, 2013
273
89
Would you please advise a tech-dummy?

Hello all,

I have a short version and a longer version of my question.

------------------------------------------------------------------------
short version:
My requirements:
- USB3 connectivity on 2010 Mac Pro 5,1 (see specs below), OSX Mountain Lion
- USB3 CF card reader for fast transfer of my RAW files
- USB3 3TB backup drive for fast backups of my RAW files
That's all I need USB3 for.
My questions:
1. Is the PFU3-2P suitable for my requirements without the need for additional power?
2. Will the card run without additional drivers?
3. Is there or isn't there a good USB3 hub that really works on this card?
4. Do any of you successfully use a BTdongle with the Magic Mouse? I do know about the "can't awake from sleep" issue, that's fine but KP's are not
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Longer version:
As a civil engineer and currently also pro photographer, I don't have all the knowledge about tech stuff that you do. So I was wondering if you could advise me on what to do.

I would really like to have USB3 connectivity on my system (see below for system details). I had the CalDigit USB 3.0 SuperSpeed PCI Express Host Adapter (2-port) but was a bit disappointed by performance, especially vs the price and the fact I was dependent on driver support.

My requirements:
- USB3 CF card reader for fast transfer of my RAW files
- USB3 3TB backup drive for fast backups of my RAW files
That's all I need USB3 for.

So after crawling my way through most of this extensive thread, I thought I would do good by getting the ORICO PFU3-2P. I don't fancy having to connect extra power cables and stuff.

My questions:
1. Is the PFU3-2P suitable for my requirements without the need for additional power?
2. Will the card run without additional drivers?
3. Is there or isn't there a good USB3 hub that really works on this card?
4. Do any of you successfully use a BTdongle with the Magic Mouse? I do know about the "can't awake from sleep" issue, that's fine but KP's are not

Thank you very much!

Peter


My system:
- Mac Pro 2010 (5,1) Quad Core 2.8GHz /w 16GB RAM
- drive bays 1-3 occupied with regular hard drives
- Optical drive + 2nd spare connection occupied with 128GB Samsung 830 SSD
- 4 PCI slots:
#1 empty
#2 occupied by Accelsior 240GB SSD card
#3 empty
#4 occupied by 5770 video graphics card
- 30" ACD (7 years old but working fine)
- Magic Mouse
- wired Mac keyboard
 

colincarter

macrumors member
Apr 9, 2008
35
0
just installed a 2 port orico pfu3-2p into my Mac Pro 3.1 and never connected the molex power.

plugged in 2 usb 3 card readers and the work perfectly without additional power.

i have a 4 port card too which i might plug in during the week which i will add the extra power to so i can power external portable hard drives.

everything seems to be working perfectly at full speed.
 

nigelbb

macrumors 65816
Dec 22, 2012
1,150
273

ActionableMango

macrumors G3
Original poster
Sep 21, 2010
9,613
6,909
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008V3THAC/ref=oh_details_o00_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I bought that card a few months ago and haven't had a problem with it. It works great!

I have one too & am very happy with it but just as a word of warning to those about to purchase one that it does require you to run a power cable to the card before it is even visible in OS X. Don't say that you weren't warned.

Everyone has to be careful with that Amazon link. That URL is the same URL for three different cards: the four port, the two port, and the two port external with one internal header. Click a different version on the page and you will notice the URL does not change!

This is why some of the reviews state power is needed and some do not... you have to be careful about seeing which exact model the reviewer is talking about.
 

OSXphoto

macrumors 6502
Dec 23, 2013
273
89
Hi, that is very good! But I actually meant to ask if the seller is reliable. This particular item is sold by a company named "Holdfound". And I was wondering if anyone had ordered there. They appear to be good.


Nevermind, I ordered from them today. They said they would send it off on the 30th or 31st of december and that it would take 7-21 days. The article will be sent from China.
 
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CrazyNurse

macrumors regular
Oct 23, 2012
153
3
If you used the extra internal USB 3 ports available on some 3rd party cards, can you wire them to the external USB ports on the MP case?

That is, making the stock ports USB 3 instead of USB 2?
 

Chabba

macrumors regular
Jul 17, 2011
121
98
If you used the extra internal USB 3 ports available on some 3rd party cards, can you wire them to the external USB ports on the MP case?

That is, making the stock ports USB 3 instead of USB 2?

You have to physically change the ports. There are 9 pins on USB 3 vs 4 with USB 2.
 

riggles

macrumors 6502
Dec 2, 2013
301
14
The tear down of the nMP by iFixIt showed a Fresco Logic USB 3.0 controller. Will this have any positive effects for those trying to add Fresco Logic based cards to their classic MPs once the OSX update come out? Like better hub and card reader compatibility, or less sleep/wake issues?
 

Mac Gus

macrumors regular
Dec 31, 2013
138
16
New York City
A couple months ago I installed the Caldigit USB3.0 PCIe card. It has two USB3.0 connections and does not require additional power. When I installed it I installed the 10.8 driver that it came with on my 10.9 OS. It seemed to work fine except that when I manually put the computer to sleep and then awaken it I get an error message that the drives were disconnected improperly.

I called Caldigit tech support and talked to them about this and had some email exchanges. They gave me a beta version of a driver for 10.9 that I installed but it didn't change anything. I don't notice a difference with the new driver.

Other than the sleep issue, I'm happy with the product. It works on the 7200 Laci drives that I have been using it with as well as a USB3 SD card reader that I got on ebay.

Using the Black Magic disc speed tester it showed that my Lacie drives connected via USB3 were reading and writing a little over twice as fast as they were when connected via FW800.

Lastly, when I was talking to the guy at CalDigit he said that they are designing a second generation USB3.0 PCIe card that would have 4 ports and should be faster than their current 2 port USB3 card. He said it would be out in a year or so.
 

ActionableMango

macrumors G3
Original poster
Sep 21, 2010
9,613
6,909
The tear down of the nMP by iFixIt showed a Fresco Logic USB 3.0 controller. Will this have any positive effects for those trying to add Fresco Logic based cards to their classic MPs once the OSX update come out? Like better hub and card reader compatibility, or less sleep/wake issues?

I do feel good seeing an FL chip in there. That virtually guarantees the drivers will be included in OS X natively for a long time to come.

Are you having problems with hubs and readers on a FL card? AFAIK, they pretty much all work.
 

WM.

macrumors 6502
Apr 18, 2003
421
0
I'd been wondering if the Mac Pro was the reason for the various non-Intel controllers being whitelisted in Apple's XHCI driver. I guess the FL1100 is the clear choice now, if you're willing to power it. A fix for the sleep/wake issues would be awesome though.
 

riggles

macrumors 6502
Dec 2, 2013
301
14
Are you having problems with hubs and readers on a FL card? AFAIK, they pretty much all work.
No, I'm researching USB 3 for the MP I got last month. Wondering which one to get and might wait until the next OSX update that includes the nMP to see if that sets the Fresco based ones apart.
 

frez

macrumors member
Jan 12, 2005
82
2
Two questions:

I'm considering buying the ORICO PFU3-2P (instead of the 4P) to put into a Mac Pro 5.1, because I'm already using the 2nd optical power connection for my SSD and all my HD drive bays are full.

1) Unless there is another way to get power to the 4P?

It also sounds like based on this thread, that the 2P is sufficient for driving CF and SD card readers without the need for the internal power connection and it is also ok to plug-in external hard drives that have their own separate power supplies.

2) If I want to plug in one of those portable laptop external hard drives that draws power from the USB port, will inserting a powered USB3 hub in-between the ORICO card and the drive solve this issue?

.
 
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Mac Gus

macrumors regular
Dec 31, 2013
138
16
New York City
Thought I would share some data regarding my Caldigit USB3.0 PCIe.

I did some tests sending a 15.95GB Quicktime video back and forth between my Crucial 480GB SSD and a 7200rpm 3TB Lacie external drive with USB3.0 connectivity.

Below are the transfer times for moving the file from one drive to another.

CalDigit USB3.0
Write (Crucial to Lacie): 1:38
Read (Lacie to Crucial): 1:36

USB2.0 (connecting the Lacie drive into the MP's USB2.0 port with the USB3 cable.
Write (Crucial to Lacie): 6:56
Read: (Lacie to Crucial): "about 8 minutes" (didn't feel like waiting for test...)


Blackmagic speed tests for drives used:
Crucial 480GB SSD: Write 254 mb/s, Read 266 mb/s
Lacie 7200 HDD USB3: Write 154 mb/s, Read 157 mb/s

Blackmagic speed test with USB2.0 was somewhere in the mid 30s. And when I tested it with FW800, I think it was around 70.
 

ActionableMango

macrumors G3
Original poster
Sep 21, 2010
9,613
6,909
Two questions:

1) If you read the power instructions linked to in the first post, you'll see there is a y-cable involved, so it doesn't matter if you already have two optical drives in use.

2) I have hooked up a bus-powered portable drive directly to the 2P, and the card powers it with no need for a hub in between. But yes, a powered hub would work too.
 

handheldgames

macrumors 68000
Apr 4, 2009
1,943
1,170
Pacific NW, USA
Two questions:

I'm considering buying the ORICO PFU3-2P (instead of the 4P) to put into a Mac Pro 5.1, because I'm already using the 2nd optical power connection for my SSD and all my HD drive bays are full.

1) Unless there is another way to get power to the 4P?

It also sounds like based on this thread, that the 2P is sufficient for driving CF and SD card readers without the need for the internal power connection and it is also ok to plug-in external hard drives that have their own separate power supplies.

2) If I want to plug in one of those portable laptop external hard drives that draws power from the USB port, will inserting a powered USB3 hub in-between the ORICO card and the drive solve this issue?

.

If you are handy with a soldering iron, it's very easy to tap into the 4-wire power cable that feeds the DVD bay. I added an old-school 4-pin molex power adapter to mine, and snaked a power cable to power the the Orico USB3 card in slot #2.

A voltage meter set to test for line continuity was crucial to ensure I was attaching the correct black cable to the proper yellow/black/red cables.
 

LeicaM8

macrumors member
Nov 29, 2012
97
6
West Michigan
Speed Problem

I might have a speed / data throughput problem.
I used the 4 port card linked to early on in this thread, I have the requisite power ran to it, & my system seamlessly recognizes it as my MacPro now having superspeed usb 3.0. I also have faster data transfers than if I plug same drives in my stock usb 2.0 ports.
However when I watch in Activity Monitor App my system is maxing out at about 80MB/s transfer rate. This is the case even using a USB 3.0 SSD Drive with nothing else plugged into the card that is the max thruput rate. I've tried with a Seagate, an HGST, & Rosewill, USB 3.0 drives. OH and he aforementioned Iomega Ext SSD Drive.

I am on a 2011 MacPro 4 Core running Mountain Lion with all updates.

80MB/s doesn't seem as impressive as I'd kind of expected or the speeds shown in the tests I've seen in this thread and elsewhere. Especially with a flash memory based drive. I'm kind of puzzled.

Suggestions or comments sincerely requested.

Richard
 
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barmann

macrumors 6502a
Oct 25, 2010
941
626
Germany
Guys, no offence, but this thread reads like one on a hackintosh forum .

All things considered, is there any Mac or OSX version that runs all common USB 3.0 devices without possible issues ?
 
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