Hmmm, interesting thought. If (when) it happens again, I'll try that. But, as of right now, the BT connection is good.
Thanks
Lou
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USB 3.x PCIe Cards for Classic Mac Pro
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Hmmm, interesting thought. If (when) it happens again, I'll try that. But, as of right now, the BT connection is good.
Thanks
Lou
HighPoint 1144C - Upgrade
For those of you who are interested, HighPoint has released an upgraded part, the RocketU 1144C.
This card requires no additional power, has full support for UASP, 4 independent controllers for full speed simultaneous transfers on all 4 ports, and NO additional drivers needed for OS X 10.9.x This card is also a general purpose USB card. It supports virtually all devices now (no more storage only).
According to HP (direct contact), OS X 10.9+ has native drivers built in to support the card. It's not advertised on their marketing page, but I'm assured it's there. I'll be buying one soon for testing, but it'll be a few weeks before I test it. Sorry about that!
If anyone else wants to take the plunge and verify the card, it can be had on Amazon or newegg for $109 right now.
If no one else has posted anything by the time I'm out of the hospital, I'll document my findings here.
For those of you who are interested, HighPoint has released an upgraded part, the RocketU 1144C.
This card requires no additional power, has full support for UASP, 4 independent controllers for full speed simultaneous transfers on all 4 ports, and NO additional drivers needed for OS X 10.9.x This card is also a general purpose USB card. It supports virtually all devices now (no more storage only).
According to HP (direct contact), OS X 10.9+ has native drivers built in to support the card. It's not advertised on their marketing page, but I'm assured it's there. I'll be buying one soon for testing, but it'll be a few weeks before I test it. Sorry about that!
If anyone else wants to take the plunge and verify the card, it can be had on Amazon or newegg for $109 right now.
If no one else has posted anything by the time I'm out of the hospital, I'll document my findings here.
Anxious to find out. Caldigit's Fasta Pro is anything but a general purpose card. Support told me that the *only* USB3 dock that would work with the card is the Newertech Voyager: the card is very very picky about which enclosure it supports.
I'm sending it right back.
Loa
I'm told such is not the case with this one. Only time and testing will tell. I wasn't impressed with the Caldigit either. HighPoint hasn't let me down so far, they've been very upfront about compatibility and performance. I have the 1144CM installed right now. The newer card also has it's own firmware which is upgradable too, that's always good. They actually contacted me about the upgrade. I'll test one out myself and report back when I can.
Hello,
If only the HighPoint card had internal SATA3 ports, it would be perfect for me... I'll keep looking.
Mini update for the internal SATA3 port on the Caldigit Pro. I tested its actual real-world speed using a RAM disk. Here are the results.
Read: 434MB/s
Write: 421MB/s
(Note: Black Magic was much much closer to real world speed.)
If we use a folder containing 50000 files, the transfer rates drop to about 150MB/s (which is pretty normal).
It's still going back due to the completely unacceptable USB3 situation, but it gave decent SATA performance.
Maybe I'll look for two cards instead of a all in one: one wicked fast PCIe like the samsung XP941 for my boot, and one generic USB3 + eSATA for my peripherals...
Loa
If only the HighPoint card had internal SATA3 ports, it would be perfect for me... I'll keep looking.
Mini update for the internal SATA3 port on the Caldigit Pro. I tested its actual real-world speed using a RAM disk. Here are the results.
Read: 434MB/s
Write: 421MB/s
(Note: Black Magic was much much closer to real world speed.)
If we use a folder containing 50000 files, the transfer rates drop to about 150MB/s (which is pretty normal).
It's still going back due to the completely unacceptable USB3 situation, but it gave decent SATA performance.
Maybe I'll look for two cards instead of a all in one: one wicked fast PCIe like the samsung XP941 for my boot, and one generic USB3 + eSATA for my peripherals...
Loa
Sounds like this is what you are looking for RocketU 1144E.
I don't know a lot about it, but you could get it, test it, and if it's crap send it back. That's what I've been known to do
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Well, no internal SATA3 option, and the reviews on amazon.com are rather disappointed, including a copy of a Highpoint tech support message:
Dear customer, it was confirm from our developers that the RocketU 1144CM does not support USB hubs.
The RocketU does support USB 3.0 and 2.0 thumb drives, other USB storage devices that the RocketU controller support are the following: WD Mybook, Seagate Go-Flex, USB thumb, HDD docking station.
The RocketU controller does not support the following USB devices (USB card reader, hub, TAPE, CDRW, BlueRay, mouse, keyboards, iphone, ipad, ipod) devices.
Regards
HighPoint Support Team
Indeed.
I think I'm gonna stick with eSATA until I get a Mac that comes with built-in USB3 ports. I can't believe this USB3 mess...
Loa
That's a review of a totally different product. I hate the way that Amazon clumps reviews together that don't belong. I have, use and love the CM product but within the understanding of it's limitations. It was never intended to be used for anything but storage devices alone, ant that's exactly what it does, and does well.
The 1144C is a major design upgrade that removes those limitations. I'm 99% sure that the same can be said for the 1144E product.
I intend to test the 1144C, but that will have to wait until I'm able. The CM that I have was specifically released to accommodate Mountain Lion. I too would prefer a card like the 1144C for myself IF it lives up to it's design intentions. I love the reported fact that the chipset uses drivers that are included in the 10.9.x OS out of the box. No additional drivers required is a massive confidence boost for OS compatibility. I have no eSATA devices so I don't plan to test that model. That could change however by the time I make the purchase.
The reviews you are reading ARE for a different model. People will always be disappointed when THEY fail to do their due diligence and purchase a product that isn't designed to do what they want.
That said, the Inateck card is still my goto card for everyday USB 3.0. The RocketU series is a specialty card, and you pay a specialty price. If it works as intended, the price will be worth it to me.
Hello,
Last added bit of info on the Fasta Pro. Minutes before I was planning on removing it from my computer, it started having problem with my esata enclosure. Turns out I hadn't really stress tested it: it froze and unmounted the drive tested just like the USB3 dock did on the USB3 port...
Not sure what we can make of my single experience, but I'd add a warning on the first message.
Loa
P.S. My enclosure is now purring efficiently on my old faithful sil3231...
Last added bit of info on the Fasta Pro. Minutes before I was planning on removing it from my computer, it started having problem with my esata enclosure. Turns out I hadn't really stress tested it: it froze and unmounted the drive tested just like the USB3 dock did on the USB3 port...
Not sure what we can make of my single experience, but I'd add a warning on the first message.
Loa
P.S. My enclosure is now purring efficiently on my old faithful sil3231...
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Hello,
Last added bit of info on the Fasta Pro. Minutes before I was planning on removing it from my computer, it started having problem with my esata enclosure. Turns out I hadn't really stress tested it: it froze and unmounted the drive tested just like the USB3 dock did on the USB3 port...
Not sure what we can make of my single experience, but I'd add a warning on the first message.
Loa
P.S. My enclosure is now purring efficiently on my old faithful sil3231...
Not just your experience. I didn't keep that card either. Did you remove the Sonnet kext for the sil3231 before using the Fasta Pro. It shouldn't affect it but you never know.
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Well... ActionableMango should put a warning to prevent a third, fourth... such mistake.
Loa
No one here has done a thorough review of the card. Anecdotal experiences aren't reliable. You could write up a review yourself and post it here. I think you should.
After my recovery, I'm going to get the 1144C and post a review (God Willing). Based on my past positive experiences with HighPoint I have high hopes for this card. If it passes muster I'll let you know directly too. At that point, if you are looking for an all-in-one solution and my results are positive, you should get the 1144E card and do a review here. It's not like you can't return it if you're not happy.
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It's not a professional review by a long shot, but I edited my first comment about the card with more info. The proto-review can be found here.
As for the highpoint card, right now I'm thinking about dropping USB3 altogether. I wanted to buy enclosures/docks with USB3 to be future proof, but I guess I can buy them with both esata and USB3. That way I get the future proofing and I get to use ye old faithful reliable eSATA.
Concorde Rules wrote a very nice piece about highpoint's 640L card. I'd use the 642L for the eSATA, but I think I'm going that way for now. Faster speed than the ASM card for my boot SSD and reliable eSATA for my enclosures.
Loa
If you want to run separate cards, I wonder if you have tried the Inateck KT-4004? I can't remember and I'm too tired to read all of your posts looking. I highly recommend this card for USB3. This card has been flawless for me and MOST others as well.
It's cheap, it's very fast, it's UASP enabled and it works well. It beats the 1144CM into the dirt for daily USB 3.0. I use the 1144CM specifically because I have a USB RAID setup just for fun. I really find NO downside to the Inateck card.
The only reason I plan to get 1144C is because of the out of the box support and it's more flexible with other devices. Also because I'm highly curious to see if it's actually as good as reported (inquiring minds want to know). If it can do as well as the inateck card, I may be able to gain back a much needed slot.
Hello,
No, that's just it:I don't want to run separate cards. The caldigt card allowed me to replace 3 cards with one. Now all those problems (mine and the ones I keep discovering by reading this and other forums) are just turning me away from USB3 on a classic Mac Pro.
My current plan: only buy USB3 compatible enclosures and docks for a future where I have a Mac that comes with USB3; keep using my Sil3132 for my current eSATA-only enclosures; and wait a bit until M.2 PCIe drives come down in price (guessing by next Xmas).
Good luck with the highpoint card, but right now I just don't see the point of using USB3 on classic Mac Pros: anything less than storage works perfectly with USB2, and eSATA covers my needs for storage.
Loa
No, that's just it:I don't want to run separate cards. The caldigt card allowed me to replace 3 cards with one. Now all those problems (mine and the ones I keep discovering by reading this and other forums) are just turning me away from USB3 on a classic Mac Pro.
My current plan: only buy USB3 compatible enclosures and docks for a future where I have a Mac that comes with USB3; keep using my Sil3132 for my current eSATA-only enclosures; and wait a bit until M.2 PCIe drives come down in price (guessing by next Xmas).
Good luck with the highpoint card, but right now I just don't see the point of using USB3 on classic Mac Pros: anything less than storage works perfectly with USB2, and eSATA covers my needs for storage.
Loa
My interest in maintaining the first post is rapidly declining. Anyone want to take this over?
The nMP has essentially killed my interest in this whole subforum. There is no longer a suitable Mac future for me.
The nMP has essentially killed my interest in this whole subforum. There is no longer a suitable Mac future for me.
I have confirmed the compatibility of the RocketU 1144C and OS X 10.9 & 10.10 through HighPoint Tech Support & Sales Divs. They will be sending one out for review next week, but I had already placed an order for one on Amazon.
I don't have use of my left arm / hand at the moment so it'll be 2-4 weeks before I can present my findings. I sure hope (and expect) that it turns out better than the new CalDigit card.
I don't have use of my left arm / hand at the moment so it'll be 2-4 weeks before I can present my findings. I sure hope (and expect) that it turns out better than the new CalDigit card.
Get well soon! Always nice to read some good real-world-user-reviews for all those goodies for our cMP! Keep 'm coming...
~ Cheers
Thanks BDM
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Good recovery and a very very good long lasting perfect health!
Thank you Riwam, kind words appreciated.
Hi CrJackson. Thank you for offering to review the new RocketU. Though just go slow at your convenience. No need to rush on this. Take care.
Thanks Macsonic, It will be slow for sure. Im having to one handed type and even that is slow.
I'm looking to add a USB 3.0 card to a Mac Pro1,1 currently running 10.6.8 Server. It looks like the Inateck KT4004 is the best choice, but does it support UASP in 10.7 Lion with the generic drivers, and how is the reliability? I cannot upgrade the OS any further on this machine. The CalDigit card explicitly excludes UASP support in 10.7. Also looking at the RocketU 1144CM, because it has drivers for 10.6. If I cannot get UASP support on any card, is USB 3.0 still a worthy upgrade over FW800? I will be using it strictly for backups to an external HD. TIA