USB 3.x PCIe Cards for Classic Mac Pro

[SoyCapitanSoyCapitan]

So I went ahead and bought and installed the Sonnet Allegro Pro USB 3.0. I did some testing and I'm not getting the speeds I thought I was going to get.

Blackmagic Disk Speed test results:
WD My Passport 2TB Portable USB 3.0 - R/W ~58MB/s
Seagate 4TB Backup Plus Fast Portable R/W ~95MB/s

Sonnet says the drivers were native to OS X 10.9 and i'm running 10.9.5 so I know I have the drivers. I also went to the website to install the USB 3.0 Power Kernel Extension (OS X) 1.01 driver (this is probably for the power feature).

I'm not sure which PCI slot it's supposed to be installed. Here's my PCI configuration from Top to Bottom in my Mac Pro.
1- 4 port PCIe SATA III RAID controller card
2- Sonnet Allegro Pro USB 3.0
3- OEM Apple GPU (2009 MP)
4- EVGA GeForce GTX 680 Graphics Card

Is my card defective, my PCI configuration not optimal, or am I doing something wrong?

There are total 36 pcie lanes available. It looks like you are trying to consume more that that. The top two cards are sharing a single x4 lane. Remove the Apple GPU, put the USB or SATA card there. Then try again.

 

[Babyboi]

Because
1) my internal 5TB HDD 7200 RPM has speeds of ~168MB/s
2) Seagate's website boasts transfer speeds up to 220MB/s.

So I figured my results would be somewhere in between.

 

[pastrychef]

I think it's best to benchmark those two USB drives on another computer with USB 3 before assuming they can achieve those speeds.

 

[Babyboi]

I think it's best to benchmark those two USB drives on another computer with USB 3 before assuming they can achieve those speeds.

k i think i'll try that, thanks

 

[Babyboi]

There are total 36 pcie lanes available. It looks like you are trying to consume more that that. The top two cards are sharing a single x4 lane. Remove the Apple GPU, put the USB or SATA card there. Then try again.

I removed the Apple GPU and put the Sonnet Allegro USB in its place got the same results.

 

[Babyboi]

I think it's best to benchmark those two USB drives on another computer with USB 3 before assuming they can achieve those speeds.

I did exactly what you said and I put my hard drives in my 2013 Macbook Air which has USB 3 achieved the same speeds as being plugged into the Allegro Pro PCI in Mac Pro. You were right about suggesting to benchmark my base speeds. Makes me wonder...

 

[pastrychef]

I did exactly what you said and I put my hard drives in my 2013 Macbook Air which has USB 3 achieved the same speeds as being plugged into the Allegro Pro PCI in Mac Pro. You were right about suggesting to benchmark my base speeds. Makes me wonder...

As I said earlier, your numbers seemed fine. Based on the numbers you posted, I would guess that the 2.5" drive is slightly older and a 5400RPM mechanism and the 3.5" to be newer and probably a 7200RPM mechanism.

The advertised 220MB/s that you saw is overly optimistic. I have never seen any 3.5" mechanical/platter based drive reach anywhere near that.

 

[Babyboi]

As I said earlier, your numbers seemed fine. Based on the numbers you posted, I would guess that the 2.5" drive is slightly older and a 5400RPM mechanism and the 3.5" to be newer and probably a 7200RPM mechanism.

The advertised 220MB/s that you saw is overly optimistic. I have never seen any 3.5" mechanical/platter based drive reach anywhere near that.

Yeah I'm guessing the 2.5" USB 3 drives are running at 5400 RPM since the manufacturers don't advertise that but will advertise the "superspeed" of USB 3. and yes, the 3.5" drive is 7200 RPM

 

[SoyCapitanSoyCapitan]

As I said earlier, your numbers seemed fine. Based on the numbers you posted, I would guess that the 2.5" drive is slightly older and a 5400RPM mechanism and the 3.5" to be newer and probably a 7200RPM mechanism.

The advertised 220MB/s that you saw is overly optimistic. I have never seen any 3.5" mechanical/platter based drive reach anywhere near that.

Yeah only in synthetic benchmarks. Spinning drives normally copy at 60-80MB/s In real scenarios. Super duper has a good visual representation of transfer rate.

 

[Babyboi]

Yeah only in synthetic benchmarks. Spinning drives normally copy at 60-80MB/s In real scenarios. Super duper has a good visual representation of transfer rate.

As I was testing the transfer speeds to my WD Passport USB 3 portable drive, the average speed was about 70 MB/s.

 

[Dadoctorisin]

Thread summary for latest recommendations, updated 6/29/2015.

This thread refers to PCIe cards for adding USB 3.0 and 3.1 to classic Mac Pros.
(Currently 3.1 is not supported in OS X, but is in Windows.)

General Notes:

• The USB 3.0 cards in this list support UASP for faster transfer speeds and reduced CPU utilization (exceptions to this are noted).
• The USB 3.0 cards in this list do not require supplemental power to be attached.
• The USB 3.0 cards in the list are not limited to storage-only USB devices (exceptions to this are noted).
• The cMP will never boot from USB 3 or newer because there is no support until the drivers load in the OS.
• Transferring data over USB 3.0 interferes with bluetooth reception and to a lesser extent 2.4Ghz Wi-Fi.
• Due to USB 3.0 ports in the nMP, native drivers are provided in OS X for Fresco Logic FL1100 chipset cards in ML 10.8.2 or later. Lion 10.7.5 and newer is supported through the open source GenericUSBXHCI driver. Cards using other chipsets require proprietary drivers.
• The USB 3.1 Asmedia ASM1042a chipset has native drivers included in 10.9 and newer.
• There are warning messages upon waking from sleep when using detachable USB media in OS X. This occurs even with Apple's built-in USB 3.0 ports, so it isn't your card.

USB 3.0:

Inateck KT4004
If you just want a basic working card with a low price and no special features.

• $20-$30
• This card uses the same FL1100 chipset as the nMP, so drivers are built into ML 10.8.2 and newer.
• Big review here.
• It does not have a dedicated USB controller for each port, so simultaneous transfers over multiple ports will have to share bandwidth.

HighPoint RocketU 1144C
If you want an independent USB controller dedicated to each port for using multiple drives at the same time.

• $70-$80
• It has a dedicated controller for each port, meaning full speed for connected devices, even when used simultaneously.
• It specifically supports USB RAID.
• It uses Asmedia ASM1042a chipset, which has native drivers included in 10.9 and later.
• Slightly faster than the FL-based cards when using one device. Substantially faster when using multiple devices simultaneously.
• One user reports zero bluetooth interference using this card.
• Big review here.

HighPoint RocketU 1144E
If you want an independent USB controller dedicated to each port for using multiple drives at the same time, plus non-bootable eSATA.

• $140-$170
• Basically the same as RocketU 1144C, plus non-bootable eSATA.
• Requires third party drivers.

CalDigit FASTA-6GU3 Pro
If you want bootable eSATA.

• $140
• This model number with "PRO" at the end is substantially better than the discontinued non-pro model it replaces. The new model works with all USB devices, not just storage devices. It doesn't have the reduced speed problem that the old model had.
• This card uses the same FL1100 chipset as the nMP, so drivers are built into ML 10.8.2 and newer.
• It does not have a dedicated USB controller for each port, so simultaneous transfers over multiple ports will have to share bandwidth.

Sonnet Allegro USB 3.0 4-Port (and Sonnet Allegro Pro $129)
If you want to charge battery-powered devices or connect bus-powered devices needing up to 2A each.

• $60
• Supports the following power-related features: 2Amps of power per port (10 Watts at 5V) for bus-powered devices, USB 3.0 charging port handshake protocol, USB battery charging 1.2 compliant, and simultaneous charge and sync for iPhones, iPads, and similar devices at 1.5A.
• This card uses the same FL1100 chipset as the nMP, so drivers are built into ML 10.8.2 and newer.
• The Allegro has a single USB controller, so all 4 ports share a single controller.
• The Pro model has a 4 dedicated USB controllers (one for each port). Full Review here.

HighPoint RocketU 1144CM - Hardware Raid w/Management Software
If you need to use Snow Leopard or hardware Raid.

• The RocketU 1144C is better than this card (1144CM) in almost every way, so as far as I can tell you'd only get this card if you need Snow Leopard support or hardware Raid.
• About $150
• It has a dedicated controller for each port, meaning full speed for connected devices, even when used simultaneously.
• It specifically supports USB RAID.
• It uses proprietary drivers from HighPoint.
• Slightly faster than the FL-based cards when using one device. Substantially faster when using multiple devices simultaneously.
• This card does NOT support UASP.
• This card does NOT support sleep mode.
• This card ONLY supports mass storage devices (no keyboards, printers, mice, etc).

USB 3.1:
USB 3.1 is just starting to be explored in its own thread here. Summary so far:

• Driver support exists starting with Yosemite 10.10.3 for ASMedia ASM1142 chipset cards.
• USB 3.1 drivers are not available for OS X, so these cards appear as USB 3.0 cards in OS X.
• USB 3.0 devices are working on the cards.
• Nobody seems to have tested a 3.1 device yet.

I have the Inatek 4004 card, but needed drivers for snow leopard...and I found them:

1 - You go to the site http://www.tonymacx86.com/ (The site is also a great reference)

2 - You make an account (Essential but not particularly problematic)

3 - You then go to the downloads, to downloads index

4 - Find the appropriate Multibeast for your operating system

5 - Download the Multibeast that best fits your system in this case -
MultiBeast Snow Leopard 3.10.1

6 - it is a small file - 22 mb total (in ZIP format)

7 - Unzip and open the installer Multibeast 3.10.1.pkg

8 - Click continue and agree to the licensing (Free)

9 - Go down the install options to:
- Drivers and Bootloaders
- Kexts and Enablers
- Miscellaneous
- USB 3.0 - NEC/Renesas

10 - Install that driver and restart your machine…you are now good to go.

 

[SoyCapitanSoyCapitan]

As some of you know the ASUS USB 3.1 card was giving me serious instability and crashes in Windows 10. Apparently Asmedia have a reputation for producing unstable drivers and chipsets, so avoid their products until further notice. The driver supplied by Windows 10 is the same driver just repackaged by MS.

In OSX it didn't cause instability because it ran as a generic 3.0 device with an Apple driver.

 

[bokkow]

I received my RocketU 1144C last week and it works great, however, I'm afraid I have a faulty one. Port 1, 3 & 4 work perfectly with USB3.0 and USB2.0 devices. Port 2 only works with USB2.0 devices and after a reboot and reseating the card it did recognize USB3.0 devices for a short time and then back to only USB2.0 and that's where it's at now.

Anyone any suggestions what I could check still? Or would I be right in saying this card is faulty?

 

[crjackson2134]

I received my RocketU 1144C last week and it works great, however, I'm afraid I have a faulty one. Port 1, 3 & 4 work perfectly with USB3.0 and USB2.0 devices. Port 2 only works with USB2.0 devices and after a reboot and reseating the card it did recognize USB3.0 devices for a short time and then back to only USB2.0 and that's where it's at now.

Anyone any suggestions what I could check still? Or would I be right in saying this card is faulty?

What OS version?

 

[crjackson2134]

I received my RocketU 1144C last week and it works great, however, I'm afraid I have a faulty one. Port 1, 3 & 4 work perfectly with USB3.0 and USB2.0 devices. Port 2 only works with USB2.0 devices and after a reboot and reseating the card it did recognize USB3.0 devices for a short time and then back to only USB2.0 and that's where it's at now.

Anyone any suggestions what I could check still? Or would I be right in saying this card is faulty?

Also, did you try SMC/NVRAM reset?

 

[bokkow]

Yosemite 10.10.4, latest updates, I did SMC/NVRAM reset. I'm gonna try to switch PCI-e slots tomorrow but I already requested a return form at Amazon and they would sent me another one in a month, and before that time I have to return this one to them (~€25,- shipping out of which $15.- will be refunded).

 

[ActionableMango]

Apparently Asmedia have a reputation for producing unstable drivers and chipsets, so avoid their products until further notice.

That's a really unfortunate situation because they seem to be the leading USB 3.1 chipset for add-in cards.

 

[pstadelmann]

Hi,

I'm considering adding a USB 3.0 card to my Mac Pro 3.1 (Early 2008) and I found this very useful thread while searching for information. My choice would be the HighPoint RocketU 1144C since it's reasonably priced and fully compatible with Yosemite.

However, the extra PCI Express 2.0 slot will be occupied by a mSATA SSD card, so I'm going to plug the HighPoint RocketU 1144C in one of the two free slot which are PCI Express 1.1 4x.

I guess the card should work in this slot (the webpage says it needs a free "PCIe 2.0/1.0 x4, x8 or x16 slot") but will there be a speed penalty due to the fact that the slot is PCI 1.0 and not PCI 2.0 ?

Thanks !

 

[SoyCapitanSoyCapitan]

That's a really unfortunate situation because they seem to be the leading USB 3.1 chipset for add-in cards.

Their drivers do nature eventually but more important OS built in driver matures quicker

 

[ActionableMango]

I guess the card should work in this slot (the webpage says it needs a free "PCIe 2.0/1.0 x4, x8 or x16 slot") but will there be a speed penalty due to the fact that the slot is PCI 1.0 and not PCI 2.0 ?

I cannot answer this from personal experience. However, looking at the specifications it appears that PCIe 1.0 handles up to 250 megabytes per second, per lane. So PCIe 1.0 theoretically should allow full speed for at least one connected device.

However, the card you've chosen has four independent USB 3.0 controllers, so if you hooked up additional devices and used them simultaneously (such as copying from one SSD to another), then the PCI slot could become a bottleneck.

But you asked weeks ago so you probably already know one way or the other.

 

[DEMinSoCAL]

I cannot answer this from personal experience. However, looking at the specifications it appears that PCIe 1.0 handles up to 250 megabytes per second, per lane. So PCIe 1.0 theoretically should allow full speed for at least one connected device.

However, the card you've chosen has four independent USB 3.0 controllers, so if you hooked up additional devices and used them simultaneously (such as copying from one SSD to another), then the PCI slot could become a bottleneck.

But you asked weeks ago so you probably already know one way or the other.

Curious, if you are copying between devices only connected to the 1144C, wouldn't the data (more or less) stay within the card? It seems it has 4 separate controllers (1 per port) and a main controller chip on the card, so I wonder if you are copying between devices connected to the card, does the PCI-e bus come into play?

 

[ActionableMango]

Curious, if you are copying between devices only connected to the 1144C, wouldn't the data (more or less) stay within the card? It seems it has 4 separate controllers (1 per port) and a main controller chip on the card, so I wonder if you are copying between devices connected to the card, does the PCI-e bus come into play?

I have very little understanding of this stuff, but I imagine that the OS is managing everything so it still has to go over the PCIe bus, system memory, CPU, OS, drivers, etc.

 

[crjackson2134]

I have very little understanding of this stuff, but I imagine that the OS is managing everything so it still has to go over the PCIe bus, system memory, CPU, OS, drivers, etc.

Correct. Each controller has its own dedicated lane, therefore data would come in through one lane and out through another.

 

[flowrider]

^^^^Yes, Each port has a controller and it's own lane. See attached.

Lou

 

[pstadelmann]

Thanks all for the answers.

Correct. Each controller has its own dedicated lane, therefore data would come in through one lane and out through another.

What happens when only one controller is in use and the card is on a PCI 1.1 4x slot ? Is that controller limited to its own dedicated lane, or does the 1144C makes all 4 lanes available to it ?