USB 3.x PCIe Cards for Classic Mac Pro

[666sheep]

Oh, they are from Hong Kong. Hopefully I can get the WiFi ac card and this USB 3.0 card from them with free shipping. I am now with the Orico card, it works, but need the power cable. I want a card that only use the slot power.

Edit 1: Too bad, they didn't even ship within Hong Kong. And of course I have no way to contact them outside eBay. So, no chance to get this card (and the WiFi ac card) with a reasonable price.

If local338 sells it for $32 it means that you can buy it somewhere else for $16
That's why all fields in ASP which could lead you there are photoshopped with 0x0000.

 

[crjackson2134]

None of the cards recommended in the first post require additional power--all are powered from the PCIe slot.

And tested to be very dependable. I wouldn't buy a cheap eBay card when many big-name solid cards are available. JMHO

 

[Rafael Duarte]

Is it 4004 model ?


Orico 2 Port card here with Fl 1009. That's why I had kernel panic. By mistaken I thought it's a FL1100, sorry.
Well Apple dropped FL1009 support by checking PCI-vendor ID's in AppleUSBXHCIPCI.kext
I modified to FL1009 and now my card is working. But I ordered the KT 4004 4 port FL1100 to be most compatible.

Hello! Did this actually work? I'm on a Mac Pro 5.1 2012, I have a two port USB 3.0 FL 1009 Orico card, but I can't get it to work. I have fumbled around in DSDTs, kext and whatnot, but I admit my knowledge is very limited.
I need the card to work for my job. Can you give me specifics as to what you did?

 

[nigelbb]

Hello! Did this actually work? I'm on a Mac Pro 5.1 2012, I have a two port USB 3.0 FL 1009 Orico card, but I can't get it to work. I have fumbled around in DSDTs, kext and whatnot, but I admit my knowledge is very limited.
I need the card to work for my job. Can you give me specifics as to what you did?

Why bother? The USB 3.0 cards with a supported chip set are cheap enough & will give you 4 ports rather than 2.

 

[Rafael Duarte]

I live in Brazil. Anything other than a VL800 is impossible to find here, and the import taxes are sky high (like 400% of the original value). And I already bought it once from amazon, two months ago when I upgraded to Yosemite. Didn't want to spend another fortune.

 

[CaptnJB]

Hey first post, but I used the resources here to make a decision and thought I would share the results.

Add the Inateck KTU3FR-502U (5 + 2 PCI USB3.0) card to the list of boards that work out of the box with El Capitan. This is on a Mac Pro (Early 2008; MacPro3,1, El Capitan 10.11.1)

I had to replace an Anker 4 port board (was getting USB 2.0 after a long delay). I was using the GenericXHCD....drivers can't remember the rest of the acronym. However, SIP killed the GenericDrivers and I'm tired of messing around with KEXT's and crap. That's why I bought a Mac...tired of PC work-arounds. So, if you need a lot of USB ports, 5 external, 2 internal, the KTU3FR-5O2U PCI-E USB 3.0 card from Amazon works great OOB on Mac with El Capitan.

Here's the simple URL: http://amzn.com/B00FPIMICA $25.99 Prime Shipping

CaptnJB

 

[waimtrp]

card arrived just a week more , top quality & works flawlessly on El Capitan , very happy now

 

[ShawnF]

Just sharing my experiences with this USB 3.1 enclosure. This enclosure takes in 2 X mSata cards. You can run in RAID 0, RAID 1 or as 2 individual drives. The enclosure is powered via USB; no external power supply needed.

USB 3.1 Type-C to 2 mSATA SSD enclosure

Bought it for SGD$90. I tested with 2 older 840 Samsung mSatas 128GB - the ones with notoriously slow write speeds. Ran them in a RAID 0 configuration and plugged into my Asus USB 3.1 card. The OS environment is OSX 10.9.5.

I got READs and WRITEs maxed out at 260MB and 700MB respectively. Not too bad - this thing is giving my internal Addonics Quad mSata card a run for its money. I reckon it could go even faster if I use the faster 850 Samsung mSata cards.

 

[SoyCapitanSoyCapitan]

Just sharing my experiences with this USB 3.1 enclosure. This enclosure takes in 2 X mSata cards. You can run in RAID 0, RAID 1 or as 2 individual drives. The enclosure is powered via USB; no external power supply needed.

USB 3.1 Type-C to 2 mSATA SSD enclosure

Bought it for SGD$90. I tested with 2 older 840 Samsung mSatas 128GB - the ones with notoriously slow write speeds. Ran them in a RAID 0 configuration and plugged into my Asus USB 3.1 card. The OS environment is OSX 10.9.5.

I got READs and WRITEs maxed out at 260MB and 700MB respectively. Not too bad - this thing is giving my internal Addonics Quad mSata card a run for its money. I reckon it could go even faster if I use the faster 850 Samsung mSata cards.

260MB read in RAID 0? I would expect more. The 120GB model was decently fast.

http://www.samsung.com/global/busin...nt/Samsung_SSD_840_EVO_Data_Sheet_rev_1_1.pdf

Would be cool if you can test in Windows.

 

[ShawnF]

260MB read in RAID 0? I would expect more. The 120GB model was decently fast.

http://www.samsung.com/global/busin...nt/Samsung_SSD_840_EVO_Data_Sheet_rev_1_1.pdf

Would be cool if you can test in Windows.

This Samsung mSata model predates the 840 Evo. It could be a vanilla 840 or maybe even a 830. I ripped it out from 2 laptops back in 2013 so most definitely OEM.

 

[SoyCapitanSoyCapitan]

This Samsung mSata model predates the 840 Evo. It could be a vanilla 840 or maybe even a 830. I ripped it out from 2 laptops back in 2013 so most definitely OEM.

I'm waiting for BPlus to update their M key enclosure to USB 3.1. They are the only company who makes an enclosure for M key, everyone else is doing B key. This will give a small light fast USB drive that can be slipped in a pocket easily.

http://www.bplus.com.tw/Adapter/U3M2M.html

Then just have to wait for El Capitan's XHCI driver to start working properly. It's messed up even for Apple's own 3.0 chipsets in the iMacs.

 

[RickMorty]

Hey first post, but I used the resources here to make a decision and thought I would share the results.

Add the Inateck KTU3FR-502U (5 + 2 PCI USB3.0) card to the list of boards that work out of the box with El Capitan. This is on a Mac Pro (Early 2008; MacPro3,1, El Capitan 10.11.1)

I had to replace an Anker 4 port board (was getting USB 2.0 after a long delay). I was using the GenericXHCD....drivers can't remember the rest of the acronym. However, SIP killed the GenericDrivers and I'm tired of messing around with KEXT's and crap. That's why I bought a Mac...tired of PC work-arounds. So, if you need a lot of USB ports, 5 external, 2 internal, the KTU3FR-5O2U PCI-E USB 3.0 card from Amazon works great OOB on Mac with El Capitan.

Here's the simple URL: http://amzn.com/B00FPIMICA $25.99 Prime Shipping

CaptnJB

Does it require the use of the power plug?

 

[Bytehoven]

I just added a Sonnet Tempo Duo to our cMP. It features (2) USB 3.0 5g and (2) eSATA 6g external connections. It's playing nicely with an ATTO R680 pulling primary RAID duties.

I added the Sonnet card to support faster data input from client portable USB drives and fast cards and the faster data I/O is saving a lot of time getting client files into the edit system.

I wish I could easily upgrade a couple of Sonnet D500P eSATA drive bays from 3g -> 6g speeds.

 

[^Tripper^]

Hi guys. Has anyone used the Highpoint RocketU 1144D? I ask as it seems like High Point has stopped producing the "C" version and replaced it with the "D". Can't figure out what the differences are, if any, and it seems pretty much like the same card.

 

[crjackson2134]

Hi guys. Has anyone used the Highpoint RocketU 1144D? I ask as it seems like High Point has stopped producing the "C" version and replaced it with the "D". Can't figure out what the differences are, if any, and it seems pretty much like the same card.

From a specifications stand point, both the RocketU 1144C and RocketU 1144D are same product.

The reason for the released RocketU 1144D model is due to a BOM cost increase (mainly due to the PCIe Switch Chipset cost increasing nearly threefold).

 

[iMattux]

Thread summary for latest recommendations.

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 Lexar USB 3.0 memory reader is known to be unreliable with several Fresco Logic cards.
• The USB 3.0 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.

With all due respect to ActionableMango, the OP and apparent maintainer of the thread, the bold and italic caveat is almost immediately contradicted by another poster...

I like my CalDigit card. It may be slower than it should be, but it's far faster than USB 2.0 or FW800, and I can boot from the card, too.

Forgive me for not wading thru 66 pages of posts. I'm sure that someone can clarify the conflicting reports for me.

The main reason I want to add USB 3.0 support is to create a bootable repair/recovery/utility USB drive. 3.0 speed would be nice for installs, although, now that I think about it for 10 seconds, that won't be happening very often...

Nonetheless, if someone could help me out and tell me if there is a card/chipset that I can install in my cMP 1,1 that is verified bootable. That would be swell.

And if anyone has this specific card:

http://www.amazon.com/Cord-free-Ina...7309&sr=1-2&keywords=pcie+usb+3.0+mac+pro#Ask

And can tell me about how it's it's working in a 1,1 running El Capitan, hat would be the best of all possible answers.

Cheers & Merry Christmas

 

[h9826790]

Only the eSATA is bootable, USB 3.0 is NOT. I don't know which CalDigit card is referring to, but it's not bootable via the USB 3.0 port on any cMP. However, if that card also have eSATA port, then the eSATA port may be bootable (not sure if it's the same on a 1,1).

 

[crjackson2134]

The USB 3.0 portion of the card IS NOT bootable. You can boot only from the eSATA port as stated below by h9826790

Only the eSATA is bootable, USB 3.0 is NOT. I don't know which CalDigit card is referring to, but it's not bootable via the USB 3.0 port on any cMP. However, if that card also have eSATA port, then the eSATA port may be bootable (not sure if it's the same on a 1,1).

^^^^^^ This Exactly ^^^^^^

 

[Bytehoven]

The USB 3.0 portion of the card IS NOT bootable. You can boot only from the eSATA port as stated below by h9826790^^^^^^ This Exactly ^^^^^^

I can confirm, the Sonnet Tempo Duo, similar to the CalDigit, can not boot from the USB 3.0, but can boot from the eSATA 6G ports. So we are using the IcyDock Cube 4 bay enclosures with the eSATA ports. The eSATA not only boots, but it's running at 6G speed 350-400 MB/s write/read speeds with a single SSD. Not as fast as a SAS connection, but pretty close.

 

[Macsonic]

I can confirm, the Sonnet Tempo Duo, similar to the CalDigit, can not boot from the USB 3.0, but can boot from the eSATA 6G ports. So we are using the IcyDock Cube 4 bay enclosures with the eSATA ports. The eSATA not only boots, but it's running at 6G speed 350-400 MB/s write/read speeds with a single SSD. Not as fast as a SAS connection, but pretty close.

Hi. Just wanted to verify if the Sonnet Tempo Duo eSATA/USB 3.0 card is the same model as shown below? Are you running Mountain Lion 10.8.5 using this card? http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1143184-REG/sonnet_tsata6usb3_e_tempo_duo_pcie_esata.html

 

[Bytehoven]

That is the card I have and I'm running 10.10.5. Not sure about what earlier OS X versions work, but I'd assume whatever Sonnet says, and maybe something earlier possibly.

 

[MrAverigeUser]

http://www.inateck.com/pci-e-card-usb-expansion-for-mac-pro-kt4004/

seems bootable a they write:

"Facilitate dual-boot systems, compatible with Windows XP/Vista/7/8. Drivers can be found on support page.
This PCI-E Card is incompatible with Mac OS X 10.10 Yosemite."

Did not yet boot by usb, but the card works very well on my MP 4,1 2009 8-core .

Their customer service is very good and fast, so ask them if any doubt.

 

[Macsonic]

That is the card I have and I'm running 10.10.5. Not sure about what earlier OS X versions work, but I'd assume whatever Sonnet says, and maybe something earlier possibly.

Thank you Bytehoven. I'll be ordering the Sonnet Tempo Duo card for a design studio client who just purchased a cMac Pro for their work.

 

[Bytehoven]

Thank you Bytehoven. I'll be ordering the Sonnet Tempo Duo card for a design studio client who just purchased a cMac Pro for their work.

My pleasure. It's been a solid card, replacing a Sonnet e4p 4 port 3G PCIe card. I have it installed in PCIe slot 4, the top slot.

 

[^Tripper^]

From a specifications stand point, both the RocketU 1144C and RocketU 1144D are same product.

The reason for the released RocketU 1144D model is due to a BOM cost increase (mainly due to the PCIe Switch Chipset cost increasing nearly threefold).

Thank you for clearing that up, much appreciated.