USB 3.x PCIe Cards for Classic Mac Pro

[HAL2010]

All updated information on Macrumors in threads like these, are collected in the first posting. So starting with the first posting is always a good thing. No need to read every single posting.

 

[MrAverigeUser]

Inatek themselves say it would not.

But I read also about Users who were confirming that they are using
the KT 4004 with el Cap without any problem. Look at the commentaries on Amazon for example…
(BTW: the card got 4,6 Ratings.)

All updated information on Macrumors in threads like these, are collected in the first posting. So starting with the first posting is always a good thing. No need to read every single posting.

Is this more a reminder for me or for howiest ? Might be the latter...

 

[HAL2010]

excuse me. Not a reminder for you ofcourse

 

[crjackson2134]

OMG… yes - 1060 postings ago…

what do you want me to do? Committing suicide now?
I just tried to help.

OR you could just read the very first post (post#1).

Post #1 has a section on the card in question with a direct link to the review that I sent you. If you had read about the card there, it's likely you would have read the review and found what you were looking for. Since you took the time to read the reviews on Amazon, I would think you would take the time to read the review here linked from post #1.

Rest assured though, the information has been cited at various places in this thread many times, not just the link I sent you.

Oh, and suicided prevents all PCIe cards from operating properly. I don't recommend it at all

 

[ActionableMango]

Updated first post (KT4004 section) with new note:

• Works great with Yosemite and El Capitan, despite specifications stating otherwise.

 

[crjackson2134]

Updated first post (KT4004 section) with new note:

• Works great with Yosemite and El Capitan, despite specifications stating otherwise.

BTW, nice Avatar update.

 

[toke lahti]

You know guys, the most expensive part of any it business is customer support. When Inatek says that they don't support something that nevertheless works, they don't have to use any resources to customer support.

 

[crjackson2134]

After reading the USB 3.0 summary thread several times and seeing that some USB 3.0 cards specifically note RAID as being supported, how important is this when accessing external disks? Does this mean that it can access a RAID enclosure, or that you can build a software RAID array from multiple individual drives connected to the controller?

Thanks

Any functioning card should be able to access a RAID enclosure. Cards that specifically support RAIDing the external drives let you build a RAID array from multiple drives.
[doublepost=1456251733][/doublepost]

Can someone recommend me a stable and reliable USB 3.0 PCI-e card for my Mac Pro (Westmere)? It should be compatible with 10.6.8, 10.7.5 and 10.8.3.
There are already two cables from my Radeon 5870 connected to the motherboard, therefore there is no place for a power cable.

TIA

Please refer to Post #1

 

[dimobr]

I got from a friend one Orico BCU3-2PU, anybody know if the additional supply via molex is really required or can I use without problems powered only by PCIe?

 

[ActionableMango]

I got from a friend one Orico BCU3-2PU, anybody know if the additional supply via molex is really required or can I use without problems powered only by PCIe?

If anyone has tried it, they haven't posted anything in this forum about it.

Maybe someone will chime in now that you've asked, but if not, you can just slot it in and try it. In my experience if the card needs additional power, OS X will pop up a warning saying that it has disabled the USB bus due to insufficient power.

BTW, nice Avatar update.

Thanks, I hope you are doing better these days.

 

[pastrychef]

I had an Orico card and never connected any power cable to it. However, make sure that it has an FL1100 controller. My old Orico card had an FL1009 controller and, as far as I know, drivers for that are no longer in the latest versions of OS X.

 

[ActionableMango]

I had an Orico card and never connected any power cable to it. However, make sure that it has an FL1100 controller. My old Orico card had an FL1009 controller and, as far as I know, drivers for that are no longer in the latest versions of OS X.

Interesting, I thought those two chipsets used the exact same driver in OS X. For sure they use the same driver in Windows.

 

[h9826790]

The 2 port Orico card should work without connecting the extra power cable, but the 4 port card may need it (at least it's a must on my PME-4U).

 

[pastrychef]

Interesting, I thought those two chipsets used the exact same driver in OS X. For sure they use the same driver in Windows.

I can't find the posts by the individual who made this discovery but, at the time, I was as surprised as you because I had previously used an FL1009 based card without issues. Since then, I only recommend FL1100 based cards to assure Yosemite and El Capitan compatibility.

 

[Demigod Mac]

Updated first post (KT4004 section) with new note:

• Works great with Yosemite and El Capitan, despite specifications stating otherwise.

I can confirm this. KT4004 + cMP 5,1 + El Cap 10.11.3 here, never had a single issue with it, no driver install needed. It just works.

 

[two-mac-jack]

I tried two different USB 3.0 cards in a Mac Pro 1,1 running 10.11.3.

The Inateck KT4006 (2-port version, no power cable required) works great on cMP 1,1 (MacPro1,1 from 2006, now firmware updated to 2,1) with El Cap 10.11.3 in a PCIe x4 slot. However, it has problems drawing too much power when installed in a PCIe 1.0 x1 slot -- OS X says "USB Devices Disabled" on wake from sleep, only fix is to reboot. All is well if you install the card in an x4 slot rather than x1 in the Mac Pro 1,1.

The exact same problem occurs with the Sonnet Allegro USB3-4PM-E (4-port non-Pro version) in the cMP 1,1 if you put it in an x1 slot. Unfortunately I did not confirm that it was "fixed" by moving to an x4 slot, because I went on to try the Inateck card next. But since both cards use the same driver and Fresco Logic chip, I suspect the Sonnet card would also be fine in a cMP 1,1 x4 slot.

No problems whatsoever running the Sonnet card in a cMP 5,1 (MacPro5,1 from 2010) with El Cap 10.11.3, works great.

-----------
More info
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When installed in an x1 slot of the Mac Pro 1,1, the Inateck card (and before that the Sonnet card) worked fine during the day, but the next morning on wake from sleep I would get notifications saying "USB Devices Disabled - Unplug the device using too much power to re-enable USB devices" (one per USB port). Which was odd because I never left any devices plugged into the card overnight. The Console log contained thousands of messages (exceeding the 500 per second limit) saying "PSX3@00000000: AppleUSBHostController::setPowerStateGated: going to state 1 returned 0xe00002e9" followed by "PSX3@00000000: AppleUSBHostController::setPowerStateGated: going to state 2 failed with 0xe00002e9", over and over. Rebooting would fix the problem temporarily, until another wake-from-sleep would trigger it again.

Eventually I saw a post (sorry I don't have the link) where somebody mentioned they had trouble with a USB 3.0 card in an x1 slot until they moved it to an x4 slot. So I tried an x4 slot instead (confirming with Expansion Slot Utility) and have had zero problems for the last 3 days. Problem appears to be solved.

At first glance this doesn't make much sense because the Inateck is an x1 card. However, it's a PCIe 2.0 card, and the MacPro1,1 has a PCIe 1.0 bus. Perhaps that causes trouble.

 

[barefeats]

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.

USB 3.0:

Inateck KT4004 (& KT4006 is the 2 port version, $20 on Amazon now, the KT4007 linked on the same Amazon page might work as well, but I haven't tested)
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.
• Works great with Yosemite and El Capitan, despite specifications stating otherwise.
• 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 (Model Name Changed to RocketU 1144D)
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 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.
• This card specifically supports USB RAID and includes USB RAID Management Software.
• 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:
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 Yosemite and work with USB 3.0 devices.
• Despite working as USB 3.0 cards in Yosemite 10.10.3 and newer, they don't work at all in El Capitan 10.11.
• USB 3.1 drivers are available for Windows.
• Nobody seems to have tested a 3.1 device yet.

[doublepost=1459178089][/doublepost]I have the 10Gbps rated AZRock USB 3.1 card in my 2010 Mac Pro tower. Under Mavericks, it mounts a USB 3.1 bus powered enclosure with 6Gbps SSD. When I benchmark it with AJA System Test, I get 480MB/s. If I install the generic driver mentioned in the article, the transfer speed drops to 350MB/s.

 

[ActionableMango]

[doublepost=1459178089][/doublepost]I have the 10Gbps rated AZRock USB 3.1 card in my 2010 Mac Pro tower. Under Mavericks, it mounts a USB 3.1 bus powered enclosure with 6Gbps SSD. When I benchmark it with AJA System Test, I get 480MB/s. If I install the generic driver mentioned in the article, the transfer speed drops to 350MB/s.

Thanks for the test. Also, I'm a fan of your website.

Yes, I don't think anyone should use the generic driver if they have a better choice. I included a link to it because it supports older versions of OS X that do not have USB 3.0 support otherwise.

 

[niackbuster]

Also working on MacPro Mid-2012 10.11 El Cap // With the GTX 970.
I thought it would take to much power but seems not....

 

[rroumen]

Based on the result here I installed a KT4006 card in my macPro5,1 Running 10.11.4

When the card is installed (No USB connected) the mac will no longer sleep. It goes to sleep but immediately wakes up again. If the card is out all is well. I tested in slot3 and slot4, both with the same result.

Any suggestions?

 

[ActionableMango]

Based on the result here I installed a KT4006 card in my macPro5,1 Running 10.11.4

When the card is installed (No USB connected) the mac will no longer sleep. It goes to sleep but immediately wakes up again. If the card is out all is well. I tested in slot3 and slot4, both with the same result.

Any suggestions?

Dammit, that card shouldn't be on the recommended list. There are no positive experiences with that card in the thread, just one negative experience.

Unfortunately the first post is a wiki, meaning anyone can edit it. Looking at the edit history, it looks like user iMattox added the card. I will remove it.

 

[rroumen]

Dammit, that card shouldn't be on the recommended list. There are no positive experiences with that card in the thread, just one negative experience.

Unfortunately the first post is a wiki, meaning anyone can edit it. Looking at the edit history, it looks like user iMattox added the card. I will remove it.

Thanks for the fast reply, it does use the same FL1100 chipset but apparently it is not just a "stripped down" version of the KT4004? I still find it strange that sleep behavior would be affected since driver and chipset are the same.

 

[ActionableMango]

Thanks for the fast reply, it does use the same FL1100 chipset but apparently it is not just a "stripped down" version of the KT4004? I still find it strange that sleep behavior would be affected since driver and chipset are the same.

The same chipset means that the default drivers will most likely work.

However, this card has at least one important difference--I see that it has an external power connector on it. And while the card might seem to work okay without connecting power, there's at least one report of it causing a problem. I suppose that it is possible that a card designed to have molex power but that isn't hooked up to molex power might have issues with wake/sleep.

 

[rroumen]

The same chipset means that the default drivers will most likely work.

However, this card has at least one important difference--I see that it has an external power connector on it. And while the card might seem to work okay without connecting power, there's at least one report of it causing a problem. I suppose that it is possible that a card designed to have molex power but that isn't hooked up to molex power might have issues with wake/sleep.

It's not a power connector. It is just to add two additional USB ports (could use a front bracket for two ports). I also compared with KT4004 card and it uses the same components, they are only in a different layout because the top 2 usb ports on the KT4004 are routed to the expansion connector on the KT4006. So if PID / VID are the same and components are the same why doesn't it work??? Or does it have different PID / VID?

 

[ActionableMango]

Oh, I assumed it was molex from the Amazon picture. I'm was suspicious about it being power related because the only other complaint about the KT4006 in this thread was also about sleep, and he identified lack of power as the problem.

You're right, it probably should work. Although it's not my current card, I used a KT4004 myself. There were no problems with automatically waking immediately upon sleep.

If you have a Windows drive, can you test for the same sleep behavior in Windows? If it does not have the same problem, there may be an issue with some setting or software installed on your OS X drive. If it does have the same problem, there may be an issue with the card.