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USB 3.x PCIe Cards for Classic Mac Pro
- Thread starter ActionableMango
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Of course it does matter in case of the 3,1. Ports 3 and 4 are PCIe 1.1, so max speed of the card will be 2.5GT/s. Bit more than 200MB/s top. For single mechanical drive it will be OK, but SSD or RAID enclosure will be throttled. In x16 which is PCIe 2.0 it will be ~400MB/s max, so twice as in 3/4.
Just used an Oculus Rift and Oculus IR-Sensor, each connected to an old CalDigit FASTA-6GU3 (Non Pro) via USB in Windows 10.
Works flawlessly.
CalDigit FASTA-6GU3 is dead in OS X (no drivers since Yosemite), but still useful in Windows. And works not just with storage devices.
Works flawlessly.
CalDigit FASTA-6GU3 is dead in OS X (no drivers since Yosemite), but still useful in Windows. And works not just with storage devices.
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I had a great experience with Caldigit Fasta Pro card in my MacPro3,1 for a few years and when I was upgrading to MacPro5,1 earlier this year I wanted to go for a faster USB 3.1 card. So when I was contemplating on whether to buy the newly announced Fasta Plus card, I asked a few question like the SATA port's boot capability to Caldigit's support team in Japan where I live and I decided to place my pre-order based on their information.
This was before they would released the card in June but I now remember they mentioned at the time that it had been a nightmare for their development team to get USB 3.1 to work correctly. At about the same time I read about the USB-C cable fiasco Apple was having and I assumed that this USB 3.1 thing was a cable related issue.
Anyway, Caldigit delivered the new Plus card on time as promised and my card arrived shortly afterward but I wasn't sure if the engineers had tamed the compatibility issues because I didn't have any USB 3.1 device to test it against. (See #1738 in this thread) However, reading the product spec note has made me realize now that they had kept the speed down at 5G and chosen to go for a firmware update route to reach true 10G speed upon request. This seems to impliy that USB 3.1 is an unstable standard and it would be troublesome for the general public to use at 10G.
I have an external SSD portable drive that's working well as a startup drive via the SATA 3 (6G) port and the Fasta Pro and Fasta Plus seemed to be the only cards which had this useful capability when I made the choice. I also have a Drobo 5D connected to the USB-C port which is also working great as a USB 3.0 (5G) device but I still don't have any USB 3.1 (10G) drive on hand to verify the current speed which my Plus card can attain through the USB-C port. I understand that new Drobo 5C has just come out equipped with a USB-C port but this is actually a USB 3.0 device with a USB-C connector.
So it seems that the engineers' nightmare with USB 3.1 has been passed on to us and the saga continues. I wonder what I will have to go through to get the firmware updater. If anyone has done this already please drop a note for us here.
This was before they would released the card in June but I now remember they mentioned at the time that it had been a nightmare for their development team to get USB 3.1 to work correctly. At about the same time I read about the USB-C cable fiasco Apple was having and I assumed that this USB 3.1 thing was a cable related issue.
Anyway, Caldigit delivered the new Plus card on time as promised and my card arrived shortly afterward but I wasn't sure if the engineers had tamed the compatibility issues because I didn't have any USB 3.1 device to test it against. (See #1738 in this thread) However, reading the product spec note has made me realize now that they had kept the speed down at 5G and chosen to go for a firmware update route to reach true 10G speed upon request. This seems to impliy that USB 3.1 is an unstable standard and it would be troublesome for the general public to use at 10G.
I have an external SSD portable drive that's working well as a startup drive via the SATA 3 (6G) port and the Fasta Pro and Fasta Plus seemed to be the only cards which had this useful capability when I made the choice. I also have a Drobo 5D connected to the USB-C port which is also working great as a USB 3.0 (5G) device but I still don't have any USB 3.1 (10G) drive on hand to verify the current speed which my Plus card can attain through the USB-C port. I understand that new Drobo 5C has just come out equipped with a USB-C port but this is actually a USB 3.0 device with a USB-C connector.
So it seems that the engineers' nightmare with USB 3.1 has been passed on to us and the saga continues. I wonder what I will have to go through to get the firmware updater. If anyone has done this already please drop a note for us here.
Could you elaborate on the difference between data rate and bandwidth? I found the following info online, but I don't know how to interpret it.
Data Rate: PCIe 3.0 = 1000MB/s, PCIe 2.0 = 500MB/s, PCIe 1.1 = 250MB/s
Total Bandwidth: (x16 link): PCIe 3.0 = 32GB/s, PCIe 2.0 = 16GB/s, PCIe 1.1 = 8GB/s
Can there be multiple data streams? Otherwise I don't think I get the meaning of the 16GB/s bandwidth thingy
Updated USB 3.1 section in the first post, based on information in the USB 3.1 PCIe for cMP info repository thread from @Slash-2CPU and @wonderspark.
The interference is easily cured, the Achilles heel of the rfi problem is the ends of the antenna cables connecting to the card. A blob of sticky araldite on both, with a half cylinder bent sliver of mu-metal rolled via a screwdriver and smooth pliers stuck on top to shield the 2.4GHz leaking from the PCIe card making the bluetooth go nuts. I promised to show how I do this a while back with photos shielding my 3,1 so that might happen now
But not 100% convinced it could solely be just that. I've had both four port Orico and Inateck show similar ish symptoms plugging one or two unpowered in a Mac Pro with other devices not working and not just the mouse. Plug a power extension it goes away. I'm wondering instead whether 4 port power from the bus itself on the new card might be insufficient in some cases. I will find out when this new card lands no doubt.
Did you ever get around to doing this?
1st working 10Gbps USB-C card?
Shame the card is of such poor quality judging by the Amazon reviews.
From the photos it looks like an ASM1142 based card.
http://iphone.appleinsider.com/arti...-mac-pro-for-full-usb-31-data-transfer-speeds
Shame the card is of such poor quality judging by the Amazon reviews.
From the photos it looks like an ASM1142 based card.
http://iphone.appleinsider.com/arti...-mac-pro-for-full-usb-31-data-transfer-speeds
PCIe cards that have a x4 physical connector may actually be only x2 electrical connection. This includes many or all of the ASM1142 cards. Some PCIe controllers do not allow x2, and will negotiate as x1 instead.
Slot 3 and 4 of the Mac Pro 2008 will negotiate any x2 card as x1. Those slots are PCIe 1.0, and at x1, they allow 250 MB/s. That's faster than an HDD but less than half the speed of an SSD. It's still much better than firewire or USB 2.0.
Slot 1 and 2 of the Mac Pro 2008 are PCIe 2.0 and will negotiate x2, so they will allow 1000 MB/s.
Any PCIe slot connected directly to a Sandy Bridge CPU (2nd Generation Core Processor Family Desktop CPU's) will not negotiate x2, and at PCIe 2.0, will allow up to 500 MB/s for x1. That's almost as fast as an SSD.
I would like to see a card that does PCIe 1.0 x4 so I can get the full performance of USB 3.1 on my old Mac Pro 2008 without using slot 1 (where the graphics card goes) or slot 2. For the ASM1142, the manufacturer would have to add a PCIe bridge chip to convert the PCIe 2.0 x2 of the ASM1142 to PCIe 1.0 x4 of the PCIe slot.
Slot 3 and 4 of the Mac Pro 2008 will negotiate any x2 card as x1. Those slots are PCIe 1.0, and at x1, they allow 250 MB/s. That's faster than an HDD but less than half the speed of an SSD. It's still much better than firewire or USB 2.0.
Slot 1 and 2 of the Mac Pro 2008 are PCIe 2.0 and will negotiate x2, so they will allow 1000 MB/s.
Any PCIe slot connected directly to a Sandy Bridge CPU (2nd Generation Core Processor Family Desktop CPU's) will not negotiate x2, and at PCIe 2.0, will allow up to 500 MB/s for x1. That's almost as fast as an SSD.
I would like to see a card that does PCIe 1.0 x4 so I can get the full performance of USB 3.1 on my old Mac Pro 2008 without using slot 1 (where the graphics card goes) or slot 2. For the ASM1142, the manufacturer would have to add a PCIe bridge chip to convert the PCIe 2.0 x2 of the ASM1142 to PCIe 1.0 x4 of the PCIe slot.
All the Inateck cards appear to be x1 cards. In a MacPro1,1 (or slot 3 and 4 of a MacPro3,1), that would limit the speed to less than 250 MB/s (both ports share that bandwidth). The max speed in a PCIe 2.0 slot is 500 MB/s (MacPro3,1 slot 1 or 2, or later MacPro).
Yes x1 is a limitation, but I've noticed a difference especially with moving large files. Plus the card wasn't expensive.
I have read on various sites that the HighPoint RocketU 1144B/1144BM will work with a Mac Pro but that is a mistake isn't it?
I am looking at the Ablecon PU31-1A1C just as a way to do a little future proofing for a second Drobo array (USB-C) that I am looking at to back up my current array that is USB 3.0. I notice that this card has the SATA power connector. What has been the most tired and true method for connecting that power though the second optical bay?
Exsys EX-12001 (2 x USB-A, USB 3.1 Gen2, ASM1142 chipset, PCIe x2) works beautifully [1] in a MacPro5,1 (4,1 with upgraded firmware) under macOS Sierra 10.12.3. System Profiler shows it as "USB 3.1 Bus" and with the following PCI information:
I run it bus-powered (where it should provide 1.5A for each port).
[1] Update: After sleep, the card doesn't seem to wake properly. Connected devices are not visible anymore in System Profiler and reconnecting them doesn't help. The following messages appear in Console every second:
Update 2: Exsys EX-12002, the USB-C variant of this card (same chipset, also bus-powered and said to support 3A on each of its two ports USB-C ports) works better, but also has sleep issues: If certain devices are connected to it, it will prevent the Mac from properly entering deep sleep (power LED will pulse two times and then light up again). No Console output though.
If the Mac does enter sleep, the card will wake correctly.
Code:
Type: USB eXtensible Host Controller
Driver Installed: Yes
MSI: Yes
Bus: PCI
Slot: Slot-4
Vendor ID: 0x1b21
Device ID: 0x1242
Subsystem Vendor ID: 0x1b21
Subsystem ID: 0x1242
Revision ID: 0x0000
Link Width: x2
Link Speed: 5.0 GT/sI run it bus-powered (where it should provide 1.5A for each port).
[1] Update: After sleep, the card doesn't seem to wake properly. Connected devices are not visible anymore in System Profiler and reconnecting them doesn't help. The following messages appear in Console every second:
Code:
PXS4@00000000: AppleUSBXHCI::hardwareException: Error saving state
PXS4@00000000: AppleUSBHostController::setPowerStateGated: going to state 1 returned 0xe00002e9
PXS4@00000000: AppleUSBXHCIPCI::hardwareException: controller unplugged (regRead32)
PXS4@00000000: AppleUSBXHCI::hardwareException: kUSBStatusControllerNotReady did not clear
PXS4@00000000: AppleUSBHostController::setPowerStateGated: going to state 2 failed with 0xe00002e9Update 2: Exsys EX-12002, the USB-C variant of this card (same chipset, also bus-powered and said to support 3A on each of its two ports USB-C ports) works better, but also has sleep issues: If certain devices are connected to it, it will prevent the Mac from properly entering deep sleep (power LED will pulse two times and then light up again). No Console output though.
If the Mac does enter sleep, the card will wake correctly.
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^That sounds great. Does it do everything? Can it handle external discs? And external discs that don't use adapters?
A directly attached, USB-powered Seagate Expansion Portable (2.5", 2TB) works fine with my Exsys EX-12001 – as does everything else (hubs, thumb drives, iOS devices), as far as I can tell. Except for the sleep problem (see previous post).
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Two quick questions regarding the Caldigit 6GU3 Plus:
1) Has anyone had any further success at 10 Gbps? It's been a little while...
2) Are the two USB ports on independent controllers? I've searched the forums, but only see mention of the 6GU3 Pro having one USB controller between both ports...
Thanks!
S
1) Has anyone had any further success at 10 Gbps? It's been a little while...
2) Are the two USB ports on independent controllers? I've searched the forums, but only see mention of the 6GU3 Pro having one USB controller between both ports...
Thanks!
S
Two quick questions regarding the Caldigit 6GU3 Plus:
1) Has anyone had any further success at 10 Gbps? It's been a little while...
2) Are the two USB ports on independent controllers? I've searched the forums, but only see mention of the 6GU3 Pro having one USB controller between both ports...
Thanks!
S
Begin to read here: https://forums.macrumors.com/thread...-info-repository.1866301/page-8#post-24068075
