USB C Cards for Mac Pro 5,1/4,1

[joevt]

Thanks for the help with this. I think I am going to get both products.

If it needs 12V power, do I have to unplug the current factory DVD drive that's in there?

The 6 inch splitter might be easier to use. They both have 3.3V, 5V, and 12V.

For the DVD drive, you can also just split the power. Just get the correct splitter - is it molex or SATA? if it's molex then you need a molex to SATA converter. You may also need an extension to reach the USB card. Molex has 5V and 12V, not 3.3V so if you use molex, then hopefully the card doesn't need 3.3V.

 

[CaliforniaDreamin]

The 6 inch splitter might be easier to use. They both have 3.3V, 5V, and 12V.

For the DVD drive, you can also just split the power. Just get the correct splitter - is it molex or SATA? if it's molex then you need a molex to SATA converter. You may also need an extension to reach the USB card. Molex has 5V and 12V, not 3.3V so if you use molex, then hopefully the card doesn't need 3.3V.

Thanks, how would I find that out?

Also, I tried to put an order through microsatacables.com from two different browsers and was unable to. I got all the way to the final screen after putting credit card info and the submit button was non-responsive. Anyone ever have this issue? Happened in Firefox and Safari.

 

[MIKX]

CaliforniaDreamin

There are TWO SATA cables in the DVI drive bay. You don't need to have two DVD drives.

You could move the HDD / SSD near where the PCIe slots are to the spare DVD drive SATA cable.

Then you can connect a SATA cable from the USB 3 card to the now vacant socket above it for 12v power.

If you do this, you will have to clip off the SATA cable's right side plastic retaining clip.

 

[CaliforniaDreamin]

CaliforniaDreamin

There are TWO SATA cables in the DVI drive bay. You don't need to have two DVD drives.

You could move the HDD / SSD near where the PCIe slots are to the spare DVD drive SATA cable.

Then you can connect a SATA cable from the USB 3 card to the now vacant socket above it for 12v power.

If you do this, you will have to clip off the SATA cable's right side plastic retaining clip.

Thanks, MIKX. What are the advantages to this and are there any known tutorials of it on this forum?

I'm contemplating shucking a WD Easystore 8TB HDD for my storage on the cMP. How would I mount that in the second DVD drive bay space?

 

[joevt]

I have bay 3 and bay 4 connected to SSDs (2.5" drives) using the 6 inch splitter. One of splitter's SATA power connectors is connected to a USB PCIe card.

The SSDs are mounted upside down and backward (connector facing outside the computer case). The splitter cable holds up one end of the SSD (near the motherboard). An adhesive strip is used to hold up the other end.

I have one 3.5" drive connected in bay 1 and a 2.5" drive in bay 2.

If you want to put drives in the DVD drive bay space, then buy a 5.25" to 3.5" or 2.5" adapter.

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3.5" to 5.25" Bay Hard Disk Drive HDD Mounting Bracket Adapter Metal Kit

This bracket will allow you to mount one 3.5" hard drive into a standard 5.25" drive bay. The hard drive shown is not included.

www.amazon.ca

 

[MIKX]

Thanks, MIKX. What are the advantages to this and are there any known tutorials of it on this forum?

I'm contemplating shucking a WD Easystore 8TB HDD for my storage on the cMP. How would I mount that in the second DVD drive bay space?

I can't spoonfeed you through this . . . take the DVI drive cage out, examine it from all angles, It's pretty simple. .. . or Google "Mac pro drive cage".

Advantage = You will only need a short SATA cable from the PCIe USB card to the SATA socket above it.

 

[CaliforniaDreamin]

I have bay 3 and bay 4 connected to SSDs (2.5" drives) using the 6 inch splitter. One of splitter's SATA power connectors is connected to a USB PCIe card.

The SSDs are mounted upside down and backward (connector facing outside the computer case). The splitter cable holds up one end of the SSD (near the motherboard). An adhesive strip is used to hold up the other end.

I have one 3.5" drive connected in bay 1 and a 2.5" drive in bay 2.

If you want to put drives in the DVD drive bay space, then buy a 5.25" to 3.5" or 2.5" adapter.

Apple Mac Upgrades - RAM, SSD Flash, External Drives and More

Upgrade the RAM and storage of nearly any Apple computer at MacSales.com. We also provide refurbished Macs, external storage, docks, accessories, and more!

eshop.macsales.com

3.5" to 5.25" Bay Hard Disk Drive HDD Mounting Bracket Adapter Metal Kit

This bracket will allow you to mount one 3.5" hard drive into a standard 5.25" drive bay. The hard drive shown is not included.

www.amazon.ca

When you get a chance, do you mind posting a photo of what this looks like inside your cMP?

 

[joevt]

When you get a chance, do you mind posting a photo of what this looks like inside your cMP?

This picture shows the DVD drive bay in the top left where you would add a power splitter to the molex connector (MacPro3,1 in this picture) or SATA connector (your MacPro5,1), and the far left corner is where you extend an extension cable from the splitter into the PCIe area. Bay 1 and bay 2 have the drive sleds in position. Bay 3 and bay 4 have the drive sleds removed so you can see the SSDs. The red cables are from the unused ODD SATA data ports (unused because Apple used PATA in the MacPro3,1 for the optical disk drives).


This picture shows the SATA power splitter of bay 3 connected to a USB card in slot 4. Bay 4 also has a power splitter but the other power connector is not connected (hanging over the GPU).


This picture is a closeup of the SSDs in bay 3 and bay 4 with the drive sleds in position. The 2.5" drives are not attached to the drive sleds (which are made for 3.5" drives). Notice that the SSD is held up by the splitter cable at the motherboard side. The SSD's connector side is held up by a small piece of double sided adhesive.

 

[CaliforniaDreamin]

This picture shows the DVD drive bay in the top left where you would add a power splitter to the molex connector (MacPro3,1 in this picture) or SATA connector (your MacPro5,1), and the far left corner is where you extend an extension cable from the splitter into the PCIe area. Bay 1 and bay 2 have the drive sleds in position. Bay 3 and bay 4 have the drive sleds removed so you can see the SSDs. The red cables are from the unused ODD SATA data ports (unused because Apple used PATA in the MacPro3,1 for the optical disk drives).
View attachment 871064

This picture shows the SATA power splitter of bay 3 connected to a USB card in slot 4. Bay 4 also has a power splitter but the other power connector is not connected (hanging over the GPU).
View attachment 871065

This picture is a closeup of the SSDs in bay 3 and bay 4 with the drive sleds in position. The 2.5" drives are not attached to the drive sleds (which are made for 3.5" drives). Notice that the SSD is held up by the splitter cable at the motherboard side. The SSD's connector side is held up by a small piece of double sided adhesive.
View attachment 871066

Thank you for this, especially if you took the time to take and post those photos just now. Looks clean!

 

[Z1839]

Hey guys, has anyone figured out what a good USB 3.0/1 card with a USB C connector that'll work good with a 2012 mac pro running catalina? I want atleast one USB C connector to run a 4k webcam. I want to make sure I find one that is compatible.

 

[joevt]

Hey guys, has anyone figured out what a good USB 3.0/1 card with a USB C connector that'll work good with a 2012 mac pro running catalina? I want atleast one USB C connector to run a 4k webcam. I want to make sure I find one that is compatible.

USB 3.x PCIe Cards for Classic Mac Pro

Thread summary for latest recommendations. This thread refers to PCIe cards for adding USB 3.0 and 3.1 to classic Mac Pros. 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...

forums.macrumors.com

I like the GC-TITAN RIDGE because it does 10 Gbps USB 3.1 gen 2 (instead of just 8 Gbps), USB-C with DisplayPort alt mode, and Thunderbolt.

 

[Z1839]

USB 3.x PCIe Cards for Classic Mac Pro

Thread summary for latest recommendations. This thread refers to PCIe cards for adding USB 3.0 and 3.1 to classic Mac Pros. 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...

forums.macrumors.com

I like the GC-TITAN RIDGE because it does 10 Gbps USB 3.1 gen 2 (instead of just 8 Gbps), USB-C with DisplayPort alt mode, and Thunderbolt.

That's a nice piece of hardware! I don't really need the display ports though, just USB C and USB A, as many ports as I can get with max bandwidth.

 

[CaliforniaDreamin]

This is the USB 3.1/C PCIe card that arrived this week purchased off Amazon:
Vantec ugt-pc371ac

It does not support Mac per the documentation it arrived with. I must have misread the site upon purchase. Crazy question, but is there no way the cMP 5,1 will run this? The CD that came with it has a slew of drivers for all the company’s cards, one of which is for a Mac, just not this model.

If suggesting other cards, please keep in mind I’m seeking both USB 3.1 and USB-C in it. I’m fine with one port for each. Looking to keeping price to a minimum.

UPDATE: It’s late night and in my fatigue, I installed this on my 2,1 instead of the 5,1. Put it into the 5,1 and booted up. No drivers were needed to be installed and the cMP is recognizing the PCIe card with a link speed of 5.0 GT/s as seen below in the photo attached.

Am I good to go now? Did High Sierra take care of accommodating this card? Keep in mind, the one I received is not listed as Mac compatible. Which PCIe slot should this be placed in?

The USB Device tree is also recognizing the USB 3.1 capability as shown below. Should it not show the USB-C as well?

 

[joevt]

This is the USB 3.1/C PCIe card that arrived this week purchased off Amazon:
Vantec ugt-pc371ac

It's a standard Asmedia ASM1142 based USB 3.1 gen 2 card.

UPDATE: It’s late night and in my fatigue, I installed this on my 2,1 instead of the 5,1. Put it into the 5,1 and booted up. No drivers were needed to be installed and the cMP is recognizing the PCIe card with a link speed of 5.0 GT/s as seen below in the photo attached.

According to the USB 3.x thread (which you should read at least the first post), these ASM1142 based cards are supported in Yosemite (10.10.3) as USB 3.0 (5 Gb/s), do not work in El Capitan (10.11) without a USB 3.0 firmware, and work fully as USB 3.1 gen 2 (10 Gb/s) in Sierra (10.12) and later (if they are using a USB 3.1 gen 2 firmware). What version of macOS was your MacPro2,1 using?

Am I good to go now? Did High Sierra take care of accommodating this card? Keep in mind, the one I received is not listed as Mac compatible. Which PCIe slot should this be placed in?

Yes, Sierra or newer will work. Many USB cards use the same chips so it doesn't matter if they say it is Mac compatible or not, as long as macOS has a suitable driver. Use slot 2 if it's free, otherwise slot 3 or slot 4.

The USB Device tree is also recognizing the USB 3.1 capability as shown below. Should it not show the USB-C as well?

USB-C is just a connector and not a capability. There are many connectors. macOS usually doesn't know what kind of connector a USB port is using.

 

[Pantaleón Garcés]

The CalDigit FASTA 6GU3 Plus meets this requirement, and also includes 2 ESATA ports.

I have this card in my 4,1 --> 5,1 and it works well.

Hello i am looking for a fast usb connection and I buy the sonnet allegro usb C (take the pie 2.0 x4 ) ant there aren't very very fast 100mb/s
and I search the CalDigit FASTA and I don t found in Amazon in Ebay etc
You are not interested in sell?
Thanks