Need Quick Help - OWC SSD in my Optical Drive

[lbeck]

I know to install a OWC SSD in one of the four hard drive bays of a Mac Pro I need to purchase an ICY DOCK tray to make it fit the 3.5" bay.

But I want to install the SSD in one of my empty optical drives, do I need the ICY DOCK Tray for that as well? Or something else?

[MFDoom]

You could get something like this (http://eshop.macsales.com/item/Other%20World%20Computing/MM35A52CMB/)

But I personally plan to just stick it in the empty bay with no mount. It is an SSD so no moving parts!!

[covrc]

I have my new OCZ Vertex plugged in and just laying in my bottom opitical bay. No problems.

[Honumaui]

You could get something like this (http://eshop.macsales.com/item/Other%20World%20Computing/MM35A52CMB/)

But I personally plan to just stick it in the empty bay with no mount. It is an SSD so no moving parts!!

I got a lian li setup from newegg
posted some pics here
http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=1015412

works nice the two screw holes dont match up ? but two do this is to install in the bay ? but it fits tight enough that its not a issue ? depends on if you want to save $20 over the other solution ?

:)

[reel2reel]

I just bought the adapter that OWC sells (it's just a Star Tech bracket). I think they sell a couple different adapters for the lower optical bay, actually, but I bought the kit and that comes with the Icy Dock 3.5" and the bracket that makes it fit to 5.25".

This one looks like it holds a mechanical + SSD or either/or:

http://eshop.macsales.com/item/Other%20World%20Computing/MM35A52CMB/

Of course, you'd require additional cables for running both at the same time in addition to your stock optical drive.

[AfterglowMP]

Among the brackets mac sales has is one which mounts both an SSD and HDD in the optical drive. Why would this be if there's only one cable?
http://eshop.macsales.com/item/Other World Computing/MM352A52ST/

Thanks

[strausd]

http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=991654&highlight=mac+pro+ssd#5

That might help a bit.

[Honumaui]

Among the brackets mac sales has is one which mounts both an SSD and HDD in the optical drive. Why would this be if there's only one cable?
http://eshop.macsales.com/item/Other World Computing/MM352A52ST/

Thanks

if you put your optical drive outboard in a case then you can use both cables :)

[fensterbme]

+1 on using the OWC Multi-Mount, mine just arrived today, I can fit two SSD's inside the lower optical bay (I just don't have the SATA ports, so one of the SSD's will live outside in an eSATA enclosure).

You don't have to use an Icy Dock anything... there are a blue million ways to mount 2.5" and 3.5" hardware in optical bays, sure Icy Dock might have a solution but saying you *have* to use something specific isn't true.

[AfterglowMP]

I'm looking mainly to optimise output and render times from FCP but the SSD will help re opening FCP projects and/or - ah! - rebooting. Next is internal software raiding of two of remaining four drives. Hitting edge of my budget here so what's faster: 0-raiding 7200 drives or investing in 10000rpm velociraptor drive?

[alphaod]

I just got the OWC adapter to mount 3 SSDs in one of the optical bays. Works great. Sure it only has mounting hardware for 2 drives, but 3 will fit if you suspend the third between the other two.

Alternatively you can get a regular 3.5" drive and mount the SSD together on the same adapter. Both work great.

[AfterglowMP]

Alphaod - how are you going to connect all those drives? Where are the extra SATA cables? Aren't the mounts in question from owc only mechanical pieces, not electronic? Hope I'm mistaken.

Thx

[lbeck]

http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=991654&highlight=mac+pro+ssd#5

That might help a bit.

Thanks Strausd! I'm going to just lay it in the optical bay. Eventually I'll buy the OWC Multi-mount that fits 2 SSD'd or 3 according to another member.

Where do the extra cables come from if you want to hook up 2 or 3 SSD's in the lower optical bay? Assuming you have to add more cables ... how do you do that?

[johnnymg]

You could get something like this (http://eshop.macsales.com/item/Other%20World%20Computing/MM35A52CMB/)

But I personally plan to just stick it in the empty bay with no mount. It is an SSD so no moving parts!!

Agreed............... spending $20 on a 5cent piece of plastic is just WRONG! :)

JMO, but unless you are accustomed to moving your 40+ pound MP around there is no reason to mount an SSD in an adapter.

cheers
JohnG

[lbeck]

Agreed............... spending $20 on a 5cent piece of plastic is just WRONG! :)

JMO, but unless you are accustomed to moving your 40+ pound MP around there is no reason to mount an SSD in an adapter.

cheers
JohnG

Good point. I'll have to take precautions if I ever move my MP since the SSD will just be sitting in the bay. But other than that it will be good to go!

[AfterglowMP]

I just went ahead and ordered the so-called 'powder blue' owc mount for two drives for the optical bay in spite of suggestions to let it set unsecured on bay floor. It's like going out without sunglasses on a cloudy day, every time I decide I won't need them, the sun comes out. So it is I'm sure with the mount. If I'd decided against it, the next week some twist of fate would have me picking up the MP and carting it somewhere only to hear 'Ker-lunk!" of the SSD inside smashing against the side.

The question of cables to connect more than one drive in opt bay without an extra controller is still a mystery. There are only two SATA connections in this part of the machine, right? Both nominally for DVD burners?

[reel2reel]

I just went ahead and ordered the so-called 'powder blue' owc mount for two drives for the optical bay in spite of suggestions to let it set unsecured on bay floor. It's like going out without sunglasses on a cloudy day, every time I decide I won't need them, the sun comes out. So it is I'm sure with the mount. If I'd decided against it, the next week some twist of fate would have me picking up the MP and carting it somewhere only to hear 'Ker-lunk!" of the SSD inside smashing against the side.

The question of cables to connect more than one drive in opt bay without an extra controller is still a mystery. There are only two SATA connections in this part of the machine, right? Both nominally for DVD burners?

Yeah, I like the thought of the SSD being secure, also, just so I don't ever have to worry about it.

As for the dual-mount, some people remove their DVD burner and power two drives instead, I'm guessing. Throw the burner into an external enclosure. There must be a way to feed more power, too, isn't there?

[cutterman]

There must be a way to feed more power, too, isn't there?


Yes, with this (http://eshop.macsales.com/item/Micro%20Accessories/CBLSATAPWRY/)

[Honumaui]

from my link above if you want a cheap way to mount a SSD in the optical bay ?

http://happyfishstudio.com/Chad/mac/content/images/large/lian_1.jpg

[alphaod]

Alphaod - how are you going to connect all those drives? Where are the extra SATA cables? Aren't the mounts in question from owc only mechanical pieces, not electronic? Hope I'm mistaken.

Thx

There aren't any extra ports, so I use a PCIe RAID card to do the job.

And the mounts fit any standard drive. That includes SSDs. (The cable ties are only used since the middle drive doesn't have any screw mounts to attach to)

http://alphaod.com/pics/mr02/mr_3vertex2-092910.png

Agreed............... spending $20 on a 5cent piece of plastic is just WRONG! :)

JMO, but unless you are accustomed to moving your 40+ pound MP around there is no reason to mount an SSD in an adapter.

cheers
JohnG

The old adage: "Don't just a book by its cover."

It's actually solid anodized aluminium.

[Honumaui]

cool looking mount though :)

[cutterman]

Very nice looking. That is the setup I am going for. BTW, what are the black zip ties for?

[lbeck]

Alphaod ... thats a beauty. Three SSD's in that thing is awesome. For now I'll leave my single in the optical bay by itself but I'm going to order that mount so I can eventually stack three of those bad boys. Thats awesome.

[Honumaui]

Very nice looking. That is the setup I am going for. BTW, what are the black zip ties for?

to hold the middle drive :)

[lbeck]

to hold the middle drive :)

Is it? They look much higher than the middle drive. Alphaod?

[scottsjack]

I purchased an OWC Multi Mount to mount an HHD in the lower bay under the optical drive. It's a fine product, probably too nice looking for something no one will ever see but it is certainly "Mac quality".

[SkyNite]

I originally had my OWC SSD loose in the lower optical drive bay, but it's now in the blue OWC Multi-mount.

The slight vibration of the four HDDs in my 2010 Mac Pro caused the SSD to vibrate against the bottom of the optical bay sometimes, and it was driving me nuts. :eek:

So noise is another reason to mount the SSD.

[rdru]

There aren't any extra ports, so I use a PCIe RAID card to do the job.

And the mounts fit any standard drive. That includes SSDs. (The cable ties are only used since the middle drive doesn't have any screw mounts to attach to)

http://alphaod.com/pics/mr02/mr_3vertex2-092910.png


How did you manage to power all 3 drives?
One needs a splitter cable to get power from the optional optical bay connector
to the 3 drives.

[alphaod]

Is it? They look much higher than the middle drive. Alphaod?

Yes. I have special double loop cable ties.

Basically one loop goes around the drive and the other loop is attached to the adapter. It's really hard to described without showing it, but I can't take apart my computer.

Basically the middle drive is suspended in the air via the 3 cable ties. I tried 2, but either it will be slanted (if both both ties are suspended on the same side) or the drive will be crooked (if they are suspended on the opposite sides). Ideally 4 cables would be perfect, but that's a lot of plastic to squeeze in.

Let me use my iPhone as an example…
The plastic ties are what I used on my SSD and pretend my iPhone is the SSD. See the 3 ties are looped around the SSD with 2 facing one side and the other face the other; then the 3 loops over the SSD would look into the top bracket. After tighting the second loops, it will suspend perfectly with some breathing space between each of the drives.

http://alphaod.com/pics/mr02/mr_ssdmounting-093010.jpg

How did you manage to power all 3 drives?
One needs a splitter cable to get power from the optional optical bay connector
to the 3 drives.

Basically I bought a 2-way splitter that split the optical power into 2 cables. One of them went into the optical drive, and the other went into a 3-way splitter with connectors that went into each SSD. Basically one optical drive power cable was powering an optical drive and 3 SSDs; no problems since these SSDs plus the optical drive draw less than one standard HDD (or I'm guessing). The other optical drive cable is connected to my Windows boot drive.

[albert1028]

Great way to mount the third drive! I'm wondering is it possible to mount all the drives the same way without even buying a bracket. Wouldn't that be the best for airflow?

Yes. I have special double loop cable ties.

Basically one loop goes around the drive and the other loop is attached to the adapter. It's really hard to described without showing it, but I can't take apart my computer.

Basically the middle drive is suspended in the air via the 3 cable ties. I tried 2, but either it will be slanted (if both both ties are suspended on the same side) or the drive will be crooked (if they are suspended on the opposite sides). Ideally 4 cables would be perfect, but that's a lot of plastic to squeeze in.

Let me use my iPhone as an example…
The plastic ties are what I used on my SSD and pretend my iPhone is the SSD. See the 3 ties are looped around the SSD with 2 facing one side and the other face the other; then the 3 loops over the SSD would look into the top bracket. After tighting the second loops, it will suspend perfectly with some breathing space between each of the drives.

http://alphaod.com/pics/mr02/mr_ssdmounting-093010.jpg



Basically I bought a 2-way splitter that split the optical power into 2 cables. One of them went into the optical drive, and the other went into a 3-way splitter with connectors that went into each SSD. Basically one optical drive power cable was powering an optical drive and 3 SSDs; no problems since these SSDs plus the optical drive draw less than one standard HDD (or I'm guessing). The other optical drive cable is connected to my Windows boot drive.

[rdru]

Basically I bought a 2-way splitter that split the optical power into 2 cables. One of them went into the optical drive, and the other went into a 3-way splitter with connectors that went into each SSD. Basically one optical drive power cable was powering an optical drive and 3 SSDs; no problems since these SSDs plus the optical drive draw less than one standard HDD (or I'm guessing). The other optical drive cable is connected to my Windows boot drive.

Where did you buy those cables? I am having a hard time finding the cables with the proper male/female connectors. The one I found is too large end
looks like it disable the access to the data port in the MacPro optical drive
connector ...

[lbeck]

So I want to put 2 SSD's, possibly 3 in the lower optical bay of my Mac Pro. Below are my options and questions ...

Option 1: Two SSD's plus the top Optical Drive. I can use this mount to mount the two SSD's in the lower optical bay. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811995034&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-_-RSSDailyDeals-_-na-_-na&AID=10521304&PID=3160356&SID=
Can I use this power Y cable to power both SSD's? http://eshop.macsales.com/item/Micro%20Accessories/CBLSATAPWRY/

Option 2: Three SSD's plus the top Optical Drive. I can use this mount for three. I know it says only two SSD's will fit but Alphaod describes how to fit three in this bad boy. http://eshop.macsales.com/item/Other%20World%20Computing/MM352A52ST/
Then the only question becomes how do I power 4 drives (3 SSD's and 1 Optical). Would the same power y splitter above work to power the three SSD's? Or could I use two of those?

[Transporteur]

Would the same power y splitter above work to power the three SSD's? Or could I use two of those?

You could easily power up three SSDs with those adapters.
Keep in mind that the original cable is meant to power a DVD drive (draws about 10 to 15W).

Edit:
I used to have a single SSD plus two mechanical hard drives in the lower ODD bay and did use the power of the lower ODD bay only. No problems whatsoever.

[lbeck]

You could easily power up three SSDs with those adapters.
Keep in mind that the original cable is meant to power a DVD drive (draws about 10 to 15W).

Edit:
I used to have a single SSD plus two mechanical hard drives in the lower ODD bay and did use the power of the lower ODD bay only. No problems whatsoever.

So if I put three of the SSD's in the lower bay, do I only need to use one of the adapters to power all three?

[Transporteur]

So if I put three of the SSD's in the lower bay, do I only need to use one of the adapters to power all three?

No. You'd need two of them.
With one adapter you'd split a single power plug into 2. So you'd need to split that again to get 3 plugs.

I soldered a matching adapter myself, but I also re-used the SATA port from the lower ODD bay connector.

[xgman]

If you use a Y power splitter to get extra power feeds, you may need a backplane adapter to be able to still use the sata data connector like this:

https://www.cablesondemand.com/category/CSSATA/product/CS-SATDRIVEX2/URvars/Items/Library/InfoManage/CS-SATDRIVEX2.htm

[rdru]

If you use a Y power splitter to get extra power feeds, you may need a backplane adapter to be able to still use the sata data connector like this:

https://www.cablesondemand.com/category/CSSATA/product/CS-SATDRIVEX2/URvars/Items/Library/InfoManage/CS-SATDRIVEX2.htm

Yet another option is to use SNT-SS425 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16816710003&cm_re=snt-_-16-710-003-_-Product) to install 4x (hot swap) 2.5" drives in the optical bay. Use the cable above to split the SATA data and power, plus a SATA power to 4-pin Molex (to power the SNT). One of the drives could be attached to the SATA backplane (intended for the extra optical bay) and the other 3 to a controller card.

The only drawback of the cable you suggested is that is 1 meter long ...

If the drives installed are SSD, the power used should be OK.

[Transporteur]

The only drawback of the cable you suggested is that is 1 meter long ...


You can get those backplane extension cables in various length. I used a 10cm one.

[rdru]

You can get those backplane extension cables in various length. I used a 10cm one.

Please tell me were to buy those things. I am going to import to Brazil and I better get all proper parts.

I am having a hard time getting the proper cables and connectors ...

[ekwipt]

does any one know if there are any products to mount One SSD and a 3.5" drive. I currently have a n external running off an Esata connection but would rather mount it inside if I could, and then buy the SSD as a boot drive.

Also, on the 2008 MacPro aren't the extra Sata ports slower than the Sled Mounted ones?