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2011 MacBook Pro - SATA 6 Gigabit Link Speed

Is it possible to some how move the motion sensor or perhaps the Apple Stock hard drive has a built in motion sensor?

It would suck to give up SATA 3 performance for a motion sensor.. *sigh* I never ran into complications with Apple till now... Jesus why not make it a little easier for us "power users" to make small changes to our machines without having to pay huge amounts of cash...
 
KJmoon117 said:
Is there anyway to tell on Mac OS X? If so I can pop into my local Apple reseller and check :)
Click to expand...

All you have to do is figure out what Port the Main Drive maps to and the Superdrive Maps to.

On my Dell laptop - running Intel Rapid Storage Manager for example: it clearly shows my main HDD at Port 0 and my DVD-RW at Port 2.

Again this is on a Windows system using Intel's Rapid Storage Manager software, so I'm not sure how to find it on MacOS. That was why I was suggesting if anyone could try the Boot Camp method and just read it from Windows.

So bottom line: if the Main HDD and the Superdrive are actually on Port 0 and Port 1 - then we know for sure they are both NATIVE SATA 6 Gigabit (since that is what is specified for the Sandy Bridge chipset).

Can't someone here who already bought the new models just do a Boot Camp and report the info? It's not that hard to do people!
 
crellion said:
All you have to do is figure out what Port the Main Drive maps to and the Superdrive Maps to.

On my Dell laptop - running Intel Rapid Storage Manager for example: it clearly shows my main HDD at Port 0 and my DVD-RW at Port 2.

Again this is on a Windows system using Intel's Rapid Storage Manager software, so I'm not sure how to find it on MacOS. That was why I was suggesting if anyone could try the Boot Camp method and just read it from Windows.

So bottom line: if the Main HDD and the Superdrive are actually on Port 0 and Port 1 - then we know for sure they are both NATIVE SATA 6 Gigabit (since that is what is specified for the Sandy Bridge chipset).

Can't someone here who already bought the new models just do a Boot Camp and report the info? It's not that hard to do people!
Click to expand...

Well it's one PITA just for that.

Anyway, until we actually see scores in the regular slot it's moot.
I mean, it wouldn't be the first time I saw a new port crippled for some lame reason (try SATA 2). Remember that?
 
StandardMeth0d said:
Isn't it true that most drives have built-in motion sensors? I don't think the motion sensing is in the laptop.. correct me if I'm wrong though
Click to expand...

With Apple the motion sensor is on the logic board (or near the HDD bay). I know because you have to buy a HDD without the free-fall sensor as it will conflict with the one built into the LB.
 
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dagamer34 said:
Doesn't matter. It's always recommended to put the SSD in the original HDD slot because of problems with waking up from sleep. Most people believe that OS X expects the OS drive to be connected to a specific SATA port, so any other configuration messes up the OS.
Click to expand...

Had my SSD in the optical drive slot for a few months now with no sleep issues (or any issues at all really).
 
AnomicsAcid said:
With Apple the motion sensor is on the logic board (or near the HDD bay). I know because you have to buy a HDD without the free-fall sensor as it will conflict with the one built into the LB.
Click to expand...

So is the motion sensor physically connected to the drive?... I mean if it isn't, wouldn't the motion sensor lock the hard drive in the optical bay if you put a HDD in the optibay?

This just makes me want to have a SATA 3 port in the optical bay even more... *sigh* Why can't I have the best of both worlds?
 
So overall, is it NOT recommended to put the HDD in the optical slot? Most configurations I see use the SSD in the default spot with the HDD in the optical bay, so I thought that would be fine. Would it be better to keep the HDD where it is and put the SSD in the optical bay? Are there sleep issues with that?

Thanks in advance!
 
mac jones said:
Well it's one PITA just for that.

Anyway, until we actually see scores in the regular slot it's moot.
I mean, it wouldn't be the first time I saw a new port crippled for some lame reason (try SATA 2). Remember that?
Click to expand...

I know its a PITA to do it, I would do it myself if I had gotten one already or if they would let me do this in a demo machine at an Apple store (most likely NOT!) Unless there's a MacOS program out there that can give more detailed system specs than the default System Profiler - I don't know how you can find these information such as motherboard revision number or Port numbers...

But this is one of the things I need to verify before I purchase one myself. Cause whether I am using the Optitray for the plain-ol' Superdrive or sticking an SSD on it, I want to see all the possible features this $2k-machine has to offer before shelling the greenbacks. And personally I'd be pissed with Apple stuck the old 3 Gigabit version in the Optitray port (why on Earth would they even do this?)
 
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StandardMeth0d said:
So overall, is it NOT recommended to put the HDD in the optical slot? Most configurations I see use the SSD in the default spot with the HDD in the optical bay, so I thought that would be fine. Would it be better to keep the HDD where it is and put the SSD in the optical bay? Are there sleep issues with that?

Thanks in advance!
Click to expand...

From what I have read, it is not recommended to put the HDD in the optical bay unless that hard drive has a built in motion sensor, an example would be the WD Scorpio Blacks.

There are hibernation issues with that, which is different from sleeping the computer.

But this is one of the things I need to verify before I purchase one myself. Cause whether I am using the Optitray for the plain-ol' Superdrive or sticking an SSD on it, I want to see all the possible features this $2k-machine has to offer before shelling the greenbacks. And personally I'd be pissed with Apple stuck the old 3 Gigabit version in the Optitray port (why on Earth would they even do this?)
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I'm starting to get slightly pissed at this as well... Not that I am entitled to a product entirely catered to my uses but I was hoping to put in the SSD into the HDD and SSD into the optical bay. Because of the SMS, it'll have to be flipped. Because of Apple (as of now), I lose SATA III performance in the optical bay. When I get a chance I'll go to my Apple store across the city, it's a retailer and since Koreans love Windows, it has some Macs running on Boot Camp :)
 
I had someone on another forum check the SATA port configuration on his 2011 MBP and it does not look good for 6Gbps from the ODD bay.
It looks like the HDD/SSD is connected to Port 0 and the Optical Drive is connected to Port 2. See IORegistryExplorer capture below for evidence.

6 Series.png
 
johnsock said:
I had someone on another forum check the SATA port configuration on his 2011 MBP and it does not look good for 6Gbps from the ODD bay.
It looks like the HDD/SSD is connected to Port 0 and the Optical Drive is connected to Port 2. See IORegistryExplorer capture below for evidence.

View attachment 273557
Click to expand...

that confirms it.

cue rage.

cue paranoia about sata port 'wearing out'.
 
hoxley said:
that confirms it.

cue rage.

cue paranoia about sata port 'wearing out'.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I hate being the bearer of bad news. I'm still trying to find out an easy way to tell what stepping of the chipset is being used. It seems unlikely that they could have used the revised parts with such a short time between the recall and the new product launch. Stranger things have happened though...
 
No paranoia. It's already said by Apple that they don't use the faulty chipsets (although a proof on this by looking at the chipset revision would be nice).

As for rage. . . A Big ㅗ to Apple on this one. Damn. I know the optical drive wasn't intended to be used as an extra HDD bay but still, I r disappoint.

Now this just brings up the issue for some users if the sudden motion sensor is worth sacrificing SATA 3 speeds on an SSD.
 
SATA speed in 2010 MBPs

To be clear, is the max link speed for the SATA in the 2010 MBPs using the Intel 5-series chipset limited to 3GBPS - meaning that you wouldn't realize performance gains out of the new Vertex 3 or Intel SSDs released today?

thanks!
Mark
 
g-boac said:
To be clear, is the max link speed for the SATA in the 2010 MBPs using the Intel 5-series chipset limited to 3GBPS - meaning that you wouldn't realize performance gains out of the new Vertex 3 or Intel SSDs released today?
Click to expand...
Only the optical bay, not where the hard drive is. You would realise performance gains putting a SATA III SSD in the optical bay, just not as much as if you were able to use it with SATA III not SATA II.

The main hard drive is connected to port 0 which is a SATA III port.

Ports 0 and 1 are SATA III. Ports 2-5 are SATA II.
 
johnsock said:
I had someone on another forum check the SATA port configuration on his 2011 MBP and it does not look good for 6Gbps from the ODD bay.
It looks like the HDD/SSD is connected to Port 0 and the Optical Drive is connected to Port 2. See IORegistryExplorer capture below for evidence.

View attachment 273557
Click to expand...

Ah Bullocks! This blows...

So now it's OFFICIALLY CONFIRMED:

MAIN DRIVE - SATA 6 Gigabit Capable (which is at Port 0)

OPTICAL DRIVE - ONLY SATA 3 Gigabit Capable (which is at Port 2)
Click to expand...

Anyhow - the next step then is to confirm if its using the B3-Stepping on the motherboard. If it's B3-Stepping, then its the revised Sandy Bridge chipset (and no more worries on the SATA 3 defect..)

johnsock - that same guy who posted that screenshot should obviously be able to get the motherboard stepping information from that same utility right?
 
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If it is the revised chips... does it mean there won't be a defect anymore? It would suck to have had a ssd+hdd and the optical drive not work after some time :[
 
dnlt said:
If it is the revised chips... does it mean there won't be a defect anymore? It would suck to have had a ssd+hdd and the optical drive not work after some time :[
Click to expand...

Well I just want to see it myself that the motherboard says B3-Stepping. I looked at the iFixit Motherboard shots and still can't find anything:

Front-Side
Back-Side
 
crellion said:
johnsock - that same guy who posted that screenshot should obviously be able to get the motherboard stepping information from that same utility right?
Click to expand...

I think it might be possible to get that info from IORegistryExplorer. Once I figure out where to look I'll have him check it for me and post my findings here.
 
I posted this in another thread on the same topic:

Correct me if I'm wrong, but isnt thunderbolt connected via SATA? Meaning 3 ports are in use.
Also, as this technology was co-developed by intel and apple, wouldn't it make sense that apple got priority on the fixed sandy bridge chips, esp. seeing as this is the debut of intels new tech?

Edit: Here: https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/1102430/
 
dihydrogenoxide said:
I posted this in another thread on the same topic:

Correct me if I'm wrong, but isnt thunderbolt connected via SATA? Meaning 3 ports are in use.
Also, as this technology was co-developed by intel and apple, wouldn't it make sense that apple got priority on the fixed sandy bridge chips, esp. seeing as this is the debut of intels new tech?

Edit: Here: https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/1102430/
Click to expand...

Well when its all said and done - this is all SPECULATION.

We need to confirm this ourselves by seeing if its a B3-Stepping...
 
I think it is B3 stepping

crellion said:
We need to confirm this ourselves by seeing if its a B3-Stepping...
Click to expand...

Im not 100% so hopefully some one with some more knowlage on the matter can check.

I think i Have found what you are looking for.

According to this intel document (page 8) the SLJ4P on the PCH shown here by ifixit, denotes B3 Stepping.

But please some one confirm this because I dont know if I am reading this correctly.
 
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Apple are using the revised cougarpoint chip

After allot more reading I am pretty certain this is the revised cougar point chipset (Or at least the one ifixit took apart was)

The Intel BD82HM65 Platform Controller Hub seen here on ifixit carries the updated markings.
This chip is reffered to by the Intel website as being a part of the cougarpoint family and was the chip with the issue not the CPU.

See above post for the Intel document and a bigger picture of the logic board from ifixit.
 
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