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2011 MacBook Pro - SATA 6 Gigabit Link Speed

C

crellion

macrumors regular
Original poster
Oct 22, 2009
108
1
Hey Guys,

I just went to a local Apple store and confirmed that the new MacBook Pro (15-inch) has the following info:

MAIN DRIVE - TOSHIBA 5400 RPM

Intel 6 Series Chipset
Vendor: Intel
Product: 6 Series Chipset
Link Speed: 6 Gigabit
Negotiated Link Speed: 3 Gigabit
Description: AHCI Version 1.30 Supported


SUPERDRIVE - OPTIARC DVD RW

Intel 6 Series Chipset
Vendor: Intel
Product: 6 Series Chipset
Link Speed: 3 Gigabit
Negotiated Link Speed: 1.5 Gigabit
Description: AHCI Version 1.30 Supported
Click to expand...

Why is the Superdrive Link Speed still at only 3 Gigabit? I know the recent Sandy Bridge defects affect only the 3 Gigabit port, so I am concerned whether the Superdrive port is an affected area?



*UPDATE*

It's now OFFICIALLY CONFIRMED:
attachment.php



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...

Still trying to confirm whether this motherboard is a B3-Stepping (the fixed Sandy Bridge motherboard.) Here are shots of the front-side/back-side of the 15-inch Macbook Pro motherboard from iFixit:

Front-Side
Back-Side
 
Last edited:
crellion said:
Hey Guys,

I just went to a local Apple store and confirmed that the new MacBook Pro (15-inch) has the following info:

MAIN DRIVE - TOSHIBA 5400 RPM:

Intel 6 Series Chipset
Vendor: Intel
Product: 6 Series Chipset
Link Speed: 6 Gigabit
Negotiated Link Speed: 3 Gigabit
Description: AHCI Version 1.30 Supported


SUPERDRIVE - OPTIARC DVD RW:

Intel 6 Series Chipset
Vendor: Intel
Product: 6 Series Chipset
Link Speed: 3 Gigabit
Negotiated Link Speed: 1.5 Gigabit
Description: AHCI Version 1.30 Supported

Why is the Superdrive Link Speed still at only 3 Gigabit? I know the recent Sandy Bridge defects affect only the 3 Gigabit port, so I am concerned whether the Superdrive port is an affected area?
Click to expand...

I'm confused about your question.

You're upset because the SATA connection with your DVD burner maxes out at 3Gb/s (or 325 MB/s)?

The fastest DVD burners on the market I'm aware of only write at 24x which roughly equals a data transfer speed of 31.68MB/s.
 
billgates99 said:
I'm confused about your question.

You're upset because the SATA connection with your DVD burner maxes out at 3Gb/s (or 325 MB/s)?

The fastest DVD burners on the market I'm aware of only write at 24x which roughly equals a data transfer speed of 31.68MB/s.
Click to expand...

No - I was asking whether BOTH SATA ports (1 HDD port and 1 Superdrive port) were 6 Gigabits to begin with? If so - why is the Superdrive Port only showing 3 Gigabit as the Link Speed? Can anyone confirm with the Superdrive SATA port is 6 Gigabit as well?
 
vipergts2207 said:
You'll find relevant information here.

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

Yeah I read the entire thread and this is what I got:

MAIN DRIVE PORT - (Which I Assume Uses Port 0) - IS Native 6 Gigabit. So no worries on Sandy Bridge Defect there...

SUPERDRIVE PORT - Not sure... Is it connected to Port 1? (If so then it should be 6 Gigabit as well right - since Sandy Bridge chipsets have 6 Gigabit at Port 0 and Port 1?)
Click to expand...

This actually brings up another interesting question - if BOTH above ports are SATA 6 Gigabit, does that mean Apple never implemented any SATA 3 Gigabit interfaces in these Macbook Pros at all?
 
1) A SATA II 3Gbps device like the SuperDrive is NOT going to connect at 6Gbps speeds. That's like saying a USB 1.1 device should show up as being USB 2.0.
2) All Apple laptops only use 2 SATA ports. They are NOT going to use affected ones.
3) Apple website explicitly states they are NOT using the affected Intel Sandy Bridge chipsets: "All the models use Intel’s recently refined chipsets." - http://www.apple.com/macbookpro/performance.html
 
The question might not matter to those who use their SuperDrive but it does matter to those who will replace their SuperDrive with an SSD or a HDD using the OptiBay/Data Doubler mod.

I for one would like to know if the SuperDrive SATA is SATA2 or SATA3 FOR SURE so I know where to put my future SSD.

However, it's kind of weird that the negotiated speed for the SuperDrive is 1.5 rather than 3... Is this because of the SuperDrive itself or the PATA connector that Apple uses?
 
KJmoon117 said:
The question might not matter to those who use their SuperDrive but it does matter to those who will replace their SuperDrive with an SSD or a HDD using the OptiBay/Data Doubler mod.

I for one would like to know if the SuperDrive SATA is SATA2 or SATA3 FOR SURE so I know where to put my future SSD.

However, it's kind of weird that the negotiated speed for the SuperDrive is 1.5 rather than 3... Is this because of the SuperDrive itself or the PATA connector that Apple uses?
Click to expand...

That is EXACTLY my point! What EXACTLY is the TRUE Link Speed for the Superdrive Port - if we want to swap it out with a Optibay SSD/HDD?
 
I honestly think the SuperDrive is a SATA 2 port. The System Profiler recognized the hard drive bay's SATA 3 port and it should do the same for the Optical Bay, but it didn't. It recognized it as SATA 2.

I'm not an expert here but that's just my 2c.
 
KJmoon117 said:
The question might not matter to those who use their SuperDrive but it does matter to those who will replace their SuperDrive with an SSD or a HDD using the OptiBay/Data Doubler mod.

I for one would like to know if the SuperDrive SATA is SATA2 or SATA3 FOR SURE so I know where to put my future SSD.

However, it's kind of weird that the negotiated speed for the SuperDrive is 1.5 rather than 3... Is this because of the SuperDrive itself or the PATA connector that Apple uses?
Click to expand...

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.
 
KJmoon117 said:
I honestly think the SuperDrive is a SATA 2 port. The System Profiler recognized the hard drive bay's SATA 3 port and it should do the same for the Optical Bay, but it didn't. It recognized it as SATA 2.

I'm not an expert here but that's just my 2c.
Click to expand...

Well that blows if that is true - cause it opens up the whole can of worms on the Sandy Bridge SATA 3 Gigabit defect issue.

I know people have pointed to threads where the Apple Rep says it doesn't use the defected chipset - but I still need to see one that is straight from the horses mouth - instead of articles that say "refined chipset" - whatever the heck they mean by "refined."

PS:
I think I'm going to wait a month or so and see what these early-adopters say before I make the big move which I think is a wise-move (its not like these Macbook prices are going to go up anyways...)
 
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...

It kills the thought of RAID, though, if the ports aren't both 6Gb/s. I'm of the opinion it is probably a software update that is needed if the ODD port won't negotiate to SATA 3.
 
I'm hearing conflicting opinions about where to put the SSD. Some day it doesn't matter, others say it does. I made a thread about it a while ago.

https://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?p=12008426#post12008426

Nonetheless, if one were to buy a SATA III drives, we would want to know if the optical bay could support it or not (perhaps even as a way of future proofing the device). But I guess not.

As for bad Intel chips. Somebody please identify the chipset/revision number if possible and report on it? Meanwhile, let's just put that to rest till somebody posts or makes a thread about it. I'm in this blissful state of pulling the trigger to buy a BTO 15" any moment now :)
 
KJmoon117 said:
I'm hearing conflicting opinions about where to put the SSD. Some day it doesn't matter, others say it does. I made a thread about it a while ago.

https://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?p=12008426#post12008426

Nonetheless, if one were to buy a SATA III drives, we would want to know if the optical bay could support it or not (perhaps even as a way of future proofing the device). But I guess not.

As for bad Intel chips. Somebody please identify the chipset/revision number if possible and report on it? Meanwhile, let's just put that to rest till somebody posts or makes a thread about it. I'm in this blissful state of pulling the trigger to buy a BTO 15" any moment now :)
Click to expand...

Where are you planning to buy it from KJ and what configs?
 
I've been wondering - has anyone tried doing Boot Camp and see what the Windows-Environment is saying about the SATA Ports?

I'm pretty sure the Intel Rapid Storage Manager on Windows can give you the correct SATA speed specifications for both ports - as well as the actual Port Numbers...

You can also use Window's System Information to get the motherboard stepping and verify if this is the new fixed Sandy Bridge B3-Stepping - which should FINALLY confirm whether or not Apple is using the fixed Sandy Bridge chipsets...

Can anyone give it a shot?
 
Does that mean you can no longer use the Optibay to raid 2 drives since they are 2 different speed ports?
 
crellion said:
Where are you planning to buy it from KJ and what configs?
Click to expand...

I'm planning on buying it from the online Apple store here in South Korea :)

A high end 15" MBP with the high-res glossy screen. That's about it, plus the Thunderbolt to VGA convertor/apple remote/ and apple care.

I also plan on buying OWC data doubler + 8GB RAM + Vertex 3 OR the new OWC drives if they come out. I'm a little hesitant to go with OCZ since I heard some bad reps about their transition to 25nm chipsets and OWC is a better deal since I'll be shipping internationally. I rather keep my packages in some box = one shipping charge.
 
altecXP said:
Does that mean you can no longer use the Optibay to raid 2 drives since they are 2 different speed ports?
Click to expand...

Well this is kind of the point of the entire thread - as no one has YET to confirm whether the Optibay SATA Port is REALLY a SATA 6 or a SATA 3. Tons of speculations (as well in other threads as well) - but no solid confirmation yet.

That's why I think if someone can do that Boot Camp method I said previously - we might get a clearer answer...
 
crellion said:
That is EXACTLY my point! What EXACTLY is the TRUE Link Speed for the Superdrive Port - if we want to swap it out with a Optibay SSD/HDD?
Click to expand...

Even though I think Optibay is kind of a neat capability I certainly don't think Apple has any obligation to support it.
 
I think its pretty clear its not the affected part.

crellion said:
Well that blows if that is true - cause it opens up the whole can of worms on the Sandy Bridge SATA 3 Gigabit defect issue.

I know people have pointed to threads where the Apple Rep says it doesn't use the defected chipset - but I still need to see one that is straight from the horses mouth - instead of articles that say "refined chipset" - whatever the heck they mean by "refined."

PS:
I think I'm going to wait a month or so and see what these early-adopters say before I make the big move which I think is a wise-move (its not like these Macbook prices are going to go up anyways...)
Click to expand...
 
DarwinOSX said:
Even though I think Optibay is kind of a neat capability I certainly don't think Apple has any obligation to support it.
Click to expand...

True -- but it's kind of a jerk move to spend time and effort to disable it.

That's what the people at MCE seem to think is going on -- that the ODD is connected to a SATA III port but that Apple somehow capped the link speed at 3Gb/s.
 
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...

The platter drive needs to stay where it is because of the sudden motion sensor. If you put it in the optical bay you have no protection. Even mild bumps can result in data loss.
 
bwrairen said:
The platter drive needs to stay where it is because of the sudden motion sensor. If you put it in the optical bay you have no protection. Even mild bumps can result in data loss.
Click to expand...

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
 
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