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MP 7,1 Accelsior 4M2 troubles w/7.1

cobra521

cobra521

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Dec 14, 2016
393
136
FL
My Accelsior 4M2 with 4 HP EX950 2TB SSDs seems to have failed.

First, one of the SSDs failed. The vendor replaced it with a new one and all seemed fine again.

Then, 2 days ago, two of the 4 SSDs disappeared - they were not mounted and Disk Utility could not see them.

I removed the card, and my boot time went back to normal - evidently my extended boot time was related to the Accelsior card.

I have put in a report to OWC, and am awaiting their response. I'll post when further news is available.

Anyone else have this card? Any problems?

Tom
 
cobra521 said:
My Accelsior 4M2 with 4 HP EX950 2TB SSDs seems to have failed.

First, one of the SSDs failed. The vendor replaced it with a new one and all seemed fine again.

Then, 2 days ago, two of the 4 SSDs disappeared - they were not mounted and Disk Utility could not see them.

I removed the card, and my boot time went back to normal - evidently my extended boot time was related to the Accelsior card.

I have put in a report to OWC, and am awaiting their response. I'll post when further news is available.

Anyone else have this card? Any problems?

Tom
Click to expand...


I have an older version of the Accelsior. Same thing happened to me but I was out of warranty. I was hoping to get some out of warranty support, maybe even a paid repair. Instead I was offered the chance to buy a new one full price.
 
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Well, sad to say that after a few weeks of emails back and forth with OWC plus remove/reinstall the card in different slots, different configurations, no joy. They said they'd send a shipping tag so I could return the card for them to examine (?) but no tag yet.

So, at the moment, OWC Accelsior 4M2 card and the support for it aren't looking too good. Non-functional card, slow support. Not the best $ I've ever spent :rolleyes:

If/when this changes, I'll post an update. Fingers crossed.
 
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Had the "Buy Now" button depressed for an Accelsior 4TB unit until I read this thread. Stopped me just in time!
 
Depending on how this comes out, I may try the High Point SSD7101A-1 NVMe RAID Controller. I wouldn't intend to use its RAID capability; all I'm after is JBOD composed of 4 x 2TB SSDs to use for video processing. Education is never free...
 
I'm using two SSD cards with six Samsung SSDs. One SM951 AHCI, Two 970 Pros and Three 970 EVOs. My cards are a HighPoint 7103 and a Syba I/O Crest. No problems with the cards or SSDs. I'm not using RAID. I used both cards in my 5,1 cMP before I received my NcMP 7,1.

Lou
 
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Update: 24 days after my original problem inquiry was sent to OWC, they have offered a replacement. The original card goes back to UPS today. I'll report more as it happens.
 
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My boot drive SSD (Accelsior 512GB - several years old) appears dead. The Disk Utility does see it, but does not offer a "Mount" option. I opened my 2009 Mac Pro, dusted, removed, cleaned, reinserted the PCIe card -- same status -- not visible by macOS/Finder, not mountable via Disk Utility.

Suggestions for a 2 TB replacement as the Mac Pro's boot drive?
 
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Ted,

Hmmm...

Don't really have enough experience - except three of my four HP EX950s died. They were in the Accelsior 4M2 card at the time, so it could have been the card that killed them. Will I ever be sure? Probably not.

Reading the 'net says the Samsung SSDs have the best reputation. I'll probably get some of those after this round of problems subsides. They're more expensive than the HPs, but could be worth it. If the Accelsior card kills those, I'll really be upset!

Tom
 
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FYI: I installed one of these about a week ago with 4 Samsung 970 EVO Plus modules in RAID 0. Time will tell, but so far, so good. I have had a few interactions with Sonnet's Tech Support and they have been very responsive via email in each case in less than 24 hours.

www.sonnetstore.com

Sonnet M.2 4x4 Silent PCIe Card (Four M.2 NVMe SSD slots • Add your own SSDs up to 32TB)

Four M.2 NVMe SSD slots on a PCIe 3.0 x16 card. Silent operation. Add your own SSDs up to 16TB. Devotes four lanes of PCIe 3.0 bandwidth to support full performance to every SSD.
www.sonnetstore.com www.sonnetstore.com
 
choreo,

I will be watching for your update after a few more weeks or so. If I can return this card, the Sonnet is the one I would like to try.

Tom
 
cobra521 said:
choreo,

I will be watching for your update after a few more weeks or so. If I can return this card, the Sonnet is the one I would like to try.

Tom
Click to expand...
If you do, just be VERY CAREFUL when you install the heat sink! I was very careful (because the printed directions said to be careful not to over-tighten the heat sink screws) but one of my screw recepticals stripped out anyway. Sonnet is sending me a replacement heat sink just to be on the safe side.
 
Thanks for the heads-up! First I need to get some Samsungs.

I just realized (even though I possibly may have been aware of it previously at some level) that the HP EX950s are double-sided. This means they are thicker than the Samsungs and special precautions must be taken to accommodate their extra thickness, like switching to thinner heat conduction material. I just started wondering if that's what killed my HP SSDs?

There's a special note about this buried in the Sonnet web site, but they are very up front about it if you ask them. That's really what made me consider it as a source for the HP failures.

I asked OWC if the HP EX950 SSDs would work in the Accelsior before I bought it, and they simply said yes...

Tom
 
cobra521 said:
Thanks for the heads-up! First I need to get some Samsungs.

I just realized (even though I possibly may have been aware of it previously at some level) that the HP EX950s are double-sided. This means they are thicker than the Samsungs and special precautions must be taken to accommodate their extra thickness, like switching to thinner heat conduction material. I just started wondering if that's what killed my HP SSDs?

There's a special note about this buried in the Sonnet web site, but they are very up front about it if you ask them. That's really what made me consider it as a source for the HP failures.

I asked OWC if the HP EX950 SSDs would work in the Accelsior before I bought it, and they simply said yes...

Tom
Click to expand...

Here is a Compatibility List from Sonnet (I could not get the link to work from their webpage, but here it is):
 
Exactly, thanks. That is the one they pointed me to when I asked. They have a nice little caveat in the directions for changing to thinner heat transmission materials: "Sonnet does not support this modification, but if you are up for it, here you go."

I think I may go for the Samsungs. It will cost $400 more, but probably worth it.
 
My only issue with the Sonnet is the measly heat sink. I'm thinking of braving the OWC but with no SSD as I'll just place Samsung 970 Evo Plus on it.

Is the failure of OWC the PCIE card itself or their equipped memory sticks?
 
LeonPro said:
Is the failure of OWC the PCIE card itself or their equipped memory sticks?
Click to expand...

The short answer at this time is "I don't know."

I do know the memory sticks appear to have failed. I bought an empty card and bought the sticks separately.

I did ask OWC if this particular stick (HP EX950) was compatible before I bought the card, and they replied yes.

The card has been back at OWC now for more than two weeks. They have said they are testing it to see if they can give any answers, but so far - nothing.

If I get any feedback or other action, I'll post it. This problem is over a month old....

Tom
 
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I received the replacement ACCELSIOR 4M2 card from OWC without any hint as to why or how the original card failed. Strike one.

Strike two is OWC tech support saying "I do apologize for the verbiage of should. Let me explain a little more i say should since we have not officially tested those drives in the device. However via my knowledge of those drives and enclosure you would seem to be fine."

This was in response to my question about their original statement that the HP EX950 SSDs "should" work. I suspected these had not been tried by OWC.

The HP EX950 SSDs are double sided and therefore thicker, yet they make no suggestion (as Sonnett does) about adjusting the heat transfer material's thickness inside the card to account for the difference. I specifically asked this question; it was ignored.

Could the extra "squeeze" on the SSDs have caused them to fail?

Anyone have suggestions about whether I should try this card again? I've already lost $750 worth of SSDs...

Or should I just swallow the cost of the OWC card and the dead SSDs and switch to another brand? If so, of course, which card would be a better choice?

Tom
 
Are you not able to warranty the HP SSDs?

When I purchased a single PCIe SSD card, it came with both a thick and thin heat pad to account for double or single sided SSDs. So you're saying OWC equipped you with one thick pad only?

Also when you say the SSDs failed, is it broken physically or corrupted and doesn't show up any longer? Have you tried inserting those "dead" SSDs in another enclosure to check if they can still be reformatted?

I trust Samsung SSD with my gear and have no issue with the 970 Evo Plus in my Mac Pro.
 
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Too add a bit to the above post. Due to all the positive posts concerning Samsung SSD device's over the years, that is the only type of SSD that I will use in my NcMP. I currently have ten SSDs in my Mac, nine are Samsung devices and one is the SSD supplied by Apple.
 
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Leon,

I already warrantied one of the HP SSDs. I think it turned out to be one of the second wave of failures. I may try to do the next two or three...

The OWC card came with one thickness of heat pad - I believe it's for the thin SSDs.

The failure is evidenced by the SSD becoming inaccessible. They just disappeare from Finder and could not be detected by Disk Utility. I will try the failed ones in a separate holder to see if that makes them accessible and report back.

As to the physical evidence, I only have a 10X magnifier. I'll try that.

I have two new Samsungs but am (I hope understandably) reluctant to try them in the replacement Accelsior M4 card. I'm looking at calling the OWC card an expensive failure and moving to something else.

Education is never free!

Tom
 
cobra521 said:
Leon,

I already warrantied one of the HP SSDs. I think it turned out to be one of the second wave of failures. I may try to do the next two or three...

The OWC card came with one thickness of heat pad - I believe it's for the thin SSDs.

The failure is evidenced by the SSD becoming inaccessible. They just disappeare from Finder and could not be detected by Disk Utility. I will try the failed ones in a separate holder to see if that makes them accessible and report back.

As to the physical evidence, I only have a 10X magnifier. I'll try that.

I have two new Samsungs but am (I hope understandably) reluctant to try them in the replacement Accelsior M4 card. I'm looking at calling the OWC card an expensive failure and moving to something else.

Education is never free!

Tom
Click to expand...

You might want to try just one Samsung drive for a day or two as that's an unfortunate experience on the previous SSDs. If I were in the US, I'd take that OWC off your hands. :)
 
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