Can I add internal hard drives (later) to the new Mac Pro?

[pirateyarrr]

The only benefit I can see, so far, over the Mac Studio, is the PCIe slots. I know I can't upgrade the RAM later. I can't find any information about internal hard drives. Has anyone seen any confirmation that you can or can't add hard drives internally, later on?

 

[jasonmvp]

The motherboard has the same SATA and power ports on it as the 2019 motherboard does; look at the upper half, towards the center/right side of the mobo. You'll need a 3rd party rack to install the drives on physically. And since it appears as thought this is the same chassis as the 2019, I imagine the spots to secure that rack are in place.

 

[pirateyarrr]

The motherboard has the same SATA and power ports on it as the 2019 motherboard does; look at the upper half, towards the center/right side of the mobo. You'll need a 3rd party rack to install the drives on physically. And since it appears as thought this is the same chassis as the 2019, I imagine the spots to secure that rack are in place.

Where do I see this picture?

 

[jasonmvp]

Where do I see this picture?

Right on Apple's website for the Mac Pro:

https://www.apple.com/v/mac-pro/n/images/overview/expansion__b121gij0y42u_large.jpg

 

[pirateyarrr]

Forgive me, I'm still on a 2009 Mac Pro, so I'm not familiar with the 2019 physical architecture. Are the two slots marked "1" and "2" SATA slots? So there's room for 2 extra hard drives?

 

[jasonmvp]

Two extra hard drives. Uncertain if the plugs are marked, and you will need a specific power adapter that the accessory kit comes with.

 

[Boil]

Promise Pegasus J2i 8TB Internal Storage Enclosure for Mac Pro

Promise Pegasus J2i two-drive internal storage enclosure delivers 8TB of SATA storage for your Mac Pro. This module can be installed in your Mac Pro and connects to the main logic board with included cables. You also have space to add a second 3.5-inch SATA drive to your system.

www.apple.com

Fusion Flex J3i (2019 Mac Pro Drive Bracket) - SONNETTECH

3-drive mounting system for Mac Pro (2019). Install SATA 3.5-inch hard drives and 2.5-inch SSDs. Kit includes brackets, screws, and cables.

www.sonnettech.com

 

[dmccloud]

Another option would be one of the PCI-E cards that can hold multiple M.2 SSDs, such as https://www.amazon.com/ASUS-M-2-X16-V2-Threadripper/dp/B07NQBQB6Z

 

[pirateyarrr]

Thank you guys so much for the help, really. This is all new to me (obviously) since I'm on a 14-year-old desktop. My main concern is storage - massive media files, I have two 3TB drives and one 14TB in my 2009. Would probably be looking to put another 14TB next to that Pegasus that Boil linked, or maybe just add two 14TB drives to the Fusion Flex. Thoughts?