Do dual 2.5" to 3.5" HDD frames exist for the MP?

[sparkie7]

I want to mount 2 x 2.5" SSDs on a single 3.5" HDD frame so I can maximise the space/layout inside my MP. Do these exist? If so I assume I need a power splitter/adapter of some sort to feed the extra drive?

Any advice/recommendations/links would be great

 

[Macintosh¯Lover]

can u not add 2.5 +2.5= 5 not 3.5

 

[Mactagonist]

can u not add 2.5 +2.5= 5 not 3.5

haha nice one. 😀 Unless you were serious, in which case it is actually even more hilarious!

He is referring to something like this: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...ers+and+gender+changers-_-STARTECH-_-12200193

I dont know what their Mac compatability is like. But they do exist and they are cheap.

 

[brand]

Pro Drive

 

[belvdr]

Pro Drive

Good grief! They want $169 just for an enclosure. What a ripoff.

 

[mackmack]

Pro Drive

Wow, an all in one RAID 0/1 2.5" caddy? $170?

 

[hayduke]

Pro Drive FTW. Tis a *bit* pricey, but two Intel SSDs in their do scream. barefeats.com test it!

 

[nanofrog]

For a dual, the Transintl Pro Drive is the only one I'm aware of that would work in a Mac. Rather expensive, unfortunately. 🙁

Perhaps you have the skills to DIY something?
Might be doable using cables, such as SATA/SAS+power (SFF-8472).

 

[sparkie7]

thanks for the responses and links guys 😀 does that Pro Drive have a controller/electronics on it of some sort? looks like it if you can switch between RAID 0 & 1.

The other question is if you can use it without any RAID configuration. But would be a waste of money, and the Startech adapter would be the smarter option. The only Q is if it will fit and work inside a Mac Pro 😕

 

[aibo]

If you've got the 2nd optical bay free, there's the cheaper ($89) Pro Caddy 2
http://www.transintl.com/store/category.cfm?Category=2761

better option IMO since you'll still keep the other 4 drive bays.

 

[VirtualRain]

Cool stuff... I've been thinking how I might run 4 SSD's on my Areca RAID card in this rig... but mixing and matching the Startech thing with the Pro Caddy 2 would allow you to put 4 SSD's in the empty optical bay.

 

[sparkie7]

i wonder if it [Pro Caddy 2] comes with the necessary 2.5" adapters, as from the single photo it looks like just a tray to fit 3.5" drives. its 5:52pm in the US, might give them a call if still open

 

[barefeats]

If you want to mount a single 2.5" drive inside the Mac Pro sled slot, MaxUpgrades makes a special sled that I've used to mount "bare" Velociraptors (which are really 2.5" drives when the ice pak is removed). I've also used it to mount a single SSD. Here's the link:
http://www.maxupgrades.com/istore/index.cfm?fuseaction=product.display&product_id=180

I used a pair of the above sleds to mount dual Intel X25-E SSDs this past week. I got over 500MB/s sustained READ in a RAID 0 set. And the small random transfers were "off the hook."

If you want to mount two 2.5" drives in a single sled slot, TransIntl makes the ProDrive. I've used it with dual 7K HDD notebook drives and with dual SSDs and works great. It supports HW RAID 0 and RAID 1. However, since it uses port-multiplication to share one port with two drives, the maximum transfer speed for any pair is about 220MB/s. Here is the link:
http://www.transintl.com/store/category.cfm?Category=2746&RequestTimeOut=500

 

[sparkie7]

If you want to mount a single 2.5" drive inside the Mac Pro sled slot, MaxUpgrades makes a special sled that I've used to mount "bare" Velociraptors (which are really 2.5" drives when the ice pak is removed). I've also used it to mount a single SSD. Here's the link:
http://www.maxupgrades.com/istore/index.cfm?fuseaction=product.display&product_id=180

thanks for the links. looks like this sled only allows you to mount One SSD or 2.5" HD. Thats where the ProDrive wins out allowing you to mount 2 2.5" SSDs or HDs. Assuming it allows for enough cooling. Do you know if its possible to mount two drives in the MaxConnect sled?

I used a pair of the above sleds to mount dual Intel X25-E SSDs this past week. I got over 500MB/s sustained READ in a RAID 0 set. And the small random transfers were "off the hook."

so these two drives/sleds took up Two bays?

If you want to mount two 2.5" drives in a single sled slot, TransIntl makes the ProDrive. I've used it with dual 7K HDD notebook drives and with dual SSDs and works great. It supports HW RAID 0 and RAID 1. However, since it uses port-multiplication to share one port with two drives, the maximum transfer speed for any pair is about 220MB/s. Here is the link:
http://www.transintl.com/store/category.cfm?Category=2746&RequestTimeOut=500

thats a really important point - that the ProDrive uses port multiplication. Which is a negative if you are trying to strip a RAID 0, as it reduces over throughput. which calls into question is it really worth the higher price tag. If you want max speed then you have to go with a single bay per drive as per the MaxConnect . Before you pointed out abour the port-multiplication I thought it had the bet of both worlds - a two drive compact solution without p-mp. what other options exist for a compact solution?

One other thing, not sure if you know, is the Pro Drive only a Raid 0 or 1 solution. Can it be used as purely a sled without Raid?

also have you done a head to head test between the X25-E vs OCZ 120GN Vertex? from tests it looks like the OCZ is quite convincing

 

[maskedscientist]

Hmmm… iMac?

I need something like a ProDrive in an iMac. A friend of mine is an apple authorized service provider, he can put in any drive for me. Maybe something like the icy dock, but with two drives on the inside, sharing one connector?