MP 1,1-5,1 Evo 970 Plus not detected in my Mac Pro 5.1 Mojave [SOLVED]

[scorefrog]

Hey there, hope so much somebody can see something which I can't.

After having installed a

Samsung Evo 970 Plus 2 TB via an

Icy Box Pcie M.2 NVMe SSD Adapter [ IB-PCI214M2-HSL]

ICY BOX PCI Express Card, M.2 NVMe SSD to PCIe 3.0 Adapter, Radiator, LED Lighting, M-Key, 2230, 2242, 2260, 2280, Black

Note: m.2 NVMe (PCIe) SSD are officially supported only from Windows 10. Please check beforehand if your MAINBOARD m.2 supports NVMe or requires a BIOS update. With the Icy Box expansion card ib-pci214m2-hsl you can bring your PC up to the latest technology in no time. The PCIe card allows you ...

www.amazon.de

in the 3rd Icie-Port of my Mac

it's just showing/recognizing it as AUDI Device:

in MacOs Mojave 10.14.6 (the most recent) so that Disk Utility can't even see a Disk? 😮

Did I do any fundamental error. I'm asking becuase I'm a Noob to this unfortunateley.

(I know the Evp PLUS had certain problems if they don't have the newes ROM, but not THIS kind of Problems right? I'm suspecting the PCIe adapter not being recognized by the OS?)

Help is desperately apreciated! 😌

 

[MIKX]

There is NO Samsung M.2 979 EVO Plus blade.

I think you mean 'Samsung m.2 970 Evo plus.

Could be old firmware installed on a Smsung 970 EVO plus

I suggest that you read ALL of this thread . . .

( NOTE : I posted the wrong limk to the thread .. the one below seems to be the correct one.

Samsung M.2 970 EVO Plus firmware upgrade problem solved

BrysonPriceMusic All I can say is that I was able to update my Samsung 970 EVO Plus as outlined in my first post in this thread. If I were you I would buy a new, untouched, good brand USB stick and then PRINT OUT the 7 steps in Post #1 Assuming you have at least Mojave 10.14.6 installed . ...

forums.macrumors.com

 

[Macschrauber]

Ts makes weird typos.

Nvme is in slot 2 and not visible in system profiler.

Slot 1 audio is the hdmi/dp section of the gpu

Does a 970 evo plus with old firmware not show up? I doubt, I had one with old firmware and iirc it showed in profiler.

Check everything physically, plug the adapter in another PCIe Slot.

The PCIe Carrier has no functionality but adapting the blade to fit in the PCIe slot. Its a dumb converter.

 

[scorefrog]

@ MikX: Of course 970 (daa) my desperation made me write crap there, sry. I think, in a next step, it might indeed become the porblem with the old firmare! This potencial Problem I have been anticipating though, cause I allready read about it before buying the Evo PLUS. But if it occours that the SSD i just bought still has this old firmware. So I guess this could be my next problem. I'd be happy though to get that far! 1st it should be at least recognized as a "somthing" installed in some PCIe Port no?
So here is where the next answear wakes some expectations:

@ Macschrauber:

This is an interesting argumantation and observation here, because both are named as Slot-1 (which ist not clearly defined). So it could in fact be a kind of DUMMY PCIe Port, which is something I am hoping for. Now testing it!

Thanks to you both guys, for your help so far. I'll report back how it goes on...

 

[scorefrog]

So I tested it an Pcie Slot above in step 1:

and even took out all my PCIe Expansions (except the Graphics card Port typically residing in the lowest slot anyway) and just left the Samsung Evo 970 Plus in the 1st slot (where i saw many User-Videos having success) but in fact the SSD is not even been recognized:

But unfortunateley in both cases, the SSD (though the Icy Box adapter card lighting up) is not being even recogrnized as Disk:

It is being recognized as "something" though. As an "Audio Device" in this case.

Would you exclude the "Icy Box" Adapter as being the "incopatible Part in the chain"? Becauseall the topics discussed here

ssem to be a step advanced compared to my problem as they complain about kernel panics or seing the HD with an old Firmware but at least the Mac recognizes it, or gives the typical "Error" Message at startup

which I would love to see in the 1st place but instead my mac just ignores it besides the single fact, fact that "something" is been seen in PCIe Port 1... So I seem to have another problem than the ones discussed so far?

 

[MIKX]

PCIe slot 1 is the bottom one.


Slot 1 & 2 are both x 16 bandwidth.

Eg : I have my RX 580 8gb in the bottome slot 1 PCIe slot

My Samsung M.2 SAMSUNG 970 EVO plus is on an adapter in PCIe slot 2 ( 2nd. from the bottom. )

 

[scorefrog]

@ MIKX
so you have your Evo plus in the slot I tried at the beginning? As i went upwards step by step until puting in the the slot on top. The only thing I didn't try yet, would be to put the RX 850 in one of the above slots, which isn't even usual? Thanks for that hint though, It kinda helps excluding the hope that it is a "wrong slot" Problem.

Oh I realize my previous post is still waiting for aproval. There is been described how I tried various PCIe Ports with the same undesirable result.

So if it's not a slot problem and it's not causing the problems known with the old firmware, the thing left, which keeps coming to my mind is the adapter card? (In this case it would be interesting why it is failing, because it's not detected by MacOs?) Still hoping for other ideas of course.

 

[scorefrog]

to conclude respectivaly exclude the "wrong PCIe Slot" Problem, I even tried the unusual Slot (also with the same undesirable result) just for the sake of testing:

so tested in each of the 4 slots. At least we can apparently exclude this aspect.

 

[MIKX]

No. Sorry, I was sleepy when I posted re: your problemMY SAMSUNG 970 EVo PLUS is on an M.2 ( M Type ) NVME M.2 ADAPTER in PCIe SLOT 4 which is x 4 LINK width.

You should look at the NVMExpress in "About this Mac " / hardware. If you haven't already Mac OS FORMATTED your blade then you will see which Samsung FIRMWARE version is installed to the 970 EVO PLUS . . . as shown below.

The current "fault free' 970 EVO Plus firmware is 2B2QEXM7.​

Please give my thread re: 970 EVO Plus a deep reading again from Post #1 if you haven't already done so.

Samsung M.2 970 EVO Plus firmware upgrade problem solved

BrysonPriceMusic All I can say is that I was able to update my Samsung 970 EVO Plus as outlined in my first post in this thread. If I were you I would buy a new, untouched, good brand USB stick and then PRINT OUT the 7 steps in Post #1 Assuming you have at least Mojave 10.14.6 installed . ...

forums.macrumors.com

NOTE : So .. . 970 EVO Plus in PCIe SLOT 4 x 4 link width

Your GPU in PCIe SLOT 1 x 16 Link width
[automerge]1594527016[/automerge]
You should also change your thread's title to " Samsung 970 EVO Plus not recognized "

I do not recommend using the ICY with the Samsung 970 EVO Plus.

The 960 EVO Plus ia an " M Type" NVME blade.
Something like this would be better.

Kryom. 2 PCIe 3.0 x Adapter M.2 NGFF PCIe SSD – Key with Passive Cooler

The kryoM.2 is a PCIe 4x adapter for M.2/M-Key NGFF PCIe SSD and is compatible with the form factors 2280, 2260 and 2242. The adapter uses a multilayer PCB with gold surface where the individual layers are connected to each other to optimize the thermal management. The SSD is installed with a the...

www.amazon.com

 

[KeesMacPro]

+1 for the KRYO m2.(EVO)

It's a high quality NVMe adapter card, and costs ~ €30,- bought directly in Germany.
It's recommended to buy one with heatsink.

M.2 SSD

M.2 SSD

shop.aquacomputer.de

 

[Macschrauber]

Try to upgrade the firmware first, regardless of what is shown.

The icybox adapter works, I have used it in one machine, not that bad.

 

[scorefrog]

Great so i put it again in the typical slot (seen in Videos) which is the Slot with x4 Lanes (the most above) after having it tried in any of the 4 slots but this time wihtout the SSD mounted just the Adapter to see what happens:

And again the same result:

so we seem to have 2 alternatives

1) The Samsung is faulty (though being packaged, supposedly NEW, via ebay though)

2) This Adapter needs a Driver or something that enables it to work properly under MacOS

Therefore @ Macschrauber, I find it particularly interesting as unexpected to hear that the Icy Box worked for you!

As much as I appreciate much the

Kryom. 2 PCIe 3.0 x Adapter M.2 NGFF PCIe SSD – Key with Passive Cooler

The kryoM.2 is a PCIe 3.0/4.0 4x adapter for M.2/M-Key NGFF PCIe SSD and is compatible with sizes 2280, 2260 and 2242. The PCIe contacts are plated with hard gold and the rest of the card is also gold-plated. The connector uses quality from Amphenol or Kyocera and the conductor tracks are contro...

www.amazon.de

suggestion giving me new hope in a way, it would leave me waiting for a new adapter (etc) without beinig able to davance here as well as it would be enoying if it didn't work eather and than having spended in another Adapter. 🤨
It'd be an indispensable next attempt to by this adapter anyway but if we could make the Icy Box work it would be even better, if only for the sake of CONRIFMING this disk at least being recognized before switching to a better adapter.

That said, I'm still stuck with the Icy Box which is ... weired.

Not to mention that und NvmeExpress Tab always nothing appeared so far:

this is not a surprise with the Evo NOT beinig mounted! 🙃 But when I mount it, it's the same.

You know

@ MIKX

I read your article in depth like 2 weeks before even sticking with the Evo Plus (which encouraged me to get on with it). Therefore being prepared to NOT erase the (supposedly) NEW Samsung without haben checked the FIRMWARE, but it didn't even show up so far...

 

[scorefrog]

Juts in between...

So for testing purposes i even just mouted quickly the SDD (again on the adapter in Slot 4 (4x4))

but nomatter if I mount it or just put the adapter in, no matter on which of the pciE ports: it does only show the same result:

So it looks like I have only this two choices if I'm not overseeing somthing:

a) finding a way to install a kind of DRIVER on the Mac which makes it work together with this Icy Box Adapter
b) buy one of the recommended adapters hoping that it has to do something with the Icy Box (maybe being a newer version than the one you @ Macschrauber used which might have newer firmware not supported nativeley bei Mojave?)

 

[Macschrauber]

Run either Samsung Magician in native Windows and update the blade

Or boot the Linux Firmware Updater provided by Samsung.

Again: the PCI Card is just a dumb adapter, all intelligence is in the blade. If the blade would fit mechanically you could plug it in the PCIe slot directly and it works.

Look at the adapter pcb, you see all traces go from the Blade socket to the PCIe plug.

 

[scorefrog]

@ Macschrauber, this is helpfull stuff indeed! Narrowing the problem step by step. So

METHOD 1

I've installed the

Samsung_SSD_970_EVO_Plus_2B2QEXM7.iso

with the unetbootin

and succsessfully booted from the USB (had to switch graphics cards in order to boot):

just to get the kind of feared message:

-> "No supported SSD detected for Firmware Update"

Now is THIS method only applicable for Blades connected into a USB port?

Method 2

I also tried the Method via Terminal explained here:

but as soon as I type "sudo dd if=Samsung_SSD_970_EVO_Plus_2B2QEXM7.iso of=/dev/rdisk6

I get a message that I don't have the permission to fulfill this step.

Other Methods

I don't actually know/understand your mentioned methods of

a) running Samsung Magician Software on Native Windows. On Parallels it wouldn't work I guess?

b) bot the Linux Firmware updater ---> THIS sounds like an interesting soluion leaving some more hope! How to proceed with this. Is there any Video or instruction about this?

 

[KeesMacPro]

Looking at the photo in post #13, I doubt the blade is properly seated (it's floating somewhere ).
I'd recommend to fix the blade and make sure all connections are okay before starting to troubleshoot.

Since you got this far already, METHOD #1 should work I guess.

 

[Macschrauber]

2nd that, as Linux firmware updater does not see the blade.

Plus you changed slots.

Doublecheck mounting of the blade.

Method 1 is Linux.
[automerge]1594572342[/automerge]
Btw: Mac Firmware is recent?

Btw2: when turning the Mac on is there (if present) a status LED flickering? Dont remember if the 970 or the Adapter has status LEDs

 

[scorefrog]

Thanks guys! Well this scenario

with my blade kind of hanging half in the air is of course only my most desperate of the testing scenarios. I mouted it properly, well attached and with the cooler on top, My Variants were

1) With cooler on top (well mounted) in every of the 4 slots (with the same negative result)

2) After that at late night I heda the idea just mounting the adapter without the blade -> Same result

3) To see if it could be the cooler which hinders the data flow or whatever I than desperately tried this extreme version with the blade just attached loosely to see if anything changes and again the same result.

What could go wrong mounting such a blade? Theres only one way to plug it in (as described and seen in many Videos):

Yesterday unboxing a sealed Samsung Blade:

attaching the "conductive paste" one sided as described

attaching the ssd in the slot and covering it with the cooling element:

For testing purposes I took out my other PCIe stuff to have less variables to deal with. And in my recent attempt to update the firmware I had this configuration:

What I could try is, changing to other PCIe Slots (which I allready did) but this time combined with the "Efi Boot", to see if the disk can be found there. I'l add a Photo in the next post where can exactly be seen how my blade is mounted in case I'm overseeing some "to obvious" thing...

 

[scorefrog]

Just to double check everything, if i am still missing anything really basic:

Mac Firmware:

(Boot-Rom-Version: 144.0.0.0.0 should be fine, SMC-Version (?))

Mac OS:

Blade Attachement:

(i couldn't get any screw driver on top of the blade to really fixe it there but its pretty fixed because of the concuctive/thermal paste under the blade)

PCIe Port attachement (this time without the cooling element for testing purposes):

well and after startup only the adapter lights show activity, couldn't see anything on this Evo Model indicating activity (which would be cool in this case)

 

[Macschrauber]

As we now test the kinky stuff?

What is the Firmware Version of your Mac Pro ?

Not sure what happens with an older fw but I guess the Mac should see the blade with any Version.

144.0.0.0.0 is the latest.

All now leads to hardware failure. The blade is seated correctly?
It must be inserted by an angle like oldschool Ram Dimms.

 

[scorefrog]

Oh and THIS one might be important. This specs have been something waking up some weired feelings about the whole procedure:

* PCie 4.0 ??? (Is it compatible with those PCIe 2.0 Macs)?
* Compatible with Windows 10 (I admit it sucked, as i read that and nothing about Linux or Mac)

might be irrelevant though?

 

[scorefrog]

As we now test the kinky stuff?

What is the Firmware Version of your Mac Pro ?

Not sure what happens with an older fw but I guess the Mac should see the blade with any Version.

144.0.0.0.0 is the latest.

All now leads to hardware failure. The blade is seated correctly?
It must be inserted by an angle like oldschool Ram Dimms.

I'm waiting on two of my messages with detailed descriptions to be aproved! Think there are the answears allready appearing any moment... ok it is aproved now.

 

[scorefrog]

Now I've rediscoverd how i got to the specific Adapter card! Via an article about pimping a Mac I read about this Icy Box card reccomended:

Icy-Box IB-PCI208 Interne PCI-Karte 1x m.2 PCIe (NVMe) SSD (2242, 2260, 2280) zu 1x PCI-Express (X4) Steckplatz bis zu 32 Gbit/S, Full Profile Bracket

Die IB-PCI208 ist eine M.2 auf PCIe 3.0 x4 Konverterkarte. Mit diesem PCI Bracket kann eine kleine M.2 Karte über einen PCI-express Slot angeschlossen werden. Die Karten sind dank vorgestanzter Lö...

www.amazon.de

It is specifically stated, this card

a) would be compatible with starting at Windows 7 and Mac 10.0
b) offers 39 Gbit/s Speed


So I wanted to buy this but wanted a heat sink, so i selected the option "with heat sink" and was REDIRECTED TO ANOTHER MODEL:

ICY BOX PCI Express Card, M.2 NVMe SSD to PCIe 3.0 Adapter, Radiator, LED Lighting, M-Key, 2230, 2242, 2260, 2280, Black

Note: m.2 NVMe (PCIe) SSD are officially supported only from Windows 10. Please check beforehand if your MAINBOARD m.2 supports NVMe or requires a BIOS update. With the Icy Box expansion card ib-pci214m2-hsl you can bring your PC up to the latest technology in no time. The PCIe card allows you ...

www.amazon.de

This I realized to late, as I allready was holding the adapter in my hands. Not that I realized it immidiateley but it looked pretty different at the 1st glance and giving it a closer look i saw some stuff on the package which not even show up on the link, as if they sended me an even newer model of this adapter card which says as mentioned in a post before

a) compatible with Windows 10 (nothing about Mac or Windows 7 anymore)
b) "Supports PCIe 4.0 x 4 with up to 64 Gbit/sec" as opposed to the 32 Gbit/sec stated in the original link

which seems a diferent card simply no?

THIS is the exact model I finnally got:

IB-PCI214M2-HSL

And here is the Datasheet

https://www.raidsonic.de/products/accessories/ac_controller/IB-PCI214M2-HSL/pdf/datasheet_IB-PCI214M2-HSL_e.pdf

stating

Operating System: Windows®

System Requirements: Windows® 10 with NVMe support, a free PCIe 4.0 x4 slot

It's getting at least my attention that suddenly there is nothing mentioning Mac compatibility anymore and this Pcie 4.0 64 Gbit/sec stuff...

 

[Macschrauber]

PCIe 4.0 cards should be backwards compatible.

But In this special situation I would test another PCIe Card.

Activity during cold boot means that the firmware of the Mac is talking to the blade.

One last try is to reset the firmware nvram streams as deep as possible:

Do a triple in a row nvram reset. Hold the keys for about 2 minutes. So you get 4 startup chimes. No voodoo, it has a reason.

And again: Adapter is dumb from software angle's view, no compatibility, no driver, no nothing.

It has some lights and powering components but nothing what makes it run on a decent OS.

 

[scorefrog]

I see, you are right. I just read about that downward (and upward) compatibility of PCIe Standards. Though its mentioned that some models could deviate from the standard.

So I tried NVRAM Reset (getting 5 startup chimes in a row i think) but unfortunateley without any change.

Afterwards I tried booting from Efi and again the Samsung routine doesn't see any blade.

Activity during cold boot means that the firmware of the Mac is talking to the blade.

But we can't get any sign so far of the Samsung having been active ever if I understend it right? As just the lights of the Adapter Card have been on. So the last thing which seams reasonable would be to call RaidSonic Support tomorrow (with a limited chance of getting specific compatibility infos about MacOS) and afterwards trying to buy this recomended card

Kryom. 2 PCIe 3.0 x Adapter M.2 NGFF PCIe SSD – Key with Passive Cooler

The kryoM.2 is a PCIe 3.0/4.0 4x adapter for M.2/M-Key NGFF PCIe SSD and is compatible with sizes 2280, 2260 and 2242. The PCIe contacts are plated with hard gold and the rest of the card is also gold-plated. The connector uses quality from Amphenol or Kyocera and the conductor tracks are contro...

www.amazon.de

to exclude that we are not dealing with a (suposedly brandnew but) malfunctioning blade after all.
Or (if it's not all too much hassle) even trying to detect the blade in a Windows 10 PC I have here, though this involves a certain amount of "handcraft" in my situation 😌

Wel, I'll report any changes as soon as I experience some and of course apreciate any detail aka "glimmer of hope" here!

THX a lot so far!!