MP 7,1 Highpoint vs Sonnet vs Amfeltec

[chfilm]

Hey guys,

so I requested quotes for that amfeltec squid board and it’s pretty fairly priced I’d say:

4 drives - $ 487
6 drives - $ 768

Since the four drive version is pretty much in line with the Highpoint and sonnet cards, what is the overall preference here and why? Obviously a lot of you put their faith in the HP card but with all the issues around the fans I’m wondering if it’s worth it.
The squid seems to be an amazing performer, especially I’m thinking about future proofing by getting the 6 bay version right away and slowly let it grow.

What are your thoughts?

 

[Hydle]

The squid is also very noisy:

@11:47

From what I've gathered so far the Sonnet seems superior in terms of heat dissipation right out of the box and less noisy (temperature controlled fan).

The highpoint seems to be the most commonly used but everyone is doing modifications so it can dissipate the heat better and make less noise. There seems to be an updated HP card with a new firmware to disable the fan but it's really hard to know where they are being sold and I still couldn't figure if the temperatures are acceptable with the fan off.

 

[Adult80HD]

The squid is also very noisy:

@11:47

From what I've gathered so far the Sonnet seems superior in terms of heat dissipation right out of the box and less noisy (temperature controlled fan).

The highpoint seems to be the most commonly used but everyone is doing modifications so it can dissipate the heat better and make less noise. There seems to be an updated HP card with a new firmware to disable the fan but it's really hard to know where they are being sold and I still couldn't figure if the temperatures are acceptable with the fan off.

Right now it seems the best bet to get one with the fan control is through HighPoint directly.

I'm one of the folks that just modified my HighPoint card and now it's totally silent and works like a champ. That said, the 6-card Amfeltec setup look pretty sweet but I was worried about the noise as well.

 

[majus]

6 drives - $ 768
What are your thoughts?

I initially looked at the Amfeltec 6-drive model but went with the HighPoint 4-drive because:
1. Amfeltec is outside the U.S., but not the biggest reason for my decision.
2. The high delivery cost: $40+ FedEx charge plus possible customs charge.
3. No online store and no U.S. distributor. They asked me to email my credit card number! Sorry, no can do.
4. Since I would not email the number, they asked me to call them with it but they don't have a toll-free number. Nope; costs now closer to $825. Forget it.

 

[Casey P]

This is also my current dilemma so I am glad you posted this.
My interest in the Amfeltec is partially related to the fact that it can accept cheaper longer and wider drives. The Amfeltec seems to be designed so that it is easier to rely on just the Mac Pro for airflow since the fans can be easily removed. The question is whether the Mac Pro can supply enough cooling on its own. Frankly, from just looking at the fan design on the Amfeltec I am not sure how the fans would actually help that much. Amfeltec stated that they are working on drivers and USB adapter for temperature monitoring of the card in a Mac, but it isn't available right now.

 

[ldstern10]

One advantage of the Highpoint is the included specific driver for raid setup. In my testing, raid speed with HP driver showed significantly faster read/writes than with diskutility raid creation. I didn't test Softraid.

 

[Casey P]

Does the highpoint RAID driver need to be updated with every new OS?

 

[PowerMike G5]

I have the Highpoint, and it doesn't even need the driver to function. I don't use the WebGUI that is offered with the card.

 

[chfilm]

The squid is also very noisy:

@11:47

From what I've gathered so far the Sonnet seems superior in terms of heat dissipation right out of the box and less noisy (temperature controlled fan).

The highpoint seems to be the most commonly used but everyone is doing modifications so it can dissipate the heat better and make less noise. There seems to be an updated HP card with a new firmware to disable the fan but it's really hard to know where they are being sold and I still couldn't figure if the temperatures are acceptable with the fan off.

That video basically re-sparked my interest In that 6 bay card. When I‘m thinking long term that just seems very tempting to have more expandability options and he seemed absolutely fine without that silly little fan..
It would be great for me to have 6 slots because I have a Lacie Little Big Disk2 with a failing power supply that makes terrible beeping noises, and I would like to put the two 512GB SSDs somewhere internally while having the option to later add 4x2TB cards or wait till 4TB blades become more affordable as I dont urgently NEED an internal SSD raid yet, my Promise Pegasus2 R6 is fast enough for my editing as it seems... I dont get any performance gains right now when I work from the internal SSD as it seems..

 

[majus]

One other thing about the 6-drive Amfeltec vs the 4-drive HighPoint: considering the total costs for the Amfeltec, one could buy TWO 4-drive HighPoint cards and have 8-drive capability for future use, and I think they can even be linked.

 

[jasonmvp]

and I think they can even be linked.

They can. Mine are.

 

[ldstern10]

Not sure but I would think not. As noted,the HP functions without the specific driver but for raid setup, either disk utility or Softraid would be required for raid creation.

 

[tuncer]

I just installed the Sonnet. I was quite impressed with the amount of heatsink and it's currently running at a very cool 98F. I don't hear the fan at all.

 

[jasonmvp]

One thing to keep in mind with the 6-slot Amfeltec unit is that when fully loaded, it'll slow each of the NVMe drives down of they're all being accessed simultaneously. A PCI-E 3.0 x16 slot doesn't have the bandwidth available for 6 NVMe drives operating at full tilt. In that situation, each drive will be limited (heh) to 21.3Gbits/sec, vs the 32Gbits/sec they're capable of doing.

Ultimately, that may not matter to you. And in fact, whatever software you're running may not even be able to push them all to their max capabilities anyway. But again: something to keep in mind.

 

[XNorth]

Amfeltec doesn’t have an online store, you deal with them directly through email or phone. They are based in Canada and there is no free shipping. if you don’t mind the less than convenient buying process, they are actually responsive. I have had good experience with them.

I have found HighPoint customer service to be the worse.

For best service and convenience though, I’d go with Sonnet.

 

[Casey P]

Since fan control seems to be a primary concern with these nvme drives, the Mac Pro fan controller could be set to respond to the card temperature using Mac's Fan Control. That depends on the temperature actually being transmitted.

 

[Hydle]

I just installed the Sonnet. I was quite impressed with the amount of heatsink and it's currently running at a very cool 98F. I don't hear the fan at all.

Glad to hear that, that makes me more interested in this card. I really need it to be dead silent though so still on the fence.
I only need 2x 2 TB blades for now so I'm also considering buying two Aqua Computer Kryom.2 Evo cards.

From what I see on youtube the Kryom is capable of keeping the cards at low temperatures just with the heatsinks so it seems like a good option to me.

 

[chfilm]

I just installed the Sonnet. I was quite impressed with the amount of heatsink and it's currently running at a very cool 98F. I don't hear the fan at all.

You claim the sonnet is noiseless? Even with the fan on? Is there a way to turn it off in case it becomes annoying?

And one more question: is the actual length of the cards identical?
If I want to have two MPX modules and an afterburner, will one of these still fit?

 

[chfilm]

I initially looked at the Amfeltec 6-drive model but went with the HighPoint 4-drive because:
1. Amfeltec is outside the U.S., but not the biggest reason for my decision.
2. The high delivery cost: $40+ FedEx charge plus possible customs charge.
3. No online store and no U.S. distributor. They asked me to email my credit card number! Sorry, no can do.
4. Since I would not email the number, they asked me to call them with it but they don't have a toll-free number. Nope; costs now closer to $825. Forget it.

what's the best way to buy the Highpoint card if I want to make sure to get the latest version with the fan disable ability? I can't find their official shop or something...

 

[tuncer]

You claim the sonnet is noiseless? Even with the fan on? Is there a way to turn it off in case it becomes annoying?

And one more question: is the actual length of the cards identical?
If I want to have two MPX modules and an afterburner, will one of these still fit?

I'll take some pics and some video of the card. I can't hear anything and my Mac Pro is about 2 feet away. The fan is tiny and the Mac Pro is really good about keeping things inside so I don't think it makes a lot of noise.

 

[majus]

what's the best way to buy the Highpoint card if I want to make sure to get the latest version with the fan disable ability? I can't find their official shop or something...

Your best shot at getting the very latest: their estore:

HighPoint SSD7101A-1 4x M.2 NVMe RAID Controller

Key Features: Supports up to 4 off-the-shelf M.2 NVMe SSD’s RAID 0, 1, 5, 1/0 Dual SSD7101A-1 Configurations deliver up to 25,000 MB/s Supports Windows, Linux and macOS Systems Dedicated PCIe 3.0 x16 bus bandwidth Dedicated PCIe 3.0 x4 bandwidth for each NVMe M.2 SSD Unlock the True Performance...

estore-highpoint-tech.com

If you buy through them I would be sure to specify you want to be sure the firmware patch has been done. In my opinion it isn't too likely they would go back and flash existing stock unless someone asked for it.

 

[H. Flower]

After returning owc card, very happy with sonnet card so far. Fast sustained speeds and minimal noise.

 

[chfilm]

Your best shot at getting the very latest: their estore:

HighPoint SSD7101A-1 4x M.2 NVMe RAID Controller

Key Features: Supports up to 4 off-the-shelf M.2 NVMe SSD’s RAID 0, 1, 5, 1/0 Dual SSD7101A-1 Configurations deliver up to 25,000 MB/s Supports Windows, Linux and macOS Systems Dedicated PCIe 3.0 x16 bus bandwidth Dedicated PCIe 3.0 x4 bandwidth for each NVMe M.2 SSD Unlock the True Performance...

estore-highpoint-tech.com

If you buy through them I would be sure to specify you want to be sure the firmware patch has been done. In my opinion it isn't too likely they would go back and flash existing stock unless someone asked for it.

wow, what an outdated website, very trustworthy... I'll try to find out about shipping to Germany then..

 

[profdraper]

I want to have two MPX modules and an afterburner, will one of these still fit?

Al of the PCIe NVMe risers mentioned here require a 16x slot for optimal performance. If 2xMPX modules & afterburner are installed there will not be any more x16 slots left (see mac pro slot layout on the Apple site). You 'could' use an x8 slot if available, but that would decrease the performance; better then to use the OWC M.2 x8 riser.

 

[Kedbear]

wow, what an outdated website, very trustworthy... I'll try to find out about shipping to Germany then..

I just bought from them yesterday. They sent an email that they are making sure my unit has the new firmware which i asked for. The max recommended temp of the PLX switch and nvme cards is 70c. They said you can switch the fan off and remove the whole shroud, but monitor the temps using their software to make sure it's staying in the recommended range. The sonnet cards fan only turns on when the cards exceed 70c, there is currently no software control of the sonnet fan beyond this feature.