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If you were wondering about the Pro Drive...

A

Andrew Henry

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Mar 4, 2008
776
0
Well, I received my Pro Drive and 2 x 80gb Kingston SSDNow M-series drives today, and I installed it all... and well its way faster than the old harddrive, but it doesn't get nearly the performance that it should... so here's the results from xbench:

Code: 
Results	240.13	
	System Info		
		Xbench Version		1.3
		System Version		10.5.7 (9J61)
		Physical RAM		10240 MB
		Model		MacPro3,1
		Drive Type		External Disk 0
	Disk Test	240.13	
		Sequential	150.69	
			Uncached Write	176.56	108.41 MB/sec [4K blocks]
			Uncached Write	107.97	61.09 MB/sec [256K blocks]
			Uncached Read	110.13	32.23 MB/sec [4K blocks]
			Uncached Read	393.82	197.93 MB/sec [256K blocks]
		Random	590.83	
			Uncached Write	441.58	46.75 MB/sec [4K blocks]
			Uncached Write	339.57	108.71 MB/sec [256K blocks]
			Uncached Read	1948.31	13.81 MB/sec [4K blocks]
			Uncached Read	954.81	177.17 MB/sec [256K blocks]


So unfortunately it's not a very good product for this type of setup unfortunately, so I will most likely be sending it back, I didn't pay all that money for these two drives to only get half the performance...

:mad::(:mad::(
 
Could you do a single disk test, to contrast the difference?

Might help to get a better understanding of what's going on with RAID with the Pro Drive, and establish an independent bench of that particular drive. :)
 
Andrew Henry said:
Well, I received my Pro Drive and 2 x 80gb Kingston SSDNow M-series drives today, and I installed it all... and well its way faster than the old harddrive, but it doesn't get nearly the performance that it should... so here's the results from xbench:

Code: 
Results	240.13	
	System Info		
		Xbench Version		1.3
		System Version		10.5.7 (9J61)
		Physical RAM		10240 MB
		Model		MacPro3,1
		Drive Type		External Disk 0
	Disk Test	240.13	
		Sequential	150.69	
			Uncached Write	176.56	108.41 MB/sec [4K blocks]
			Uncached Write	107.97	61.09 MB/sec [256K blocks]
			Uncached Read	110.13	32.23 MB/sec [4K blocks]
			Uncached Read	393.82	197.93 MB/sec [256K blocks]
		Random	590.83	
			Uncached Write	441.58	46.75 MB/sec [4K blocks]
			Uncached Write	339.57	108.71 MB/sec [256K blocks]
			Uncached Read	1948.31	13.81 MB/sec [4K blocks]
			Uncached Read	954.81	177.17 MB/sec [256K blocks]


So unfortunately it's not a very good product for this type of setup unfortunately, so I will most likely be sending it back, I didn't pay all that money for these two drives to only get half the performance...

:mad::(:mad::(
Click to expand...

Too bad. It is an elegant solution. It appears that it's max throughput is 200MB/s which, as you say, is about half your potential and far short of the 375MB/s SATA capacity even. I assume they designed it with 2.5" notbook hard drives in mind... not screaming SSD demon drives coming out of hades on a fiery steed... :p (and who said I was influenced by SSD marketing hype?! :D)
 
VirtualRain said:
Too bad. It is an elegant solution. It appears that it's max throughput is 200MB/s which, as you say, is about half your potential and far short of the 375MB/s SATA capacity even. I assume they designed it with 2.5" notbook hard drives in mind... not screaming SSD demon drives coming out of hades on a fiery steed... :p (and who said I was influenced by SSD marketing hype?! :D)
Click to expand...
The PM chip is costing too much bandwidth per port it seems. I figured on 250GB/s, and it's not even giving that. :rolleyes: I guess they'd be fine for adding additional drives in a limited space situation, and wouldn't loose too much band with 2.5" notebook or possibly enterprise drives (non 10K models), but certainly not SSD's. :(

These things aren't cheap either. :eek: At least the OP can return them. :)
 
nanofrog said:
The PM chip is costing too much bandwidth per port it seems. I figured on 250GB/s, and it's not even giving that. :rolleyes: I guess they'd be fine for adding additional drives in a limited space situation, and wouldn't loose too much band with 2.5" notebook or possibly enterprise drives (non 10K models), but certainly not SSD's. :(

These things aren't cheap either. :eek: At least the OP can return them. :)
Click to expand...

I'm assuming you're talking about returning the Pro Drive? I definitely will be doing that, and finding another mounting solution and most likely using the 2 spare sata ports that I have no idea where they are at, I paid to much money to only beable to use half of the potential. :(
 
Can you guys give me some links or tell me other ways that I can mount these freakin' SSDs now that my plan was screwed up.

Andrew

EDIT: Looks like I'm going to exchange the Pro Drive for a Pro Caddy 2 so I can mount them in the second optical bay.
 
Andrew Henry said:
I'm assuming you're talking about returning the Pro Drive? I definitely will be doing that, and finding another mounting solution and most likely using the 2 spare sata ports that I have no idea where they are at, I paid to much money to only beable to use half of the potential. :(
Click to expand...
Yes, I was referring to the Pro Drives. ;)
Andrew Henry said:
Can you guys give me some links or tell me other ways that I can mount these freakin' SSDs now that my plan was screwed up.

Andrew

EDIT: Looks like I'm going to exchange the Pro Drive for a Pro Caddy 2 so I can mount them in the second optical bay.
Click to expand...
If you have access to an old CD or DVD drive (preferably dead), you can disassemble it, and use the metal plates as mounts. Just drill a few holes. :)

DIY on the super cheap. :p
 
Or why even "mount" them at all? Are you moving your MP a lot? If you typically "dump" it in the back seat and drive around like speed racer I guess I could understand. But SSDs have no moving parts and once under the OD they're not going anywhere. I dunno how hot they run so if it's a question of air-flow just use those little rubber non-slip pads and add rubber cement to the bottoms of the top one's feet - so that the top SSD doesn't slip off the bottom one. If you hate the idea od rubber cement then a rubber-band would achieve the same result. You probably only need a few millimeters of space for air-flow.

Here's a step-tut for running the cables on a 2006 Mac Pro: https://forums.macrumors.com/posts/7765815/
 
Can a 2.5" SSD be plugged directly in to the 3.5" bays on a Mac Pro - I mean, do the connectors line up? Or is there some kind of 2.5->3.5" cable needed. I agree a mounting solution is not needed, a few 3M sticky squares should do it since they have no motor.
 
Tesselator said:
Or why even "mount" them at all? Are you moving your MP a lot? If you typically "dump" it in the back seat and drive around like speed racer I guess I could understand. But SSDs have no moving parts and once under the OD they're not going anywhere. I dunno how hot they run so if it's a question of air-flow just use those little rubber non-slip pads and add rubber cement to the bottoms of the top one's feet - so that the top SSD doesn't slip off the bottom one. If you hate the idea od rubber cement then a rubber-band would achieve the same result. You probably only need a few millimeters of space for air-flow.

Here's a step-tut for running the cables on a 2006 Mac Pro: https://forums.macrumors.com/posts/7765815/
Click to expand...

I want to mount them because I'm OCD about neatness and cleanliness, sure I could just set them in there, but that's not professional looking at all, I want it to stay neat and organized inside, that's why I am going for a mounting system, it looks way better. I suppose it's personal preference, thank you for the link!

Andrew
 
SydneyDev said:
Can a 2.5" SSD be plugged directly in to the 3.5" bays on a Mac Pro - I mean, do the connectors line up? Or is there some kind of 2.5->3.5" cable needed. I agree a mounting solution is not needed, a few 3M sticky squares should do it since they have no motor.
Click to expand...
It won't plug in directly, but there is an adapter available that does ($48.50 each). :)

If you're willing to DIY, you might be able to mod some available cables, and find a way to mount via drilling holes, zip ties,.... I'm not sure how to help at this point though, as I don't know which model you have.
 
Well I decided to say screw it, and I mounted the two SSDs in the top bay, you fail to mention in your instructions that I need a Y-Adapter! I was so pissed I had to stop and run to BestBuy! :p And also, on the 2008 models there are 2 screws holding the fan in, one on the top and one on the bottom! Here's the scores now:

Code: 
Results	370.51	
	System Info		
		Xbench Version		1.3
		System Version		10.5.7 (9J61)
		Physical RAM		10240 MB
		Model		MacPro3,1
		Drive Type		Intel M-Series Raid 0
	Disk Test	370.51	
		Sequential	236.58	
			Uncached Write	243.79	149.68 MB/sec [4K blocks]
			Uncached Write	195.58	110.66 MB/sec [256K blocks]
			Uncached Read	153.20	44.83 MB/sec [4K blocks]
			Uncached Read	857.98	431.22 MB/sec [256K blocks]
		Random	853.98	
			Uncached Write	1009.11	106.83 MB/sec [4K blocks]
			Uncached Write	374.16	119.78 MB/sec [256K blocks]
			Uncached Read	2307.99	16.36 MB/sec [4K blocks]
			Uncached Read	1703.48	316.09 MB/sec [256K blocks]


:D

I ALSO received my XFX 4870 in the mail today! Woo Hoo, this computer is blazing fast now! :D
 
Andrew Henry said:
Well I decided to say screw it, and I mounted the two SSDs in the top bay, you fail to mention in your instructions that I need a Y-Adapter! I was so pissed I had to stop and run to BestBuy! :p And also, on the 2008 models there are 2 screws holding the fan in, one on the top and one on the bottom!
Click to expand...
Meh... It's a learning experience. ;) :p Seriously, I actually thought you realized this from getting into the internals, so neglected to mention it. :eek:

And there's always a screw or two hidding somewhere... :eek: :p

Andrew Henry said:
I ALSO received my XFX 4870 in the mail today! Woo Hoo, this computer is blazing fast now! :D
Click to expand...
A happy camper are we? :D

Glad you got it all sorted. :)
 
nanofrog said:
Meh... It's a learning experience. ;) :p Seriously, I actually thought you realized this from getting into the internals, so neglected to mention it. :eek:

And there's always a screw or two hidding somewhere... :eek: :p


A happy camper are we? :D

Glad you got it all sorted. :)
Click to expand...

Haha, never got into the Mac Pro before, besides to put in the HDDs and the Ram.. and I'm sort of a happy camper, but the drives have older firmware on them, so they aren't using their full potential, and I can't upgrade the firmware because they can't be updated on the Mac Pro, you have to use a PC but I only have Macs... :(

BS!
 
Andrew Henry said:
Haha, never got into the Mac Pro before, besides to put in the HDDs and the Ram.. and I'm sort of a happy camper, but the drives have older firmware on them, so they aren't using their full potential, and I can't upgrade the firmware because they can't be updated on the Mac Pro, you have to use a PC but I only have Macs... :(

BS!
Click to expand...

They can be updated... at least on a 2009 MP... I just couldn't get Intel's update program to work on the drive if it was installed in Bay 1... only Bay 2. :rolleyes: Perhaps this also applies to the spare SATA connectors? :confused: Alternatively, if you are on a 2008, it might be something unique to that model that Intel's update program doesn't like.

If all else fails, surely you know someone with a PC that can accommodate you. Alternatively, you can send them to me for updating... It might take me awhile to send them back though :p
 
VirtualRain said:
They can be updated... at least on a 2009 MP... I just couldn't get Intel's update program to work on the drive if it was installed in Bay 1... only Bay 2. :rolleyes: Perhaps this also applies to the spare SATA connectors? :confused: Alternatively, if you are on a 2008, it might be something unique to that model that Intel's update program doesn't like.

If all else fails, surely you know someone with a PC that can accommodate you. Alternatively, you can send them to me for updating... It might take me awhile to send them back though :p
Click to expand...

Unfortunately, all my friends also use Macs, I don't associate with PC users! :p

Maybe I'll get it figured out... hmph.. I'm stumped, it's going to suck if I have to take them out one at a freakin time and put them in port 2 then rerun the cables and hook them back up... :(
 
Andrew Henry said:
Haha, never got into the Mac Pro before, besides to put in the HDDs and the Ram.. and I'm sort of a happy camper, but the drives have older firmware on them, so they aren't using their full potential, and I can't upgrade the firmware because they can't be updated on the Mac Pro, you have to use a PC but I only have Macs... :(

BS!
Click to expand...
Can you get your hands on a USB stick or USB floppy drive?

If so, make a DOS boot disk for the floppy, or boot image for the USB stick (use FAT16 on the stick). A PC helps, but you should be able to do it from the MP. Boot off the stick/floppy, and run the updater. :)

I've no idea if the '09 would have an issue with specific ports, but it should work for it as well.

Either can be really handy to keep around for firmware flashing. ;) Even for Windows. I had to update a Marvell SAS controller recently, and it wasn't possible via Windows (64 bit). USB saved me again. :D :p
 
nanofrog said:
Can you get your hands on a USB stick or USB floppy drive?

If so, make a DOS boot disk for the floppy, or boot image for the USB stick (use FAT16 on the stick). A PC helps, but you should be able to do it from the MP. Boot off the stick/floppy, and run the updater. :)

I've no idea if the '09 would have an issue with specific ports, but it should work for it as well.

Either can be really handy to keep around for firmware flashing. ;) Even for Windows. I had to update a Marvell SAS controller recently, and it wasn't possible via Windows (64 bit). USB saved me again. :D :p
Click to expand...

I have a billion flash drives around here, but I'm not exactly sure what you mean? The Intel .iso boots to a dos thing? so I don't know what's going to change? I have a cd with "Ultimate Boot CD" with all the boot stuff, so if you could explain what you mean, I would appreciate it.

Andrew
 
Andrew Henry said:
Unfortunately, all my friends also use Macs, I don't associate with PC users! :p

Maybe I'll get it figured out... hmph.. I'm stumped, it's going to suck if I have to take them out one at a freakin time and put them in port 2 then rerun the cables and hook them back up... :(
Click to expand...

Just connect it to the bay 2 connector directly and use some tape to hold it in place while you try the firmware update... no need to rerun any cables. :confused:

nanofrog said:
Can you get your hands on a USB stick or USB floppy drive?

If so, make a DOS boot disk for the floppy, or boot image for the USB stick (use FAT16 on the stick). A PC helps, but you should be able to do it from the MP. Boot off the stick/floppy, and run the updater. :)
Click to expand...

No need for that... the Intel firmware update CD is just an ISO that creates a bootable CD that loads a DOS application. Very straight-forward... It's just that for some odd reason, on my machine (2009 MP) Intel could see the drive in Bay 1 but could not update the firmware while it could both see the drive and update the firmware in bay 2 :confused: so I updated both drives from bay 2... one at a time. I have no idea what quirks might lurk in a 2008 Mac Pro in this regard.
 
VirtualRain said:
Just connect it to the bay 2 connector directly and use some tape to hold it in place while you try the firmware update... no need to rerun any cables. :confused:
Click to expand...

I suppose I could do that, I was thinking of how to hold it in place, I suppose some scotch tape would work, maybe I'll try this out, I just don't want to screw up my Raid array, I've reinstalled and restored from a backup 4 times in the last 3 days.. =O

Andrew
 
Andrew Henry said:
I suppose I could do that, I was thinking of how to hold it in place, I suppose some scotch tape would work, maybe I'll try this out, I just don't want to screw up my Raid array, I've reinstalled and restored from a backup 4 times in the last 3 days.. =O

Andrew
Click to expand...

As long as you pull all your drives for this operation and then insert them back in the same bays as before when you are done, nothing should happen to your array. (Although I take no responsibility if you blow up the planet as a result! :p)
 
Andrew Henry said:
I have a billion flash drives around here, but I'm not exactly sure what you mean? The Intel .iso boots to a dos thing? so I don't know what's going to change? I have a cd with "Ultimate Boot CD" with all the boot stuff, so if you could explain what you mean, I would appreciate it.

Andrew
Click to expand...
You can find a DOS image here or here. You want to format a USB stick to FAT16, and load the image to it.

Easy on a PC, and not too hard via VM either. I'm not sure how easy it will be to expand the boot image directly in OS X, but should be possible. It may be easier with the second link, as they're .img files.
 
VirtualRain said:
As long as you pull all your drives for this operation and then insert them back in the same bays as before when you are done, nothing should happen to your array. (Although I take no responsibility if you blow up the planet as a result! :p)
Click to expand...

Although the sleds are numbered so easy to accomplish I don't think this is necessary. I've set a striped set in a different order than originally created and all it did was list them in a different order in the Disk Utilities drive list. Is there something bad that should have happened?
 
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