I'm waiting for my new Sandy Bridge 17" MBP to arrive, and shopping for add-ons. Being that I've got a few drive docks/cases with eSATA built-in, and it's going to be a while before Thunderbolt has any affordable peripherals, I figured I'd order a not-too-expensive eSATA ExpressCard to have on hand, just in case/for extra speed when I feel the need.
Except I've been reading various threads and fine print, and discovering that there are apparently problems with certain brands of bridge board. Most of these are a little older, though, so I'm wondering if anybody has experience with a recent combination of these specific components working or not working.
What I've gathered from a long thread here and XLR8YourMac's coverage, plus some others, is that there are basically two options:
1) Cards based on the JMicron JMB360; these usually have only one port and don't support port multiplier enclosures, but are VERY cheap and don't require any drivers on recent versions of OSX. In particular, I'm looking at one that OWC sells under their own brand for $20, although there are lots of off-brand options.
2) Cards based on the Silicon Image Sil3132; these usually have two ports, do support port multiplier enclosures, are somewhat more expensive, and require drivers to be installed, although there ARE OSX drivers available from the chipset manufacturer. Specifically I'm looking at the Sonnet Tempo SATA-on-the-Go that runs about $50, although there are a lot of off-brand options for maybe $20 less.
Now, from what I've been reading, the issue is thus: While earlier versions of the Sil3132 drivers had all kinds of issues, the current (late 2010) release is pretty good with current versions of Snow Leopard. It's compatible with most eSATA devices, EXCEPT USB/eSATA combos based on the OXU931DS, which will sometimes quietly corrupt files you copy to them. Sonnet is very specific about this, and it presumably applies to all Sil3132-based cards.
The JMicron JMB360, in contrast, needs no drivers and doesn't explicitly list any compatibility issues, but there were scattered reports of all KINDS of problems with them, including quiet data corruption and kernel panics. I found a lot of people saying that they'd never trust the thing with their data.
Based on these reports, and the fact that of the three enclosures I currently own none use the OXU931 (one uses a Sunplus optical controller that one report said was fine with the Sonnet card, one is JMicron 20336-based which also apparently was ok, and a third uses an Oxford quad interface, which Sonnet explicitly says is fine), I'm thinking that the Sonnet card is a better idea. While I don't like to install 3rd party drivers, I like the option of having two ports, I like that they're very specific about what does and doesn't work, I like the port multiplier option, I like that Sonnet has their own branded (if identical) version of the Mac drivers, implying they'll continue to support it (plus they know Macs), and I generally have had good luck with Sonnet products in the past. Between the Sonnet and another brand of probably-identical hardware, it seems like it's worth the $20 for a company that I recognize and trust to follow-through on their warranty, plus a reasonable chance of continuing to maintain compatibility in the future with OS updates.
Any opinions on this? Anybody own this card, and tried it? Any lucky in-person Sandy Bridge purchasers tried a Sil3132 card yet?
I also kind of want a USB 3 card, but since LaCie's card only works with their hardware and the CalDigit card is rather spendy ($90) for something I don't even have a peripheral for yet, I figure I'll hold off for now. I am going to grab a Sonnet flush-fit multi-card reader to leave in the slot, though (funny that Sonnet's site says it supports SDXC under later MacOS versions, but NONE of the stores selling the same part list SDXC compatibility).
Except I've been reading various threads and fine print, and discovering that there are apparently problems with certain brands of bridge board. Most of these are a little older, though, so I'm wondering if anybody has experience with a recent combination of these specific components working or not working.
What I've gathered from a long thread here and XLR8YourMac's coverage, plus some others, is that there are basically two options:
1) Cards based on the JMicron JMB360; these usually have only one port and don't support port multiplier enclosures, but are VERY cheap and don't require any drivers on recent versions of OSX. In particular, I'm looking at one that OWC sells under their own brand for $20, although there are lots of off-brand options.
2) Cards based on the Silicon Image Sil3132; these usually have two ports, do support port multiplier enclosures, are somewhat more expensive, and require drivers to be installed, although there ARE OSX drivers available from the chipset manufacturer. Specifically I'm looking at the Sonnet Tempo SATA-on-the-Go that runs about $50, although there are a lot of off-brand options for maybe $20 less.
Now, from what I've been reading, the issue is thus: While earlier versions of the Sil3132 drivers had all kinds of issues, the current (late 2010) release is pretty good with current versions of Snow Leopard. It's compatible with most eSATA devices, EXCEPT USB/eSATA combos based on the OXU931DS, which will sometimes quietly corrupt files you copy to them. Sonnet is very specific about this, and it presumably applies to all Sil3132-based cards.
The JMicron JMB360, in contrast, needs no drivers and doesn't explicitly list any compatibility issues, but there were scattered reports of all KINDS of problems with them, including quiet data corruption and kernel panics. I found a lot of people saying that they'd never trust the thing with their data.
Based on these reports, and the fact that of the three enclosures I currently own none use the OXU931 (one uses a Sunplus optical controller that one report said was fine with the Sonnet card, one is JMicron 20336-based which also apparently was ok, and a third uses an Oxford quad interface, which Sonnet explicitly says is fine), I'm thinking that the Sonnet card is a better idea. While I don't like to install 3rd party drivers, I like the option of having two ports, I like that they're very specific about what does and doesn't work, I like the port multiplier option, I like that Sonnet has their own branded (if identical) version of the Mac drivers, implying they'll continue to support it (plus they know Macs), and I generally have had good luck with Sonnet products in the past. Between the Sonnet and another brand of probably-identical hardware, it seems like it's worth the $20 for a company that I recognize and trust to follow-through on their warranty, plus a reasonable chance of continuing to maintain compatibility in the future with OS updates.
Any opinions on this? Anybody own this card, and tried it? Any lucky in-person Sandy Bridge purchasers tried a Sil3132 card yet?
I also kind of want a USB 3 card, but since LaCie's card only works with their hardware and the CalDigit card is rather spendy ($90) for something I don't even have a peripheral for yet, I figure I'll hold off for now. I am going to grab a Sonnet flush-fit multi-card reader to leave in the slot, though (funny that Sonnet's site says it supports SDXC under later MacOS versions, but NONE of the stores selling the same part list SDXC compatibility).
