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Older Mac Pro.. adding SSD?

IMO, they are all more or less the same. Go for the cheapest one is fine.

I have a $500 Samsung 1TB 840 Evo, and a $30 DMG 120GB SSD. I can't notice any difference between them in real world.

A more expensive one may have better life span, better CS, better warranty, etc. But usually won't really work better or faster on the Mac.

Anyway, the 850 Pro should fit your Mac (same as any other SATA SSD).
 
h9826790 said:
IMO, they are all more or less the same. Go for the cheapest one is fine.

I have a $500 Samsung 1TB 840 Evo, and a $30 DMG 120GB SSD. I can't notice any difference between them in real world.

A more expensive one may have better life span, better CS, better warranty, etc. But usually won't really work better or faster on the Mac.

Anyway, the 850 Pro should fit your Mac (same as any other SATA SSD).
Click to expand...

So will the Samsung 850 evo fit in one of the internal sata drives in my '08 mac pro? I'm guessing I will need something like this?

https://www.amazon.com/Sled-Pro-200...1516997349&sr=8-6&keywords=drive+sled+mac+pro
 
Last edited:
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itsjustmeee said:
So will the Samsung 850 evo fit in one of the internal sata drives in my '08 mac pro? I'm guessing I will need something like this?

https://www.amazon.com/Sled-Pro-200...1516997349&sr=8-6&keywords=drive+sled+mac+pro
Click to expand...

This: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B005PZDVF6/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_ep_dp_xU4AAb5HFQ0G2 is what I use for my SSD. Any 2.5 SSD should work with this adapter in a cMP.

There is also this: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00UN550AC/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_ep_dp_MV4AAbJ606CCE which seems to be the same thing, just a little cheaper.

Since the cMP is limited to SATA 2.0, I can't imagine any noticeable difference between SSDs in terms of speed since they will all be bottlenecked by the interface.
 
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itsjustmeee said:
So will the Samsung 850 evo fit in one of the internal sata drives in my '08 mac pro? I'm guessing I will need something like this?

https://www.amazon.com/Sled-Pro-200...1516997349&sr=8-6&keywords=drive+sled+mac+pro
Click to expand...

Yes, the 850 Evo is one of the known good option.

It doesn't really need adaptor, but you can use it.

I actually remove the case and directly plug in the SSD. The SATA port is strong enough to hold it.
SSD SATA port.jpg


In fact, you don't even need to remove the case, the SATA port can still hold it without any issue. My friend's SSD is like that for few years already. But the SSD will looks like can't hold horizontally, so, I personally remove the case.

Some users may prefer to keep the case, and have some kind of support to the SSD, a simple rubber band can do this job very well. As long as the SSD lie on the rubber band, it won't cause any stress to the SATA port anymore.

Of course, if you prefer to have an adaptor, you can buy one. But you don't really "need" it.
 
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Take a look at these if you still have the bracket/sled for 3.5" drives for 2008 MacPro:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01M366L82
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01EBHFS0O

Personally prefer the drive to be directly connected to the port vs. a go-between device, but people have had success with Icy Dock and AdaptaDrive (listed above). I would avoid the "Pro Sled 2" at that price.
 
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jbarley said:
Or you can leave the case on, not void the warranty and support the rear end with a rubber band like so...
View attachment 748674
Click to expand...
I'd never put a rubber band inside a computer - at least not long term.

Haven't you seen how old rubber bands dry out and get stiff and brittle?

I'd use nylon tie wraps (they don't need to be tight - just to support most of the weight).
 
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h9826790 said:
Yes, the 850 Evo is one of the known good option.

It doesn't really need adaptor, but you can use it.

I actually remove the case and directly plug in the SSD. The SATA port is strong enough to hold it.
View attachment 748659

In fact, you don't even need to remove the case, the SATA port can still hold it without any issue. My friend's SSD is like that for few years already. But the SSD will looks like can't hold horizontally, so, I personally remove the case.

Some users may prefer to keep the case, and have some kind of support to the SSD, a simple rubber band can do this job very well. As long as the SSD lie on the rubber band, it won't cause any stress to the SATA port anymore.

Of course, if you prefer to have an adaptor, you can buy one. But you don't really "need" it.
Click to expand...

Thanks so much for the info. The 850 Evo looks like the way to go. I might just spring for this anyway (even though it seems pricey)...

https://www.amazon.com/Sled-Pro-200...1516997349&sr=8-6&keywords=drive+sled+mac+pro

so I'll have two sleds. That way I can replace one of my work drives for another 850 at a later date.
 
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h9826790 said:
Yes, the 850 Evo is one of the known good option.

It doesn't really need adaptor, but you can use it.

I actually remove the case and directly plug in the SSD. The SATA port is strong enough to hold it.
View attachment 748659

In fact, you don't even need to remove the case, the SATA port can still hold it without any issue. My friend's SSD is like that for few years already. But the SSD will looks like can't hold horizontally, so, I personally remove the case.

Some users may prefer to keep the case, and have some kind of support to the SSD, a simple rubber band can do this job very well. As long as the SSD lie on the rubber band, it won't cause any stress to the SATA port anymore.

Of course, if you prefer to have an adaptor, you can buy one. But you don't really "need" it.
Click to expand...

I just used some double-sided tape and stick it to the sled, the type used to hold pictures to the wall. Gives a little more piece of mind and will keep the drive from becoming dislodged in an accidental bump.

As for the brand of drive, just get one that's well reviewed. Due to the limitations of the chipset of a 2008 Mac Pro, you'll never see the peak throughput of the SSD without a PCIe adapter. However, you will still see a substantial speed improvement by going to SSD.
 
itsjustmeee said:
Thanks so much for the info. The 850 Evo looks like the way to go. I might just spring for this anyway (even though it seems pricey)...

https://www.amazon.com/Sled-Pro-200...1516997349&sr=8-6&keywords=drive+sled+mac+pro

so I'll have two sleds. That way I can replace one of my work drives for another 850 at a later date.
Click to expand...
I have quite a few EVOs (several dozen) - almost no problems. (One had one bad block during infancy - a year later no issues.)

If you're looking at system/application drives - just ignore the sequential bandwidth tests like Black Magic.

System/application performance is mostly affected by small random reads and writes - and any SSD on any interface will be much faster than a spinner that has to move its heads.

AND MAKE SURE THAT TRIM IS ENABLED. AND MAKE SURE THAT TRIM IS ENABLED. (repeat forever)
 
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AidenShaw said:
I have quite a few EVOs (several dozen) - almost no problems. (One had one bad block during infancy - a year later no issues.)

If you're looking at system/application drives - just ignore the sequential bandwidth tests like Black Magic.

System/application performance is mostly affected by small random reads and writes - and any SSD on any interface will be much faster than a spinner that has to move its heads.

AND MAKE SURE THAT TRIM IS ENABLED. AND MAKE SURE THAT TRIM IS ENABLED. (repeat forever)
Click to expand...
Thanks for this. I have wrongly assumed that newer versions of MacOS enabled it by default. It does not do so on third party drives!
 
h9826790 said:
It just allow you to turn on TRIM, but not natively turn on for 3rd party SSD.
Click to expand...

oh-my-god-they-killed-kenny-you-bastards[1].jpg

Apple's proprietary mindset in action yet again.

Other operating systems simply check to see if the drive reports "TRIM is supported", and it simply works regardless of the drive vendor or any action by the user.
 
Since you're using ProTools, you probably don't have time to mess around with the computer while working, so I'd go with the Samsung EVO since it is a very reliable drive as well as some sort of sled or adapter for it to just make sure nothing goes wrong.

And do make sure that TRIM is enabled. Should be smooth sailing from here.
 
Some of these threads really make me chuckle sometimes.....:D
You pay thousands for a macpro and then a couple hundred more for an ssd drive, but don’t pay another 20 quid for a proper mount.
Personally I always use OWC drive sleds (£20 gbp)......:p
 
MarkC426 said:
Some of these threads really make me chuckle sometimes.....:D
You pay thousands for a macpro and then a couple hundred more for an ssd drive, but don’t pay another 20 quid for a proper mount.
Personally I always use OWC drive sleds (£20 gbp)......:p
Click to expand...
There's a bit of value hunting in doing it yourself so what one person values another doesn't. Otherwise, with as expensive as these machines are new, why not just let Apple do the whole thing and bill you? :p
 
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