Guys I have Raid PCI-X card with (4) 2TB NVMe's installed and the eBay seller told me that this card is compatible with the Mac Pro. When powered up all four LED's light up showing that the MVMe are installed but Mojave just sees it 2TB max.. Do I need some software or how do I raid them so I have total 8GB (It's fitted in the top slot)...
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MP 1,1-5,1 PCI-X NVMe raid card...
- Thread starter Hooleydog
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Did you get a great deal on the card price? Like under $75?
Check the manufacturer's website - chances are your card requires PCIe Bifurcation, which your logic board has to support. Macs don't support this method. Without it, your computer only sees one of the attached drives.
Macs require multi-device cards with a built-in PCIe switch, which cost more. Example: Sonnet M.2 4x4 PCIe card with a suggested price of $300.
Even if our Mac Pros (4,1 or 5,1) supported the feature, you'd need to use one of the two lower slots. The upper two slots are x4 slots, while the lower two are x16 slots. To supply four M.2 drives (which require 4 lanes each), you'd need to start from an x16 slot.
Check the manufacturer's website - chances are your card requires PCIe Bifurcation, which your logic board has to support. Macs don't support this method. Without it, your computer only sees one of the attached drives.
Macs require multi-device cards with a built-in PCIe switch, which cost more. Example: Sonnet M.2 4x4 PCIe card with a suggested price of $300.
Even if our Mac Pros (4,1 or 5,1) supported the feature, you'd need to use one of the two lower slots. The upper two slots are x4 slots, while the lower two are x16 slots. To supply four M.2 drives (which require 4 lanes each), you'd need to start from an x16 slot.
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Oh I see , as for slots.. The bottom slot has my video card.. The next slot has usb 3.0 card and the third slot has my boot SSD drives... The card was I think it cost about $40, as for who the manufacturer is I don't know.. Why I fitted the boot drives to the third slot was because the SSD's (2 of them on one card 1TB each)... The mounting screws were hitting the Video card fans (Too close)... Anyway, it looks like I wasted money buying the raid card and the four NVMe's...
Oh here's my boot SSD drives. One has Mojave installed, as for the other I was thinking of installing windows, video card I'll fit this radeon 6700 xt 12Gb one but I'll have to install a newer OS-X because I know that there's no Mojave video drivers for this card though.. I do have a video from YouTube on how to do it though.. Now what I've done is removed that Raid card and moved the USB 3.0 card to the last slot..
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Apple never released drivers for Radeon RX 6700 XT. If you install Big Sur, you can use the RX-6800, 6800 XT, 6900 XT (or 6950 XT with some tinkering). If you install Monterey, you can additionally use the RX-6600, 6600 XT, or 6650 XT with some tinkering. See this page for OCLP-compatible AMD GPUs.
You'll need OpenCore Legacy Patcher to install Big Sur or later. Beware that RX 5xxx and 6xxx cards are only supported until Monterey on our older Mac Pros. The drivers break for us in Ventura and later due to lack of a CPU opcode (AVX2).
Side note - what model of SATA card are you using? It appears to be a PCIe x1 card, which is limited to 500 MB/s in a 4,1 or 5,1 Mac Pro. You'll saturate the card reading or writing to one drive. If you did a copy from one drive to the other, it would be limited to 250 MB/s or less, because of the x1 slot bottleneck.
There are x4 SATA 6G cards, but I wouldn't bother today. NVMe is so much faster, that high-performance SATA cards are close to a joke now. You'd need a 4-drive SATA RAID to approach the speed of a single M.2 drive.
You'll need OpenCore Legacy Patcher to install Big Sur or later. Beware that RX 5xxx and 6xxx cards are only supported until Monterey on our older Mac Pros. The drivers break for us in Ventura and later due to lack of a CPU opcode (AVX2).
Side note - what model of SATA card are you using? It appears to be a PCIe x1 card, which is limited to 500 MB/s in a 4,1 or 5,1 Mac Pro. You'll saturate the card reading or writing to one drive. If you did a copy from one drive to the other, it would be limited to 250 MB/s or less, because of the x1 slot bottleneck.
There are x4 SATA 6G cards, but I wouldn't bother today. NVMe is so much faster, that high-performance SATA cards are close to a joke now. You'd need a 4-drive SATA RAID to approach the speed of a single M.2 drive.
I had a feeling that the SSD drives wouldn't run at G6 speed but the card does work even slow loading OS-X (I've had the card for a long time), so I'll still use it for now.. I bought the Radeon RX 6700 XT was before I found put that Apple never released drivers GRRR!!!.. Using OpenCore Legacy Patcher which OS-X has drivers for my Radeon card and I'll look for that Video that I downloaded from YouTube because the guy shows how to get the not supported Radeon card working in OS-X (I couldn't believe it that he was able to get the Radeon RX 6700 XT in Mojave)...
Oh, at the moment I'm using a RX 560 8GB video card..
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Guys I've ordered this card, as it should work with my Mac Pro. No Raid on it and I have (2) NVMe 2TB for it..
M.2 NVME PCIE Adapter Card, 2 x 32Gbps Full Speed PCIE 3.0 PCIE 4.0 X16 Expansion Card, M.2 SSD PCIE X8 M Key Hard Drive Converter Reader Express Adapter(ph45)
How to Use: 1.Motherboard support: The motherboard supports PCIE split function, which can be set to PCIE X4X4X4 or 4X4 mode. The motherboard supports PCI‑E RAID function. For ASUS motherboard supports the function of HyperM.2X16 expansion card. Different motherboards have different PCIE split ...
www.amazon.com
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This card also requires PCIe Bifurcation. That's what they mean by "PCIe splitting". Read the comments on the product page - lots of complaints about only one M.2 showing up. I suggest cancelling your order, as you already own a 1-drive card.Guys I've ordered this card, as it should work with my Mac Pro. No Raid on it and I have (2) NVMe 2TB for it..
M.2 NVME PCIE Adapter Card, 2 x 32Gbps Full Speed PCIE 3.0 PCIE 4.0 X16 Expansion Card, M.2 SSD PCIE X8 M Key Hard Drive Converter Reader Express Adapter(ph45)
How to Use: 1.Motherboard support: The motherboard supports PCIE split function, which can be set to PCIE X4X4X4 or 4X4 mode. The motherboard supports PCI‑E RAID function. For ASUS motherboard supports the function of HyperM.2X16 expansion card. Different motherboards have different PCIE split ...www.amazon.com
A 2-drive card that doesn't rely on bifurcation typically costs $200 new, maybe $150 for a generic. Anything cheaper than that requires bifurcation support by the motherboard.
About your SATA card, it does run a single SATA SSD at full 6G speed, or close enough. You only hit a lower speed limit if you access both SATA drives at the same time. Like a copy from one to the other.
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Oh Ok So It's best to just use my sata card since it can run at 6G... I only have one drive with Mojave installed but i do want Windows 10 installed on the other one, as for the other card that I've ordered I'll use that in my HP Z840 (too late to cancel order) Workstation then..
I do have this intel SSD 2TB.. Don't tell me that it needs bifurcation too eh??? and how bout this card too..
GLOTRENDS PA20 Dual M.2 NVMe to PCIe 3.0 X4 Adapter with PCIe Bifurcation Function, Support 22110/2280/2260/2242/2230 Size
GLOTRENDS PA20 2 Ports M.2 NVMe to PCIe 3.0 X4 Adapter with PCIe Bifurcation Function, Support 22110/2280/2260/2242/2230 Size, Support Soft RAID
www.amazon.com
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Intel P3600 is not Mac compatible, ancient NVMe 1.0. Macs require/usually work with NVMe 1.2/1.3 blades.
Don't tell me that it needs bifurcation too eh??? and how bout this card too..
GLOTRENDS PA20 Dual M.2 NVMe to PCIe 3.0 X4 Adapter with PCIe Bifurcation Function, Support 22110/2280/2260/2242/2230 Size
GLOTRENDS PA20 2 Ports M.2 NVMe to PCIe 3.0 X4 Adapter with PCIe Bifurcation Function, Support 22110/2280/2260/2242/2230 Size, Support Soft RAIDwww.amazon.com
If you read in the description anything like PCIe Bifurcation, PCIe lane partitioning, PCIe lane splitting or Intel VROC you can be sure that the card is not compatible with Macs.
Only PCIe switched cards work with a Mac, and not all PCIe switched cards, read the first post of the stickie thread below to know the tested and working cards:
PCIe SSDs - NVMe & AHCI
This is a general info thread for blade SSDs that can be used in the Mac Pro. This is a WikiPost so anyone with the proper credentials may edit it. NVMe SSDs can be used as a boot drive in the MP5,1 and MP6,1 with the latest firmware installed (beginning with version 140.0.0.0.0 for MP5,1 and...
forums.macrumors.com
The cheapest PCIe switched multiple blade card avaliable today is around $145 from AliExpress/$154 from Amazon, you won't find anything below $100 even on a sale.
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Intel P3600 is not Mac compatible, ancient NVMe 1.0. Macs require/usually work with NVMe 1.2/1.3 blades.
If you read in the description anything like PCIe Bifurcation, PCIe lane partitioning, PCIe lane splitting or Intel VROC you can be sure that the card is not compatible with Macs.
Only PCIe switched cards work with a Mac, and not all PCIe switched cards, read the first post of the stickie thread below to know the tested and working cards:
PCIe SSDs - NVMe & AHCI
This is a general info thread for blade SSDs that can be used in the Mac Pro. This is a WikiPost so anyone with the proper credentials may edit it. NVMe SSDs can be used as a boot drive in the MP5,1 and MP6,1 with the latest firmware installed (beginning with version 140.0.0.0.0 for MP5,1 and...
The cheapest PCIe switched multiple blade card avaliable today is around $145 from AliExpress/$154 from Amazon, you won't find anything below $100 even on a sale.
In the description of the Glotrends card is Mac OS listed as a compatible system. Chip is a ASM2812. I don’t know this card, but it looks like this will work in a Mac.
Yes, ASM2812 is PCIe switch but is a PCIe 3.0 switch with only 4 lanes upstream, that is the reason for it to be so cheap.
Even if is possible that ASM2812 is macOS compatible switch like the big brother ASM2814, no one tested it yet, the card depends on the firmware installed to the PCIe switch to be Mac compatible.
Another downside is that even if is compatible, the switch is limited to just 1450MBps total throughput (x4 PCIe v2.0) when installed to a MacPro5,1.
You are absolutely right.
If @Hooleydog want a card with 2x M.2 slots and more than 1500 MB/s, he must pay 170 €/$ and up.
Examples:
Klick
or
Klick
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This is the chinese clone of HighPoint SSD7101A-1, if I remember correctly one user here have it and there are some YouTube videos about it. If they also cloned the firmware and not just the PCB layout and components, is the best low cost card today.
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