Problem with Samsung 850 Evo SSD in Mac Pro 5,1

[KarlnHarrison]

I've just bought new a Samsung 850 Evo M.2 1Tb and my first attempt at installing in my Mac Pro 5,1 didn't go well.

I was using a StarTech.com x4 PCI Express to M.2 PCIe SSD Adapter Card - for M.2 NGFF SSD and the neither was the card or SSD visible in the System Report > PCI.

I tried slots 2, 3 and 4.

So have I got the wrong SSD or wrong PCI card ?

I've tested both the card and SSD in other Windows computers I have access to and they are working

 

[Draeconis]

Well, the M.2 850 Evo is an mSATA SSD in the M.2 form factor, and as you point out, the adapter is for x4 PCI Express to M.2 PCIe SSDs, so you have the wrong adapter.

 

[KarlnHarrison]

Thanks, for the info, is it possible to get a PCI mSATA adapter card ?

If not I'll aim to start again and get a 951 PCIe/AHCI drive (if they are still available) and use the 850 EVO in a SATA caddy.
[doublepost=1483739738][/doublepost]I wonder if this is the card I need with the 850 EVO ?

http://www.lycom.com.tw/DT-125.htm

 

[Draeconis]

Certainly is, I found a few searching Amazon.

I got an SM951 and a Lycom DT-120. Unfortunately these days the SM951 is hard to get hold of, though again they're on Amazon, though more expensive than I paid for them.

You could use that DT-125, but it's complete overkill. If you're just looking for an mSATA M.2 PCIe adapter, they're pretty cheap. If you go for these adapters with multiple slots you end up paying far more.

 

[5ibl1]

I'm having similar problems with an EVO 850 m.2. I bought one of these: http://www.delock.com/produkte/G_89370/merkmale.html but my MP 5,1 doesn't see the drive or the adapter.

Wrong adapter I guess? There are so many different adapters for many different drive types including mSATA, AHCI, Nvme etc. that i'm quite confused about all the options. Could someone help me out and point me towards a cheap adapter that would work with my SSD? Or could there be another problem that I can't figure out?

Thanks.

 

[5ibl1]

Now I've been looking more into this and I'm still confused. Would I need an adapter that has a connector for SATA cable that should be connected to the motherboard or the optical drive SATA connector? Or is there a card that I could use without any cables?

I'd be grateful if someone more knowledgeable could let me out of my adapterlessness and put an end to this SSD-misery.

edit: so would a card like this work with a SATA cable?
https://www.startech.com/HDD/Adapters/m.2-ngff-to-sata-adapter-expansion-slot-mounted~S32M2NGFFPEX

 

[h9826790]

IMO, you better go for those card that has SATA III controller onboard. However, not all cards can work on cMP. And even less are bootable.

 

[5ibl1]

IMO, you better go for those card that has SATA III controller onboard. However, not all cards can work on cMP. And even less are bootable.

Ok, thanks for your help. I agree that having an adapter that works without any additional cables would be the best option. I'd also like it to be bootable. Are there many cards that are known to work?

 

[h9826790]

Ok, thanks for your help. I agree that having an adapter that works without any additional cables would be the best option. I'd also like it to be bootable. Are there many cards that are known to work?

Not 100% sure, but the card mentioned in the following post should work.

https://forums.macrumors.com/thread...donics-quad-msata-card.1942911/#post-22336358