Ssd for mac pro mid 2010

[Cuciu]

Hi,
Id like to know, based on your experience, if moving from sata ssd to pcie ssd gives some benefits In term of booting performance. I need a new ssd for storage vst samples and im thinking to buy a pcie card for this scope. Im asking if i can add 2 pcie card one for boot and one for storage. Does it worth?
Is better ssd 2.5 format or m.2 in term of performance?
Thanks

 

[h9826790]

Hi,
Id like to know, based on your experience, if moving from sata ssd to pcie ssd gives some benefits In term of booting performance. I need a new ssd for storage vst samples and im thinking to buy a pcie card for this scope. Im asking if i can add 2 pcie card one for boot and one for storage. Does it worth?
Is better ssd 2.5 format or m.2 in term of performance?
Thanks

It won't help. Boot time is pretty much SSD type / connection irrelevant.

 

[Cuciu]

Thank you. So if i undestrand well, i can keep my owc ssd drive on the sata II slot (no difference if i move on pcie connection).
For vst samples storage/reading, what do u suggest? Pcie ssd, pcie m.2 or sata II?

 

[h9826790]

Thank you. So if i undestrand well, i can keep my owc ssd drive on the sata II slot (no difference if i move on pcie connection).
For vst samples storage/reading, what do u suggest? Pcie ssd, pcie m.2 or sata II?

Not sure if VST is I/O limiting. If there is a significant slow down in your workflow because you have to wait for loading to complete. Then use a PCIe SSD may able to help. However, you really have to find out if the waiting is due to I/O. Just because waiting for loading doesn't mean it's I/O limiting. Especially if you see there is a 100% CPU usage (single thread, not the whole CPU stress to 100%) like this

Then this is a sign of CPU (single thread) limiting, but not I/O limiting. In this case, upgrade the SSD won't help.

 

[Cuciu]

Could you please explain me what do u mean when u talk about cpu limit?
I have a quad core 2.8 cpu
How can i test my cpu power on my processes (logic, mainstage,etc...)?
Tks

 

[h9826790]

Could you please explain me what do u mean when u talk about cpu limit?
I have a quad core 2.8 cpu
How can i test my cpu power on my processes (logic, mainstage,etc...)?
Tks

Exactly per my last post, activity can indicate the CPU usage. If one of the process stuck at around 100% during loading for a period of time. Then it's a sign of CPU limiting.

 

[Cuciu]

Ok, thanks. I will make some test during the loading process of the vst libraries.
As ssd, do u suggest 2,5 or m.2 (in both case with pcie card adaptor) type? Which one gives the best performance?

 

[h9826790]

Ok, thanks. I will make some test during the loading process of the vst libraries.
As ssd, do u suggest 2,5 or m.2 (in both case with pcie card adaptor) type? Which one gives the best performance?

2.5 or m.2 is just the form factor, nothing to do with performance. Even though 2.5 is limited to SATA 3 speed at this moment, but a m.2 can also be SATA SSD.

If you want fast storage (only storage, not bootable), PCIe NVMe SSD is the way to go (highly suggest with the High Sierra native driver support)

 

[Cuciu]

If you want fast storage (only storage, not bootable), PCIe NVMe SSD is the way to go (highly suggest with the High Sierra native driver support)

which model, ssd and pcie adpter, do u suggest for a mac pro 2010?

 

[bsbeamer]

what read/write speed are you looking to acheive?

 

[Cuciu]

what read/write speed are you looking to acheive?

I have to use it for vst samples (like kontakt libraries, keyscape), where the speed i suppose is very important. In this moment i use a normal sada hd and the speed it’s not enough (noise when i play the samples, with cpu level at normal level).

Tks

 

[h9826790]

I have to use it for vst samples (like kontakt libraries, keyscape), where the speed i suppose is very important. In this moment i use a normal sada hd and the speed it’s not enough (noise when i play the samples, with cpu level at normal level).

Tks

You have to check if the CPU is single thread limiting. Total CPU usage at normal (or even low) level doesn't mean much in general.

Also, if you can make a small size sample (just few GB), then you can create a RAM drive, put the sample at there. Then you will know if storage speed make the difference.

 

[dontpokebearz]

2.5 or m.2 is just the form factor, nothing to do with performance. Even though 2.5 is limited to SATA 3 speed at this moment, but a m.2 can also be SATA SSD.

If you want fast storage (only storage, not bootable), PCIe NVMe SSD is the way to go (highly suggest with the High Sierra native driver support)

So I just bought a new cMP, and I’m having a hard time finding the answer I need. What’s the most efficient way to use an SSD in the cMP? It seems that you can get much faster speeds using a PCIe SSD than one in the disk slots. For a small SSD to boot macOS off of what would you recommend? Im coming from a retina MacBook Pro which has decent read/wrote speeds. So I wouldn’t want to be much slower than that.

 

[h9826790]

So I just bought a new cMP, and I’m having a hard time finding the answer I need. What’s the most efficient way to use an SSD in the cMP? It seems that you can get much faster speeds using a PCIe SSD than one in the disk slots. For a small SSD to boot macOS off of what would you recommend? Im coming from a retina MacBook Pro which has decent read/wrote speeds. So I wouldn’t want to be much slower than that.

For booting macOS, any SATA SSD can do the job (trust me, all you need is just plug it into the optical bay). The 4k random read figure usually about 35MB/s, way below the SATA 2 limitation. That's why you won't get faster boot time, apps loading time, etc by upgrade from SATA 2 to SATA 3 (or even PCIe SSD).

It's doesn't mean faster SSD is useless, but may be only save you few seconds in total for a whole day (only consider OS operation). Is it worth? That's very personal.

I have a PCIe SATA 3 card, but the reason I use it mainly because it give my 2 extra SATA ports. In fact, one of them is only connected to a 2.5" HDD, not even a SSD.

I tried both SATA 2 and SATA 3 connection. The gain? Practically zero (again, only consider OS operation).

However, if you deal with lots of large files loading / copying / cloning (without APFS) or (un)zipping, then PCIe SSD is the way to go.

The most cost effective way to boot macOS from SSD on the cMP is SATA SSD without any PCIe card. And this give you virtually the same performance as any other solution.

I don't know how you use your Mac. But this is what my Mac did in the last 30 days. 99% of the time don't even need 25MB/s.

And in the last 24 hours, the highest loading is about 125MB/s. This is not the real peak, because there may be a split second that the SSD really working at above 300MB/s, but just can't be displayed in the chart. And that's why I say a faster SSD may save you few seconds per day (for normal OS operation).

 

[dontpokebearz]

Awesome, thanks for the reply. Do you have any SSD recommendations?

So if I were to do any video editing, a SSD on the PCIe would be beneficial? but for day to day usage a normal SATA SSD is fine?

Just making sure I understand. I appreciate the help.

 

[h9826790]

Awesome, thanks for the reply. Do you have any SSD recommendations?

So if I were to do any video editing, a SSD on the PCIe would be beneficial? but for day to day usage a normal SATA SSD is fine?

Just making sure I understand. I appreciate the help.

That's correct. And this is why Blackmagic disk speed test shows you all the video format. This speed is relevant for video editing, but not OS operation.

For SATA SSD, my own experience so far tell me "the cheaper the better". I really can't feel the difference between my $30 DGM 120GB SSD, and the $500 Samsung 1TB 840 Evo. But if you want to play safe, I personally suggest Samsung. The Evo series has pretty good balance between price, performance, reliability, availability...

 

[dontpokebearz]

That's correct. And this is why Blackmagic disk speed test shows you all the video format. This speed is relevant for video editing, but not OS operation.
View attachment 751445
For SATA SSD, my own experience so far tell me "the cheaper the better". I really can't feel the difference between my $30 DGM 120GB SSD, and the $500 Samsung 1TB 840 Evo. But if you want to play safe, I personally suggest Samsung. The Evo series has pretty good balance between price, performance, reliability, availability...

Awesome, thanks for the tips. I'll probably pick up an SSD this weekend and plug it in. I'll have to grab an adapter. Maybe in the future I'll add PCIe and use the SSD as extra storage/backup. Will any 2.5 --> 3.5 adapter work? I know some people here actually just use rubber bands, but I'd prefer to not.

 

[h9826790]

Awesome, thanks for the tips. I'll probably pick up an SSD this weekend and plug it in. I'll have to grab an adapter. Maybe in the future I'll add PCIe and use the SSD as extra storage/backup. Will any 2.5 --> 3.5 adapter work? I know some people here actually just use rubber bands, but I'd prefer to not.

Not all adaptor can work, you need an adaptor that can be mounted on the cMP's sled.

I personally suggest just to plug that into the optical bay, so no need to worry about stress the SATA port etc. There is no mechanical moving parts inside the SSD. So, don't really need any mount, just leave it sit on top of the optical drive is definitely good enough. I ran my SSD like this for years. In fact, my Windows 10 SSD is inside the optical bay at this moment without any mount.

However, there is nothing wrong to go for an adaptor. It won't make your SSD perform better, but for low cost, why not make yourself feel better?

 

[dontpokebearz]

Not all adaptor can work, you need an adaptor that can be mounted on the cMP's sled.

I personally suggest just to plug that into the optical bay, so no need to worry about stress the SATA port etc. There is no mechanical moving parts inside the SSD. So, don't really need any mount, just leave it sit on top of the optical drive is definitely good enough. I ran my SSD like this for years. In fact, my Windows 10 SSD is inside the optical bay at this moment without any mount.

However, there is nothing wrong to go for an adaptor. It won't make your SSD perform better, but for low cost, why not make yourself feel better?

Good to know. Well now that we got the SSD out of the way, time to find the best GPU solution....
[doublepost=1518809003][/doublepost]Also, what program are you using to graph read/write speeds?

 

[flowrider]

I have 5 SSDs in my system. 1 is a Samsung SM951 mounted in an AngelBird enclosure, 2 are mounted on a a Velocity x2 Duo the other 2 are mounted in the the HDD bay using VelociRaptor mounting sleds. The sleds are cheap, very strong and have cooling fins. Like this:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Western-Di...790876&hash=item362bf60404:g:kdIAAOSwSFJahKcG

I remove the mounted HDD and replace it with an SSD.

As far as speed goes benchmarks show the following:



The first is the SM951, the second is an 840 Pro on the Velocity Card, the third is an 840 Evo in an HDD tray.

Lou

 

[dontpokebearz]

Now are the 2 SSD in the Velocity using RAID? Also, where did you find your SM951? They seem to be pretty pricey.

 

[Cuciu]

You have to check if the CPU is single thread limiting. Total CPU usage at normal (or even low) level doesn't mean much in general.

Also, if you can make a small size sample (just few GB), then you can create a RAM drive, put the sample at there. Then you will know if storage speed make the difference.

this is the test i made. do i have single thread limiting?

 

[flowrider]

Now are the 2 SSD in the Velocity using RAID? Also, where did you find your SM951? They seem to be pretty pricey.

No to the first question. I've had my SM951 for quite awhile now, while they were still being manufactured.

Lou

 

[lowendlinux]

I boot from a Sandisk 250GB on an OWC Accelsior S, My scratch disk is 128GB SSD out of a MBA on an adaptor, and Windows is on a 250GB 850 Evo in and OWC sled. I do limited video editing since my job is mostly print based but IMHO that Apple SSD should be plenty fast for scratch or loading samples.