USB 3.x PCIe Cards for Classic Mac Pro

[hfg]

My final shootout testdrive:

USB 3.0 / eSATA to 2.5 / 3.5” SATA HDD / SSD Duplicator Dock – Standalone Hard Drive Cloner – SATA 6Gbps~SDOCK2U33RE

Nice speeds ... looks like a great dual drive dock as well.

FYI: You can save $45 by purchasing that dock from Amazon too ...

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00KT3BEAS/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

[EdDuPlessis]

This news is a bit old but there are USB 3.1 cards in development and should be available within six months. PC mobos will be available first quarter 2015.

http://www.frescologic.com/news_show.php?pe=1&ns=52

And Akitio has stuck a USB 3.1 PCIE card in their Thunderbolt PCIE box. You could remove the card and stick it in your Mac Pro while still using the box with another Mac with thunderbolt. It should be available soon after CES 2015.

http://www.akitio.com/press-releases/2014/akitio-announces-thunderbolt2-usb31-solution

 

[Synchro3]

My final shootout testdrive:

2x 840 EVO RAID0

USB 3.0

sSATA



EDIT: Any thoughts about the spikes in the charts?

The StarTech is - for now - a definite to-keep for me and forms a great combo with the CalDigit FASTA6PRO! I choose this model for the boot capability on the Mac Pro. The offline disk-duper is a bonus! 😎

Cheers...

That USB 3 is slower than eSATA was expected. But only 483.3 MB Write and 505.6 MB Read in a RAID?

I thought one 840 EVO could reach this nearly alone.

 

[crjackson2134]

This news is a bit old but there are USB 3.1 cards in development and should be available within six months. PC mobos will be available first quarter 2015.

http://www.frescologic.com/news_show.php?pe=1&ns=52

And Akitio has stuck a USB 3.1 PCIE card in their Thunderbolt PCIE box. You could remove the card and stick it in your Mac Pro while still using the box with another Mac with thunderbolt. It should be available soon after CES 2015.

http://www.akitio.com/press-releases/2014/akitio-announces-thunderbolt2-usb31-solution

The Akitio is interesting but the problem that would likely arise by placing the USB card inside a cMP is the driver. It dose sound like a possible solution may come down the pike though. It would be especially awesome if this also fixed the BT interference.

 

[m4v3r1ck]

That USB 3 is slower than eSATA was expected. But only 483.3 MB Write and 505.6 MB Read in a RAID? I thought one 840 EVO could reach this nearly alone.

As far as I've done my research correctly: Data transfer speeds up to 600 MB/sec.

FASTA 6GU3 PRO

840 EVO (no raid):

Still trying to push this card to it's limits. Any thoughts to accomplish this? TIA!

 

[mikeboss]

As far as I've done my research correctly: Data transfer speeds up to 600 MB/sec.

yes, theoretically. but there's command overhead etc. the fastest real world speed won't be much higher than 500MB/Sec.

 

[Synchro3]

I was planning to install a RAID with 2 Crucial M500 960 GB SSD's, attached to the Caldigit FASTA-6GU3 Pro card.

The only advantage would be to have a real big SSD, but not the performance, i suppose…

Disillusioning. 🙄

Update: Tested now all my drives attached to the Caldigit FASTA Pro card, i think at least write speeds would benefit in a RAID 0 a little bit.

However, my preferred scratch disk will remain the Apple PCI-E SSD, three times faster than my SATA SSD's.

But still like my Caldigit card, because of no compatibility issues.

 

[m4v3r1ck]

I was planning to install a RAID with 2 Crucial M500 960 GB SSD's, attached to the Caldigit FASTA-6GU3 Pro card.

The only advantage would be to have a real big SSD, but not the performance, i suppose…

Disillusioning. 🙄

*********

But still like my Caldigit card, because of no compatibility issues.

My point of view also! No issues so far and a great combo card that uses only one PCIe for USB 3 Photo Card Reader and eSata for my bootable CCC back-ups!

Cheers

 

[kitkats]

Problems with Orico PFU3-2P

I have an Early 2009 Mac Pro 4,1 which I've recently upgraded with:

A Radeon HD 5770 - bottom 16x PCI slot
A Sonnet Tempo SSD card (non-Pro) with 2 x Samsung Pro 840 SSD's (not RAID) - next 16x slot
A Blackmagic Intensity Pro - next 4x slot
A powered Orico PFU3-2P - next 4x slot, power comes from nearest SATA connector via an adaptor

I'm using a LaCie Rugged SSD drive to work from. But with the LaCie connected over USB3 to the Orico, sooner or later the drive will hang and the Finder becomes more-or-less unusable until I pull the plug on the LaCie. It won't even shut down the Mac until the USB cable is pulled. Last time the hang somehow tripped a second drive (connected via Firewire) to hang as well, until the USB3 was pulled.

By 'hang' I mean there's a spinning disc in the bottom right corner of the finder window and a beachball when I mouse over it.

I have tested the LaCie over USB3 and Thunderbolt on my MacBook Pro and it behaves normally. I've tested an older external drive (Non SSD) over the USB3 on the Mac Pro and that behaves normally. The problem seems to be unique to the combo of the Orico and the LaCie SSD.

I was really hoping to streamline my workflow with this external SSD, as I work across the two machines a LOT. If anyone can shed any light on this, I'd be very grateful.

Thanks.

 

[HelsinkiMac]

Bit of a thread revival but this is the most complete USB3 thread I can find... but still can't quite get the answers I need for USB3 on my system!

Currently running OSX10.6.8 on a 2009 MacPro, and will for about another 1/2 year as I learn a few programs that can't be replaced when I switch to i.e. Yosemite. So I need a card with drivers that work with OS10.6.8, and that also works with Yosemite, preferably natively but drivers are OK. I'd also like to try to avoid using a USB3 card that needs power from a separate cable as I have a DVD writer and 2xHDs in the 2 optical drive bays so no spare power... And preferably as cheap as possible!

Does such a thing exist? The Orico cards seem to work with drivers for 10.6.8 but only their extra cabled powered ones, the ones without the cable requirement don't. Anything else available?

Thanks!

 

[Synchro3]

So I need a card with drivers that work with OS10.6.8, and that also works with Yosemite, preferably natively but drivers are OK. I'd also like to try to avoid using a USB3 card that needs power from a separate cable as I have a DVD writer and 2xHDs in the 2 optical drive bays so no spare power... And preferably as cheap as possible!

The older Caldigit FASTA-6GU3 (without 'Pro') is compatible with OS X 10.6.8 and needs no additional power. However, this card works also in OS X Yosemite.

Drivers for OS X 10.6.8: http://www.caldigit.com/Support.asp#FASTA

If you have problems after update to OS X Yosemite, delete following files:
SYSTEM DRIVE ▸ Library ▸ Extensions > CalDigitHDProDrv.kext
SYSTEM DRIVE ▸ System ▸ Library ▸ Extensions > CalDigitFastIO.kext
SYSTEM DRIVE ▸ System ▸ Library ▸ Extensions > CalDigitUSBxHCI.kext

One more comment: Other than described in the tech specs (in contrast to the newer 'Pro' card) the older card support only eSATA 3G, and the USB 3.0 supports only to connect HardDrives/SSD's, no Hub's, and no UASP.

 

[Macsonic]

Bit of a thread revival but this is the most complete USB3 thread I can find... but still can't quite get the answers I need for USB3 on my system!

Currently running OSX10.6.8 on a 2009 MacPro, and will for about another 1/2 year as I learn a few programs that can't be replaced when I switch to i.e. Yosemite. So I need a card with drivers that work with OS10.6.8, and that also works with Yosemite, preferably natively but drivers are OK. I'd also like to try to avoid using a USB3 card that needs power from a separate cable as I have a DVD writer and 2xHDs in the 2 optical drive bays so no spare power... And preferably as cheap as possible!

Does such a thing exist? The Orico cards seem to work with drivers for 10.6.8 but only their extra cabled powered ones, the ones without the cable requirement don't. Anything else available?

Thanks!

I still use Snow Leopard 10.6.8 and I am using these USB 3 cards- Caldigit eSata/USB 3 combo ( older model ), Highpoint RocketU 1144CM and Newertech Max eSata/USB 3 combo. The Caldigit USB 3/eSATA I am using is the old model that's discontinued. Caldigit released a newer model but it's OS requirement is at least Mountain Lion 10.8.5 or newer.

All of the above cards works in Mountain Lion 10.8.3 or higher as sometimes I shift to Mountain Lion ML is my highest OS and no plans of going to Yosemite for now. All brands yield similar transfer speeds via USB 3.0 or eSata connection. I am using a spinning mechanical HD. All of these card do not require extra power and they all don't support sleep via Finder. You'll need to disconnect your external HD before putting the Mac Pro to sleep. The Highpoint RocketU and Newertech Max are the cheapest at around $110. The Inateck 4004 is the cheapest but only works in Mountain Lion 10.8.3 or higher.

 

[crjackson2134]

Macsonic, when you do upgrade the OS to anything Mavericks or above, trade out that 1144CM for an 1144C. You can plug nearly anything into that card (no Kexts required) 🙂

 

[Macsonic]

Macsonic, when you do upgrade the OS to anything Mavericks or above, trade out that 1144CM for an 1144C. You can plug nearly anything into that card (no Kexts required) 🙂

Hi Crjackson. 🙂 Hope you're enjoying your weekend. Yep. I am actually choosing between the Highpoint RocketU 1144C, 1144E or the new Caldigit USB 3.0 Pro. The Caldigit is just pricey. On my other HD I have Mountain Lion installed so these cards would work. No plans yet on shifting to Yosemite. I tried Mavericks but went back to Mountain Lion. I have a couple of eSata ext HDs so I am considering a combo card with eSata and USB 3.0 I like using eSata as the cable locks securely and it's thicker. Here's the HP RocketU 1144E

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1010139-REG/highpoint_ru1144e_rocket_pci_e2_x4_card.htm

 

[crjackson2134]

Hi Crjackson. 🙂 Hope you're enjoying your weekend. Yep. I am actually choosing between the Highpoint RocketU 1144C, 1144E or the new Caldigit USB 3.0 Pro. The Caldigit is just pricey. On my other HD I have Mountain Lion installed so these cards would work. No plans yet on shifting to Yosemite. I tried Mavericks but went back to Mountain Lion. I have a couple of eSata ext HDs so I am considering a combo card with eSata and USB 3.0 I like using eSata as the cable locks securely and it's thicker. Here's the HP RocketU 1144E

Image

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1010139-REG/highpoint_ru1144e_rocket_pci_e2_x4_card.htm

Do your research carefully. I didn't realize you were on 10.8, i'm not sure if OSX has 1144C drivers included in that version.

Also, I've read some disappointing things about the 1144E, I can't remember what it was that turned me off about that card. I think it may not be eSATA bootable or something, so read a lot and choose wisely.

If I were looking for eSATA myself, I'd get the Caldigit and give it a run first, but get it from a place with no hassle returns just in case.

Good luck and post back afterwards.

EDIT: I sent a message to HP support regarding the Boot-ability of the eSATA ports. I'll post the answer when I get it.

 

[Macsonic]

Do your research carefully. I didn't realize you were on 10.8, i'm not sure if OSX has 1144C drivers included in that version.

Also, I've read some disappointing things about the 1144E, I can't remember what it was that turned me off about that card. I think it may not be eSATA bootable or something, so read a lot and choose wisely.

If I were looking for eSATA myself, I'd get the Caldigit and give it a run first, but get it from a place with no hassle returns just in case.

Good luck and post back afterwards.

EDIT: I sent a message to HP support regarding the Boot-ability of the eSATA ports. I'll post the answer when I get it.

Hi Crjackson. I was aware that the Highpoint 1144E card was not bootable via eSata. About 2 months ago I had a live chat with B&H Photo customer service and he confirmed this card does not support booting from external devices. If I recall, he mentioned the card supports other USB devices like printers, mouse keyboards etc. So far only Caldigit is the only USB 3.0 combo card that offers bootability via eSata. Another card that might possibly offer bootability is the Newertech Max 2 port eSata card but it does not have USB 3.0. The specs does not say it is bootable though I think I read a reviewer in Amazon on this card and mentioned this card was bootable. Not sure on this. http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produ...pcie6g2s2_maxpower_pcie_esata_controller.html

About the Caldigit Pro USB 3.0 combo card, one time Amazon and OWC was out of stock on this and they had to back order. I guess people still buy this even though the card is pricey. Or maybe these resellers initially ordered and stocked moderate quantities.

Thanks too for contacting HighPoint's customer support. Hope they can clarify. 😎

 

[crjackson2134]

Well, I'm 99.9% sure of this myself, I just want to here it from tech. support. Not being able to boot from the eSATA was a deal breaker for me.

EDIT: Here is the response from HighPoint Tech. support.

Status: Active -> Awaiting Customer Action

Dear Custimer,
This card doesn't booting in OSX.

Regards,

 

[Loa]

Hello,

Has anyone tried that card from mediasonic? They specifically say that it's mac compatible from 10.8.2+ (while they specifically say that their 2 port version is not). It's pretty cheap.

Loa

 

[HelsinkiMac]

Thanks for the replies. I've gone for the Newertech version that needs drivers so it should work from 10.6.8 to 10.10, and if anything changes in the future, they seem to be good at keeping things working. If the worst comes and it stops working with future OS I guess I just sell it and replace with the inateck...

 

[Macsonic]

Thanks for the replies. I've gone for the Newertech version that needs drivers so it should work from 10.6.8 to 10.10, and if anything changes in the future, they seem to be good at keeping things working. If the worst comes and it stops working with future OS I guess I just sell it and replace with the inateck...

Welcome HelsinkiMac. Just a side note. The Newertech Max external HD icon via eSata is displayed as a Grey HD similar to the internal HD icon and not the usual orange HD icon. You'll need to look carefully whenever you access files from various HD. With Snow Leopard a driver is needed to be installed. With Mountain Lion no driver is needed. Plug and Play from my experience. I can't comment if the Newertech Max works fine with Mavericks or Yosemite but it should.

----------

Well, I'm 99.9% sure of this myself, I just want to here it from tech. support. Not being able to boot from the eSATA was a deal breaker for me.

EDIT: Here is the response from HighPoint Tech. support.

Thanks Crjackson2134. I'll probably be leaning on the Caldigit Pro combo card.

 

[HelsinkiMac]

Thanks for the info Macsonic, it'll only rarely be used with eSATA so should be no problem.

One question for anyone - are there any known compatibility problems with the Apricorn Velocity Solo X2 or Duo X2 PCIe SSD cards, as I've seen people with various combinations of PCIe USB3 &/or eSATA plus PCIe SSD cards having compatibility issues?

 

[flowrider]

^^^^I have a RocketU 1144C (I did have a Inateck) and now have 2 Dou x2s. The only issue I had was when I had a Solo x2 and the Duo working together, as explained here:

I received my Velocity Dou x2 and it works as expected EXCEPT, and this is a BIG EXCEPT. My Velocity Solo x2 will not boot when the Duo is installed, pull the duo out and the Solo boots fine. The drive in the Solo shows up fine on the DeskTop, and works fine, but it just won't boot.

I talked to Apricorn Tech Support, and they have duplicated the issue and they believe it's because the Marvel controllers don't work well together. Not sure what I'm going to do at this point.

I've been working with the Apricorn folks since early in the year. They duplicated the problem and came up with a firmware fix, that solved the issue. Both the Solo x1 and x2 coexisted, but being the fool that I am, I got a second Duo bought another SSD, this time a 512GB 840 Pro and I'm now running 4 SSDs (1 original Series 840, 2 840 EVOs and the 840 Pro) along with my 3 Internal HDDs and a 3.5" Seagate internal SSHD. And, of course, 2 optical drives. Wow, 10 drives inside my Tower. Try that in a nMP.

I gave both my external drives the boot. Packed 'em away for a rainy day.

The Apricorn folks were GREAT to WORK with, and I thank them for their efforts in helping me solve my problem.

Everything is working fine with my combo.

Lou

 

[crjackson2134]

Thanks for the info Macsonic, it'll only rarely be used with eSATA so should be no problem.

One question for anyone - are there any known compatibility problems with the Apricorn Velocity Solo X2 or Duo X2 PCIe SSD cards, as I've seen people with various combinations of PCIe USB3 &/or eSATA plus PCIe SSD cards having compatibility issues?

No problems with th Apricorn Solo X2 & the HighPoint RocketU-1144C & the Inateck KT-4004.

 

[mikeboss]

Thanks for the info Macsonic, it'll only rarely be used with eSATA so should be no problem.

One question for anyone - are there any known compatibility problems with the Apricorn Velocity Solo X2 or Duo X2 PCIe SSD cards, as I've seen people with various combinations of PCIe USB3 &/or eSATA plus PCIe SSD cards having compatibility issues?

my MacPro5,1 startet to behave erratically with the combination of the SAMSUNG XP941 plus CalDigit FASTA-6GU3 Pro. I had to wait ages until the EFI bootmenu appeared when I wanted to switch os. also, MS-Windows wouldn't boot anymore at about half of the attempts I tried it. went back to the inateck KT4004 and all is well again.

EDIT:

went to the inateck site and saw that there seems to be a new card from them (specifically for the Mac Pro):
http://www.inateck.com/inateck-kt7001-7-port-usb-3-0-pci-e-express-card/

 

[HelsinkiMac]

Sorry, I wasn't very precise, I meant to say any compatibility problems between the Newertech USB3/eSATA PCIe card with drivers for OSX 10.6.8, and either of the Apricorn Velocity Solo or Duo X2 PCIe SSD cards? Pretty specific combination but likely what I will end up with!