Using Icy Dock in a Mac Pro

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Level 1

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Using Icy Dock in a Mac Pro

Just want to confirm that if I get the Icy Dock from OWC for $25 I can put in Intel's new X25-M SSD. Then take my Bay #3 sled and treat the Icy Dock like any other naked 3.5" HDD and attach the 4 sled screws, slide it in the Mac.

I am going to use the SSD as my boot and also want to confirm the Mac doesn't care if the boot disk is in Bay #3 instead of #1. I rather not unscrew the HDD that's already attached to sled #1.

Thanks for the info!

Mac OS X (10.5.7)

Posted on Aug 7, 2009 11:29 PM

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Answer 1

qd.smits

Level 2

205 points

Aug 8, 2009 12:37 AM in response to Luba Cox

You mean these: http://www.icydock.com.tw/English/mb882sp-1s-1_frame.html ?

These'll work, I'm currently using them with two 120GB OCZ Vertex SSDs.

Also, I've just moved the metal 'thing' with the disk in it to bay three, so the numbers now say '2-3-1-4' but OSX 'sees' them as '1-2-3-4'.

It'll work fine, though, if you put your SSDs in 2 and 3, you'll have to press the option key while booting to select the right volume, though. (I don't know if you only need to do that the first time or if you need to do it every time...)

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Answer 2

ltsl

Level 1

15 points

Aug 8, 2009 1:25 AM in response to qd.smits

You can set the startup volume in the control panel using "Startup disk". Or just use Spotlight to locate "Startup disk" panel. Select the boot drive you like to boot from and it will take that unless you press OPTION key.

As long as you only have one boot drive it should take that automatically - even if the boot drive is in the optical bay (my X25-M was there before I got the maxupgrades 2.5" slides).

The numbers on the trays don't matter - they are just printed on dumb metal 🙂.

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Answer 3

Luba Cox Author

Level 1

0 points

Aug 8, 2009 12:27 PM in response to ltsl

Even though nobody would see the sleds numbered out of order I prefer it to be 1,2,3,4 🙂. So in Startup Disk I tell the Mac what disk to use for boot so there's no loss in time for the Mac looking for the boot? I recall in older PCs it went through a certain order looking for the system so you could lose a little time although it's probably milli-seconds.

I guess I like the Icy Dock since I get to use the sleds that came with the Mac. Are the Macupgrade sleds also a better quality than the regular Mac sleds? What did you do with your Mac sleds when you used the Macupgrade ones? Just stored it away in your desk? The only drawback is the Icy Docks are plastic but then HDD are encased in plastic. 🙂

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Answer 4

ltsl

Level 1

15 points

Aug 9, 2009 1:40 AM in response to Luba Cox

I like the sleds - the quality is OK and they fit properly. They don't have a nifty number on them, though 😉. And yes indeed the original sleds are in my desk now.

The problem for me with the Icy Dock was that they were not available in any shop in germany at the time I was looking for them. Not sure if they are available again... this is why I got the maxupgrades. Can't tell if it's a drawback to have the disks in plastic... you won't see them too often anyway?

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Answer 5

qd.smits

Level 2

205 points

Aug 9, 2009 1:55 AM in response to ltsl

The MaxUpgrade sleds were/are available in Germany?

I had to order the Icy Dock converters from the US too, by the way, but the MaxUpgrade sleds too, the Icy Dock convertors just cost almost half that of the MaxUpgrade sleds. ($29 vs $48,50)

And this way I don't have to put two Apple sleds away somewhere...

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Answer 6

ltsl

Level 1

15 points

Aug 9, 2009 2:53 AM in response to qd.smits

They should be, as Maxupgrades ships to Germany (for about $25). But I admit that this was too much for me and luckily a friend of mine was heading to Germany from the US at that time.

The Icy Dock was labeled as "discontinued" product in many german and american shops at this time and I did not succeed in getting one in the short time I had before my friend's trip 😉.

And you are right about the price - I'd for sure take the Icy Dock if I had to buy another 2.5"-to-3.5" adapter.

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