Mac Pro 5,1 recommendations for SSD (size, PCIe?, uses, etc.)

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Level 1

34 points

Mac Pro 5,1 recommendations for SSD (size, PCIe?, uses, etc.)

Hi, I am finally getting around to upgrading my Mac Pro 5,1 (mid-2010). I just updated my GPU (metal-compatible) and added an 8TB HDD. I will soon upgrade from High Sierra to Mojave (clean install).

Next is an SSD boot disk. I searched the forums and didn't find a lot of recent info... probably because I'm late to the game. I hope to keep my cMP as long as possible. However, I don't want to "over upgrade" with components that can't be transferred to a new machine..

I'd appreciate your advice on the following:

What type of SSD?

- SATA 6G drive in PCIe slot up to 500MB/s. Looks like a decent compromise of speed and cost.
- SSD that connect to SATA up to 300MB/s. Will probably not go this route due to slower speed.
- PCIe M.2 NVMe SSD (super fast, but very expensive. Not sure I need 1TB SSD and can cost justify this, although it's much cheaper than a new Mac Pro)

I'm thinking 250GB is adequate for macOS, plus scratch.
Is it a good idea to put scratch disks on the SSD?
Are there any other files that are suited for SSD?
That's all I know to ask, but please chime with other related thoughts.

I use Photoshop CC, Bridge, Helicon Focus and Lightroom. Thanks.

Mac Pro, macOS 10.13

Posted on Feb 20, 2020 1:03 PM

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Answer 1

Feb 20, 2020 7:09 PM in response to wip

SSD drives under 500-ish are not much cheaper and some are far slower. I consider 500-ish the minimum I would recommend. With more spare space, the drive will last much longer.

If you put your first SSD drive in a drive bay, you can always add another on a PCIe card later. (but remember to get a card with a heatsink, otherwise when it gets too hot it clocks down.)

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Answer 2

JimmyCMPIT

Level 7

29,306 points

Feb 20, 2020 1:10 PM in response to wip

the logicboard is maxed out at 3GB/s if you use the SATA

NVMe drive is will also not get full effect through the PCIe bus and the card you may need to connect it could take up a PCIe16 slot if you were looking to add another internal GPU or some other device later.

256BG scratch is probably okay on an SSD but the R/W is going to lessen the life of the device.

Long term storage doesn't benefit much from SSD, and backups benifit from speed and longevity of the device but the cost makes them ineffective.

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Answer 3

wip Author

Level 1

34 points

Feb 20, 2020 3:19 PM in response to JimmyCMPIT

Thanks, JimmyCMPIT. Based on your reply, I'm leaning towards the SSD/SATA for just macOS. Seems like other people find that to be fast enough. And I'll keep scratch on HDD.

I'm wondering what would be possible reasons for needing another GPU in the future. Maybe if I have several monitors???

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Answer 4

wip Author

Level 1

34 points

Feb 21, 2020 2:05 PM in response to Grant Bennet-Alder

Thanks, Grant, your reply has given me more to chew on. I'm going back and forth, but it's now looking like SATA SSD with PCIe is better for me.

Also, I like to have multiple versions of the OS in case I need to revert back as it's happened before. Plus I have an old and barely used monitor calibrator that requires an old OS X. So since more space is better than too tight, I'm now leaning to 1TB and hopefully be done with it.

I will look into the heatsink. Thanks for bringing that up!

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Answer 5

Feb 22, 2020 4:50 PM in response to wip

<<PCIe to 2.5" 6Gb/s SATA SSD Adapter on OWC>>

That one has all the problems and expense of putting it in a PCIe slot, and is not much faster than one in a drive bay. That one does not need a heatsink because it is not fast enough to get hot and throttle down. The drive used may be in a metal "can".

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Answer 6

wip Author

Level 1

34 points

Feb 22, 2020 2:38 PM in response to wip

I found a PCIe to 2.5" 6Gb/s SATA SSD Adapter on OWC, and am waiting to hear back if it has a heatsink. In the meantime, can anyone recommend another good adapter with a heatsink?

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Answer 7

wip Author

Level 1

34 points

Feb 22, 2020 6:42 PM in response to Grant Bennet-Alder

I'm not quite sure what you mean by the metal "can" and the problem with that. Actually, I was leaning towards a Samsung 860 Evo paired with something like the OWC PCIe adapter.

I might be getting myself confused because this is all new stuff to me so please excuse my lack of knowledge. However, I thought the PCIe SATA option delivered 500MB/s whereas putting the same drive in a SATA bay would deliver 300MB/s??? Is that incorrect or maybe just too small an improvement to make it worthwhile.

Hmmm... so are you saying that switching the boot drive from an HDD to SDD is really where there will be the most reasonable bang for the buck for my use case? Plus the ease of sliding it into the SATA bay?

So was your heatsink recommendation for NVME? If someone can recommend a solution for less than $300 with a heatsink, then I might seriously consider NVME. OWC has 1TB for $530... a bit much for an aging cMP and I probably don't need that much speed.

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Mac Pro 5,1 recommendations for SSD (size, PCIe?, uses, etc.)

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