PCIe card to enable bootable SATA3 SSD on early 2008 mac pro?

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PCIe card to enable bootable SATA3 SSD on early 2008 mac pro?

Hello all,

Looking to get some feedback on the potential workability of this upgrade for my early 2008 MacPro (16GB RAM running OSX 10.6.7). I work in video post production so I need speed though not necessarily a lot of space.

Here is what I'm thinking:

BOOT DRIVE: Internal 240GB SSD (OWC SATA3)

- Power via optical bay via adapter cable

- Data via PCIe SATA3 card and cable running out the back

Was thinking of this card:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/New-PCI-E-SATA-3-0-SATA-III-Card-6Gb-s-eSata-ASM1061-/16 0583982904?pt=UK_Computing_ComputerComponents_InterfaceCard

as it seems to be the same as this but cheaper:

http://eshop.macsales.com/item/NewerTech/MXPCIE6GS2/

SCRATCH DRIVE: 2x 300GB Velociraptor SATA2 in software RAID 0 in drive bays 1+2

SCRATCH DRIVE/PROJECT DRIVE: 2x 1TB 7200 SATA2 drives in RADI 0 in drive bays 3+4

BACKUP/STORAGE DRIVES: 2x large 5900 drives connected via external Icy Dock stations that connect to 2 internal eSATA ports on logic board via extension cables. Possibly an extra SATA drive in the optical bay too via SATA-IDE converter. I have an external firewire optical drive.

Questions:

- I am using a flashed PC graphics card: 1GB ATI Radeon HD 4870 which takes up so much space I only have room to use the two top x4 PCI slots. WIll these slots be able to fully support the PCIe SATA3 card for the SATA3 SSD?

- Will the SSD be bootable with the PCIe card linked above? It appears to be the same one that OWC sells but cheaper?

- Is the speed increase with the PCI card/SATA3 SSD really worth all the fuss or should I just get a SATA2 SSD? I've read on barefeats that SATA3 SSDs can actually be slower than SATA2 SSDs when not in a SATA3 connection

- Any bottlenecks you can see for limiting my speeds? Will the total transfers max out at 1gbps and do you think this will push that?

Many thanks for your time!

MacPro 8 Core, Mac OS X (10.6.2)

Posted on Feb 3, 2012 4:43 AM

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Answer 1

The hatter

Level 9

60,990 points

Feb 3, 2012 5:16 AM in response to Rejon

PCIe eSATA Controller MacSales

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Answer 2

Kujako

Level 2

270 points

Feb 3, 2012 8:05 AM in response to Rejon

I've not used a bootable SATA 6GB card so I cant comment on that. I will however point out that the MacSales cards are for an external port multiplier connection only, with no internal ports. However, the one you linked to on eBay unless it says it works with OS X odds are it wont. In point of fact, that auction says "Supported Windows 2000/XP/2003/XP 64-bit/Vista/Win7" only.

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Answer 3

Feb 3, 2012 8:18 AM in response to Rejon

Rejon wrote:

...as it seems to be the same as this but cheaper:

http://eshop.macsales.com/item/NewerTech/MXPCIE6GS2/

Can't help with the other questions but I'm using that card and you can't boot from it. However, http://eshop.macsales.com/item/NewerTech/MPQXES2/ should allow booting since all it does is extend the internal connectors to the Mac's back plane. Still, I'd advise checking with OWC first.

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Answer 4

The hatter

Level 9

60,990 points

Feb 3, 2012 8:33 AM in response to Rejon

Highpoint has earned a bad name very often, still, Apple Store has HPT 6G 4-port $249 and comments say bootable or can be made to.

bootable = EFI firmware based cards

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Answer 5

Kujako

Level 2

270 points

Feb 3, 2012 8:38 AM in response to FatMac-MacPro

FatMac\>MacPro wrote:

Rejon wrote:

...as it seems to be the same as this but cheaper:

http://eshop.macsales.com/item/NewerTech/MXPCIE6GS2/

Can't help with the other questions but I'm using that card and you can't boot from it. However, http://eshop.macsales.com/item/NewerTech/MPQXES2/ should allow booting since all it does is extend the internal connectors to the Mac's back plane. Still, I'd advise checking with OWC first.

However the internal ports are not 6GB, which is why a PCIe card is needed.

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Answer 6

Rejon Author

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Feb 5, 2012 5:22 AM in response to The hatter

Makes sense. So any idea if the card you linked above:

http://eshop.macsales.com/item/Firmtek/SATAE6G/

Has EFI Firmware support?

Ideally looking for something at $100-150 or so at most or I might as well buy a RAID card, no?

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Answer 7

Rejon Author

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Feb 5, 2012 5:30 AM in response to Rejon

I am guessing not as they would probably be pushing the point if it could support a bootable drive.

But if I was spending the over $200 might as well go for something like this:

http://eshop.macsales.com/item/NewerTech/MXPRMS6G1E1I/

No?

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Answer 8

Feb 5, 2012 9:32 AM in response to Rejon

Rejon wrote:

I am guessing not as they would probably be pushing the point if it could support a bootable drive.

But if I was spending the over $200 might as well go for something like this:

http://eshop.macsales.com/item/NewerTech/MXPRMS6G1E1I/

No?

Not unless you've given up wanting a bootable drive. In the Specs section at the bottom it says:

Bootability

Mac OS X Bootable: No
Windows Bootable: Yes from BIOS

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Answer 9

Kujako

Level 2

270 points

Feb 5, 2012 11:07 AM in response to Rejon

It has been reported that OS X 10.7 and 10.6.8 do support the ASMedia ASM1061 chipset, which can be found on some very low cost cards.

http://tonymacx86.blogspot.com/2011/08/increasing-disk-performance-sata-6gbs.htm l

No promises that it will work for you, but its a cheep enough card that it may be worth trying. You can find the card for even less on eBay by searching for ASM1061. Just be sure you get one with the ports in the right place for you (some have all external, some all internal).

Likewise the Marvel chipset has been known to work as well.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16816115072

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Answer 10

Rejon Author

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Feb 6, 2012 2:29 PM in response to Rejon

Thanks for the replies all,

I've been scouring the forums on this for days now so mainly looking for personal success stories and the exact details of the systems it is working on. My main worry is that i'm still on 10.6.7 (afriad to upgrade now as it tends to cause issues with my flashed PC graphics card) with a 2008 mac pro and most of the confirmed reports come from those on at least a 2009 mac pro running Lion.

So am considering buying one of the cheaper cards just to see as I could probably use an extra SATA3 port even if not bootable. Then if not joy buying a SATA2 SSD for boot as apparently the SATA3 won't make such and dramatic difference after all.

Many thanks for the tips though!

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Answer 11

Rejon Author

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Feb 6, 2012 2:48 PM in response to Rejon

And for all who stumble across this thread and want a quick answer, google:

HighPoint RocketRAID eSATA for Mac PCI-Ex4 RAID Controller Card

It claims to be bootable, 4 lance PCIe, anf EFI so bootable.

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Answer 12

Kujako

Level 2

270 points

Feb 6, 2012 3:13 PM in response to Rejon

Rejon wrote:

And for all who stumble across this thread and want a quick answer, google:

HighPoint RocketRAID eSATA for Mac PCI-Ex4 RAID Controller Card

It claims to be bootable, 4 lance PCIe, anf EFI so bootable.

It is also not 6Gb/s and only has external ports. So no, it is not the answer.

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Answer 13

Rejon Author

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Feb 7, 2012 2:09 PM in response to Kujako

Argh! I missed the Sata2 bit...

This maybe? Though god knows if it is bootable...

I'm just amazed someone hasn't made one and marketed as being mac friendly

Here is another though probably not bootable...

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/HighPoint-RocketRAID644-eSATA-6Gb-s-Adapter-PCIE-Card- RAID0-1-5-10-SATA-3-0-New-/280745543884?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_2&hash=item415dbd08c c

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Answer 14

Rejon Author

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Feb 7, 2012 2:21 PM in response to Kujako

ah here we go:

http://www.scan.co.uk/products/highpoint-rocketraid-640-%28rr640%29-4-channel-in ternal-pci-e-20-x4-to-sata-6gb-s-raid-controller-card?utm_source=google+shopping &utm_medium=google+shopping

and the infamous hatter had a lot to say on this previously:

https://discussions.apple.com/thread/3256839?start=0&tstart=0

guess I won't be able to use it with the kernel in 64-bit tho...

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Answer 15

Mar 31, 2012 3:47 PM in response to Rejon

what about the combination of :

http://www.maxupgrades.com/istore/index.cfm?fuseaction=product.display&product_I D=189&ParentCat=351

http://eshop.macsales.com/item/NewerTech/MXPRMS6G1E1I/

I really wonder if this could be a bootable and clutterless SATA3 solution for the 2009-2010 models. Don't know if something similar is possible with the mp2008.

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