Full SATA 3 support for optibay

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Level 1

8 points

Full SATA 3 support for optibay

Hello,

I'm the happy owner of a 2011 MBP 8,2 and have an SSD installed as the hard-drive and am enjoying the speed of SATA 3 (6GB). I have installed the original Apple hard-drive in the optibay as my backup/storage disk which connects at SATA 2 (3 GB) speeds. However, when testing the Optibay with a SATA 3 hardrive, the system will not recognize the drive although the link speed is showing 6 GB available. My reading and experience to date tells me that full SATA 3 support is not available for the optibay. I have the latest updates, so Is there a firmware or procedural fix for this type of support?

Thanks

MacBook Pro, Mac OS X (10.6.8)

Posted on Feb 9, 2012 4:05 AM

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Answer 1

Shootist007

Level 6

16,703 points

Feb 9, 2012 4:11 AM in response to AceyPilot

The optical bay has full 6GBs support. It also supports all drive that are 1.5/3/6 GBs.

You do not have the cable connected correctly or the drive is not properly inserted in the Optibay. Could be on the Optibay or to the motherboard. Take it apart again and check the connections.

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Answer 2

AceyPilot Author

Level 1

8 points

Feb 9, 2012 4:29 AM in response to AceyPilot

Thanks for that bit of good advice Shootist007. But before I take this thing apart again, can you confirm that you are using a SATA 3 device reliably in the Optibay please?

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Answer 3

Lexiepex

Level 6

14,102 points

Feb 9, 2012 4:30 AM in response to Shootist007

I have a somewhat older MBP: it has Sata2 (3GB) and I have the main HDD changed for a Sata2 SSD and placed the original HDD in the DvD bay. The SSD is running 10.7.3 and the HD is running SL.

When I start "normal" (SSD) it connects with 3GB and looking at the HD it is connected at 1.5GB. When I start from the HD it is connected at 3GB and the SSD is connected at 1.5GB. So it seems both connectors are 3GB but only one is connected at 3GB at the time. I do not know how to "force" both at 3GB at the same time. The connectors are connected correctly.

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Answer 4

Shootist007

Level 6

16,703 points

Feb 9, 2012 4:37 AM in response to Lexiepex

Yes I am. I put a SSD in main bay and used Mec optibay for the original drive. Working no problems.

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Answer 5

Shootist007

Level 6

16,703 points

Feb 9, 2012 4:47 AM in response to Lexiepex

Lex I doubt you can Force both to be 3GB at the same time. It is a limitation of the Intel chipset in your model MBP.

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Answer 6

AceyPilot Author

Level 1

8 points

Feb 9, 2012 5:00 AM in response to AceyPilot

Interesting...

My original Apple HD only connects at 3GB in the optibay, but connected at 6GB in the main drive, why on a SATA 3 system? The other third party SATA 3 drive that was tested on the optibay gave unstable indications, sometimes showing negotiated link speeds of 6GB but would not read and write data. I tested two separate disks, and double checked the connections on both. Pardon me, but could something else besides poor connections be at play here? The optibay is working fine now with the original Apple hard-drive, but only at 3GB. Your thoughts please?

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Answer 7

Shootist007

Level 6

16,703 points

Feb 9, 2012 5:17 AM in response to AceyPilot

I believe you are mistaken about the actual speed of the original drive in the main bay. There are NO Spinning HDD, especially 5400RPM HDD, that connect at 6GBs. Your Link speed, the speed of the SATA connector, is 6GBs but the drive will only do 3GBs.

That is what mine is connecting at and it is what it connect at when in the main bay. All Apple supplied drives are only 3GBs.

Is this a Real MecTech Optibay or some other aftermarket Optical Bay Caddy?

I'm using the MEC Optibay.

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Answer 8

Lexiepex

Level 6

14,102 points

Feb 9, 2012 5:37 AM in response to Shootist007

THX shootist ! I am prepared to live with it. 😉

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Answer 9

AceyPilot Author

Level 1

8 points

Feb 9, 2012 8:29 AM in response to AceyPilot

I'm using the MEC Optibay like you and have had good reults with it on my old MBP as well as with the Apple standard HDD. You are right, the Apple HDD is a 5400 RPM SATA 2 drive and is connecting at 3GB on the main Bay. It is my SATA 3 SSD that connects at 6GB on the main bay, but not on the Optibay. Sorry for the confusion.

The question still is, why will a SATA 2 work for me and not a SATA 3 on the Optibay? You originally stated,

"I put an SSD in the main bay and used MEC Optibay for the original drive." This means that like me, your SATA 2 works fine in the Optibay. Correct? I need conformation that SATA 3 actually works in the optibay despite what link speed that may appear to be available in the Serial ATA Device Tree.

I am reading that Apple does not actually support the full SATA 3 on the Optibay because it is not needed for the CD drive normally installed there for warrenty. But I have yet to confirm this. If this is so, perhaps Apple will release another firmware update addressing this issue.

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Answer 10

Shootist007

Level 6

16,703 points

Feb 9, 2012 8:48 AM in response to AceyPilot

Not realy sure what you mean.

If you have a late 2011 MBP it has a series 6 Intel chipset which support SATA III on all channels.

I have not even tried a SATA III drive on the secondary, optical bay, port. So I have no idea.

Whether Apple/Mac OS X supports it I don't know either. But I really don't think it is up to the OS. It is the chipset software that either does or doesn't support the speed of the SATA ports and which ones it does or doesn't.

From what I read about the Series 6 Intel chipset SATA III is supported across all ports.

Even with the original DVD drive on that port it reads a 6GBs with the drive only supporting 1.5GBs as anything faster is just a waist.

For me I got all the parts. pulled the system apart, switched everything around, put it back together, turned it on and haven't thought anythiing about since. It worked from the first startup and continues. Aboth the only thing I did was a clean install on the SSD, leaving the original install on the HDD until I knew the SSD would work and I could enable TRIM support on it. I then copied all the data that ws on the original drive to an external, formated the original and then copied the data back on to it.

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Answer 11

AceyPilot Author

Level 1

8 points

Feb 14, 2012 4:28 AM in response to AceyPilot

Indeed I have a late model 2011 MBP with the intel 6 series chipset for both the optibay and main drive bays. This is what I have found to date by actually trying it and product research.

A SATA 3 SSD/HDD will connect at 6GB negotiated link speed, but will not operate with data.
A SATA 2 SSD/HDD will connect at 3GB and will operate with data.

So if your thinking of that SATA 6 RAID on this device, think SATA 2 instead. Yes, RAID works fine on this model, but at 3GB max. Make sure you use a SATA 2 device only and not a backwards compatible SATA 3, because this device will connect at 6GB instead of the 3GB that you can actually use, and there is no way to control it unless the drive itself has an external switch for SATA 2/3.

The folks over at OWC has a very good read on this issue. Basically, Apple currently does not support SATA 3 use on the Optibay due warrenty and official support. Some models like the 2011 MBP 13" can obtain SATA 3 use on the optibay. There are several technical issues responsible for this, but it all boils down to factory support. If you are lucky enough to get SATA 3 functionaliy for your model, then good for you.

It really is a shame to have such fine hardware in place, but unable to fully utilize it due factory policy.

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Answer 12

Jul 13, 2012 6:59 PM in response to Lexiepex

Mayby you can help me. I have a late 2011 MBP, A1286 and I tried to put a 750 gig seagate in the optibay adapter. It first would read the drive but did not allow anything to happen and attempts to format it failed. I tried then to put the OCZ Vertex 4 in that slot from the main bay and it would not read the Macintosh HD, but saw the bootcamp and recovery drive. Is there something I am missing? I see many people do this modification but why will this not work? It seems like the optibay SATA does not like the Apple formating or something like that.

Please advise and thanks for looking.

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Answer 13

Shootist007

Level 6

16,703 points

Jul 13, 2012 7:43 PM in response to iambluegorilla

I personally have not had any problem with standard spinning HDDs in the optical bay. But I never tried the Seagate hybrid in that bay.

I would look at the cable. If it is lose at all on the logic board or the drive it may cause what you are seing. Also there is a bend in that cable. If that cable has been bent and straightened and bent again the cable may be failing. It is, IMHO, a very poor design.

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Answer 14

Jul 13, 2012 8:00 PM in response to Shootist007

The optical drive works fine and the ssd installed in that same bay does not show the Mac partition either so it's not the cable or drive, and I even tried the apple hdd only to find the same issue so I suspect the logic board or osx but then how do I convince them of a problem since I have an aftermarket device in?

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Answer 15

Shootist007

Level 6

16,703 points

Jul 13, 2012 8:13 PM in response to iambluegorilla

gmtech@telus.net wrote:

The optical drive works fine and the ssd installed in that same bay does not show the Mac partition either so it's not the cable or drive, and I even tried the apple hdd only to find the same issue so I suspect the logic board or osx but then how do I convince them of a problem since I have an aftermarket device in?

You won't and DO NOT take you Mac into an Apple store with the Superdrive removed. That is an Un-Authorized modification and will VOID you warranty.

I have the same model as you and at one time I did have a drive in that bay. But if I ever had to have it repaired in any way I would replace the superdrive before taking it in. I now have the SD back in the system as I have no need for a SSD on my Mac. I do most of my real work on Win PCs, both desktops and notebook.

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