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Archive of November 13th to 17th, 2017 News     Go to Current News Page

Mac Upgrades/Mods | Storage | Video | Audio/Home Theater | macOS Updates/Tips/WiFi
= Recent Articles/Updates =

Report on Low-Cost Vantec USB 3.0 PCI-e Card (Mac Pro 5,1, macOS 10.13)
"USB 3.0 card success with Mac Pro 5,1
I got the itch to visit my local MicroCenter and found a Vantec 4-Port USB 3.0 PCI-E card for $23.

It came with the SATA power to molex adapter. Since I don't have a 4th drive in my Mac Pro it was convenient to hook this card up with that power port. (Were you already using the 2nd Optical Drive bay?) I had to break off one of the tabs on the SATA power connector, but it fit nicely.

MacOS 10.13 beta build 17B46a recognizes the card fine, and I have an older Hitachi Touro 4TB USB 3 drive hooked up to it for time machine backups. I get 158MB/s write and 160MB/s read off that drive and the USB 3.0 card.

I can't speak to how reliable it will be but I was certainly surprised with the ease and performance of the card.
Cheers, John W."

Thanks John. Let me know if you update High Sierra (to non-beta) without any issues.
A reader asked if the Mac Pro would sleep with a USB device connected to this card. He's using a 2008 Mac Pro, didn't specify OS X version but said if anything is connected to his USB 3.0 card the Mac Pro won't sleep.
"Are there any updates on Sleep support with the USB card?
I've installed a USB 3.0 card in my Mac Pro 3,1 however if any USB device is attached the machine will immediately wake when put to sleep. This has influenced which devices I connect to which ports.
If this card doesn't share this problem I'd love to know.
-Craig"

What card brand/model and OS X version are you using?
Can you unmount the USB device before putting the Mac Pro to sleep? (If so does that help?)

Request for Feedback on Mac Pro Tower USB 3.0 PCIe cards:
If you're using a PCIe USB 3.0 card OK with your Mac Pro, let me know the details - Mac Pro model, USB 3.0 card model, any drivers required, any sleep or performance issues, etc. (Send reports to news at xlr8yourmac.com)

The Tips page has previous reports on PCI USB 3.0 and Combo USB 3.0/eSATA cards.
 

Apple/products related News, Benchmarks, Software Updates, Tips, PR:
Apple Support/How-To/Troubleshooting Article Updates:

Page of How-To, Troubleshooting & Tips for Mac/OS X/iOS Users from Airplay to Thunderbolt.
 

Other News, Reviews and Software Updates:
Recent Updates, Tips, DIY Upgrades and Repairs:
List of Updates, DIY Upgrades, Repair Articles, Tips and more you may have missed. (Topics range from OS/software updates and troubleshooting, to hardware upgrades and repairs.)
Previous News Archive Summary:
For links to older news pages, see the Archives.
  

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