Maximum HD size for Mac Pro (2006) Dual Core 2.66GHZ

I have purchased a second hand Mac Pro which has 4 empty HD bays, I would like to put at least 1TB, perhaps 2TB in each bay for a total of between 3 to 6TB maximum storage in the empty bays, but apparently Apple only formally supports up to 2 TB of storage with four 500 GB hard drives (one in each internal bay).
Has anyone had any problems with larger than recommended HD's?

1 TB and 2 TB are fine
Disks larger than 2.2 TB:have a problem being formated with the later OSX versions:
Format large disks
That bug appeared in 10.8.4, and has not yet been fixed.
using a Disk Utility from any older Mac OS X, including the mentioned 10.6 DVD (if your Mac can boot from it) or any saved Installer DVD or thumb drive will work.
Another work-around is to move that drive to an external enclosure and Erase it there (provided your enclosure is modern enough to deal with drives over 2.2TB.
Also, some disks larger than 3 TB or so have problems with the screws retaining the disks in the sled being too long because of the extra platters in the large disks

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5770 in the 2006 Mac Pro
ATI HD 5770 MC742ZM A

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Hey guys,
I've done a lot of research the past couple days and I think I got a decent amount of knowledge but before I purchase I wanted to ask your opinions.
I have a Mac Pro 2006 with the original hard drives in it and I'm looking to speed it up. I see SSDs are now a lot more affordable so I gotta take advantage.
I use my computer for making music and recording but I do hip hop music, not live music or bands so I don't have to record a lot of tracks at once I just want to speed things up. Plus help my software move a little faster when I make beats.
I'm looking to get a SSD as my boot drive and I want around 250gb to be safe so I narrowed it down to these three:
Intel 730
http://www.amazon.com/Intel-SERIES-2-5-Inch-Internal-SSDSC2BP240G4R5/dp/B00IF4NG EU/ref=lh_ni_t?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=A2Y5691XAL3WET
Crucial MX100
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00KFAGCWK/ref=ox_sc_act_title_2?ie=UTF8&psc=1& smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER
Samsung 840 EVO
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00E3W1726/ref=gno_cart_title_4?ie=UTF8&psc=1&s mid=A19W1SYPKVVBJO
I read that there are better/faster SSDs out there but can my old 2006 Mac Pro even make use of better/faster drives speed? Are any of the 3 I've picked reliable enough to feel comfortable purchasing?
I still don't understand what TRIM is exactly, can someone help me with that? I'm gonna go look it up now but just wondered about that specifically with these 3 drives...
I'm also going with a Western Digital Caviar Black 2TB drive for the data... Is that overkill for my 2006 machine? Will I even notice a difference in speed with this Caviar Black as opposed to maybe the Blue or Green drive?
I appreciate the time guys! Thanks so much I'm excited to get my Mac Pro moving like my MacBook Pro with its 300gb SSD

An SSD is probably the best bang-4-buck improvement in performance, and today's are far better than 4 years ago (and avoid all the pitfalls of the early SATA III models).
The larger the SSD, the more "pipes" or channels, and you want to aim for 50% free, you need TRIM to be enabled, and yes you will notice.
Then you want to clone the SSD and have a system restore image that you can boot from and to run Disk Utility repair so that "trimming' is performed.
Sometimes you want to research when you buy one and get it delivered and check to see if there are firmware update for it for your Mac.
I could never go back and be satisfied with even a 10K drive though that can come close - almost - but with a lot of chatter noise.
The 2TB drive will do well. Now make sure to backup, use TimeMachine, and invest in drives and software to clone those. You could use 2-3TB WD Green for those depending on how much data and full that 2TB will be.

USB 2 or 3 PCIe For Mac Pro 2010 Twelve Core

Hi everyone,
I have a Mac Pro 2010 Twelve Core and need to add more usb ports to it. I would like them to be internal, but I don't know what I should go for, I've seen that they can be picked up for a reasonable price and need a little more advice.
If I purchase a USB 3 unit will it work at the new speed or will it work at USB 2 speed?
What's the difference between PCI and PCIE, which do i have and which do i need to put in my machine?
What product do you recommend?
Thank you ALL

PCIExpress USB3 host adapter card for Mac Pro works as USB3 speed adapter if the other side components or devices support USB3.
http://eshop.macsales.com/item/CalDigit/U3HOSTADPTR/
Wikipedia tell you what's the differenc between PICe and PCI.
PCIe
PCI
-- kaz-k

Hi I have just aquired a Mac Pro 2006, Dual Xeon 266, 3Gb RAM 360GB HD, I have tried to add another 2TB HD but for some reason it is not identified properly and will not erase

I have spoken to Apple tech, who suggested upgrading to Snow Leopard, but reading through the tech specs I believe my Mac Pro can support Lion OS, any thoughts on this matter? I also added a 2Tb HD, which 10.4.1 the current OS on the machine, does not recognize properly. Will Snow Leopard solve this problem? Or will I have to remove the 360Gb HD and Format/erase the 2T disk and set it up as the new Boot disk? JackTar1957

You have a good memory for this, the hatter:
#Mac Pro
Date introduced
Original Mac OS X included
(see Tips 1 and 3)
Later Mac OS X included
(see Tip 1)
Mac OS X Build(s)
(see Tip 2)
Mac Pro (Late 2013)
Dec 2013
10.9
10.9.2
13A4023, 13C64
Mac Pro (Mid 2012)
Jun 2012
10.7.3
10.8, 10.8.3
11D2001, 12A269, 12D78
Mac Pro (Mid 2010)
Aug 2010
10.6.4
10.7, 10.7.2, 10.7.3
10F2521, 10F2554, 11A511a, 11C74, 11D2001
Mac Pro with Mac OS X Server (Mid 2010)
Aug 2010
10.6.4
10.7, 10.7.2, 10.7.3 (Server)
10F2522, 11A511a, 11C74, 11D2001 (Server)
Mac Pro (Early 2009)
Mar 2009
10.5.6
10.6
9G3553, 10A432
Mac Pro (Early 2008)
Jan 2008
10.5.1
10.5.2, 10.5.4
9B2117, 9C2031, 9E25
Mac Pro
Aug 2006
10.4.7
10.4.8, 10.4.9, 10.4.10, 10.5
8K1079, 8N1430, 8N1250, 8K1124, 8P4037, 8R3032, 8R3041, 9A581, 9A3129
Mac OS X versions (builds) for computers

Maximum Hard Drive Size for Mac Pro OS X 10.6.4

I would like to install a backup drive in my Mac Pro. What is the largest drive I can install?
A 1.0T would work but a 2.0T would be better.
When I bought my Mac Pro in Oct 2008 it stated I could have up to 4.0T of drive space. Does that mean I am limited to 1.0T drives? I have since upgraded to Snow Leopard OS X 10.6.4. Will it recognize 2.0T drives?
The new drive will be used for backup only. Any recommendations?

A quick look for reviews shows the WD 2TB Black Caviar on numerous sites last October. And before that they had RE3 and RE4 and Green variety.
Latest review of all the 1TB drive offerings.
http://techreport.com/articles.x/19330
Newegg offering Western Digital's 2TB Caviar Green hard drive for a juicy $99.99 with free shipping.
http://techreport.com/discussions.x/19373
And Seagate hopes to be the first with 3TB later this year.
They already have one in USB2 case now.
http://techreport.com/discussions.x/19177
Best bet, check AccelerateYourMac web site drive upgrade database, check vendor for drives and their own knowledge base too.
WD: http://www.wdc.com/en/products/productcatalog.asp

PCIe x1 video Card for Mac Pro 2006?

Hello ,
My need is a little backwards of the regular request. We have a 2006 Mac Pro (upgraded to the dual quad-core Xeon 2.33ghz E5345) we are using for LTO data backup, not the usual graphics/editing setup.
So what we have found is the original NVidia card is PCIe 8x graphics, we also have an 8x RAID card and an 8x SAS HBA for the LTO tape drives. All this is taxing the PCIe bus on this older mac. We would like to free things up a bit by putting in a video card that does not attempt to use, or at least reserve a full 8 lanes for it's own use.
If this was a newer Mac Pro then no issue... But as it is now, I am getting lockups and freezes and other issues that I am sure are related to having 3 high-bandwidth cards in the same machine.
Anyone know of a good x1 business graphics card that can work for a Mac Pro (Snow Leopard 10.6.8)
Robert

Move the cards.
Some slots can't be 16x, and one can't be 8 or 16x.
Also, the PCIe is 1.1 which means half the bandwidth of current specification.
A driver or utility ought to tell you it isn't getting bandwIdth I guess.
A PC with PCIe 2.1, or wait for next generation of motherboards that could have even more bandwidth, PCIe 3.0, to support things like ThunderBolt, SSD controllers with 8 and 16Gbit/sec in bandwidth.
Or a computer with more than 4 PCIe slots or an expansion chassis.
What could be cause?
drivers
IOKit
Rule out means trial and error of trying with just one thing changed at a time and get it working, then move on.
7300GT in slot #3 for starters.
Put your most demanding in slot #1 which is double width.
More air flow, boost the darn fan rpm and keep them @ 1200 rpm
I'd pull drive bay #4 and keep it free to allow more airflow for an 8x card
High density FBDIMMs. Odd but 4GB DIMMs run cooler and better, and in 1,1 the ideal is just a set of 4 (two on each Riser) for 4 x 2GB or 4 x 4GB.
Different SAS and RAID cards. Maybe they don't get along and have bus contention or driver conflict.
Are you using ATTO? usually a good bet.
You aren't using Mid-2010 Mac Pro and can't use 64-bit kernel, which is a shame but simplifies troubleshooting and no issue with 64-bit drivers.

Is there a fix for MAC Pro with Dual video cards that randomly logs off and on?

From my readings on the Internet this seems to be a know problem. That even furthers my frustrations with the latest OS X upgrades. So far on both my MACBOOK PRO and my MAC PRO it has been a major downgrade as both systems are no longer stable. Enough with my complaints...
Is there any plan to address this problem with the MAC PRO? I can't believe 10.8.1 didn't fix it. More can be read on it at:
http://jvm-technology.blogspot.com/2012/08/mac-pro-users-experiencing-random-log .html
Does anyone have work around to use dual screen monitors with the system? I have two video cards, the article says to remove one. Has this worked for anyone? Can I use dual screens with the one video card. Before I go messing around with these type of things I just want to be sure that this is a real fix. For the price of the cards and the system I really can't believe apple has this issue in the first place and has not fixed it.

Self-hosted add-ons have to be fixed for every new version of Firefox. Two to 6 months for updating an add-on is ridiculous for a program which has a new version release every '''6 weeks'''. If that extension was hosted at the official Add-ons website, Mozilla would take take care of "bumping" that extension, as long as it keeps working, for every new version of Firefox, as the new version is released.
See this thread from yesterday, I posted instructions about how to "bump" that extension for Firefox 7.<br />
https://support.mozilla.com/en-US/questions/884484
You can also use this extension to "bump" an already installed extension for compatibility with the currently installed version of Firefox. <br />
https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/add-on-compatibility-reporter/

Graphics Firmware Update 1.0 for Mac Pro 2006?

The official documentation is confusing because Apple lists the 2006 Mac Pro as "incompatible" with Windows 7 here: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3986 but at the bottom of the same page it states that the update is for the "Mac Pro with NVIDIA Geforce 7300 GT" which is the original card that the 2006 Mac Pro came with. The page makes no reference to the specific model other than that.
Also, the compatibility page for the update here: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3967 lists graphics "Device ID 0x0393, or 0x009D" as the applicable units, one of which, ID 0x0393, matches the 7300 GT in my 2006 Mac Pro.
Again, no reference to specific Mac Pro generation is made on any page, including the driver download page
here: http://www.apple.com/downloads/macosx/apple/firmware_hardware/graphicsfirmwareup date10imacandmacprocompatibilitywithwindows7.html
only the points I outlined.
Is this an error on the part of Apple or is it for the 2006 Mac Pro?

Marketing seems to write the technical hardware articles lately!
Even though not supported officially, and while Windows 7 Pro 32-bit will only allow 2GB RAM, it does boot and install. 64-bit you have to jump through extra hoops is all.
UEFI made it easier to have a BIOS and/or EFI subset, but UEFI came out 1/2006 and Apple probably settled on EFI32. It wasn't until 2008 that UEFI 2.1 showed in Mac Pro and which marks the "official support" point in time and hardware reference.
I was surprised - dumbfounded - to see the 7300GT firmware update too. And I had to remove mine when installing Windows Vista x64 in the past, and for the RC last year.

Maximum HDD size for Satellite Pro 4290 ??

My hard disk is wearing out (Win 98 tells me it has many bad sectors). Do I have to fit a 6gig hard disk or can I upgrade? If so, how big a disk will the latest BIOS address?
I think I need a 2.5" 9.5mm disk, but I don't know if there are any other specifications I have to adhere to.
ALSO, if I buy a USB hard disk for back-up etc, will the computer see it? Is there a maximum size for external USB disks?
HELP!!!!
Mike

Hi Mike
There is no precise information or specification about this issue but I am sure that you can use 10 GB HDD without any problems.
I have two external HDD`s and I have no problem because I use both with USB 2.0. Your unit has just USB1.1 Maybe you should not use HDD with high capacity. I will try to connect my 30GB external HDD to USB1.1. After that I can report you what exactly happens.

Maximum HD size in Mac Pro (early 2008)

Hi all,
I'm just wondering if anybody has had any issues putting a hard drive larger than 1TB in the 2008 Mac Pro.
I'd like to stick in 2 more 1.5 Tb or even 2 Tb drives in my remaining slots.
Thanks!

Just search through the forums. Installing large drives is not an issue for any MP model.

What type of memory is available for my mac pro 2X266 Dual Core

I WOULD LIKE TO UPGRADE FROM 4GB TO 8

Ideal is 4 DIMMs (two DIMMs on each Riser in slots 1 and 2).
Hence, ideal would be 4 x 2GB
Or fill all 8 DIMMs.
OWC 53FB2MPK04GB 4.0GB Mac Pro Memory Matched Set... in stock at OWC
Mac Pro Memory FBDIMM 667

PCI or PCIe on Mac Pro 2x2 Dual Core

I have what I believe is the first run of Intel Mac Pro's...
It's a 2x2 GHz Dual-Core Intel Xeon Mac Pro
I'm trying to figure out if it has PCI or PCIe (express) cards on the back...
System Profiler just lists "PCI cards" but I feel like maybe at that point they were using PCIe, any help would be appreciated.
Thanks.

They are PCI Express.
http://support.apple.com/kb/SP30

Is it possible to install a HD4870x2 (2GB) in a Mac Pro 2009 8-Core 2.66GHz

Hi All,
Im very new to Mac, in fact this is my first machine (I'm a total Noob). I managed to purchase a Mac Pro 4.1 2009 8-Core running Mavericks
To be honest I would like to spec it up on a budget, i was looking at a PowerColour HD4870 x 2 on ebay (221425916818), but apparently PC are supported on version Mac Pro Version 3.0 and above (is this true?)
I have a couple of concerns with it.
1. Is it supported on the Mac Platform?
2. the card had 1x6 pin and 1x8 pin PCI-e Power Cables, I've seen the cables on ebay (6-6 and 6-8) , will they be OK to power the card?
3. Are there any sideffects or will devalue the machine using a PC card?
Any help or advice would be appreciated..
Currently it has the standard GT120 512MB
Compared to GTX460 1GB it performs pretty well.
http://www.hwcompare.com/8246/geforce-gtx-460-1gb-vs-radeon-hd-4870-x2/
Regards, Abdul

Thanks for the reply,
The honest truth of the matter is I bought this Mac with two things in mind, firstly too experiment with Ram configurations and secondly to see if there is market on selling them on after respecing the machines.
I run an ebay store in the UK, got the Mac Pro upgrades you could ask.
http://stores.ebay.co.uk/Home-Inspirations-Leicester
Its definately helped me in terms of the memory, I found out that each CPU is capable of handing 10 Ranks/Loads, this would allow you to install Quad Ranked dimms in slots (1+2)+(5+6) and dual ranked dimms in slots (3+4)+(6+7). When you install more then 10 ranks of memory per CPU the ram speed drops to 800Mhz instaed of running at the standard 1066Mhz
I had this issue with a customer when I sent out 8 Quad ranked dimms, he complained the system was running at 800Mhz, When I checked the forums no-one had a definanitive answer, now I have bought the machine I kinda figured it out by trial an error.
To be honest, I think I will just for the firware update to the 5.1, install a stock apple HD5770, add 2 x X5650 cpus, turning into a 12 core machine, maybe add 96GB of ram to it, and then add that 500GB SSD as boot drive.
Its important to know what my customers have, and what is possible (in terms of ram upgrades) on these machines.

Maximum hdd size for MacBook Pro 17" (late 2006)

I have macbook pro and looking to upgrade the base HDD of 160GB to maximum supported. I bought this in march 2007, so should be late 2006 model.
Can someone share the knowledge, if they had upgraded to the bigger HDD? Also what capacity we can go as max?
Thx

The only limit you have is about 1TB - now about the largest drives that will fit in notebook computers. Do you really have the need for something so large, though. You could get a good price on a 500-750GB drive and that would increase your internal storage nicely. Your model and OS don't limit you to the size of the hard drive you can install.
Clinton

Maximum HD size for Mac Pro (2006) Dual Core 2.66GHZ

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