SSD RAID0 as a boot drive on a Mac Pro

I'm buying a Mac Pro early 2008
I'm using Final Cut Pro and After Effects.
Option 1: (5) drives
1. OSX boot drive 80GB SSD (under the DVD drive)
2. 32GB SSD RAID0 (scratch/render drive) bay 1
3. 32GB SSD RAID0 (scratch/render drive) bay 2
4. 1TB RAID1 (backup) bay 3
5. 1TB RAID1 (backup) bay 4
or
Option 2: (4) drives
1. OSX boot drive 64GB SSD RAID0 (OS/scratch/render drive) bay 1
3. OSX boot drive 64GB SSD RAID0 (OS/scratch/render drive) bay 2
4. 1TB RAID1 (backup) bay 3
5. 1TB RAID1 (backup) bay 4
I've always had my OS on a separate drive than my scratch/storage disks. but I'm wondering if it's okay to RAID0 the OS and scratch/render drives together.

Move the mirror RAID to external backup.
Keep the OS and scratch volumes separate; as I said, keep to what you use to do, keep the OS separate. Yes, you should RAID both, but not together. No to option #2.
If you work with 1-2GB files, 16GB RAM is essential (maybe more). I assume you bought 2008 to save a little over 2008 in part to have 8 DIMM slots.
http://store.apple.com/us/browse/home/specialdeals/mac/mac_pro

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Can I move an SSD Boot Drive from a Mac Pro 1,1 to a newer 5,1?

I have a MacPro 1,1 (2 x dual core Xeon, 3.0 GHZ) with 8GB RAM and updated with an ATI 5770 video card, driving a 27" Cinema display; I'm running OSX 10.7.5. There's an SSD boot/OS/App drive, and the data is on a secondary hard drive with backup to the data on an identical third drive. Because it's time to update (I've had this flawless machine for nearly 4 years but need one with 64-bit capability) I've arranged to buy a 2010 Mac Pro 5,1, also with a 5770 card. I don't need the hard drives that are in that "new" one. I would like to just swap the three drives I have in the old one, and put them in the new box. Will I encounter any problems?

There are two types of base Systems:
a) "shipped in the box" with a specific model Mac. These will boot only that model, and software Update does not change that capability.
b) "Full Retail" or "Purchased" (even for $0). These will boot any appropriate Mac, because they contain "Drivers for every appropriate Mac."
Your 10.7 computer shipped with software much older, so I presume you purchased that 10.7, and would therefore expect it to boot any appropriate model Mac.
"A Mac can generally boot software no OLDER than what it originally shipped with."
This table shows the original shipping versions (some of which are custom builds) for these models:
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, 10.9.4
13A4023, 13C64, 13E28
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
This table show that any build after 10.6.4 (custom) should work to boot a Mac Pro 5,1 2010.
CAUTION: the last version shipped on a "Full Retail" DVD was 10.6.3, which will NOT boot that Mac directly.
NB> If staying with 10.7, you should check whether you are running 64-bit kernel. If not, a terminal command and a re-Boot will fix that.

BOOT DRIVE ADVICE for MAC PRO. How Big and Partition Size

So new new Mac Pro (Quad) arrives this week.
I'm doing a drive just for BOOT and another drive (or drives) for data.
The big question is, what size drive should I buy for just BOOT/OS/APPLICATIONS and how much of it should I partition. I want to install everything on the boot drive to be on the outside area of the disc and ignore the inside.... So, do I get a 300GB drive and partition 100GB to use as the boot partition and ignore the rest?
Any advise would be helpful!
Thanks!

If you have Final Cut, X-Plane and such, you'll find even 150GB to be small. You want to have plenty of free space for burning DVD-DL, temp space for programs and files, and so that free space never gets too highly fragmented.
A 200GB partition on a 640GB drive seems to be a good choice and it will still maintain 80MB/sec. Still use the rest as an alternate for your data (put it on a sparse disk image).
10K Raptor 300GB (Amazon, $229) is a nice, fast boot drive if you really need it, though most 640GB drives are more than adequate for most people.
If you plan to install Windows, I'd dedicate a drive just for that purpose and not use your boot drive. Not sure if "BOOT" meant just OS/Apps or more.

SSD & HDD 2 drive format query Mac Pro 3.1

Hi
Can't seem to get a straight answer to this question anywhere else so am turning to anyone here that can help.
I currently have my original 320 gig drive in my Mac Pro 3.1.
I want to add an SSD and format it so that its the boot drive and contains the programs and nothing else. The 320 gig drive will house all the 'other stuff' (photos, vids etc)
I don't want to migrate anything over - I basically want to start with two empty drives - SSD for boot and programs and 320 Gig drive for stuff.
I just want to know the best practice for this. Do I have to wipe 320 gig first as its currently the boot, then add SSD in to the computer. Do one at a time? Both together? I've been used to having one hard drive all these years and am having problems working out best way to do.
I've asked elsewhere and people keep telling me to migrate stuff over from the 320 Gig drive. I don't want to do this - I want to start with two fresh drives and put everything back on manually (tedious, I know, but thats the way I want to do it)
Any help in this matter greatly appreciated
Craig

you want simple? just buy a 500GB $225 Samsung EVO
http://www.amazon.com/Samsung-2-5-Inch-Internal-MZ-75E500B-AM/dp/B00OBRE5UE/
There use to be, and still can be, reasons to split the OS and apps from the data drives.
You want speed, then even SATA III with 500MB/sec read/writes, or XP941 with 900MB/sec writes, and 1000MB/sec reads cannot be beat. And you could not fit data onto or justify the cost when an SSD was too small and when 500GB cost $1500.
SSD Blade Drive for "Classic" Mac Pro
Most PCIe cards costs $79-299 and add a level of complexity that the XP941 adapter does not though.
But you do this all the time, but just never had a dedicated system boot drive before. When 15K SCSI drives were small and fast and ideal, and higher cost, the whole idea of using cheaper drives for data came to desktop. It was used already before then on other systems for years.
Using the drive bays, SATA II and 250MB/sec is still an improvement. But even new 4TB drives are 150MB/sec and above. Back when 320GB drives were used they were not even able to achieve 100MB/sec, more like 80MB/sec. And SSD has a lot of other benefits. So yes today's SSD will make a difference.
I would just clone to 500GB SSD and try it! your last clean install was less than a year ago and yet still using older drives that are slow. Small SSDs have not without firmware and controller changes in the last two years able to perform as fast as the 250GB and larger. Larger SSD, more channels. An SSD has 4 channels on 128GB but 8 channels on 250GB which can all act simultaneous and concurrently to shovel I/O. Plus near-zero seeks and access times, and 90,000+ I/Os per second.
128GB $80 will work and make a difference though if price is the main concern and not speed. Also, with an SSD free unused space is more important. A deleted file is not "deleted" and the SSD "page" (NAND) is not freed up until it is trimmed.

Will the1TB SATA Hard Disk Drive Kit for Mac Pro now in the Mac Store work with my Mac Pro1,1?

Will the 1TB SATA Hard Disk Drive Kit for Mac Pro now in the Mac Store work with my Mac Pro1,1? My details of my Mac Pro is as follows:
Model Name:          Mac Pro
Model Identifier:          MacPro1,1
Processor Name:          Dual-Core Intel Xeon
Processor Speed:          2.66 GHz
Number Of Processors:          2
Total Number Of Cores:          4
L2 Cache (per processor):          4 MB
Memory:          6 GB
Bus Speed:          1.33 GHz
Boot ROM Version:          MP11.005C.B08
SMC Version (system):          1.7f10
Hardware UUID:          00000000-0000-1000-8000-0017F2059956

It will say "green" and use less power, park its head probably, and while early units had some trouble they have evolved. Variable rpm or slower rpm also. They can be much less expenisve way to add storage.
WD Caviar Green
WD Green 2TB
For the system, 640GB is a nice size. Look for 64MB cache to help insure your drive is the latest models which will also say "6G SATA 3" which is fine.
WD Caviar Black 1TB 6Gb
WD Black Caviar 2TB
larger means higher density platter, I find the 1TB and larger Blacks to run hotter/warmer and companys want drives to be able to run warmer or with less cooling. - but for really cold drives other than SSD I have found all my WD 10K VRs to have the absolute coldest temps.
Just noticed Amazon having better prices than Newegg on 1TB - and WD and Hitachi.
Green for your external backup, for media libraries that are not high volume access, to run cool and less power. Enterprise for system and performance. TimeMachine sometimes makes a poor backup method with some green cases.

What is a recommended internal hard drive for a Mac Pro 1,1 (2006)?

What is a recommended internal hard drive for a Mac Pro 1,1 (2006) model? I would like to
add more hard drive space by utilizing the three available slots. However, from my understanding,
Apple does not produce hard drives for my older computer so I'll need to turn to a third party.

You are very much over-due for some new larger more efficient drives.
the most common best approach goes something like this....
SSD 120GB for system
WD Black 1-2TB for data (and put all your data and media files, all your home account sub-folders)
Backup. I use WD Green but use what you want. I have a small boot volume, TimeMachine, and 3rd that is a clone image of the boot drive volume.
Very fond of WD 10K VelociRaptor drives. Not much louder now than the WD Black 2TB, $100-200 for 250GB to 1TB.
You can use any size SATA 3.5" drive, most now are 1TB and up to 4TB.
You should have always bought Amazon or Newegg or outside of Apple, Apple can often charge 3x what those places charge.
Probably want to add or replace FBDIMMs you have, these are excellent and price in the last year has fallen.
2x2GB FBDIMM DDR2 667MHz @ $29
http://www.amazon.com/BUFFERED-PC2-5300-FB-DIMM-APPLE-Memory/dp/B002ORUUAC/
WD Black 1TB $93
http://www.amazon.com/Western-Digital-Caviar-Internal-Desktop/dp/B0036Q7MV0/
WD Green 3TB $149 - backup
http://www.amazon.com/Western-Digital-Caviar-Green-Desktop/dp/B004RORMF6/
WD VR 10K 250GB $103 200MB/sec boot drive :
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007V5A1BK/
Those last and last and make a nice boot drive.
SSD: Samsung 840 128GB
http://www.amazon.com/Samsung-Series-120GB-internal-MZ-7TD120BW/dp/B009NHAF06/
Over-due to upgrade and replace the graphic card most likely it sounds like also:
ATI Radeon 5770
http://store.apple.com/us/product/MC742ZM/A
http://www.amazon.com/Apple-ATI-Radeon-5770-MC742ZM/dp/B003Z6QH6M
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/726537-REG/Apple_MC742ZM_A_ATI_Radeon_HD_5 770.html
Your OEM 7300GT isn't helping now and with Lion or the X1900 dust magnet and out of date too. If you have a functional 8800GT still working you are lucky and no need.

Can I move hard drives from one Mac Pro to another?

I have two mid-2010 Mac Pros that I work with daily - one 8-core on 10.7.3 and one 12-core on 12.7.4. I would like to take all of the drives out of one Mac Pro and put them in the other and vice versa, essentially trading their content. It probably sounds pointless, but I would like to build the more powerful one out from scratch, and right now the less powerful one is nearly empty.
Can I simply shut off both machines and swap all of the drives in one for all of the drives in the other? I would keep them in the same bays in the machine I'm trading them with, but I'm unsure if I will screw something else up.

rfairley wrote:
...Can I simply shut off both machines and swap all of the drives in one for all of the drives in the other? I would keep them in the same bays in the machine I'm trading them with, but I'm unsure if I will screw something else up.
I've moved drives from a Mac Pro 1,1 to a 5,1 and they were able to boot the newer Mac, but to ensure that the OS was configured for the newer machine, I ran the appropriate combo updater once the drive was installed. If you're planning to stick with the drive rotation, doing that shouldn't hurt and might help even though the machines are of the same vintage. Note, however, that some commercial software keys in on machine specifics and/or the serial number to prevent piracy, so swapping drives can cause other problems.

I need to buy some new hard drives for my Mac Pro

I had an extra internal hard drive in my Mac Pro, a Seagate one, that suddenly stopped working and I needed to send it to a data recovery company, so...
Now I'd like to
- Install a new internal HD
- Install a NAS with two/three disks. (Hitachi if possible, as I have read are the ones that last longer, more reliable than WD and by far more than Seagate).
But to do that I'd like to know how to find out the right type of disks for my computer.
I'd be very gratefull if anyone would tell me where to look it up.
Thank you in advance
In case any of you can help with this, these are the details of my Mac Pro
thanks again
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Mac OS X Lion 10.7.5 (11G63b)
2 x 2.66 GHz Dual-Core Intel Xeon
Memory 7GB 667 MHz DDR2 FB-DIMM
Model Name:          Mac Pro
Model Identifier:          MacPro1,1
Processor Name:          Dual-Core Intel Xeon
Processor Speed:          2,66 GHz
Number of Processors:          2
Total Number of Cores:          4
L2 Cache (per Processor):          4 MB
Memory:          7 GB
Bus Speed:          1,33 GHz
Boot ROM Version:          MP11.005D.B00
SMC Version (system):          1.7f10
Serial Number (system):          Not Available
Hardware UUID:          00000000-0000-1000-8000-0017F20F9F40
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
The only HD now
Intel ESB2 AHCI:
Vendor:          Intel
Product:          ESB2 AHCI
Link Speed:          3 Gigabit
Negotiated Link Speed:          3 Gigabit
Description:          AHCI Version 1.10 Supported
ST3250824AS P:
Capacity:          250,06 GB (250.059.350.016 bytes)
Model:          ST3250824AS P
Revision:          3.BQK
Serial Number:                      9ND1P4X7
Native Command Queuing:          Yes
Queue Depth:          32
Removable Media:          No
Detachable Drive:          No
BSD Name:          disk0
Medium Type:          Rotational
Bay Name:          Bay 1
Partition Map Type:          GPT (GUID Partition Table)
S.M.A.R.T. status:          Verified
Volumes:
disk0s1:
Capacity:          209,7 MB (209.715.200 bytes)
BSD Name:          disk0s1
Content:          EFI
HD INTERNO PRINCIPAL:
Capacity:          249,2 GB (249.199.591.424 bytes)
Available:          37,91 GB (37.914.918.912 bytes)
Writable:          Yes
File System:          Journaled HFS+
BSD Name:          disk0s2
Mount Point:          /
Content:          Apple_HFS
Recovery HD:
Capacity:          650 MB (650.002.432 bytes)
BSD Name:          disk0s3
Content:          Apple_Boot

NAS is of course external and depends on how you access it. And then t he ideal for RAID5 for instance woudl be WD RED series, but those do not work inside Mac tower.
Look up "TLER" regarding WD drives and RAID.
Apple does not endorse or anything, not in decades and when there were problems - G5 and early adoption of SATA and changing standards and features, it was users that did the troubleshooting.
So unles you are using Apple's PRO RAID card, which I don't think anyone would or should and which is limited to 2TB drives and only instance of a ceiling on supported drives (it is req'd for SAS though), use your own research.

How do I set up an internal drive in my Mac pro as a mountable network drive

Hi! I basically would like to know how to use one of the internal hard drives in my Mac pro as a mountable network drive to enable me to do full time machine backup and restores for my MacBook pro. Thanks in advance for the help!

If it's just for you, you can access and or all of your Mac Pro drives from your MBP just by logging onto the Mac Pro using the Mac Pro name and password. This is a very bad idea unless you are in a trusted environment but if you're on a home network and you trust yourself, it really works.
I've been using this technique for years on a gigabit LAN in my home. It also works logging on the other or both ways. Just pay attention to things like re-boots and shut-downs.

Want to add internal hard drive to my Mac Pro

I want to add an internal hard drive to my Mac Pro bought in 2011
Running Lion 10.7.5 Processor is 2.8 GHz Quad Core Intel Xeon
Have a 1TB SATA
Do I need a 2.5" or 3.5" ? Any other criteria i should know about when looking?
Advice is appreciated.

For a Mac Pro you'll probably want to go with a 3.5" drive. I would recommend Hitachi. I put a 2.5" new model Hitachi in my laptop along with an SSD and the Hitachi HD is unbelievably fast for a "spinner." If that's how there 2.5" models are there 3.5" models will only be better.
Make sure none of the drives you use have a variable rotational speed. Some of the Western Digital Green drives have that and they go to sleep a lot. When they sleep they have to wake up and when they wake up it causes a delay. It won't happen if the drives in constant use but it can be annoying. I believe the Green drives are intended primarily for backup use where speed isn't critical but energy savings and longevity are.
These are my opinions and observations.

I just replaced the hard drive for my Mac Pro, and I am trying to restore what is on my Time Capsule, but it wont connect, and only is giving me the pinwheel of death. What do i do?

I just replaced the hard drive for my Mac Pro, and I am trying to restore what is on my Time Capsule, but it wont connect, and only is giving me the pinwheel of death. What do i do?

You will need to boot from some alternate boot device to accomplish this, if you did not initialize the drive before installing it.
If you have another Mac, you may be able to use FireWire target disk mode.
If your MacBook has a DVD reader and you have a Mac OS X Installer/Utilities DVD, such as the one that shipped with it, you can boot from that DVD, answer only the "what Language" question, and wait a quarter minute for the MenuBar to be drawn. Then examine the Utilities menu or the Installer menu and Find Disk Utility.

Why is the boot time on my mac pro 2010 slower than my 2010 core 2 duo 13 mbp?

Why is the boot time on my mac pro with clean install of lion around 34 sec on my mac pro 2010 2.8 quad core, when it is only around 17 sec on my 13 mbp 2.67 core 2 duo?
The mac pro uses around 13 seconds from i hit the power button til i hear the chime and see the grey screen.
Is it because it uses time to find the wireless keyboard, trackpad and cinema display?
Mac pro has 16 gb ram and 240 gb ocz agility 3 ssd, macbook pro has a intel 120 gb ssd (320 i think) and 8 gb of ram, so the mac pro has more umpf....

Well it might take a little longer since POST (power-on self test) needs to check more memory.
But try doing a smc and pram reset and see if that helps.

Adding a solid state hard drive to a Mac Pro 3,1

I have two hard drives in my Mac Pro 3,1. I want to add a solid state hard drive and upgrade Yosemite to it. I will eventually use my existing drive as extra storage. Does anyone know if this model of Mac Pro can support SSD drive? Also, can I mix and match normal hard drives with SSD drives? I know I will also need an adapter since SSD's are 2.5 inch. The one I am thinking about getting is the Kingston SSDNow V300 Series SV300S37A/240G 2.5" 240GB SATA III Internal Solid State Drive (SSD). Any feedback that can confirm or deny compatibility would be appreciated.
Thanks,

I have Mac Pro (4.1 2009 model) and I have Samsung SSD 840 EVO 500GB. There is an issue you you want to run Yosemite. That drive requires that TRIM is enabled otherwise the perforamnce goes down. There is a Trim Enabler that you can get but but default Yosemite rejects it and disables it so you end up with a driver with TRIM not eanbled. There is a hack that allows you to get it working again but it has some security implications.
Just be aware of it.
Tom

Ideal FCP drive configuration on Mac Pro?

I'm configuring a Mac Pro that I'm going to order in the next day or so. I do 90% of my work in Final Cut. I'm not sure of the best way to configure the drives. I'm not worried so much about the sizes or RAIDs, but the way Final Cut uses files and how I can I lay out everything it needs so it's not working too hard to get at it. The last time I built a system I just had to subscribe to the 'render files on internal drive, footage on external' rule that I've heard for years. But now there's more options and I want everything to run as smooth as possible.
I read here on the forums that a drive that does nothing but hold render files speeds things up. It got me thinking: Should I have a drive just for render files? Should I have a drive just for music? Is there anything I should definitely keep OFF the boot drive?
Initially I was thinking of putting four internal drives in the Mac Pro. Two would be a RAID 0 as the boot drive with the apps and render files. The other two would be a mirrored RAID with all my music, graphics and permanent, frequently used footage. Then I'd use an external drive for project footage.
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Advice?
Thanks!

Do not raid the system drive. No no no...the system drive needs to be on it's own. If you have 4 drives in the machine, and you want to raid them, leave one alone and raid the other 3. There is no point in raiding the system drive.
And never store any media on the system drive, all media should be stored on separate media drives. Because the system drive is very busy doing system stuff, and if FCP needs to access those file when it is busy...dropped frames. So yeah, definately keep ALL MEDIA referenced by FCP off the system drive.
Shane

Best replacement internal Hard Drive for a Mac Pro 3

I am looking for a replacement Hard Drive for my Mac Pro 3. It currently has an Intel ATA drive. Can I replay it with a SATA drive or a Solid State drive to upgrade it? Thanks.
Craig

I need to inform you there are no SATA. hdd in your or any Maqc Pro. Serial ATA only.
Buy yourself a 250GB Samsung SSD $150 or 500GB $250 are best.

SSD RAID0 as a boot drive on a Mac Pro

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