Which eSATA card for QX2 or G-Speed Q?

I'm about to pull the trigger on an OWC QX2 or a G-Speed Q from G-Technology (4-bay, Firmware RAID-5 boxes with Quad interfaces). I think they both use the Oxford 936 chip and therefore should perform identically with any given eSATA card for the Mac Pro.
So, which eSATA card will allow these boxes to perform very well with a 2006 vintage Mac Pro, which of course has the PCI 1.0 bus which has a limited bandwidth per PCI lane... Also, I will attach a 3 additional single spindle drives to the card since I have those drives lying around.
So, what card???
Thanks,
Robert

I wonder why the G-Speed Q (From G-Technology) which uses the same 936 chip is benchmarked at a much slower speed using there $300 RAID card. According to G-Tech "The G-SPEED Q write speeds are about 165MB/s, and the reads are about 215MB/s." with RAID 5.
Hi,
I have not tested the G-Speed Q.
I can tell you 936QS based enclosures tend to be very performance sensitive to the model of hard disk installed and the eSATA driver used. This is why performance results can be amazingly different when the 936QS is used with various drives and eSATA controllers.
Its not like a direct connect 4-bay enclosure where you see much less difference in hard disk performance when different 3.5" SATA hard disk models are used.
In my tests, the Hitachi 1TB provided some of the best 936QS performance I have recorded. In addition, FirmTek has optimized the SeriTek/2ME4-E driver version 6.0.0fc18 to enhance 936QS performance. This combination is able to maximize the performance available with the 936QS design.
I hope this information is helpful.
FirmTek Support

Similar Messages

ESATA Card for 1.8GHz Single CPU (Late 2004) Power Mac G5 Tower

I have an unusual issue. I purchased the LaCie d2 quadra 500GB external hard drive. What attracted me to this drive is the ability to interface it by USB 2.0, Firewire 400, Firewire 800 or eSATA. Of course, eSATA looks like it would provide the best throughput. So, I asked the rep at MacMall to suggest a compatible eSATA card for my machine. He suggested LaCie part number 710372 which is a PCI card with two eSATA ports on it.
When it arrived, I checked the specs on the package and found that it requires a "PCI slot (32 bits 66Mhz; PCI 2.3 compliant interface)". When I checked Apple's web site it looks like my machine has the following caution "Warning: Do not use PCI cards that function only at 66 MHz in the 33 Mhz PCI slots. Damage to your equipment could result...". So, I called LaCie support to check this before I installed the card. LaCie support checked with their technicians and I was finally told that this card did have the ability to operate at 33 Mhz but it wasn't listed on the package.
So, I installed the card and then brought my machine up. It seemed to run normally. So, I attached the eSATA cable to the hard drive and then to one of the ports on the card. So far, so good. Then, I powered the drive up and it appeared on the desktop. I then fired up Disk Utility and erased the drive. That worked fine. Next, I tried to copy files to it and that worked.
As a matter of course, I always like to erase a new drive with the "write zeros to all sectors". This verifies that every sector on the drive can be written to without any problems. I don't know if this really accomplishes anything. But, it would seem to validate that the drive works fine.
So, I started this process knowing that it would take a long time for a drive this large (500 GB). This seemed to proceed normally as I checked it from time to time. But, after a number of hours (with only 13 minutes remaining), the entire system hung. I could not do anything except press the button on the front of the machine.
After the machine came back up, it seemed to run normally. But, as I started running applications, I could tell all was not well. The system hung from time to time. Each time, it took 10 or 15 minutes to become responsive.
Finally, I got disgusted and powered everything down and removed the suspect PCI card. Since I did that, the machine works fine.
The drive is now connected using the Firewire 800 cable and seems to work fine. But, it doesn't seem especially fast. I have other drives attached using Firewire 400. Is it possible to have drives attached to both Firewire busses and still get the performance advertised by Firewire 800?
Also, is there an eSATA card that will work in my machine and still provide the advertised eSATA performance (1.5Gbits per second/150MB/second)?
With the drive connected to the Firewire 800 port, it honestly doesn't seem any faster than any of the other Firewire 400 drives.

I didn't say what to do, only options and tried to point out WHY.
This is what I know, these are possible explanations. And alternatives.
most PCI cards are NOT a fixed 66MHz, very very small market. And most PCI slots are not 66MHz only. The Blue G3 and Xserve have used 66MHz PCI.
Your card should work. eSATA is slightly better than FW800. But you are going through a 'bridge' between the drive and the PCI card, usually Oxford 924 chipset.
A direct SATA case for $68 would let you use two drives and get the 75MB/sec writing speed, which is about as much as you can expect from most SATA drives and in G5 anyway.
http://eshop.macsales.com/item/Other%20World%20Computing/MESATATBEK/
And here is a nice 500GB drive for $99
http://eshop.macsales.com/item/Maxtor/7H500F0/
Connect it to one of the eSATA ports on your LaCie SATA PCI card.
And yes, you have the single drive now.
When installing cards and drives, reset-nvram - either zap the pram from cold startup or boot into Open Firmware and type the reset-nvram and reset-all from there.
I know lots of people use and are happy with LaCie and D2. I am not one of them (I use to buy LaCie when it was Quantum back in early 90s).

ESATA card for T61

Hi,
I want to buy an eSATA card for my T61 7661-BF3 (14.1 inch) and I really appreciate your help because I don't know much about what type of slot my T61 has (ExpressCard/PC Card/Smart Card) and the physical characteristics.
There are some terms like 34mm, 54mm, ExpressCard, PC Card, Smart Card that I don't understand so don't know what eSATA card should I buy.
I've found these cards:
1. http://www.startech.com/item/ECESAT32-2-Port-SATA-6-Gbps-ExpressCard-eSATA-Controller-Card.aspx
2. http://www.startech.com/item/ECESATA254-2-Port-ExpressCard-54mm-eSATA-Controller-Adapter-Card.aspx
3. http://www.startech.com/item/CBESAT2-2-Port-eSATA-Cardbus-PCMCIA-PC-Controller-Adapter-Card.aspx
4. http://www.startech.com/item/ECESATA22-2-Port-eSATA-ExpressCard-Drive-Controller-Card.aspx
I don't know if my T61 supports cards above.
I would really appreciate your help to advise me on what will be the best eSATA card option for my T61?
Your help is greatly appreciated.
Thanks.

according to your parts list, your T61 doesn't have the card reader or the security card reader, which means you should have the PCMCIA and the Expresscard slot.
But you should take a picture of the slots and post it here, so that i can confirm it for you.
Expresscard slot is a better option since it is faster.
Regards,
Jin Li
May this year, be the year of 'DO'!
I am a volunteer, and not a paid staff of Lenovo or Microsoft

ESata card for Mac Pro (Early 2008)

I am looking for another two port eSata card for my Mac Pro (Early 2008) model. The card I ordered before Christmas from Amazon (UK) has just arrived but doesn't fit (Lacie eSATA PCI CARD)
http://www.amazon.co.uk/LaCie-130823-eSATA-PCI-Card/dp/B001O9KEKM/ref=sr11?ie=UTF8&qid=1294318895&sr=8-1
It's only for two drives I use from time to time to back up my HD Video (personal family stuff only).
Any recommendations?
Many thanks, Matt

I have the Sonnet E2P in my Mac Pro Early 2008. Also available in UK from here:
http://www.macupgrades.co.uk/store/productinfo.php?productsid=421
And "Yes": that arrangement is the PCI-Express card connector - that's what you need.
!http://www.macupgrades.co.uk/store/images/381-img-main.jpg!
It's definitely a Mac card - Sonnet product page here has latest drivers, etc.:
http://www.sonnettech.com/product/temposatae2p.html
(Currently = v 1.2.5)
Edit: you could always use one of these:
http://www.macupgrades.co.uk/store/productinfo.php?productsid=511
!http://www.macupgrades.co.uk/store/images/466-img-main.jpg!
It extends the unused motherboard SATA ports to the back panel. Cheaper, but requires you to partially disassemble your Mac Pro to install it, and the drives thus attached are NOT swappable while your Mac Pro is powered on - necessitating a power-cycling of your Mac to mount/unmount drives connected to this card.
With the E2P you can mount/unmount drives without powering off your Mac. I'd go with the E2P!

Which Graphics Card for a 40 inch HDTV LCD or Plasma Monitor for the best

Which Graphics Card for a 40 inch HDTV LCD or Plasma Monitor for the best value and price?
Hi, I was wondering if I replace my current standard graphics card for a MacPro Early 2008 for a graphics card for a 40" HDTV, which was is the best for the price and value? My current card when used with such a large monitor/ TV isn't very good, I think? So thinking of updating...

This sounds like a price match question. Without knowing all the details, it sounds like a yes for the Westinghouse, but I would encourage you to read the price match policy link here:
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Help-Topics/Bestbuy.com-Price-Match-Guarantee/pcmcat204400050011.c?id=pc...
If all you care about is 1080p definition and an HDMI input at a $300 price point then this tv should suit your needs. (As a bonus it has 120Hz refresh for smoother action scenes.)http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Westinghouse+-+40%26%2334%3B+Class+-+LCD+-+1080p+-+120Hz+-+HDTV/5772998....
Although I do work for the Best Buy, all comments and opinions are my own.

Looking For PCI ESATA Card For G5

it will be running in both leopard and tiger
can anyone recommend one and where to buy?
i bought a rocstor 2ue drive and currently using it usb mode which is very slow.
thank you

since you don't say dual core G5 i assume you will need a PCI-X card (i'm pretty sure only dual core G5 use PCI-Express).
the firmTek is a nice card and has the ability to boot from attached drives. it does have the disadvantage of only supporting SATA I i.e. 1.5Gbs and is on the expensive side (approaching $200), where as many of the cheaper cards (~$80-90) almost all use Silicon Image chipset support SATA II i.e. 3Gbps but don't have ability to boot from attached drives..
so it kind of depends on your needs.. if you don't need to boot from the attached drives you can get a less expensive card, with faster SATA II capabilities for $80-90.
just do a google search for pci-x esata card... owc is a good place to start as well.. i can confirm that multi-interface externals can be a bad choice as well... i got slower than USB 2 speeds from a Seagate Free agent triple interface drive and got transfer speeds faster than my internal drive by taking same drive out of the Seagate enclosure and putting it into an OWC esata only enclosure (dual drive enclosure for $67).. i have a norco, 4 port, pci-x estat card.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16816133002
http://www.cooldrives.com/saii3g4espcc.html
http://pc.pcconnection.com/1/1/4316-addonics-technologies-esata-ii-pci-x-4-port- raid-controller-raid5-jbod-ads3gx4r5-e.html

Which WiFi card for: PowerMac G5 Tower, 1.8 Ghz DP, running OS 10.5.8?

Sorry, I couldn't find an answer to this on the forum and the PDFs ref where the card WOULD fit didn't resemble the inside of the Mac I have
It's an ex-work machine that I'd like to make Wifi for a non-techie friend (already have DLink router for existing PC etc) Which wireless card do I need and which is better? I've been told about USB dongles, Airport Extreme and PCI antenna cards. All very confusing. Basically it needs to be reliable for the non-techie owner , so am not keen to get a cheapo card that will need lots of setting up. Plug 'n' play would be good.
I think the Mac is 2004 vintage and is definitely G5, 1.8 Ghz Dual Processor. Any help asap would be appreciated as I've got to get a card and install it all by the weekend.
Many thanks,
Andy

Hi Andrew, Not sure which card, but it may be easier or even cheaper with some of these alternatives...
http://eshop.macsales.com/item/Edimax/EW7728IN/
http://eshop.macsales.com/item/Newer%20Technology/MXP802NU2C/
http://eshop.macsales.com/item/Newer%20Technology/MXP802GU2/
http://eshop.macsales.com/item/Asus/WL167G/
I havent tried the first one, but the other 3 work better than any Airport card I have.

Identifying which eSATA card

My company's tech guy left. I'm trying to identify the brand of the eSATA card in our G5 dual 2.0 Ghz tower so I can track down the appropriate driver to see if that will get it working. I've tried googling the card's serial number, and what I think is a part number, but no hits. The card has two eSATA ports, and two small, round, 8 pin ports. Its SERIAL ATA logo says, "1.5 GB s". The chip is made by Initio.
The computer's serial number is YM338ES1PXD. Any ideas?
It's a long shot, I know, but thanks!

It won't be a lot more helpful, but At the Apple Icon at top left>About this Mac, then click on More Info, then click on Hardware>PCI cards, then then highlight that card & report like this...
pci1095,3132:
Type: Other Mass Storage Controller
Driver Installed: Yes
Bus: PCI
Slot: SLOT-4
Vendor ID: 0x1095
Device ID: 0x3132
Subsystem Vendor ID: 0x1095
Subsystem ID: 0x3132
Revision ID: 0x0001
Link Width: x1
Link Speed: 2.5 GT/s
Sounds like this card...
http://www.initio.com/Html/inic-1620.html
http://www.initio.com/Html/Products.asp

ESATA card for external ODD

Does anyone know of a card that is eSATA and supports an ODD? I have a rocket raid card for my external raid. I cannot hook my blu-ray burner up to it since it only accepts hard drives.
Thanks,
Toby

Sorry, forgot to mention I am running under Vista and does not recognize the two extra internal ports.
Sorry about that.
I actually just found the IOGear GICe711S3 card. Seems to be compatible
with Vista and a PCIe slot. It will give me one internal and one external.
Any thoughts?
Toby

Which Airport Card for a Power MAC G4 w/400mhz?

Hello Everyone!
Sorry to be a bother but I'm new to the forum & need some help. I'm currently upgrading my Power Mac G4 w/400 mhz & I'm looking to go wireless. I've been looking for the best product to do this but I've become a bit confused. Did Apple make an airport card for my particular model? When I go into the specs, it shows that the system is airport compatible but I do not know which component to use. Can anyone help me out with this one?
Thanks,
Rick
Bronx, NY

Did Apple make an airport card for my particular model?
That computer takes the original AirPort card or a PCI card or external component which provides wireless access. The AirPort Extreme card is incompatible with it.
(43179)

Which video card for Aperture and dual monitors?

I have a G5 dual 2.0 with a GeForce FX 5200 video card that is driving one 23" Cinema display. I need to upgrade my card per the specs to run Aperture. I have also been thinking of getting a second 23" display. Can someone recommend the best video card for me. I know very little about video cards and have been reading a lot this morning. Thanks,
Dave

Hi Dave;
No. PCIx and PCIe or PCI Express are not the same thing.
PCIx is an extended or slight sped up version of PCI. While PCIe is a switched bus structure instead.
Hence they are not the same. That is what all of the big news is about Apple has made the leap over to PCI Express.
Allan

Which video card for Mac G4?

I have Mac G4 that has been upgraded to Ram 1536ram, Cpu-PowerPC7400. I have a17" lcd studio display. I would like to know what would be a good video card for my Mac. I have been advised to get a ATI Radeon 9200, would this be a reliable card and give me the power I need with graphics?

Be sure to go ATI, I am not very happy with the results of my Nvidia card; on that note, don't let the amount of VRAM fool you like it did me, I'd be happier with a 128mb ATI card than my 256 Nvidia card; its just not fast enough for intense graphics (mostly gaming)

Which eSata card is compatible for G5 dual?

I want to connect my LaCie 3T drive via eSata....does anyone know if the LaCie PCI card part #130823 is compatible? I've had a bit of trouble finding the right information, and I see others have too. I've got an older G5 that doesn't do PCI express. These are the computer specs: PowerPC G5 dual 2ghz (7,3), Mac OS X (10.4.5)
Thanks

Hi-
For a bootable SATA PCI controller, Firmtek Seritek cards are the best that you can get.
Excellent compatibility, and future proof with user updatable firmware, should the need arise.
http://firmtek.com/seritek/
Firmtek consistently rated high with storage professionals:
http://www.amug.org/amug-web/html/amug/reviews/articles/firmtek/2sex4/

Best eSata card for use with G-Tech G-Raid mini2? weibetech no work

Hi there,
I recently purchased a brand new G-Tech 640GB G-raid mini2. I specifically purchased the drive to take advantage of the esata port. I edit video and need the throughput speeds for HD footage. Currently, I'm using the Weibetech Express/34 esata adapter to run the drive but it's not working. The information I received from the very helpful people at Weibetech, was that Silicon Image who makes the chip that runs the card, are not updating the drivers to work with my operating system. 10.5. Both apple and SI are aware of this issue.
Question I have is what card will work with the computer and the drive? Has anyone had the same or similar issue? Maybe the G-Raid drive isn't the way to go. Anyone have a better suggestion for speed when cutting video on a MBP?
Thanks

I wonder why the G-Speed Q (From G-Technology) which uses the same 936 chip is benchmarked at a much slower speed using there $300 RAID card. According to G-Tech "The G-SPEED Q write speeds are about 165MB/s, and the reads are about 215MB/s." with RAID 5.
Hi,
I have not tested the G-Speed Q.
I can tell you 936QS based enclosures tend to be very performance sensitive to the model of hard disk installed and the eSATA driver used. This is why performance results can be amazingly different when the 936QS is used with various drives and eSATA controllers.
Its not like a direct connect 4-bay enclosure where you see much less difference in hard disk performance when different 3.5" SATA hard disk models are used.
In my tests, the Hitachi 1TB provided some of the best 936QS performance I have recorded. In addition, FirmTek has optimized the SeriTek/2ME4-E driver version 6.0.0fc18 to enhance 936QS performance. This combination is able to maximize the performance available with the 936QS design.
I hope this information is helpful.
FirmTek Support

Which graphics card for Photoshop CS4

I will be adding a graphics card to my Vista 64 machine which currently has integrated graphics. I normally don't care about 3D performance, so I was looking at the Radeon HD 4550. Please let me know what I should look for in a card if my primary objective is to (1) enable movie playing (HD and blu ray) and (2) speed up Photoshop. The machine has one x16 PCI slot and two x1 slots (it's a Dell Studio).
Current specs are:
Intel Q9400 quad core
8GB RAM (this is the max for the motherboard)
750GB SATA drive

Hi Curt,
Thank you so much for your reply, the info/advice you have given me is really helpful!!! I think its important that I also keep in mind what I might need to use it for in a couple of years time, which could be video editing and of course who knows what demands newer versions of PS, LR etc will put on the PC. I think I am going to have to bite the bullet and go for the PC that is pushing the absoulte limit of my budget (and a bit extra!) as then I have something with a spec I am not going to out grow for a reasonable period of time - so long as the computer does not give up on me first! The one I am looking at has 256GB mSATA SSD + 2TB SATA hard drive. It also has 16 GB ram.
Thanks again, really apprecaite your help!
Keri

Which eSATA card for QX2 or G-Speed Q?

Similar Messages

Maybe you are looking for