Thunderbolt 3 or 4 Card for Mid 2010 Mac Pro

[Rich M]

My Mid 2010 Mac Pro has external USB and Firewire ports but no Thunderbolt ports. I'm running OS Mojave because that's as far as I can go on this "oldie but goodie" Mac. The attached image shows my current setup with regard to the internal card slots used in this Mac.

Is there an internal card that can go into this machine to provide Thunderbolt 3 or 4 support for external drives? I have several Western Digital SATA hard drives that I would like to install in a Thunderbolt enclosure to make them available for use all the time.

Possible?

 

[pigoo3]

Something to consider...a USB-C PCI-e card:

Sonnet Technologies Allegro 2-Port USB-C SuperSpeed 10GBps PCIe Card

Supports data transfers up to twice as fast as USB 3.0, and can deliver 15W of power per port to USB-C bus-powered devices. Includes a 1 year warranty.

eshop.macsales.com

While there are some differences between USB-C and Thunderbolt (Thunderbolt is faster):

Thunderbolt vs. USB-C: What's the Difference?

Thunderbolt ports look just like USB-C ports, but they're speedier, and the two have key inner differences. Here's how to tell them apart, plus crucial tips on which is better for charging, data transfer, and other uses.

www.pcmag.com

...installing a Thunderbolt card into a Mac Pro and getting it to work is a headache (and more expensive):

Thunderbolt 3 On Mac Pro 5,1 Cheese-grater - Now You Can Have It But It's Not For The Faint-Hearted | Production Expert

Back in late February 2020, we heard that there a solution has been found, which enables MacPro Cheese-grater owners to install a Titan Ridge Thunderbolt 3 card into a Mac Pro 5,1 and to be able to use Thunderbolt 3 in macOS. It is turning out to be a challenge to implement, but we continue to updat

www.pro-tools-expert.com

The USB-C card would be faster than what you have & easy to install and get working (compatible with a 2010 Mac Pro)...but maybe not as fast a Thunderbolt card (if you can get it working).

HTH,

Nick

p.s. I know you're running Mojave...but for anyone reading this...in the long list of macOS versions this USC-C card is compatible with (and other USB-C cards)...macOS 10.11 (El Capitan)...is specifically listed in every source I found as NOT compatible.

 

[Rich M]

Thanks, Nick! I just ordered that card.

I have a Sabrent USB 3 single SATA drive enclosure to test it when I get the car installed. If that works OK, I'll get their 10-drive enclosure and I'll be in business.

 

[pigoo3]

Hi Rich. Wow...I wasn't necessarily saying/recommending this was the best card to get...just an example of what you might get. Hopefully it does the job fine.

Please let us know how it works out. Very well may be others out there thinking of doing the same thing (including me)! Lol

Nick

 

[Rich M]

I will post here to let you and other forum members how it works for me.

I do a LOT of video work on this MAC, for both family videos and a few corporate clients. The family stuff goes to my YouTube channel. I am constantly swapping hard drives in and out of this Mac. I want to get to a point where they are all available, all the time.

I had figured I would probably have to update to a Mac Studio to get the Thunderbolt technology. Then I would have the cost of acquiring the computer ($2,000) plus several Thunderbolt drive enclosures. I had previously read that "Thunderbolt on a Cheese Grater" article, and I did not like what I read. Way to "geeky" for me and a bit beyond the edge of my technical knowledge envelope.

If this fast USB 3.2 works for HD video (all 2K stuff) then I won't need to buy a new machine and I can avoid all the headaches associated with trying to run Thunderbolt on a mid-2010 Mac.

 

[pigoo3]

Great to hear you already read that article...and knew there might be some complexities to getting Thunderbolt working on an older Mac Pro.

Usually...if there's a straight-forward/easy way of doing things...OWC (macsales.com) usually has a solution. It might not be the least expensive solution...but if OWC has a solution...then someone can either purchase from them...or search the internet for a similar product.

When I saw OWC didn't have a solution (Thunderbolt card for an older 2010-2012 Mac Pro)...I figured either there wasn't a solution...or it was a more complicated solution.

As I'm sure you know...USB-C is a very popular interface at the moment. Nice for a 12 year old computer to be able to use modern input devices & peripherals (assuming those devices don't have an serious minimum macOS requirements).

Very interested to hear your findings (installation of the card, functionality of the card, and if transfer speeds are better).

Thanks,

Nick

 

[Rich M]

I installed the Sonnet Technologies card and connected a Sabrent EC-DFLT single hard drive enclosure to it via its USB cable and a USB-A to USB-C adapter. When I turn it on, the drive triggers an error message that the drive is not readable by this computer. However, this is a known good drive that works fine if I install it directly in the Mac.

The Disk Utility sees the Sabrent Device and correctly reports the total size of the drive. However, it does not correctly report the used or free space. They all show as zero. It only shows the volume, not the device/drive. Consequently the drive is not mounted. The "Mount" icon in the Disk Utility is grayed out.

I've attached a screen shot of the Disk Utility report and the Disk Utility screen.

Is there something I have to do to get the Mac to recognize this drive?

 

[pigoo3]

I installed the Sonnet Technologies card...

Does/did the card come with any sort of drivers/install software? I'm guessing you would have already done this if there were...but thought I'd ask just in case?

Nick

 

[Rich M]

No drivers to install. The instructions say, "...the drivers to enable this Allegro card to work in your computer...are installed as part of macOS 10.12.6 and later..."

I'm running 10.14.6 Mojave.

 

[pigoo3]

Thanks for the info on the drivers.

When I turn it on, the drive triggers an error message that the drive is not readable by this computer. However, this is a known good drive that works fine if I install it directly in the Mac.

Do you have another/different drive that can be installed in the Sabrent EC-DFLT hard drive enclosure?

Maybe the issue is the enclosure & not the drive.

Nick

 

[Rich M]

I‘ll do some further troubleshooting on this tomorrow. I’ve got a dozen different hard drives to try this with, as well as another Sabrent EC-DFLT device.

 

[MacInWin]

Sort of guessing, but I see from one image that the drive is partitioned as Master Boot Record. That is a Windows format, which could mean the drive is formatted for Windows, not for Mac. If there is nothing on the drive you care about, try portioning and formatting it with GUID and a Mac format like HFS+.

 

[Rich M]

Here's my troubleshooting efforts this morning.

• The "test" drive I've been using is formatted as Mac OS Extended Journaled and it contains data.
  Jake, I saw that "Master Boot Record" notation, too, but the drive was not formatted in a PC.
  This drive has only been used in this Mac. It has never even been in a PC.
  
  
• The "test" drive works fine if I install it inside the MAC.
  All the files on the drive appear, and it plays HD videos as before.
  It shows as OS Extended Journaled.
  
  
• I formatted another, blank 2TB drive as ExFAT in a PC.
  
  
• When I put that drive in the Sabrent device, it is properly recognized and appears on the desktop.
  
  
• The ExFAT 2 TB drive works fine and will play HD video with no issues.
  
  
• I swapped out the Sabrent device with another identical unit.
  
  
• I achieved the same exact results.

ALL of the hard drives I intend to use externally are formatted OS Extended Journaled and contain data. However, it appears that the Sabrent device does not recognize a drive formatted that way.

I was just on the phone with Sabrent Tech Support. They are puzzled, too. I sent them some screen shots and we'll see where this goes. I will keep you posted.

 

[pigoo3]

Sounds good...love to hear what Sabrent says.

Every one of these USB-C cards I saw specifically says not compatible with macOS El Capitan. I know you're running Mojave...so should be no macOS issues.

I've used lots of external HD cases over the years (with SATA drives)...and never had an issue...so I'm guessing it's not the case. Maybe 15+ years ago when older hard drives of that time (IDE and SCSI) HD technology required a termination jumper on the pins on the back of the HD...there could be some external case issues. But with modern SATA HD interface...never had an issue.

Nick

 

[Rich M]

Some developments discovered in testing.

If I...

• Format a drive ExFat on a PC
  It works when inside the MAC and in the Sabrent Docking Station.
  
  
• Format a drive ExFat in the Sabrent Docking Station
  It works when inside the MAC and in the Docking Station.
  
  
• Format a drive ExFat when installed in the Mac and connected to the Mac motherboard
  It works when inside the MAC and in the Docking Station.
  
  
• Format a drive OS Extended Journaled in the Docking Station
  It works when inside the MAC and in the Docking Station.
  
  
• Format a drive OS Extended Journaled when installed in the Mac and connected to the Mac motherboard, IT DOES NOT WORK IN THE DOCKING STATION.
  It works fine when inside the Mac and connected to the Mac motherboard.

To their credit, Sabrent Tech Support has been communicating with me daily on this. No solution yet, however.

 

[pigoo3]

Two thoughts:

1. A hard drive formatted for use with the macOS (whether installed internally or externally in an external case)...should just work! All of this testing/troubleshooting should not be necessary.

2. When we started this thread with how to add Thunderbolt to an older 2010 Mac Pro (but ended up going with a USB-C PCIe card)...I assumed that anything being connected to the newly installed USB-C card (externally)...would be a "native" USB-C device (any external hard drive enclosure would be a native USB-C device). This is really the way it should be...since it sounded like the goal of this project was "best data transfer speed".

In post #7 it was mentioned that the external Sabrent hard drive enclosure was connected to the newly installed USB-C card via a USB-A cable...and a USB-A to USB-C adapter. Not sure if this could be causing any issues.

To test this...you could connect the external Sabrent enclosure to the Mac Pro via USB-A ONLY (not to the new USB-C card)...via one of the Mac Pro's USB ports...to test to see if a hard drive formatted for use with the macOS & installed in the Sabrent enclosure works normally (basically skip using the new USB-C card until things are working normally via USB-A).

* If everything works as expected via USB-A ONLY...then the issue has to lie with the new USB-C card, the USB-A cable to USB-A to USB-C adapter...or maybe both.

* If everything still acts "wonky" via USB-A ONLY...then I would suspect the issue could be the Sabrent external enclosure...and I would simply stop using it (too many headaches).

Also not going to get the best speed with the setup as it is now...since ANY USB-A items will be the weak/slow link in the chain.

Nick

 

[Rich M]

Thanks for this troubleshooting idea, Nick. To test your theory, I connected the Sabrent enclosure directly to a USB port on the Mac. I got the exact same results as when connected via the Sonnett card. The Sabrent device is USB-3, by the way. It's USB-A connector, with a blue insert, and the specs say USB-3.

I'm pretty sure that this is an issue with the Sabrent docking station. I think they are on that same path because of the testing they have asked me to perform over the last few days.

 

[pigoo3]

Good deal...thanks for doing the additional testing.

Nick

 

[Rich M]

AN UPDATE:

Today I installed a Sabrent five-bay docking station, model DS-SC5B, into my Mac. It's connected via the Sonnett card...and it works perfectly! It properly recognizes both exFAT and Mac OS Extended Journaled discs.



Evidently the problem I have is related only to the Sabrent EC-DFLT single-bay docking station.

 

[pigoo3]

Great to hear it. How are the data transfer rates/times compared to what you were using previously?