MacPro + Rocket Slot configuration [Archive]

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martinnoweck

11-28-2010, 04:28 PM

Hello,

just wondering what would be the best configuration: i have my aja kona3, my graphic card and my raid card - if i want to install a rocket, what would be the best way to arrange the different cards?

best wishes and kind regards,
martin

Paul Hazlett

11-28-2010, 04:48 PM

Best spot for Rocket is the 8x slot. Works great for me...would be better in a 16x but you will have to ask Steve Jobs for that.

Frank Cueto

11-28-2010, 04:51 PM

The order I have it on mine...

External Esata on top slot
Pci interface to HDOne on second slot from the top down
Red rocket on the third from the top
and GPU card at the bottom.

If I where you I would substitute the placement of my esata with the kona card.

Unless you are pushing crazy bandwidth, I dont think putting the raid car on the second slot (from top to bottom) will affect its performance too much.

Stephen Lovett

11-28-2010, 08:22 PM

Best spot for Rocket is the 8x slot. Works great for me...would be better in a 16x but you will have to ask Steve Jobs for that.

Hi Paul,

FWIW MacPro's don't have a x8 slot, wish they did. But your instincts are right, one of the x4 slot's will work.

The best choice of locations will depend on what other PCIe cards are in the system.

I see slightly better performance when utilizing the x16 slot for a fast raid and the Rocket in a x4, but that requires a raid fast enough to take advantage of the higher throughput.

AJA's website has a configuration guide available for download.

Cheers,

Steve

Paul Hazlett

11-29-2010, 04:28 AM

don't go from bottom to top 16x 8x 4x 4x ? maybe they switched them up for different models. I am on a 2008 2.8 8 core

Eric Santiago

11-29-2010, 06:59 AM

Stephen Lovett

11-29-2010, 07:18 AM

don't go from bottom to top 16x 8x 4x 4x ? maybe they switched them up for different models. I am on a 2008 2.8 8 core

Hi Paul,

I only have Mac Pro's from the last three generations. But that includes the early 2008 model.

That model has 2 x16 and 2x4 slots.

http://www.everymac.com/systems/apple/mac_pro/stats/mac-pro-eight-core-2.8-2008-specs.html

Cheers,

Steve

Paul Hazlett

11-29-2010, 06:10 PM

well I'll be a monkeys uncle! then my card and Martin's should be good in the slot next to the graphics card, better 16x than 8!

Rainer Fritz

12-01-2010, 04:31 AM

Hi Paul,

I only have Mac Pro's from the last three generations. But that includes the early 2008 model.

That model has 2 x16 and 2x4 slots.

http://www.everymac.com/systems/apple/mac_pro/stats/mac-pro-eight-core-2.8-2008-specs.html

Cheers,

Steve

Thats right.... only 40 lanes so far in the macpros.... and the mac costs double than a pc version.... what a pitty....

Jeff Kilgroe

12-01-2010, 08:21 AM

Thats right.... only 40 lanes so far in the macpros.... and the mac costs double than a pc version.... what a pitty....

Considering the 5520 chipset only supports 40 lanes...

The real issue is only having 4 slots. Some PC motherboards will provide more lanes and slots by using a dual chipset design. Up to 64 lanes can be provided by using a second chipset in cascade mode. Which I do think Apple should have done here.

Anyway, new workstation/server chipsets are due to ship to OEMs about March. They're running a couple months behind the desktop and mobile Sandy Bridge platform, which officially launches on January 5. The upcoming chipsets support more lanes and there's no way Apple could use all of them with only 4 slots, it will be interesting to see what they do. I have a hunch that we'll see a new Mac Pro design. Hopefully so... I get the impression that the last couple Mac Pro models were restricted to 4 slots, if for no reason other than to amortize their case design over multiple production runs.