Resolved MP 6.1 SSD upgrade to boost PS performance

[CFartist]

Hi there!

I'm a digital artist and I use my Mac Pro as a tool for my job. Bought it about 5 years ago and it's served me well.

MP 6.1 current specs:
3.5 Ghz 6-core Xeon E5
64 GB 1866 MHz DDR3
AMD FirePro D300
500 GB SSD

That is until now, because my workload has become more demanding. I use mainly Photoshop and now I have to work with large multi layered images @ around 10 GB. I'm aware that PS performance is affected mostly by RAM and the scratch disk. My activity monitor shows little to no strain to CPU or GPU load. Blackmagic's Disk Speed Test shows 950/740 R/W with the OEM SSD. After reading this forum and doing a bit of research, I thought that a way to improve PS performance would be to upgrade the SSD.

It would be great if I there's a way to fit 2 SSDs in that trash can. One (1TB) for my files and the second (256GB) as a scratch disk. Also, I wouldn't want to swap an SSD, every time a new firmware comes out.

So, as I see it, I have these options:

Option 1. Angelshark Carrier board + Samsung 960/970 Pro/Evo 1 TB (as main disc) + Samsung 960/970 Pro/Evo 250 GB (scratch disc) + OEM disc
That would be ideal, but I don't know if anyone has tried it and what speeds we'd get.

Option 2. M.2 Samsung 960/970 Pro/Evo 2 TB + Sintech adapter.
That's an option, but, like I said, I don't want to swap SSDs to update the firmware.

Option 3. OWC Aura Pro X2 2 TB with enclosure
That's an option, but the USB speed of the enclosure sucks, so it's basically useless as a scratch disk.

Option 4. OWC Aura Pro X2 or Samsung 960/970 Pro/Evo + Sintech adapter for main disk and find a TB2 enclosure to be used as a scratch disk.

Option 5. Sell the trash can and buy a new Mac Pro. That's going to hurt!

What do you guys think? Also, I'm open to any other suggestions for other upgrades.

Thank you advance!

 

[CFartist]

Do all third party SSDs have problems with firmware updates?
When I say third party SSDs, that includes the Angelshark board, the OWC Aura Pro X2 and all nvme SSDs with the adapter.

I know that this subject has been discussed countless times, but although I've read many threads here, that answer eludes me. Is there anyone who would be kind enough to help?

 

[CFartist]

Oh my days! I just realised I forgot to add a hyphen between my initials and the word "artist". It's supposed to be CF-artist. Is that the reason no-one answers my questions? ?

 

[th0masp]

From what I've read it sounds like you will have to do the SSD swap with all your proposed solutions, not just with the Sintech adapter (which is the one I'm using).

As for performance I'm not so sure that a scratch disk will make a difference, looks like that is advice from yesteryear. You better be sure beforehand that this is really an upgrade in your case at all.

If your mainly RAM-limited then I'm sure you are aware that the Trashcan can be upgraded to 128 GB (inofficially). You could also give that 8-core aftermarket CPU a try - it's faster in every scenario than the six-core.

Sounds to me like you're simply using heavy documents that the application struggles with. On a faster CPU it might struggle a little less in an interactive session but probably not enough to justify the cost for an entirely new system.
If your speed issues are however related to filters/processing then a system with faster/more cores will make a difference, perhaps a significant one if you are going all in on the new MP with 16+ cores or the like.

 

[CFartist]

Thanks for the reply!

That's what I thought so. I've read that all third party SSD upgrades have that issue. So, I guess I have to go with a bigger OEM SSD. I think it would make a difference if I buy an SSUBX, as it is as fast as an NVMe drive ~1300 MB/sec R/W. I suspect my drive is an SSUAX.

My RAM is sufficient for now. I have 64GB, 45GB is allocated to PS, so that shouldn't be a problem. I am aware that I can upgrade it to 128 GB, but it's 1333 MHz, so I guess it would be slower (?). Also, like said, my CPU load is about 5% while working, so it's negligible.

PS supports PSD files up to 2 GB. That's why I work with PSB files, and PS supports up to 4 EB (or 4 million GB) of file size. That said, I don't think a 10gb PSB file is heavy for PS.

Anyway, I contacted Apple support and they said I could buy a new 1TB drive from them, they can't install it though. So I'll check with my local service provider and see how it goes.

 

[astrorider]

Hi there!

I'm a digital artist and I use my Mac Pro as a tool for my job. Bought it about 5 years ago and it's served me well.

MP 6.1 current specs:
3.5 Ghz 6-core Xeon E5
64 GB 1866 MHz DDR3
AMD FirePro D300
500 GB SSD

That is until now, because my workload has become more demanding. I use mainly Photoshop and now I have to work with large multi layered images @ around 10 GB. I'm aware that PS performance is affected mostly by RAM and the scratch disk. My activity monitor shows little to no strain to CPU or GPU load. Blackmagic's Disk Speed Test shows 950/740 R/W with the OEM SSD. After reading this forum and doing a bit of research, I thought that a way to improve PS performance would be to upgrade the SSD.

It would be great if I there's a way to fit 2 SSDs in that trash can. One (1TB) for my files and the second (256GB) as a scratch disk. Also, I wouldn't want to swap an SSD, every time a new firmware comes out.

So, as I see it, I have these options:

Option 1. Angelshark Carrier board + Samsung 960/970 Pro/Evo 1 TB (as main disc) + Samsung 960/970 Pro/Evo 250 GB (scratch disc) + OEM disc
That would be ideal, but I don't know if anyone has tried it and what speeds we'd get.

Option 2. M.2 Samsung 960/970 Pro/Evo 2 TB + Sintech adapter.
That's an option, but, like I said, I don't want to swap SSDs to update the firmware.

Option 3. OWC Aura Pro X2 2 TB with enclosure
That's an option, but the USB speed of the enclosure sucks, so it's basically useless as a scratch disk.

Option 4. OWC Aura Pro X2 or Samsung 960/970 Pro/Evo + Sintech adapter for main disk and find a TB2 enclosure to be used as a scratch disk.

Option 5. Sell the trash can and buy a new Mac Pro. That's going to hurt!

What do you guys think? Also, I'm open to any other suggestions for other upgrades.

Thank you advance!

Another option would be something like an external Samsung X5 1TB as a boot drive, along with a TB3 dock and Apple's TB3 to TB2 adapter. Then you could keep your internal for firmware updates and as a scratch disk. Of course a TB3 SSD will only run at TB2 speeds with that setup (still faster than a USB 3 enclosure and probably the same or faster than your current internal), but whenever you do upgrade to a TB3 Mac you can reuse those TB3 peripherals and at full speed.

Cable Matters [Intel Certified] Certified Aluminum Thunderbolt 3 Dock with DisplayPort (Notebook Charging Not Supported)

Cable Matters [Intel Certified] Certified Aluminum Thunderbolt 3 Dock with DisplayPort (Notebook Charging Not Supported)

www.amazon.com

SAMSUNG X5 Portable SSD - 1TB - Thunderbolt 3 External SSD (MU-PB1T0B/AM) Gray/Red

Samsung Portable SSD X5 is a revolutionary external storage with integrated cutting-edge NVMe and Thunderbolt 3 technologies. The X5 is designed for content creators and high-tech professionals who need fast and secure access to data in a lightweight and compact storage solution.

www.amazon.com

Apple Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) to Thunderbolt 2 Adapter

The Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) to Thunderbolt 2 adapter lets you connect Thunderbolt and Thunderbolt 2 devices — external hard drives and Thunderbolt displays, for example — to any of the Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) ports on your MacBook Pro. As a bidirectional adapter, it can also connect new Thunderbolt 3...

www.amazon.com

 

[th0masp]

PS supports PSD files up to 2 GB. That's why I work with PSB files, and PS supports up to 4 EB (or 4 million GB) of file size. That said, I don't think a 10gb PSB file is heavy for PS.

Filesize on disk might not be the problem but squeezing all those pixels through the app's architecture is where I suspect the problem lies. Still, getting an SSD with the maximum throughput this system allows for sounds like a worthwhile upgrade to me.

 

[sam80]

I also work in Photoshop with big files. As a work drive for my 6,1 I use OWC Express 4M2 with 2x Samsung M2 drives, in a RAID 0. Connected using Apple TB2 to TB3 adapter.

The OWC Express 4M2 can take up to 4 drives, but it's limited by TB2 throughput on 6,1, so I'm guessing it won't be much faster even with 4 drives in RAID 0. Haven't tested. But as it is it's still faster (and bigger) than the original internal SSD.

 

[Daverich4]

Another option would be something like an external Samsung X5 1TB as a boot drive, along with a TB3 dock and Apple's TB3 to TB2 adapter. Then you could keep your internal for firmware updates and as a scratch disk. Of course a TB3 SSD will only run at TB2 speeds with that setup (still faster than a USB 3 enclosure and probably the same or faster than your current internal), but whenever you do upgrade to a TB3 Mac you can reuse those TB3 peripherals and at full speed.

Cable Matters [Intel Certified] Certified Aluminum Thunderbolt 3 Dock with DisplayPort (Notebook Charging Not Supported)

Cable Matters [Intel Certified] Certified Aluminum Thunderbolt 3 Dock with DisplayPort (Notebook Charging Not Supported)

www.amazon.com

SAMSUNG X5 Portable SSD - 1TB - Thunderbolt 3 External SSD (MU-PB1T0B/AM) Gray/Red

Samsung Portable SSD X5 is a revolutionary external storage with integrated cutting-edge NVMe and Thunderbolt 3 technologies. The X5 is designed for content creators and high-tech professionals who need fast and secure access to data in a lightweight and compact storage solution.

www.amazon.com

Apple Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) to Thunderbolt 2 Adapter

The Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) to Thunderbolt 2 adapter lets you connect Thunderbolt and Thunderbolt 2 devices — external hard drives and Thunderbolt displays, for example — to any of the Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) ports on your MacBook Pro. As a bidirectional adapter, it can also connect new Thunderbolt 3...

www.amazon.com

I don’t see that the Samsung drive has external power. If not, it won’t work with Thunderbolt 2 which does not supply power in the interface the way Thunderbolt 3 does.

 

[astrorider]

I don’t see that the Samsung drive has external power. If not, it won’t work with Thunderbolt 2 which does not supply power in the interface the way Thunderbolt 3 does.

The drive attaches to the TB 3 dock which provides power. I run this setup on a 6,1 Mac Pro, works great.

 

[Daverich4]

The drive attaches to the TB 3 dock which provides power. I run this setup on a 6,1 Mac Pro, works great.

Where does the adapter go then? Between the dock and the computer? I also have a 2013 Mac Pro and would love to use this combination if it works. Thanks.

 

[astrorider]

Where does the adapter go then? Between the dock and the computer? I also have a 2013 Mac Pro and would love to use this combination if it works. Thanks.

That TB3 dock has two TB 3 ports, so one is used for the external SSD and the other is used for Apple’s TB3 to 2 adapter. If you don’t already have one, you do also need to buy a male-male TB 2 cable to attach the Mac Pro to that adapter.

 

[Daverich4]

That TB3 dock has two TB 3 ports, so one is used for the external SSD and the other is used for Apple’s TB3 to 2 adapter. If you don’t already have one, you do also need to buy a male-male TB 2 cable to attach the Mac Pro to that adapter.

Thanks, I gave up on using anything like that because of a lack of power to it but I can see where your method takes care of that. Thanks again.

 

[CFartist]

Right! Went to my nearest Apple Service Provider to buy a 1TB SSUBX.
The assistant was really NOT helpful! Just checked the online catalogue and said:

Assistant: We can't help you. It's not on the catalogue. You could buy an external SSD.
Me: I see! However, when I contacted Apple Support, they said I can buy it from you.
Ass/nt: Well, they're wrong! Let me check with a technician.

Then went to the other side of the shop, talked to a couple of customers, and came back to me. (duh!)

Ass/nt: No, we don't have it.
Me: May I speak to a technician please?
Ass/nt: Sure!

Went through a door and came back with another assistant.

Me: Hi, I'm after a 1TB SSUBX for my Mac Pro 6.1.
Tech: Sure. Let me check if we have it.
....
Tech: I can't see it on the catalogue. Let me check our stock.

Went through the same door and came back a few minutes later.

Tech: Your Mac Pro is old and we can't help you at the moment.
Me: Do you have the part in stock?
Tech: Yes, but since your Mac is out of warranty, we can't install it.
Me: I can install it myself. I just want to buy it from you. Is that possible?
Tech: No, I'm afraid not. You can buy an SSD from a third party though.
Me: I'm aware of that. I was just hoping I could buy an OEM drive though.
Tech: No, I'm sorry!

WOW! That was disappointing! I also find it weird, it's a 5 year old machine and what they told me is that I can't upgrade it. Seemed to me as if they didn't want to help.

Anyway, when I got back to my studio I called Apple Support and they confirmed that I can buy an OEM drive from an Apple Service Provider. So they booked me an appointment for tomorrow. I'll have to carry my Mac Pro to the shop though, so that they can check it and then we'll discuss my options and the cost. At least that's what they told me from Apple Support. We'll see. Fingers crossed, I'll have a new SSD soon. I'll keep you posted.

@th0masp Yes, upgrading the drive makes sense at the moment.

@astrorider Thanks for your advice! That set up sounds interesting. I'll definitely need a second SSD. Could you post a Disk Speed Test please? I'd like to know how fast is that SSD with the TB2 connection.

@sam80 Thanks for the tip mate! That would be my alternative option, if I can't find a TB2 SSD that is as fast as the internal drive, if not faster.

 

[CFartist]

Turned out Apple couldn't help me after all. The second Apple store refused to provide any assistance, due to, and I quote: "Company policy". After many calls to AppleSupport I got to speak to a technician and they confirmed that they can't sell parts from the previous generation Mac Pro. So, they said I should buy an SSD from a third party, referring me to OWC, even though they're aware (they confirmed it) that the firmware can't be updated when a third party SSD is installed. That is so disappointing!

Therefore, I had to look for a used/recycled SSUBX SSD. Rang a couple of UK based companies and I found one selling them for almost £ 600 (or $ 780) for the 1TB! Then I contacted an eBay seller based in the US. They said they have a batch of new SSDs produced in 2018-2019 (PN: 655-1861C and 655-1961C) and confirmed they have 0-1 hour of power-on time. So, I pulled the trigger and bought one for $ 270. Will post my review as soon as I install it.

 

[th0masp]

Sounds like there is no professional support for the professional line of computers from Apple then - because this thing has been sold until ... just a few weeks ago? You'd think they stock parts for years to be able to offer support...

Perhaps this would serve as a cautionary tale for buyers of the new MP as well.

Anyway, I would have really gone with an aftermarket SSD - it's not like you have to update firmware every week, although I might just be allergic to the thought of using 2nd hand storage for no good reason.

 

[macguru9999]

Wow , what a joke. I have had a lot to do with the 6,1 lately (customer's, not mine). If compatibility is a priority, get a used 1TB from ebay, an apple one) You might even find an nvme one but i doubt it. If speed is a priority, get an NVME (50% faster) 2tb owc or 2tb samsung 970evo with adapter (you may need to update the evo firmware for compatibility i am not sure if this is an issue with the 6,1) (10.13.6 or newer) and KEEP your apple drive for firmware updates. You can partition the 2TB if you want several virtual internal drives. also NO TB2 external will be fast enough, only macs with TB3 have that luxury of fitting an external USB3.1gen2 SSD and even then its only about 500mb/s, not the 1000mb/s+ you can get from an internal nvme.

 

[CFartist]

Sounds like there is no professional support for the professional line of computers from Apple then - because this thing has been sold until ... just a few weeks ago? You'd think they stock parts for years to be able to offer support...

Perhaps this would serve as a cautionary tale for buyers of the new MP as well.

Anyway, I would have really gone with an aftermarket SSD - it's not like you have to update firmware every week, although I might just be allergic to the thought of using 2nd hand storage for no good reason.

I also don't want a 2nd hand drive in my MP. The item description says it's new. And they confirmed that it has 0-1 hours of power-on time. I'll test it when I get it. If that is the case, then the drive is new indeed.
[automerge]1581540050[/automerge]

Wow , what a joke. I have had a lot to do with the 6,1 lately (customer's, not mine). If compatibility is a priority, get a used 1TB from ebay, an apple one) You might even find an nvme one but i doubt it. If speed is a priority, get an NVME (50% faster) 2tb owc or 2tb samsung 970evo with adapter (you may need to update the evo firmware for compatibility i am not sure if this is an issue with the 6,1) (10.13.6 or newer) and KEEP your apple drive for firmware updates. You can partition the 2TB if you want several virtual internal drives. also NO TB2 external will be fast enough, only macs with TB3 have that luxury of fitting an external USB3.1gen2 SSD and even then its only about 500mb/s, not the 1000mb/s+ you can get from an internal nvme.

An M.2 NVME could be an option, but I don't want to be bothered, swapping drives, whenever there's a firmware update. I'm lazy, I know

Edit: I do find it weird that Apple doesn't provide support for the previous Mac Pro. I bought mine in November 2014 and I thought that I could upgrade it after 4-5 years. Well, that's not possible here in the UK. Don't know if Apple has a different policy for their US customers.

 

[macguru9999]

I also don't want a 2nd hand drive in my MP. The item description says it's new. And they confirmed that it has 0-1 hours of power-on time. I'll test it when I get it. If that is the case, then the drive is new indeed.
[automerge]1581540050[/automerge]

An M.2 NVME could be an option, but I don't want to be bothered, swapping drives, whenever there's a firmware update. I'm lazy, I know

Edit: I do find it weird that Apple doesn't provide support for the previous Mac Pro. I bought mine in November 2014 and I thought that I could upgrade it after 4-5 years. Well, that's not possible here in the UK. Don't know if Apple has a different policy for their US customers.

It sounds like you are out of options, then. Unless you are rich and lazy, in which case the new mac pro 7,1 is your best bet

 

[sam80]

An M.2 NVME could be an option, but I don't want to be bothered, swapping drives, whenever there's a firmware update. I'm lazy, I know

The OWC Express 4M2 box in RAID 0 was a great solution for me, never had any problems. It can reach max TB2 speed (speed in my previous post), has power supply and uses off the shelf M2 drives, if using 4 you can get a pretty big storage space. No firmware stuff to worry about, as I'm booting the OS from the internal SSD. You don't want to use your data drive for the system anyways. I have the OS on the internal SSD and not much else. The OWC box has current projects data on it. It's backed up several times a day to other slower external drives.

 

[CFartist]

Today I received and installed the 1 TB SSUBX. Got it from eBay and to my surprise the drive is almost new, as described by the seller, produced on 2019/6 with only 16 hours of usage. FYI the old SSD had 22,000 hours on the clock. So here are the test results:

It's ~30%(read) and ~50%(write)* faster than my previous 500GB SSUAX. So happy with the purchase and with the results. The installation was super easy and now my MP boots in half the time it used to. It's like when I first bought it!

If anyone needs to upgrade their Mac Pro 6.1 internal SSDs, I highly recommend this seller:

Security measure

www.ebay.co.uk

Apple couldn't help me. But Tod from macpartsdirect.com saved the day!

So, problem solved!

*Edit: It's~30%(write) and ~50%(read)

 

[th0masp]

Good to hear you found what you were after. But the question remains: did the upgrade (significantly) improve Photoshop performance for you?

 

[CFartist]

Good to hear you found what you were after. But the question remains: did the upgrade (significantly) improve Photoshop performance for you?

Yes! I tested it with a 1,6 GB image. It used to open in 15.71 sec. Now it opens in 10.25 secs.

 

[PresidentRoss]

Yes! I tested it with a 1,6 GB image. It used to open in 15.71 sec. Now it opens in 10.25 secs.

This is what Im getting. You can have 3 NVMEs in your Mac Pro 2013

https://www.amfeltec.com/mac-pro-late-2013-cylinder-ssd-upgrade/

 

[loby]

This is what Im getting. You can have 3 NVMEs in your Mac Pro 2013

https://www.amfeltec.com/mac-pro-late-2013-cylinder-ssd-upgrade/

Let us know how hot it runs after installing.