Re: New Mac Pro (7.1)
 

The same is true for many other PCIe cards. Needing additional power is very common for graphics cards.

Nothing wonky at all about it. This is pretty normal. All desktop and server computers are designed to provide additional power for drives, cards, and other hardware you add.

Re: New Mac Pro (7.1)
 

Okay but for example, a UAD-2 card you just seat it and it works.

Then there is this additional power connector adapter needed, i’m just surprised. I’m wondering how many HDX users will buy a Mac Pro and then be caught off guard that the cards can’t be installed without buying the adapters.

Re: New Mac Pro (7.1)
 

Zero. HDX card comes with power cable for both Mac and PC. If the new MP has different connector HDX box will likely have that too once it is supported.

Re: New Mac Pro (7.1)
 

Frankly, the lack of an additional PCIe power cable for UAD-2 cards is what makes it a particularly mediocre platform. I can run something like a 1000 instances of bx EQ V3 natively on my 2018 6-core MacBook Pro. My HDX card does around 140 instances plus the mix engine. A UAD Octo card does just 88. At the equivalent of a UAD-2 fourteen card, I think even HDX cards are underpowered in 2019. UAD is... well... pretty pathetic.

Spending the extra 20 seconds it takes to plug in the supplied jumper cable during installation is a very small price to pay for a DSP system that is almost twice as powerful as UAD... But really, both Avid and UA should be making far more use of the available PCIe auxiliary power by releasing UAD-2 twenty and HDX MKII that offer far more DSP processing per PCIe card. They are both outdated platforms, but UAD in particular takes the cake.

Re: New Mac Pro (7.1)
 

It seems UAD Is focusing more on the Apollo series now - I think Apollo X has double the dsp power of the previous generation. But I think that was vs a Quad, which would be equivalent to the Octo. The current plugin models are also much more hungry than the old ones, and the DSP does fill up quick without multiple devices. To them maybe it seems like that's a good reason to buy another device to chain in, more i/o and more dsp!

Anyway getting off-topic now - I didn't mean to string this out. HDX is not supported by Mac Pro officially thus why it requires purchasing an additional adapter, and it just struck me as annoying. I'm sure they will eventually supply it as someone said. Not annoying enough to make me not purchase it or that it's something to even consider, just an offhand comment.

Re: New Mac Pro (7.1)
 

I’m a little confused as to why people are buying this Belkin power adapter kit. The 7,1 MacPro documentation says it has one 6-pin and four 8-pin internal connectors. An HDX card come with a 6-pin connector cable, so it shouldn’t need an adapter. Unless the 6-pin is being used by the graphics card already?

Re: New Mac Pro (7.1)
 

Good point! Thougn having used my HDX card in an expansion chassis for however many years, I have no idea where the original mini-PCIe power cable is. I probably tossed it out with the box for the HDX card.

Re: New Mac Pro (7.1)
 

Got it.

Well, it would also be super helpful if anyone with a 7,1 MacPro would take the 6-pin cable that come with the HDX card and try plugging it into the 8-pin on the motherboard. Sometimes it’s compatible. Each pin has a different shape plastic peg surrounding it, and if it fits, it works. It only draws the power it needs from those pins.

Re: New Mac Pro (7.1)
 

It might be in the expansion chassis! The Xmac Pro Server which I think is the same as the Echo Express III needed one and the Sonnet eGFX chassis needs a different one. Both came in my HDX box but there’s only one included with more recent HDX cards according to Scrub/HHB.

Re: New Mac Pro (7.1)
 

The 6 and 8 pin connectors in the new Mac Pro look the same, but are in fact a bit smaller in size, so you need an adapter. Or a new cable from Avid. They must be making them as we speak... However, the Belkin set won't work for me, because I have a male black 6 pin connector on my HDX power cable - or a 4 tin molex one meant for PCs. I am looking for a solution. I used to use SATA, but they are gone now as well. There is eSATA, but I am not sure it provides 12v power. There is very little info about the ports inside the computer...