New Mac Pro (7.1)

[MixerGuy]

Originally Posted by LukeHoward

According to here, it fits in the space next to the PCIe slots. So you don't lose any slots.



There are probably some configurations that need the aux power kit but, I'm one of those people that bought it and didn't end up needing it (HDX2 in MacPro7,1). Someone else can better chime in.



Your constraints are: how many slots your graphics card takes up, needing to put the HDX cards adjacent to each other (for the TDM SATA cables), and needing to put the Sonnet SSD card in a x16 slot.

So, if you have a W5700X for example, then the GPU would take up slots 1 and 2; SSD card in slot 3 (x16); HDX cards in slots 4-6 or 5-7; I/O card in slot 8. Slots 5-7 will eliminate the requirement for a longer TDM cable, so I would recommend that.

Thanks so much Luke - hugely helpful.

My graphics card will likely be the (1 step up from stock) Radeon Pro W5500X with 8GB of GDDR6 memory

I believe it is a "half-height MPX Module design fits in either MPX bay"

FWIIW

[LukeHoward]

Originally Posted by MixerGuy

Thanks so much Luke - hugely helpful.

My graphics card will likely be the (1 step up from stock) Radeon Pro W5500X with 8GB of GDDR6 memory

I believe it is a "half-height MPX Module design fits in either MPX bay"

FWIIW

I'd probably stick with the same order as suggested earlier, but you could also try: W5500X in slot 1, HDX cards in slots 2-4, SSD in slot 5. The only catch here is that you will need a longer SATA III cable instead of the stock TDM cables. Avid suggest a 10" (or longer) cable but this is way longer than required, and any cable that bridges the gap should be fine.

[lucienpalmer]

Originally Posted by MixerGuy

Thanks so much Luke - hugely helpful.

My graphics card will likely be the (1 step up from stock) Radeon Pro W5500X with 8GB of GDDR6 memory

I believe it is a "half-height MPX Module design fits in either MPX bay"

FWIIW

Of you plan to use Thunderbolt for external storage or other external devices, then the W5700x is a good idea. It adds thunderbolt busses to separate graphic bandwidth from your other devices.

But if you’re not planning on having much for external devices and screens, then never mind.

[LukeHoward]

Originally Posted by lucienpalmer

Of you plan to use Thunderbolt for external storage or other external devices, then the W5700x is a good idea. It adds thunderbolt busses to separate graphic bandwidth from your other devices.

But if you’re not planning on having much for external devices and screens, then never mind.

That's a good point. IIRC, with the RX580 or W5500X there are two Thunderbolt busses (front panel and I/O card). The dual-width GPUs add an extra two. (Each bus has two ports, and all Thunderbolt busses are assigned to PCIe Pool B.)

[MixerGuy]

Originally Posted by lucienpalmer

Of you plan to use Thunderbolt for external storage or other external devices, then the W5700x is a good idea. It adds thunderbolt busses to separate graphic bandwidth from your other devices.

But if you’re not planning on having much for external devices and screens, then never mind.

Thanks - this wasnt even on my radar.... too darned complicated!

I'll have one 1080p HDMI monitor, and then 2 other monitors, but none of them 4k.

Currently in my 2012 cheese grater I'm using a ATI Radeon HD 5770 1024 MB and it does all this just fine.. so hoping i would be fine with the video card I mentioned above.... ?

thanks.

[MixerGuy]

So I’m still confused - in a new Mac Pro - that has the double wide RadeonProW5700X (that uses slots 1+2)

This URL indicates
https://www.pro-tools-expert.com/hom...tools-computer

that…. “Other things to be aware of when installing HDX cards in slot 2, 3 and 4, is that an additional 8-pin to dual 6-pin PCle auxiliary power cable is required. This is because the triple 4-pin to 6-pin power cable included with the HDX package is not long enough for HDX cards installed in these slots. In addition, a 10" (or longer) SATA III 6.0 Gbps cable will be required for the 2nd and 3rd HDX card in slot 3 and 4. This is because the standard HDX TDM cable included with the HDX package isn’t long enough to bridge double-wide slots.”

so in the Belkin (overpriced) “Belkin aux power cable” kit - is there BOTH a 8-pin to dual 6-pin PCle auxiliary power cable AND ALSO a 10" (or longer) SATA III 6.0 Gbps cable?

and is it best to put my HDX 3 in slots 3-4-5?
I’ll also have a M.2 card as well - what slot should that ideally go into?

thanks.

[Marsdy]

Originally Posted by MixerGuy

So I’m still confused - in a new Mac Pro - that has the double wide RadeonProW5700X (that uses slots 1+2)

This URL indicates
https://www.pro-tools-expert.com/hom...tools-computer

that…. “Other things to be aware of when installing HDX cards in slot 2, 3 and 4, is that an additional 8-pin to dual 6-pin PCle auxiliary power cable is required. This is because the triple 4-pin to 6-pin power cable included with the HDX package is not long enough for HDX cards installed in these slots. In addition, a 10" (or longer) SATA III 6.0 Gbps cable will be required for the 2nd and 3rd HDX card in slot 3 and 4. This is because the standard HDX TDM cable included with the HDX package isn’t long enough to bridge double-wide slots.”

so in the Belkin (overpriced) “Belkin aux power cable” kit - is there BOTH a 8-pin to dual 6-pin PCle auxiliary power cable AND ALSO a 10" (or longer) SATA III 6.0 Gbps cable?

and is it best to put my HDX 3 in slots 3-4-5?
I’ll also have a M.2 card as well - what slot should that ideally go into?

thanks.

Yes it’s confusing!

I have my HDX1 card in slot 6 because it’s x8 lane. No point in wasting x16 slot on a x4 HDX card. It’s also right in the path of the centre fan and I’ve sped that up with an app called Mac fan control. This means the noisy HDX is far less likely to come on and the Mac fan is really quiet.

In slot 6 (or 5 and 7) you don’t need the Belkin kit providing your HDX card came with three power cables - the PC 1x4 pin one which you don’t need, a larger 2x3 pin one again not needed, and the mini 2x3 pin cable which is the one you DO need. I’ve seen a number of posts by people who only got two power cables with their HDX cards and I think this is where some of the confusion lies because the mini 2x3 pin cable is the one missing!

The best place for the m.2 card is slot 3. This doesn’t pass through a PCIe controller and is connected directly to the CPU. BTW I’m using the Sonnet card with Samsung drives and it’s outrageously fast!

[JFreak]

^^ good info here. How fast in numbers is "outrageously" fast?

[Marsdy]

Originally Posted by JFreak

^^ good info here. How fast in numbers is "outrageously" fast?

Read and write speeds consistently over 8000MB/s with four drives in a RAID 0 configuration according to Blackmagic Speed Test.

Individual m.2 stickers measure over 3000MB/s read and write.

[JFreak]

Oh yea, that is fast