6in1 Type-C USB-C Hub Charger Adapter Dual USB 3.0 Port For Mac SD/TF/Micro Card See more like this Mini PCI-E to USB3.0 PCI Express Adapter PCI-E to USB 3.0 Expansion Card MAC10.8 Brand New.
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By Mike Wuerthele
Friday, January 13, 2017, 08:23 pm PT (11:23 pm ET)
An inexpensive card available from Amazon allows users of Apple's Mac Pro tower with PCI-E slots to get some of the benefits of the new USB-C connector —and faster USB 3.1 speeds. AppleInsider tells you what you need.Friday, January 13, 2017, 08:23 pm PT (11:23 pm ET)
For a long time, adventurous Mac Pro users have been fiddling with third-party hardware to extend the life of the systems. For some older gear, the tinkering has mostly come to an end, but properly outfitted, the last two models of the Mac Pro tower can still be competitive with the '6,1' Coke-can 2013 Mac Pro.
The key for some of these adventures sometimes relies on third-party drivers, like for PCI-e graphics cards from Nvidia. However, from time to time, there are solutions that just drop in, and nothing is needed from a software perspective.
Despite not advertising macOS compatibility, Aukey has a macOS 10.11 and 10.12-compatible USB 3.1 Type C card, that AppleInsider has been testing. The Aukey B01AAETL6Y PCI Express card with 2 USB 3.1 Type-C ports does work on the 3,1, 4,1 and 5,1 Mac Pro, and can deliver a full 10 gigabits per second transfer speed from each port.
Considering the USB native to the Mac Pro tower is USB 2.0, the much faster speed is welcome.
The card worked driver-free in the 4,1 and 5,1, but was slightly problematic in the 3,1 under El Capitan with periodic disconnects of input devices —but no problems with mass storage. But, why would you want to hook up a keyboard or mouse to USB-C anyway with other ports available?
Caveat emptor
The card must be powered to completely meet the USB-C specification, and for most of us, the best way is to use to the power leads in the 5.25-inch optical drive bay. Failure to do so prevents the card from functioning. The power extension is child's play, though, especially if you're used to Mac Pro tinkering.
We haven't delved into the maximum power the card can deliver, but an assortment of USB-C hubs and peripherals needing power from USB worked fine.
The Aukey USB-C card isn't compatible with alternate modes, so if you want to hook up a monitor, just get a PCI-E card to do so. Additionally, Aukey could change the chipset on the card at any time in future manufacturing runs —so if this is something you need for your Mac Pro, you probably should get it now!
The Aukey B01AAETL6Y PCI Express card with 2 USB 3.1 Type-C ports retails for $30, but can be found on sale for $16 frequently at Amazon.
4 Port SuperSpeed USB 3.0 macOS Native PCI-Express Adapter
Condition : Brand New with 1 year limited warranty
Upgrade your MacPro with SuperSpeed USB 3.0 Port, 10x faster than Build-in USB 2.0 Port
Compatible Mac Model : Apple MacPro 1,1-5,1 from 2006-2012 , *MacPro7,1 2019 expected
Compatible OS X : *Lion 10.7.5 to macOS Mojave 10.14.x & Catalina 10.15.x Compatible !!(Native Supported from 10.8.2 or higher, No driver needed)
*OS X Lion 10.7.5 require software driver (please enquiry us after purchase)
Bootcamp Supported ( windows 10 / 8.x / 7 / Vista / XP 32/64-bit )
Bootcamp Supported ( windows 10 / 8.x / 7 / Vista / XP 32/64-bit )
Specification
Complies with PCI Express Base Specification Revision 2.0
2x lane PCI-Express Form Factor ( x1 Lane interface with throughput up to 5 Gbps )
Complies with Universal Serial Bus 3.0 specification Revision 1.0
Backward compatible to USB 2.0 and PCI-Express 1.0
Complies with eXtensible Host Controller Interface (xHCI) Specification Revision 1.0
10 times faster than High-Speed USB 2.0*
Equips with 4 independent USB 3.0 Ports
Backwards compatible to USB 2.0 /1.1/1.0 devices
Supports the following data transfer rate:
- USB 2.0 mode up to 480 Mbps*
- USB 3.0 mode up to 5 Gbps*
Supports Bulk Only Transfer (BOT) mode and USB Attached SCSI Protocol (UASP) mode
Max. 5V/900mA power output to each USB 3.0 Port
* This term does not represent actual data rate of 480Mbps & 5Gbps and simply indicates compliance with USB 2.0 & USB 3.0 standards. Actual maximum data rate depends on computer configurations, cable conditions as well as connected devices.
Power Usage Alerts :
- For stable operation, do not connect it to more than two high power-consuming devices, such as 1 TB hard drive.
- For Mac OS users, the devices on the PCI-E card will disconnect if the computer goes into *sleep.
- This USB 3.0 PCIe card is not meant to serve as a stand-alone charger.
- For stable operation, do not connect it to more than two high power-consuming devices, such as 1 TB hard drive.
- For Mac OS users, the devices on the PCI-E card will disconnect if the computer goes into *sleep.
- This USB 3.0 PCIe card is not meant to serve as a stand-alone charger.
*To minimize power usage during sleep, power is removed from PCIe cards. Because of this power-saving specification, a USB 3.0 PCIe card is unable to maintain USB port power during sleep. In OS X, this result in a storage device disconnect upon wake from sleep. The storage device will automatically remount, but the system reports a disconnect message. Because Mac OS X flushes all caches before sleeping, this disconnect should never result in any loss of data.
*Actual performance may vary based on hardware, software, and overall system configuration.