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esata speeds with MacBookPro
Hi guys
Just doubling checking with who runs a MacBookPro and eSata card with their ioHD.
What is you max drive throughput reading from Aja System test and a 2 drive raid 0?
I get about 100MB write and 115Mb read.Thanks a million!
Carsten
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16 Replies
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Hi Carsten,
I’ve exactly the same throughput with a 2To Raid0 Esata system (2x1To disks in a EnhanceBox 4 x 3.5″ SATA II HDs E4 PM system) connected to a Macbook Pro 2.4.
I wonder why it is so “slow” as each disk (Hitachi 7K1000) is able to deliver almost the same throughput, SATAII connection is 300MB/s and expresscard is a one lane PCIe supporting 250MB/s…
I would like to know what kind of throughput I could reach if I was connecting my “Raid box” to a Mac Pro.
Anyway, it is really enough to work fluently with 1080p25 ProRes and the IoHD.
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Hi Phillipe
Great, many thanks for confirming my results. Specially because I use Seagate 1Gb drives in a noName chassis, ergo very different hardware.
Bob mentioned here before that the MacBookPro can’t be any faster because that’s just how the MacBook works (or the express34 bus)
And yes would be interesting to know how a 2 drive eSata Raid 0 performs on a MacPro. Anybody?
Cheers
Carsten
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According to the AJA disk speed utility I get 110MB/s write and 130MB/s read on my Firmtek 2 disk raid0 dual sata via the express card in MBP.
Alan
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unless something changed very recently, you are NOT going to get the amazing speeds that these drive arrays are capable of, on a MAC Book Pro. You are limited to the buss speed of the 34 slot. I don’t care if the array does 600mb/sec – it ain’t gonna happen on a MAC Book Pro.
Want these super speeds – get a MAC Pro, and stick the host card from a Cal Digit HD Pro, Dulce ProDQ or Maxx EVO2 into the MAC Pro, and you will get these speeds. Not on a MAC Book Pro (sorry !).
Bob Zelin
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Hi Bob,
You say that : “You are limited to the buss speed of the 34 slot. I don’t care if the array does 600mb/sec – it ain’t gonna happen on a MAC Book Pro.”
Whao ! Maybe other people like me had to choice between a mobile solution versus a desktop one within a limited budget. And IoHD is a mobile product. So what is the problem to try to have the best of every dollar spent?
As you say, speed is limited by the 34 slot, but it is a PCIe one lane, 250 MB/s capable… So I’m really disappointed to not reach 200-220MB/s with a 2 disks raid0 array.
Is it a driver problem? If yes, driver of the express esata card, of pcie component on motherboard?Regards,
Philippe. -
I would think it is more of a disk limitation…
-mark
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the limitation is the buss speed of the MAC Book Pro. 2 eSATA drives, even in a MAC Pro tower, can only do about 120mb/sec, not 200mb/sec (where the hell do you get this information from anyway ?).
Money has nothing to do with it – and your MAC Book Pro costs just as much money as a MAC Pro tower (dual 2.8). In a port multipler chassis, FIVE eSATA drives can do a MAXIMUM speed of 220mb/sec. If you think that you will get 200mb/sec with only 2 drives, you are fooling yourself. With SAS/SATA host controllers in a MAC Pro, the same 5 drives will do about 300mb/sec.
Everyone has a fantasy of what they can do. To do it all, it costs money.
Bob Zelin
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Dear Bob,
Thanks for your precisions.
Firstly, I’m still disappointed about PM enclosure performance. I was wondering that 2 drives (each delivers 100MB/s into the PM before Raid0 stripping) will perform better than just a gain of 10 or 20MB/s.
For the 220 MB/S limitation (maximum speed you’re talking about) I agree with you to the 250MB/s PCIe 1x buss limitation.
For internal drives into a MacPro, I’ve read you can do far better than 300MB/s, even with Apple Raid software (disk utility), ie : https://www.hardmac.com/niouzcontenu.php?date=2008-02-25 (it’s the 4th news, the one with diagram)
At last, I insist about money. Money is always important for those with which that misses. And I do not see how it bothers you that I try to have the best from my gear.
I’ve used a Powermac dual 1Ghz during 5 years before buying my MacBook Pro. Before I sold it, it became a “frankenstein” boosted computer if you see what I mean.Regards
Philippe Domengie.
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I will reply to each of your comments –
you write –
Firstly, I’m still disappointed about PM enclosure performance. I was wondering that 2 drives (each delivers 100MB/s into the PM before Raid0 stripping) will perform better than just a gain of 10 or 20MB/s.REPLY – I do not know where you get your information from. I have NEVER seen a single eSATA drive do greater than 70mb/sec. Where do you get the information that you can gegt 100mb/sec from each drive ? You are incorrect. 2 drives in a MAC Pro (internally) will do about 128mb/sec if they are stripped RAID 0.
you write –
For the 220 MB/S limitation (maximum speed you’re talking about) I agree with you to the 250MB/s PCIe 1x buss limitation.REPLY – I NEVER said this. I said there was a 120mb/sec limitation, not a 220mb/sec limitation. I am very familiar with Sonnet, Cal Digit, Firmtek, and Dulce port multiplier chassis that all use 5 eSATA drives stripped RAID 0. They max out at 220mb/sec, and this is not sustained performance. To get these speeds, you need to be in a x4 slot or greater. If you are in a x1 slot, you will not attain these speeds.
you write –
For internal drives into a MacPro, I’ve read you can do far better than 300MB/s, even with Apple Raid software (disk utility), ie : https://www.hardmac.com/niouzcontenu.php?date=2008-02-25 (it’s the 4th news, the one with diagram)REPLY –
I don’t give a crap what this reviewer writes. I do this every day, all day long. The performance you will get, using video industry
standard tests like AJA Kona System Test, and Blackmagic Speed Test will not give you these results.Bob Zelin
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Hi Bob !
Some point of this debate are still difficult to understand for me :
– when I talk about 220MB/s limitation, I make reference to this part of your post : “In a port multiplier chassis, FIVE eSATA drives can do a MAXIMUM speed of 220mb/sec”.
Is it a limitation of the PM chip inside the enclosure? Or the same PM enclosure with the same 5 drives stripped would have better performance connected to a MacPro ?– you said : “REPLY – I do not know where you get your information from. I have NEVER seen a single eSATA drive do greater than 70mb/sec. Where do you get the information that you can gegt 100mb/sec from each drive ? You are incorrect”
In fact, I’ve never said I can get 100mb/s of each drive, I just said I was expecting this… When I’ve received my material (2x1To Hitachi 7K1000 disks in a EnhanceBox 4 x 3.5″ SATA II HDs E4 PM system connected to a Macbook Pro 2.4 via sonnet esata PM card), I’ve directly created a Raid0 with disk utility and made a Aja system test bench : write 100MB/s, read : 105MB/s. I was disappointed. So, I’ve erased raid0 and formatted the two disk separatly, then bench only a disk : read 80MB/s, Write : 85MB/s.
So I just try to understand why the gain is so little. Have you an answer please ?
– You said : “I don’t give a crap what this reviewer writes” about better preformances than the ones you usually note. What do you think about this test (made with Kona system test in a MacPro and only 4 disks) : https://www.barefeats.com/harper13.html
Thanks Bob for your replies, I like much to debate with you.
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