Sonnet has released a Fusion Dual 2.5-inch SSD RAID PCIe 3.0 Card that will work on the old Mac Pro, the new 2019 Mac Pro, Windows machines with PCIe slot and PCIe expansion chassis, which means you could buy this now to pimp your old Mac Pro and then fit into whatever machine you choose to replace it with and not lose your investment.
If you need faster, high-capacity internal storage for media on your pro-audio computer, 2.5-inch SATA SSDs are a cost-effective option. Add to that using a PCIe card like the new Sonnet’s Fusion Dual 2.5-inch SSD RAID card will enable you to upgrade your system, mounting one or two SSDs (you choose which SSDs you want to use) with up to 8TB capacity in a single full-length PCIe card slot, with no power or data cables, adapters, or mounting trays required.
Even better is that as SSDs get bigger Sonnert explain that this product will support higher capacity SSDs as they become available.
Works Well In An Old-style Mac Pro - Works Even Better In A 2019 Mac Pro
If you are still using a Mac Pro 5,1 tower you will be able to get transfer speeds up to 770 MB/s now and when you move the Sonnet card to the new 2019 Mac Pro (or compatible Windows machine or PCIe expansion chassis) you will be able to enjoy even better performance.
If you install the Sonnet Fusion card into a PCIe 3.0 slot of a computer or Thunderbolt 3 expansion system and achieve great transfer speeds up to 1000 MB/s!
Price And Availability
Price: $129.00 without SSDs
Availability: Available to buy from the Sonnet webstore
Sonnet Fusion Dual 2.5-inch SSD RAID PCIe 3.0 Card Compatibility
Mac Compatibility
Mac Pro 5,1 (Mid 2010 & Mid 2012) with available full-length PCIe slot
Mac Pro 7,1 (2019)
macOS 10.10.5, 10.12.6+ (Be aware that macOS 10.10 and 10.12 erroneously reports a 5Gbps connection when connected at 10Gbps).
macOS Catalina compatible
Note: not compatible with macOS 10.11
Windows Compatibility
Computer with available full-length, full-height PCIe slot (PCIe 3.0 slot is preferred)
Windows 10, 8.1, 7
Windows Server 2016, 2012, 2008 (64-bit editions)
Linux Compatibility
Computer with available full-length, full-height PCIe slot (PCIe 3.0 slot is preferred)
Linux Kernel 5.0+
Thunderbolt Compatibility
Mac computer with Thunderbolt 2 or Thunderbolt 3 ports via a Thunderbolt 2 or 3 to PCIe card expansion system with available full-length PCIe slot
Windows computer with Thunderbolt 3 ports via a Thunderbolt 3 to PCIe card expansion system with available full-length PCIe slot
Linux computer with Thunderbolt 2 or Thunderbolt 3 ports via a Thunderbolt 2 or 3 to PCIe card expansion system with available full-length PCIe slot
Boot Support
No
Supported Drive Configurations
RAID 0
RAID 1
Span
JBOD
S.M.A.R.T. Status Data Reporting Support
No
Mike Thornton has been involved in the broadcast audio industry for all his working life, some 45 years. Mike has worked with Pro Tools since the mid-1990s recording, editing and mixing documentaries, comedy and drama for both radio and TV as well as doing the occasional music project. He was the co-founder of Pro Tools Expert and has now retired and has taken up the role of Chairman of Production Expert Ltd.