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Montenegro, Podgorica
1 Level
707 Review
38 Karma

Review on πŸš€ Superfast Allegro USB 3.1 PCIe Card with Two USB-C Ports (USB3C-2PM-E) by Keith Wachtel

Revainrating 1 out of 5

Paired with an SSD, this card is one of the best upgrades for a classic Mac Pro.

After researching various USB-C PCIe cards, I settled on the Sonnet card because it had good reviews. While cost is important and it wasn't the cheapest, it is worth my time and I hate the hassle and hassles of a computer. I just want it to work, not solve problems. Follow the instructions and go to the SonnetTech website to check if there is an up to date guide and if there is one. The only difference I found was that High Sierra didn't require downloading the drivers, which was nice. This installed on my Mac Pro 2012 5.1 and it was the easiest install I have ever installed on it. The computer sits on my desk so it doesn't pick up dust from the floor. Have a small Phillips screwdriver to remove the two screws holding the cards. It took about five minutes after removing the side panel. To remove the empty card bay plate and insert a new USB-C card, reattach the plate with two screws and reattach the side cover. What could be easier? 5.1 turned on, checked About This Mac, System Report and showed an installed USB-C card. You may need to pull down the window bar a bit to see a list of all USB items. Cable C > USB3 Gen2 (it was a Revain cable). I started copying some video files from my computer's SSD to my desktop drive and I couldn't believe how fast it went! I was shocked. The first file would have taken "about an hour" via USB 2.0, but only five and a half minutes with the new card. The transfer rates for four different sized (45 GB) video files were the same at 137 MB/s + or - MB versus 10 > 15 MB/s for version 2.0. Very impressive. With 4K video files filling my drives I have plans for another desktop hard drive and this card will be essential for a fast workflow and improved backup system.

Pros
  • SuperSpeed+ USB Technology - Adds two USB-C 10Gb/s (USB 3.2 Gen 2) ports to your Mac Pro with PCIe slots, Windows PC, Linux PC, or Thunderbolt for a PCIe card expansion system; transfers data 2x faster than USB 3.0 ports (USB3C ports, not Thunderbolt)
Cons
  • Hard to remember, but it was