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!
LACIE USB 3.0 PCI EXPRESS CARD MAC DRIVER. November 26, 2018 by admin I bought it knowing that I’d rarely use the USB 3. The speed increases are obvious and very real in use, and if you’re eager to make the leap, at least you have a legitimate option now that doesn’t involve switching to Windows assuming you’re a Mac user, of course. The Allegro 4-Port USB 3.0 PCI Express Card from Sonnet is a PCI Express card equipped with four external SuperSpeed USB 3.0 ports, with a PCIe 2.0 bus interface that allows you to take advantage of your computer's fast expansion card slots.
The Aukey B01AAETL6Y PCI Express card with 2 USB 3.1 Type-C ports retails for $30, but can be found.
Features Each SuperSpeed USB 3.0 port on the PCI express card supports transfer rates of up to 5Gbps - The actual transmission speed is limited by the setting of the device connected. No Additional Power Connection Needed for the PCI express card: It can be powered through the PCIE port which keeps your chassis neat and tidy. The PCI Expansion card is applicable to the MAC Pro ( 2008 to 2012 Version) - Incompatible with Mac OS X 10.10 Yosemite or above; supports Windows XP, Vista and Windows 7(with included CD drivers) Mac OS 10.8.2 - 10.9.5, Windows 8 & Window 10- No additional drivers are needed for Mac Pro/ Win8/ Win 10, it has built-in support for the FL1100 chipset.