Tech Specs

Compatibility

Mac Compatibility

Mac Pro 14,8 (2023)

x16 Slot 1 or 2 (recommended slots)
macOS 13 - macOS 14.1+

Mac Pro 7,1 (2019)(1)

x16 Slot 3, 4, or 5 (recommended slots)
macOS 10.15 - macOS 12; macOS 14.4.1+
Not compatible with macOS 13

Mac Pro 5,1 (2010 & 2012)(2)

x16 Slot 2 (recommended slot)
macOS 10.13 - macOS 10.14

Thunderbolt Expansion System

x16 Full-length
macOS 10.13 - macOS 14

Some SSDs are not currently compatible with macOS. See M.2 NVMe SSDs Compatibility PDF.

Windows Compatibility

Windows computer with an available full-length, full-height x16 PCIe slot (PCIe bifurcation not required)
Windows 11 and 10

Linux Compatibility

Linux computer with an available full-length, full-height x16 PCIe slot (PCIe bifurcation not required)
Linux Kernel 5.0+

Thunderbolt Expansion System Compatibility

Thunderbolt Expansion System with an available full-length x16 PCIe slot
Any Mac, Windows, or Linux computer with Thunderbolt ports

Power Requirements

When seven or eight SSDs are installed on the M.2 8x4 Silent Gen4 PCIe Card, connecting the included 6-pin PCIe auxiliary power cable between the computer’s and the card’s power connectors is required (optional when up to six SSDs installed).

M.2 NVMe SSDs Compatibility(3)(4)

For a list of compatible M.2 NVMe SSDs, see the following PDF

Hardware

Part Number

FUS-SSD-4X4-E3S

Warranty

2-year

Form Factor

Single-slot, full-height, 238mm PCIe Card

Internal Connectors

Four M-keyed (NVMe) M.2 sockets

SSDs Supported(3)(4)

Single-sided and double-sided M.2 2280 NVMe PCIe SSDs
For a list of supported SSDs, see M.2 NVMe SSDs Compatibility PDF

Boot Support (From a Single SSD)

macOS

Mac Pro 5,1 or Mac Pro 7,1
Any Thunderbolt Mac

Windows, Linux

Computers with UEFI BIOS

RAID Support

macOS(5), Windows, Linux

RAID 0 (Stripe), 1 (Mirror), 5 (Parity), or 1+0

NVME Support

S.M.A.R.T. Status Data Reporting Support

RoHS Compliant

Package Contents

Sonnet M.2 4x4 PCIe Card
Thermal transfer pads
SSD mounting screws
Documentation

Support Links

Support Knowledge Base

Sonnet M.2 4x4 PCIe Card (Silent) Support

Product Manual

Technical Notes

Mac Pro 7,1 (2019) does not currently support RAID or more than one PCIe card with SSDs. Sonnet is working with Apple to resolve the issue.
See this Mac Pro installation video for instructions to install a full-length PCIe card in the Mac Pro 5,1.
You may install any number of SSDs now and add more later without needing to reformat existing ones. This product’s performance will vary based on the type and number of SSDs used, the CPU speed, and the PCIe architecture.
Double-sided SSDs (SSDs with components on both sides) supported on FUS-SSD-4X4-E3S with serial number A01298070001890+. FUS-SSD-4X4-E3S with lower serial numbers (except serial numbers A01298060001200 to A01298060001698 inclusive) require a thermal pad modification to support double-sided SSDs.
RAID 5 support under macOS requires third-party software such as SoftRAID, sold separately.

Videos & Reviews

Online Reviews

Bare Feats

REVIEW: Sonnet Technologies M.2 4x4 PCIe Card for Mac Pro
‍
‍The best way to create a fast storage array for your Mac Pro is to install an M.2 PCIe board populated by multiple M.2 PCIe-based flash modules in a striped array. Perfect example: The new Sonnet M.2 4x4 PCIe Card. Apple includes it in a list of ‘blessed’ PCIe boards for the 2019 Mac Pro, but it also works in the 2010 - 2012 Mac Pro.

…because of the 2010 Mac Pro’s PCIe bus speed limit, we observed that three striped 970 PRO modules transferred as fast as four. So that opens the door to using the fourth M.2 flash module as a separate volume. For example, you could have a single module as a boot drive running macOS Mojave and the remaining three striped (RAID 0) modules serving as a very fast read/write working project volume and/or scratch volume.

Read Review

9 to 5 Mac

Sonnet's M.2 4x4 PCIe Card Brings Absolutely Ridiculous SSD Speeds to Mac Pro 
‍
‍If you’re looking for the fastest SSD available for the Mac Pro, then this may be the solution for you. When paired with the right SSDs, the Sonnet M.2 4×4 PCIe Card produces speeds of the bonkers variety.

During benchmark tests with the Blackmagic Disk Speed Test utility, I was getting write speeds in that easily surpassed 6,000 MB/s, and read speeds that eclipsed 7000 MB/s.

For comparison’s sake, Apple’s fastest 8 TB SSD produces speeds “only” up to 3400 MB/s, so this setup is capable of running circles around the Mac Pro’s fastest built-in SSD for less money. Watch our hands-on video review for the details.

Read Review