While the world continues to wait for the first major update of Apple’s Mac Pro line since 2010 (CEO Tim Cook has said it will be sometime this year), others are taking matters into their own hands, opting to give their current machine a boost. And of course, Other World Computing has the perfect upgrade to help you get most out of your current Mac Pro
As outlined recently on his blog, technology enthusiast Randy Noland installed an OWC Mercury Accelsior PCIe SSD in his 2010 Mac Pro to get faster throughput when editing video. And not only does his speed test show his Mac Pro gets the boost it needs compared against two platter-based 7200 RPM drives or a SSD, it gives him “incredible” results.
That’s because the the Mercury Accelsior uses the fastest data interface available in a Mac Pro or PC — the PCIe slot — for speeds that go well beyond even 6Gb/s. This allows nearly 3x the performance vs. a SSD in a SATA 2.0 3Gb/s drive. In fact, the Mercury Accelsior can deliver up to incredible 820MB/s read and 763MB/s write speeds! This blazing speed makes the Mercury Accelsior ideal for I/O-intensive apps like Photoshop, Final Cut Pro, or Avid Pro Tools to render, capture or process, and it makes booting and application launches become nearly instantaneous.
Additionally, as Lloyd Chambers of Mac Performance Guide points out, the Mercury Accelsior is bootable, while all four of the Mac Pro drive bays remain available for high capacity hard drives!
And since its PCIe-based and compatible with both Macs and PCs, you can still use your Mercury Accelsior when you get a new machine — whether it’s that much rumored 2013 Mac Pro update or not.