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How to connect a 2x 10GbE SFP+ or 1x 10GbE RJ45 network card to an Apple Mac - MacBook Pro or Mac Pro, e.g. Mac Pro 6.1 with Thunderbolt 2 port
In many cases, the performance of older Apple MacBook Pro or Apple Mac Pro computers is more than enough for many professional users.
The processor, memory and graphics cards used in Mac Pro 6.1 or MacBook Pro computers, especially in 15-inch models with dedicated graphics cards, still cope quite well with photo, video or music editing programs.
Additionally, some older programs - as well as hardware interfaces - have not been ported natively to the Apple Silicon platform, and therefore hardware upgrade is unprofitable.
Unfortunately, a significant number of interface manufacturers have forgotten about users of older Apple computers with Thunderbolt 2 connectors.
The same is true of fast network cards, currently only available for Thunderbolt 3/Thunderbolt 4 connectors.
In times of increasingly faster network infrastructure, it would be a good idea to connect your Mac Pro 6.1 or MacBook Pro with Thunderbolt 2 to a 10 GbE network, either via Ethernet cable or optical fiber.
We have a solution for this!
Below is the detailed configuration
1. The Thunderbolt 2 connector supplies much less power than the Thunderbolt 3 connector. Therefore, we need an external Thunderbolt 3 housing with additional power supply and a PCIe 3.0 connector. We can use the following cases:
– HighPoint RocketStor 6661A Thunderbolt to PCIe case
– Sonnet Echo Express SE I TB3 Box for 1xPCIe to TB3
– OWC Mercury Helios 3S Case 1x PCIe 1x DP 2x Thunderbolt
2. Install a 10 GbE network card into the housing. Depending on our needs, it may be a card:
– 2x 10 GbE – Abart Pro MOX 10GbE 2xSFP+ X520-DA2 with SR MM inserts
– 1x 10 GbE RJ45 – OWC 10GbE PCIe
3. Then we need two missing elements to connect the Thunderbolt 3 case (with the card) to the Thunderbolt 2 port, i.e.
- Apple Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) to Thunderbolt 2 port adapter - Manufacturer's code: MMEL2ZM/A
- Thunderbolt cable 2 e.g. Apple Thunderbolt cable 0.5 m – Manufacturer's code: MD862ZM/A
After connecting the case to the power supply and then using the adapter to an Apple Mac computer with a Thunderbolt 2 port, we can enjoy the convenience and speed of a 10 GbE computer network.
An additional advantage of this configuration is that we get an additional Thunderbolt 3 port - each housing has a pass-through port. We can connect any device with a Thunderbolt 3 port to the Thunderbolt 3 port in the case - e.g. an external NVMe drive. Of course, the transfer speed determines the port on the computer, i.e. Thunderbolt 2 or 20 Gb/s.
We invite you to purchase
the set. We will configure and check its operation on Mac Pro 6.1 and MacBook Pro computers when connected to a 10 GbE network infrastructure (Ethernet or optical fiber).
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