Sonnet unveils new PCIe card for Mac Pro that supports two U.2 SSDs

The company says the Fusion Dual U.2 SSD PCIe Card is the only product on the market that can support a direct connection to a pair of U.2 SSD cards, making it an ideal upgrade for professional users and Mac Pro owners.

Sonnet's new card allows for the installation of two cards in a single full-length x16 PCIe slot with no separate cables, adapters, or mounting trays required. It's compatible with both Thunderbolt 3 and Thunderbolt 2 ports via Thunderbolt to PCIe card expansion system.

"The Fusion Dual U.2 SSD PCIe Card offers many users the most economical way to add ultra-fast, extra-large-capacity storage to their computers — particularly so for 2019 Mac Pro users," the company said of the upgrade.

For context, U.2 NVMe PCIe SSDs share the same form factor as 2.5-inch SATA drives, but they deliver up to seven times the speed that SATA drives can provide. The U.2 SSDs are sold separately

With a pair of U.2 SSDs installed on the Sonnet card and configured as a RAID 0 setup, the company says that it can deliver sustained data transfer speeds of up to 6,250 megabits per second on the 2019 Mac Pro. The company also says a similar setup can deliver up to 184% faster data performance than a Mac Pro's built-in 8TB SSD.

The Fusion Dual U.2 SSD PCIe Card is compatible on Mac, Windows, and Linux computers, including mid-2010, mid-2012 towers, and the 2019 Mac Pro. It also works in Thunderbolt 3 enclosures — which would cut back on the maximum delivered speed. The card costs $199.99.