external HD and Imac memory upgrade

[William Graydon]

What are your thoughts on the 3TB G-Safe? http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/764792-REG/G_Technology_0G01977_3TB_G_SAFE_External_Hard.html

I am also looking at OWC has anyone had any experience with this company? I was thinking of using their memory to upgrade my Imac.
-- http://eshop.macsales.com/shop/memory/iMac/2011/DDR3_21.5_27

I think a 3TB HD Raid plus two individual TB hard drives that I already have should be enough for my Scarlet for now. Please correct me if I am wrong.

Thanks in advance everyone! Happy Holidays!

[Brian Iannone]

What are your thoughts on the 3TB G-Safe? http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/764792-REG/G_Technology_0G01977_3TB_G_SAFE_External_Hard.html

Are you looking for data security or data performance?



I am also looking at OWC has anyone had any experience with this company? I was thinking of using their memory to upgrade my Imac.
-- http://eshop.macsales.com/shop/memor...1/DDR3_21.5_27 (http://eshop.macsales.com/shop/memory/iMac/2011/DDR3_21.5_27)

OWC is excellent. i highly recommend them, especially for their Mac RAM, SSDs and HDD enclosures.



I think a 3TB HD Raid plus two individual TB hard drives that I already have should be enough for my Scarlet for now. Please correct me if I am wrong.

It really all depends on how much footage you plan on shooting. Some people think 2TB is enough and others need 20TB (seriously; no sarcasm). 3TB is enough capacity to store more than 14 hours of raw footage from a Scarlet.

[William Graydon]

Brian, thank you for your response.

In regard to the 3TB G-SAFE I'd like performance and security. I felt like this was a fast secure option. What were your thoughts?

How do you feel OWC memory matches with the 1600mhz samsung memory being sold on BH? That was my other consideration.

[Brian Iannone]

In regard to the 3TB G-SAFE I'd like performance and security. I felt like this was a fast secure option. What were your thoughts?

The reason I asked is because typically, you use RAID 0 when you need performance and RAID 1 when you need security. The G-Technology G-SAFE enclosure (the one you're looking at) is security-oriented; it uses RAID 1. So it'll transfer the data to both drives simultaneously and you'll have an immediate backup in case one disk fails. This is slower than a two-disk RAID 0 setup, however it's much safer. Considering your situation and seeing that your looking for a desktop solution (as opposed to a mobile-friendly on-location solution), I would tend to recommend a RAID 0 performance-oriented solution. There is one more question that would determine what I would recommend for you, and that is, will you be using USB 2.0, FireWire 800 or eSATA to connect the hard drive enclosure to your computer? Since your using an iMac, I would assume you're going to use FW800, but I just want to make sure.



How do you feel OWC memory matches with the 1600mhz samsung memory being sold on BH? That was my other consideration.

Typically not a good idea. It's recommended to use a matched set. Meaning, exactly the same RAM modules.

[Todd C. Deveau]

I've ordered RAM from OWC on different occasions for different machines, no problems no complaints. As Brian said, you want to go with matched sets. I'd recommend them.

[William Graydon]

Thanks guys. Yeah I will be using firewire 800. So for desktop use I should just get a RAID 0 then?
Edit: like this one: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/650739-REG/G_Technology_GR4_4000_4TB_G_RAID_External_Hard.htm l

I guess my second statement came out a bit confusing. I meant compared to the OWC how does the samsung 1600mhz ram match up. Is one better than the other? I know the OWC is 1333mhz that's all.

Thanks again! appreciate the help.

[Barry Bishop]

Checkout a drobo

[Brian Iannone]

Thanks guys. Yeah I will be using firewire 800. So for desktop use I should just get a RAID 0 then?
Edit: like this one: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/650739-REG/G_Technology_GR4_4000_4TB_G_RAID_External_Hard.htm l

Yes, just like that one. The G-Technology G-RAID is actually something that I tend to recommend quite frequently. :)



I guess my second statement came out a bit confusing. I meant compared to the OWC how does the samsung 1600mhz ram match up. Is one better than the other? I know the OWC is 1333mhz that's all.

The faster the RAM the better. But, does your iMac support 1600MHz RAM? (It may not.) Do you know what model iMac it is (i.e. iMac1,1)?


Also, regarding Drobo... I personally do not like them. Not one bit... They're slow and they use proprietary "RAID" software which sometimes has issues. I do not recommend them at all.

Of course, now, a bunch of Drobo users will probably chime-in stating that I'm wrong and that they run perfectly. So my advice would be to avoid using enclosures from Drobo, but, if you like them, then go ahead and try them. However, don't be surprised when they eventually fail. (I have heard that Drobo's customer service is very good, though.) While I personally find them to be flawed, you may have better luck with them.

[Luc Bouvrette]

Checkout a drobo

Not according to Jarred : http://reduser.net/forum/archive/index.php/t-63478.html?

[William Graydon]

Thanks again Brian. You've been extremely helpful. So I'll look into that 4TB and save my self some $. Always a good thing.

I have a mid 2011 Imac. with a 3.4ghz i7 not sure if that's what your asking.

In regard to the drobo. I have had no experience with them but they seem to be out of my price range at the moment.

[Brian Iannone]

Not according to Jarred : http://reduser.net/forum/archive/index.php/t-63478.html?

I've never seen that thread before. LOL


Well, like I said Willian, I recommend you stay away from Drobo... :)



I have a mid 2011 Imac. with a 3.4ghz i7 not sure if that's what your asking.

To find the model identifier on your iMac, follow these steps: http://eshop.macsales.com/Customized_Pages/nwt_battery/imgs/model_id_screen.gif

If it says something like 12,1 or 12,2, then I don't think you can use 1600MHz RAM. I believe 1333MHz might be the max, but I'm not sure.

[Harrison Diamond]

If you've got the 2011 3.4 i7 iMac you need 1333MHz RAM. I've got 16GB from OWC in mine right now and it's run flawlessly.

To the points on the Drobo, I've got one from when I was primarily doing stills work. Even for that I hated it. Completely useless for anything other than periodic backups of stuff you rarely have to access, and even then it's incredibly finicky.

FW800 is okay, but you'd really be best off with Thunderbolt. Alternatively, OWC offers a 'turn-key' upgrade program where you can send in your iMac and they will install RAM, SSDs or larger HDDs, and can install an eSATA port on the iMac by rerouting one of the motherboard's SATA ports.

[Brian Iannone]

Alternatively, OWC offers a 'turn-key' upgrade program where you can send in your iMac and they will install RAM, SSDs or larger HDDs, and can install an eSATA port on the iMac by rerouting one of the motherboard's SATA ports.

+1

OWC's iMac upgrade program is great. :)

[Jeff Kilgroe]

Checkout a drobo

I would rather get kicked in the balls... It's pretty much the same thing and cheaper than buying a drobo.


If this is a current model iMac that we're talking about, then why use FW800??? Take a look at the Promise and LaCie Thunderbolt systems. The 6TB Promise Thunderbolt RAID is a great place to start for the iMac.


OWC is a great place to buy RAM and they have good support. That said, my 2011 iMac is running 4x4GB G.Skill modules I bought from NewEgg. It was about 1/3 the price of OWC. Normally OWC's memory prices are very competitive, but for some reason they are unusually high right now.

[Brian Merlen]

can you run a 4tb 3.5 inch seagate drive inside the imacs 3.5 inch bay? that would be pretty nice if you throw the apps on ssd and buy thunderbolt externals like promise or lacie. i have been seriously thinking about getting a set up this for myself, coupled with excessive ram

[Brian Iannone]

It's pretty much the same thing and cheaper than buying a drobo.

Do you mean that G-Tech's enclosures are pretty much the same thing, but cheaper than buying a Drobo?

[Harrison Diamond]

can you run a 4tb 3.5 inch seagate drive inside the imacs 3.5 inch bay? that would be pretty nice if you throw the apps on ssd and buy thunderbolt externals like promise or lacie. i have been seriously thinking about getting a set up this for myself, coupled with excessive ram
Yes and no. First off, it's not an easy install, but it's do-able. I'd also reiterate what you said about throwing in an SSD too.
The issue you'll run across is that Apple has decided to go a little off-standard with their iMac hard drives. Rather than polling the drive's S.M.A.R.T. data through the main drive interface, they've got their drives using custom firmware to output this information using the pins normally used to drive an activity LED on a PC. The benefit of this is that you're never going to have the drive stutter while it is S.M.A.R.T. polled, but it does come at a price. This means the temperature sensor will not be getting its data if you use a non-Apple hard drive, and the hard drive fan will spin up to full speed as a precaution. There are some ways around this. One is to short the pins a certain way to disable the sensor. The other is to use an utility like HDDFanControl to force the fans to operate normally. A pain in the rear end, I know...that's the main reason I haven't done anything with mine yet, and i've just stuck to putting everything on my Pegasus R6 instead.



Do you mean OWC's enclosures are pretty much the same thing, but cheaper than buying a Drobo?
He means getting kicked in the balls is the same thing as having a drobo, but won't cost you anything :p I concur.

[Brian Iannone]

He means getting kicked in the balls is the same thing as having a drobo, but won't cost you anything :p I concur.

Oohhh, okay. I don't know why I didn't understand that... Thank you for the clarification. :-)

[William Graydon]

I've never seen that thread before. LOL

To find the model identifier on your iMac, follow these steps: http://eshop.macsales.com/Customized_Pages/nwt_battery/imgs/model_id_screen.gif

If it says something like 12,1 or 12,2, then I don't think you can use 1600MHz RAM. I believe 1333MHz might be the max, but I'm not sure.


Brian it is in fact 12,2 So looks like I'll stick with 1333mhz from OWC. Thanks again for all your help. Really appreciate it dude!

I missed a lot staying away from the this thread yesterday. Love information overload. I'll also look into the Lacie as well. Although, unfortunately, my Imac might have been the one right before they released the thunderbolt. Gotta check.

OWC's Imac upgrage also sounds like something I might do!

[Brian Iannone]

Brian it is in fact 12,2 So looks like I'll stick with 1333mhz from OWC. Thanks again for all your help. Really appreciate it dude!

1333MHz RAM seems to be the fastest supported by iMac12,2.

Also, iMac12,2 has two Thunderbolt ports.



OWC's Imac upgrage also sounds like something I might do!

I would do it just for the addition of an eSATA port. :-)

[Tom Greenberg]

I have been buying large quantities of memory, drives and RAIDs from OWC for many years. Their products have always worked very well, with few failures....I recommend them highly. I did have some bad luck with the first-generation G-RAIDs so I never went back to them. I do currently have a couple of 3TB G-Safes belonging to a client that I am using for some transcoding, and they are very picky about eSATA connections...they don't work with some eSATA cards. So I am sticking with OWC...

[Jeff Kilgroe]

1333MHz RAM seems to be the fastest supported by iMac12,2.

It is. It's actually an Intel chipset limitation. You can install faster RAM, but the fastest it will clock is the 1333Mhz. Several PC motherboards using the same chipset allow some degree of overclocking, usually 1600MHz or so. But that doesn't help us here.


Also, iMac12,2 has two Thunderbolt ports.

The 27" model does. 21" model has a single Thunderbolt port.



I would do it just for the addition of an eSATA port. :-)

But then you lose one of the internal SATA connections and the port you gain is not a 100% true eSATA port. It doesn't properly support most port-multipler devices or port replicators. It's just a half-baked solution and (IMO) somewhat unnecessary or questionable when you can use Thunderbolt. Of course, that argument does fall on its face somewhat since there is a shortage of good Thunderbolt devices on the market to choose from.

For those of you guys looking at iMac memory, seriously take a look at these:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820233216

These modules are tops and you can put 32GB in an iMac for under $350 whereas OWC would charge you $630. If you're going with 16GB RAM, which is plenty for an iMac, IMO, you won't save much vs. OWC, so whatever makes you feel more comfortable. Just sayin'...

As for iMacs and internal HDD / SSD options. I recommend just going with what Apple offers. Yeah, the prices are kinda high, but an aftermarket install is a pain in the ass. Not only that, but for HDDs, you need to buy one of the few models on the market that have onboard temperature sensors and there's still no guaranty they will work properly if there is a firmware mismatch. It's a real pain what Apple has done with the latest iMac revisions in regards to storage.

[Brian Iannone]

The 27" model does. 21" model has a single Thunderbolt port.

Thank you for that correction Jeff. :) I really should have double-checked that before I posted.

[William Graydon]

Thank you so much Brian and Jeff. Very Helpful. I do in fact have two thunderbolt ports but the price of the external drives aren't cheap. So I think I'll upgrade the memory and get an external g-drive for now until the thunderbolt prices drop. My internal on my Imac is a TB so that'll do for now.

Jeff, thank you for the thorough explanation. I really appreciate it.

[William Graydon]

For those of you guys looking at iMac memory, seriously take a look at these:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820233216



Jeff, forgive me, but I realized this is classified as laptop memory. Is the the one that works with the Imac? I do believe I will go ahead and get 16GB (8GBx2) from them it's only $175 as opposed to $315 from OWC. I will then have 20GB of ram and see if that is enough to edit R3D files.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820233217

[Jeff Kilgroe]

Jeff, forgive me, but I realized this is classified as laptop memory. Is the the one that works with the Imac? I do believe I will go ahead and get 16GB (8GBx2) from them it's only $175 as opposed to $315 from OWC. I will then have 20GB of ram and see if that is enough to edit R3D files.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820233217

The 204-pin SODIMM modules are usually considered "laptop" memory, but that is what the iMac takes, and so do many all-in-one style PCs or other compact/ small form factor systems. Double check pricing between the two-packs and the individual modules. It's about $10 cheaper per pair to buy two of the modules individually than it is to buy the 2-pack. Or at least that's the case today... Not sure why this happens, but just look out for it. These modules work good. Also the G.Skill ones are good as well.

Your plan to get 20GB will work. RAM prices will continue to fall too, these 8GB modules are about 1/5th (yes, only 20%) of what they cost early this year. This is good and if you add the 2x8GB now, you could conceivably pull out the stock 2x2GB and add an additional 2x8GB sometime this next year for the 32GB if needed. Just be sure to install in matched pairs. So the bottom two sockets need to match and the top two sockets need to match. But the two pairs don't need to match one another as long as they are the same speed and timings, otherwise all memory access will be slowed to match the slower timed modules.

Installing RAM in the iMac is super-simple. Just make sure you have a good place to set the iMac screen-side-down on something soft. Try to work where there is low risk of static. The plastic tabs that you pull to unseat the existing modules need to be pulled harder than you might think. When putting the modules back, install the top modules first. Makes it easier to get them pushed into place.

[Brian Merlen]

instead of getting an after market install on ram/ssds/hdds/

couldn't you buy the stuff prior to buying the mac and show up with it and make the genius bar guys install it? assuming you do your research and get stuff that is compatible with that whole HDD pin thing they are doing in the Imac?

imacs are such a pain to open and so expensive to ship for after market installs i think making apple do the work would be a great idea. they can't ruin your warranty if they are doing the labor i reckon.

fyi apple put my third party ram upgrade in for free when i showed up and gave them a little mouth for wanting to charge 30 dollars when i had paid for applecare...so they hooked me up for free with the install. even 30 dollars isn't a bad price compared to having to ship it to OWC to do it...

[William Graydon]

Jeff, once again, thank you for all of your insight. It is much appreciated!!! Wish you the best in 2012!

[William Graydon]

I was about to purchase my iMac memory when I noticed NewEgg also had the following for "mac" is there any difference? I feel like there isn't based on specs:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820233251 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820233251)

Is there any difference from the models recommended previously?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...=16kqxg33qcfn7 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820233216&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-_-RSSDailyDeals-_-na-_-na&AID=10521304&PID=4178639&SID=16kqxg33qcfn7)

Thanks in advance!

[Jeff Kilgroe]

Just saw this, but those two models you linked are the same. Well, the one is sold as a 2-pack, but they're the same modules from the same maker with the same specs. You will find that many of these memory makers stick Mac labels on some or whatever because without doing so, people won't know they will work in a Mac or companies won't buy them because they're not officially labeled as "Mac compatible".

[William Graydon]

Once again Jeff, Thank you! I thought that might be the case. They are also $10 more expensive!