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| New iMac - Page 3 | |
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| Posted: Wed Jan 9th, 2013 02:36 |
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21st Post |
jk
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richw wrote: Eric wrote: Yes the swap out for a SSD is very common. I am looking at a 512MB SSD at moment to use on my travels. Cost £275.
____________________ Still learning after all these years! https://nikondslr.uk/gallery_view.php?user=2&folderid=none |
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| Posted: Wed Jan 9th, 2013 03:06 |
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22nd Post |
richw
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Robert wrote:richw wrote: Is there any way to do this other than reinstall them (and if so how would I delete the previous OS?). Seriously thinking about doing this now.
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| Posted: Wed Jan 9th, 2013 03:17 |
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23rd Post |
Robert
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Squarerigger wrote:The new iMac offers a "fusion" storage drive. Is that the same thing as this SSD you refer to? Tha new Fusion drive is a very good idea, I don't have any feedback on actual use but although it's not new, I have recently discussed it with JK actually, it was previously only found on very high end computers. It combines a smallish, fast SSD (Solid State Drive) with a large HDD (Hard Disk Drive). This all happens seamlessly, the two drives appear as one to the user. The Apple firmware places the operating system, applications and dynamic files (catches etc.) on the SSD, which typically takes about 32Gb for an average system. The remaining space on the SSD is then used for data. When the SSD gets to a pre-determined capacity, say perhaps 90% during idle moments it moves less frequently used DATA from the SSD to the HDD. freeing up space on the SSD for the next chunk of data to arrive from the user. All saves of data are made to the SSD, the firmware decides which data to move on to the HDD. On a technical note the big difference between the new Apple Fusion and previous methods is that the Apple Fusion only moves complete files onto the HDD, the original idea was to only move bite size chunks, which meant that you could end up with files split across both drives. That could lead to loss of data, the Apple Fusion idea is safer in principle. The data would be easier to recover if the drive crashed. In simple terms this means you can combine very high speed with generous capacity, up to 3Tb according to the Apple store. The info I have is that if you do want to get an SSD (or Fusion) upgrade it is very much cheaper and safer to get the update from Apple at initial purchase, rather than doing an upgrade with third party SSD's yourself. On the other hand Apple RAM is a rip off for some reason. However that is generally easy to upgrade yourself although Doug pointed out that the new iMacs are much slimmer and may not be so easy to upgrade, again no personal experience yet. My only reservation is this is the first generation of fusion, Apple will have tested it extensively, it should be very safe, but often they improve these revolutionary features second and third time round. However if you feel it's what you want I think it will be a safe option and quite reasonably priced, I would go for it. I would however also have a Time Machine backup too which is very important anyway. That way if there is a glitch in the onboard drive it's a simple job to restore anything or everything. Remember if a drive is going to fail it will usually be in the first month or after three to five years at least.
____________________ Robert. |
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| Posted: Wed Jan 9th, 2013 03:26 |
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24th Post |
Robert
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richw wrote:Robert wrote: I would wipe and re-install. Safer than moving the OS because there are many hidden files. You could use CCC (Carbon Copy Clone) or Super Duper but I would re-install, much safer. Use the Apple recovery partition, re-start the computer holding down the Option key, then select the recovery partition and specify the SSD to install on. Check this out BEFORE you try it because I haven't done it for a while and it may have changed. It should install a standard up to date OS on the drive of your choice. Check out OWC (Other World Computing) they have a good website and may sell kits with mounting brackets to adapt the MBP optical drive bay for SSD use. http://eshop.macsales.com/shop/SSD/OWC There are of course other sites which cover this! Sorry, forgot to cover the delete OS part. De register your Adobe software and any other authenticated software then launch the computer from the recovery partition by holding down the option key and selecting the recovery partition, launch Drive Utilities from the Menu items, simply erase the drive. Your recovery partition should survive and that is what you use to download and install the new OS directly from Apple. If you don't have access to the internet you can get the OS on a memory stick but that is nailed and will become obsolete, the recovery partition should install the latest correct OS for your exact computer.
____________________ Robert. |
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| Posted: Wed Jan 9th, 2013 06:02 |
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25th Post |
Squarerigger
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Thanks Robert, great explanation. Still trying to figure out options needed to get best performance out of Aperture and Photoshop Elements.
____________________ -------------------------------------------- Gary |
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| Posted: Wed Jan 9th, 2013 06:27 |
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26th Post |
Robert
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Squarerigger wrote:Thanks Robert, great explanation. Still trying to figure out options needed to get best performance out of Aperture and Photoshop Elements. My pleasure Gary, a standard iMac will give you good performance with both, obviously the higher models will give better performance but what are you going to do with the milliseconds you save? Even the base model will be waiting for you 99.99% of the time. I accept it's nice to have a fast, responsive computer but what I am saying is it's really your budget that counts rather than having to buy a faster computer to run the software you mention. I still run Ps CS5 on my second dual processor Mac mini and I rarely have to wait for anything. Apple have many tricks up their sleeves, the way they allocate memory, the huge amount of virtual RAM the system allocates (another reason for SSD btw) the way the OS manages the multiple cores of the processors, these things all help to allow relatively modest hardware to run many big applications simultaneously and efficiently.
____________________ Robert. |
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| Posted: Wed Jan 9th, 2013 07:13 |
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27th Post |
jk
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Best way is to get an SSD that comes with a USB cable that allows the drive to be attached to your computer externally. Unlike Robert I hate starting a machine from scratch as I keep finding extra stuff I need to install to get it all working. However sometimes it is better as it gives you a chance to rationale and get rid of dross. If you use something like SuperDuper! and then it makes a direct copy of your current HD. At the end of the SuperDuper! run it reboots the machine from the new superduper drive copy to prove that it works. The whole process is pretty transparent. Next stop is to open up the machine and remove the CD/DVD drive and install the SSD. You will probably need some sort of brackets as the SSD is only 2.5 inch form factor whilst the DVD writer is 5.5 inch. These should be obtainable at a non-Apple but Mac supplier. There is a place in Melbourne or Geelong that probably has these, the people are very helpful in the Geelong store as I remember from 2007/8. If you get problems then PM and I can help.
____________________ Still learning after all these years! https://nikondslr.uk/gallery_view.php?user=2&folderid=none |
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| Posted: Wed Jan 9th, 2013 08:00 |
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28th Post |
Squarerigger
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Robert wrote:Squarerigger wrote: My current choice of iMac is the 21.5 inch model. They offer two versions in the 21.5 and I think version 2 is my choice. Has a faster processor and video card for little price increase. The rest of the machine seems fine with RAM and 1 TB drive. The only other device I will have to get is another external hard drive for time machine. My current time machine external drive is 250 GB because that's the size of my current HDD. I am planning on making the buy next month. Thanks.
____________________ -------------------------------------------- Gary |
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| Posted: Wed Jan 9th, 2013 10:34 |
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29th Post |
jk
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Have fun Gary. Sounds like a great purchase.
____________________ Still learning after all these years! https://nikondslr.uk/gallery_view.php?user=2&folderid=none |
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| Posted: Wed Jan 9th, 2013 12:37 |
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30th Post |
TomOC
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There is an article in this month's Macworld on fusion drives and DIY fusion drives. It's not a new concept but Apple seems to have done some great software magic to make it really be seamless to the users. I would read this article before venturing into DIY and then, as JK advised, would do the SSD as an external (no real speed loss with thunderbolt anyhow) Tom
____________________ Tom O'Connell -Lots of people talk to animals.... Not very many listen, though.... That's the problem. Benjamin Hoff, The Tao of Pooh |
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