[DavisH]

Hi Everyone!

It’s been a long time since I posted…

Well I am getting a new Mac Pro next week, I have been waiting months for an update, I can’t wait anymore… with my luck they will update them next week!

I am looking for some input on the appropriate hard drive setup for this system. My head is literally spinning from the information I have received thus far, and the many Google and forum searches.

My usage?
1. Final Cut Pro. All the time!!! This program is open more then my browser is…and I am getting tired of that stupid messages badgering me about slow drive speeds.
2. Supporting Final Cut Pro Applications (Color, Motion, etc)
3. Photoshop & Illustrator
4. Maya every once and a while.

Performance Wish List…

1. Reliability I always have a project on the go. If I loose a drive I need to be up and running in an hour tops! (I am currently using external drive with super duper and have recovered and continued working in less then an hour.)
2. Speed! I know that reliability and speed don’t necessarily mesh, but I’m really looking for the best of both worlds.

What I have re-searched thus far…

• Apples software RAID solutions do not currently support RAID 5.
• Apples hardware solutions aren’t cheap, and oddly enough from what I have heard are actually slower then a software RAID. With today’s 8 core computers a hardware raid is no faster, because it’s just a piece of software that happens to be on a card. (All Raids are essentially software)
• I have heard horrible stories on this forum and from people in the industry that any of Apple’s RAIDs (Hardware or Software) are not very reliable in heavy usage situations such as mine.
• Hardware Raid cards are not swappable. If the actual RAID card goes bad there is no way to recover data from any of the drives. (Including mirrors)

Here’s my current thought…

Drive 1: Stock 320 System & Applications (Possibly replace with a Raptor currently researching reliability and real world performance)
Drive 2: 500 gig Raid 0 with Drive 3 (Scratch disk in Final Cut for speed)
Drive 3: 500 gig Raid 0 with Drive 2
Drive 4: 1 terabyte back up.

My concerns on this set up mainly revolve around data recovery & back up.
1. 1 terabyte drive is not enough to cover all three drives. (I think I can live with that...)
2. Can I back up 2 drives (Boot disk & Raided 500’s) to the single and still have that drive bootable? I currently use Super Duper very nervous about switching to time machine. I think Time machine is great for the average user, but I have gig’s of HD clips and projects that change daily. Is time machine even bootable?

Anyway this whole thing makes me dizzy. I would greatly appreciate any help in this regard! Thank-you so so much in advance! I am not apposed to any setup suggestions or configurations, and my budget is flexible.

Best Regards,

Davis

[Kensington]

Hey bud, you were pretty close when you said "with my luck they will unveil them next week". It is rumored that October 14th is the date for when Apple will be holding a conference to unveil their latest Pro innovations. So if you have really been waiting for an update, now is not the time to jump the gun, you will probably regret it by this time next month.

[P]

If you need the Mac now, by all means go ahead, but you shoudl know that Nehalem-based Mac Pros should launch by Macworld at the latest. Nehalem is Intel's native quadcore design with an integrated memory controller and a modern interconnect system, and the speed gains from using it are likely to be substantial.

Originally Posted by DavisH 

2. Can I back up 2 drives (Boot disk & Raided 500’s) to the single and still have that drive bootable?

Sure. Just partition the backup drive and clone one drive to each partition.

Originally Posted by DavisH 

I currently use Super Duper very nervous about switching to time machine. I think Time machine is great for the average user, but I have gig’s of HD clips and projects that change daily. Is time machine even bootable?

I think the way it works is that you boot from your system disk and restore from the the time machine backup to the main drive. Haven't had the misfortune to have to do it, though.

[reader50]

It sounds like you need RAM even more than fast HD space, so I'd plan on putting in a ton. Like 16 GB or more - from a 3rd party of course.

As for the 1 TB backup HD ... do you need to backup the scratch disk? Unless the scratch RAID is used for permanent file storage, I'm not seeing a backup need there.

If you do need to backup the whole thing, grab a 1.5 TB drive from newegg. At $190, it's one of the best price per GB values. It's been popping in and out of stock with them since they first listed it.

[DavisH]

Thanks for the response guys...

With Regards to the looming updates...

I have been waiting for quite a few months. First everyone was saying September. For months I heard "September new Mac Pro's wait you'll see" Nothing. Now everyone is saying October. With a few saying next year at Mac World. I just don't know what to do...

(Wow I sound like a frustrated drama queen...)

Storage.

I appreciate the input. I did not know they made 1.5 TB drives so thank-you reader50. (I do however live in Canada so I'm not sure if Newegg ships to Canada.) Our Canadian retailers certainly dont have a 1.5 TB drive. I intend to start with 16 Gigs of Ram as well... I guess I was looking for a "Do this" storage solution my current "Plan" seems so Mickey Mouse to me... I need the scratch raid backed up as well because if it goes that's were all my projects are stored. (In the last year I have had 2 hard drives (scratch disks) go on me... I literally burn through hard drives. One of which I had no warning the computer froze. I tried to restart and heard loud clicking... that was it. SMART didn't even have time to blink...

I need an Xserver RAID but that bill is a little steep in my opinion. (Wow I don't think apple makes one anymore I couldn't find it anywhere...I think it is like $12 grand though...)

I got to keep asking around and doing more homework...

Davis

[Big Mac]

Originally Posted by P 

If you need the Mac now, by all means go ahead, but you shoudl know that Nehalem-based Mac Pros should launch by Macworld at the latest.

It's important to combat this myth: Apple's professional announcements rarely, and lately never, come at Macworld. Macworld is a consumer focused show. Usually the professional lines get updated in February, if they're due for updates then, but not at Macworld.

Davis, you may want to look at Mac Rumors' Buying Guide:

http://buyersguide.macrumors.com/

[P]

Originally Posted by Big Mac 

It's important to combat this myth: Apple's professional announcements rarely, and lately never, come at Macworld.

You mean except for the latest Mac Pro earlier THIS YEAR?

Originally Posted by Big Mac 

Macworld is a consumer focused show. Usually the professional lines get updated in February, if they're due for updates then, but not at Macworld.

The last time the professional Mac got updated in the winter but after Macworld was in 2003 (the last G4 revision) - the idea that they should be updated after the big launch was put down with the G4. The G5s were updated in April or October, if I look back through the dates.

Originally Posted by Big Mac 

Davis, you may want to look at Mac Rumors' Buying Guide:

http://buyersguide.macrumors.com/

No, don't bother. Its expectations also seem to live in the PPC era still. Back then, Apple got gradual improvements to its CPUs and launched when they wanted to. Now they're mostly slaved to what Intel can provide. Keep an eye on Intel's roadmap instead.

[P]

Originally Posted by DavisH 

Thanks for the response guys...

With Regards to the looming updates...

I have been waiting for quite a few months. First everyone was saying September. For months I heard "September new Mac Pro's wait you'll see" Nothing. Now everyone is saying October. With a few saying next year at Mac World. I just don't know what to do...

The new Mac Pros should use Intel's latest "Nehalem" CPU, market name Core i7 but probably something else for the server version. It hasn't launched yet. Launch rumors are late October to November - latest I've hard is November 10th, but these things change rapidly.

Apple could launch at any point after this. Personally, I've always thought that they wouldn't bother to do it before Christmas (availability is going to be low, and noone needs logistics problem at Christmas) and so I pinned it at Macworld, but a November launch is not impossible.

[Big Mac]

Originally Posted by P 

You mean except for the latest Mac Pro earlier THIS YEAR?

There's no need to scream to make your point, but again you're incorrect. The MPs were not updated at Macworld; they were updated a week before the event on January 8th.

No, don't bother. Its expectations also seem to live in the PPC era still. Back then, Apple got gradual improvements to its CPUs and launched when they wanted to. Now they're mostly slaved to what Intel can provide. Keep an eye on Intel's roadmap instead.

The lengths of time between updates haven't changed drastically since the Intel defection.

[P]

Originally Posted by Big Mac 

There's no need to scream to make your point, but again you're incorrect. The MPs were not updated at Macworld; they were updated a week before the event on January 8th.

Around, then. Way closer than February, and I did say "Macworld at the latest". My point is that that rule was in fact true back in the G4 era, but it hasn't been since then, and that was quite some time ago.

Originally Posted by Big Mac 

The lengths of time between updates haven't changed drastically since the Intel defection.

For Mac Pro and Mac mini they have. Both of them used to be updated twice a year, and now it's more like once a year if that.

[CIA]

The Buyers Guide over at MacRumors is a great research tool if you are in the market for a new Apple Product