Need more Hard Disk dpace on G5 : Internal or external?

[Patrick Grealy]

Hello All

I need more HD space and am considering an external 250gb Firewire 800 drive from Lacie.

Alternatively, I would consider getting a 2nd internal drive (looks like the G5 has a nice preprepared slot from one of these) The benefit here would be one less external device and power supply and cables.

Has anyone got a recommendation for an interal drive (manufacturer and type and re-seller in Europe)

When I ordered the G5, Apple were looking for circa $700 to fit the 2nd 250gb drive which I thought was too expensive (and still do)

Any comments/suggestions gratefully received.

Thanks P

[Cannon Pearson]

I would go with an external drive. It's nice to be able to move a large drive between different computers. If you have computer problems, your hard drive doesn't go down with it. I would also look for a triple interface drive that has the maximum compatibility with other computers in the event that you need to move to another one.

[Mark Sloan]

Although measured for boot times, it might be a good idea for a second drive in general: http://www.barefeats.com/hard39.html

or

http://www.barefeats.com/hard38.html

External is really convenient if you don't need the speed of internal...

[Jeff Donald]

If possible I would get an internal drive, less noise and desktop clutter. The size should be the same size and brand if possible. If you decide to set up a RAID in the future, it is easier with matched drives.

[Claude Isbell]

Ideally, it's good to have both the internal and external HD. I have two internal drives and a firewire for back up and travel. The internal is faster when working with media, but I would never again work with a project and not have the protection of an external FW drive as back up.

[Patrick Grealy]

<<<-- Originally posted by Jeff Donald : If possible I would get an internal drive, less noise and desktop clutter. The size should be the same size and brand if possible. If you decide to set up a RAID in the future, it is easier with matched drives. -->>>

Can I find out what make model my Apple drive is without taking it out? (via software)

Thanks P

[Jeff Donald]

Launch Disk Utility (it's in the Utilities Folder, inside the Applications Folder) and the Manufacture and model number will appear. For example one of my drives is an IBM-DTLA-307030.

[Jeff Price]

I put in a Maxtor 250GB drive in the second internal slot. It's pretty quiet (maybe a little noisier at times than the Apple internal). Installation was about as simple as you could possibly get.

Basically -

1) Unplug computer and take the side panel off
2) There are 4 little plastic buttons right behind the open space for the drive - remove these
3) Screw those little plastic buttons into the screw holes on the drive
4) Slide the drive into the slot with the HD connectors facing toward you
5) Gently pull the connectors loose that are below the drive and plug them into the drive
6) Put the door back on and plug in the computer
7) Turn the computer on
8) It will recognize the drive and ask what you want to do, choose erase (this will format the drive)

All done! There are instructions in the G5 manual with pictures of all these steps. The only confusing part is that it talks about formatting the drive but there is no format button.

Just make sure you get a SATA drive. In the US I regularly see a Seagate 160 GB on sale for around $100. The Maxtor 250 GB is more but still substantially less than Apple.

I also use three external drives. I use the internals for capture and editing and use the externals for storage.

[Patrick Grealy]

Thanks Jeff & Jeff

Have found that my original Apple drive is a Maxtor so I will get one of these.

Regards P

[Steve LaClair]

Well I just got one of the new generation dual 1.8's with the dinky 80gig drive, I would love to upgrade to 250x2 raid0 setup.

My question is since my os and everything would be loaded on the 80gig, and there is only 1 free slot if I put in 1 250gig drive, formatted it and moved everything over. Then pulled out the 80gig and installed the second 250 would I still be able to take advantage of raid0.

I was guessing you still could, but would you still beable to do disk mirroring if I choose not to do the raid0 route (which I believe is raid 1)

[Jeff Price]

Do you actually have the new machine or is it just on order? If it is just on order you could get them to put in a bigger primary drive.

Ptherwise the answer is yes, but make sure when you put the new 250 in you format it and install OSX (or clone your 80 onto it). Once you are sure the new drive is operating well then you can remove the 80. And then put in a new 250 in its place.

If you can find a firewire enclosure that can take a SATA drive then you could use it as an external.

It is tempting to just keep the 80 for programs, use the new 250 for projects and not RAID. I'm not sure how RAID works in terms of the adage of keeping FCP program and projects on separate drives.

[Jeff Donald]

Steve are you doing mission critical work that requires the redundancy of RAID 1 vs. the speed advantage of a RAID 0? In a RAID 0 configuration the stripped drive is thought of as one drive and applications, OS and media all are on the same "drive." RAIDS can be partitioned also, but it is not the same as a separate drive.

[Steve LaClair]

I was under the impression when you did disk mirroring that the drives had to have identical data on them. Like lets say I already had a 250gig drive in with the OS and Programs on it and then I just threw in a fresh drive does it still work from there? Or do you have to clone the drive and enable? Sorry for the dumb questions, I'm learning. Thanks.

[Jeff Price]

Steve, Back to Jeff's original question - what do you need RAID for?

There are some external RAID solutions (Medea makes one that looks like a mini-G5, much nicer looking that the similar Huge IMHO). Many of these use hardware to run the RAID. One advantage is that you are not using RAID on a disk with OS - just your data.

Raid 0 - Striping. Treats the two disks as one, may be faster. Downside - any failure and you lose ALL your data. SOme don't consider this to be a true RAID at all since it is not fault tolerant.

Raid 1 - Mirroring. All data stored on both drives. The redundancy gives you a measure of protection but at a cost in terms of overhead in a software solution (OSX).

If you just want a backup but don't need a real-time backup solution then you can clone to an external drive. If you need speed and safety then you probably want a hardware solution.

[Steve LaClair]

Good point, I really don't have a real demand for real time backup, The external drive is probably a better route. Thanks for all the info, I just get curious and like to know all my options I can take and what it takes to achieve them.