iMac external hard drive recommendations?

SamPhoto said:

I have on order the following iMac which will be used for video editing with FCPX.
3.4GHz Quad-Core Intel Core i7
16GB 1600MHz DDR3 SDRAM-2X8GB (upping to 32mb when it arrives)
3TB Fusion Drive
NVIDIAGeFrc GTX 680MX 2G GDDR5

I'm coming from an older Mac Pro with internal hard drives, so I need some advice from the video editing experts on a quality external hard drive for the new iMac. Any help or suggestions will be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

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I've been editing on a 2008 MBP using both FCP 7 and Avid MC, and I have been a Professional Video Editor since 1987. Many freelance jobs have had G-Tech drives on hand. And I personally have 3 of them in use at home using the FW800 interface. (using an Express34 card as well as the FW800 port on the MBP)

I'll assume that Thunderbolt will come into play with your new set up... Congrats, btw...
http://www.videoguys.com/Search/Search.aspx?Query=graidth&Page=1&SortBy=3

This is where I am headed with my next set up... Very reliable drives in my personal experience. Others will disagree, but I stand by the G-Tech drives 100%.

SamPhoto said:

Thank you nep61. I appreciate your suggestions. I wonder how the G-Tech drives stand up next to Lacie or maybe the Promise Pegasus R4. It seems there are a few drives in the same neighborhood price-wise.

Are your G-Tech drives very noisy? I do some voiceover work on some of my instructional videos, so quiet is obviously better for my setup.

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I have the same top spec new IMac, and had the 2011 maxed out model as well. If you want to work in real time with thunderbolt then consider a Pegasus unit. I have the R4, and will be adding another shortly. This isn't the cheapest solution out there, but it does enable true real time working.


http://store.apple.com/uk/product/H...d=p219|GOUK&cid=AOS-UK-KWG-GO_UK_Product-Feed


The R4 is the smallest they do, but you can daisy chain in another unit anytime you want to.

SamPhoto said:

Thank you nep61. I appreciate your suggestions. I wonder how the G-Tech drives stand up next to Lacie or maybe the Promise. It seems there are a few drives in the same neighborhood price-wise.

Are your G-Tech drives very noisy? I do some voiceover work on some of my instructional videos, so quiet is obviously better for my setup.

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I believe the Promise Pegasus R4 is better, but G-Tech makes a great product as well. Both are pretty quiet. I have used G-Tech for several years now and very dependable. Have only recently been using Promise and find it ever so slightly quieter and slightly faster. But both will cost you some chump change. Have never tried LaCie.