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View Full Version : New iMac... to partition or not to partition?



discofuel
Mar 14, 2010, 05:05 AM
I'm waiting patiently for my iMac i7 to arrive this Tuesday and have been planning how I'm going to set it up so I'm all ready for it :D

It's going to be predominately a music machine, running Logic and Pro Tools but I'll also be using it for graphics and web design - Photoshop, Dreamweaver etc.

I'm wondering whether to partition the internal drive...

My previous computers have been PC's and I've always partitioned the HD to keep my files and the OS completely separate for the following reasons:


OS partition always remains defragged/optimised
OS drive always has plenty of free space
Easy to backup files (just copy the entire partition)
Easy to do a fresh OS install - format the partition and reinstall

Is partitioning recommended for Macs in the same way as PC? I did read something about partitioning a Mac HD can actually decrease the performance.

Any advice appreciated! Thanks


R.Perez
Mar 14, 2010, 05:17 AM
I didn't partition mine, and find osx does not need to be reinstalled every 12 months like windows.

I keep my pictures, movies, tv shows etc on separate RAID0 enclosure via fw 800.

Time machine drive is connected via USB 2.0

and my internal is still one partition.
bobr1952
Mar 14, 2010, 05:19 AM
I partitioned the Dell I had many years ago and it seemed to work for me there. But I didn't do that with my iMac and I'm glad I didn't as it does waste space IMHO because you can never really use all the space in the partitions and by partitioning them, you end up effectively losing more space.
scottness
Mar 14, 2010, 05:34 AM
I didn't partition mine, and find osx does not need to be reinstalled every 12 months like windows.

I keep my pictures, movies, tv shows etc on separate RAID0 enclosure via fw 800.

Time machine drive is connected via USB 2.0

and my internal is still one partition.

You have my setup... and in Honolulu. That's a first.
MacDawg
Mar 14, 2010, 05:37 AM
There is really no need to partition the drive other than organizational
Any perceived performance gains are minimal and likely to be more placebo than actual

There is little need to reinstall your system on a regular basis
And, OSX keeps the disk in optimal condition
Disk Optimization (http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1375?viewlocale=en_US)
discofuel
Mar 14, 2010, 05:41 AM
I keep my pictures, movies, tv shows etc on separate RAID0 enclosure via fw 800.

In terms of file structure that's similar to storing your files on a separate partition.

I'm going to be regularly creating, moving and deleting lots of large files (whilst recording etc) and I'm not planning to use an external drive.
R.Perez
Mar 14, 2010, 05:53 AM
In terms of file structure that's similar to storing your files on a separate partition.

I'm going to be regularly creating, moving and deleting lots of large files (whilst recording etc) and I'm not planning to use an external drive.

You say that now, believe me it's easy to fill up.
R.Perez
Mar 14, 2010, 06:13 AM
You have my setup... and in Honolulu. That's a first.

WORD!

I am relatively new here, although I have had friends that lived here for a while.

I transferred to UH, from Portland State in Oregon.