Yes I have read a lot of the threads on this topic, but I still have a couple of questions (bear with me)...
During my search for external storage solutions for the Mac mini that will arrive in 15 days, I have come across 3 different types of external HDs
1. The basic ones, such as
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Book-Essent...J428/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1352657346&sr=8-2
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Seagate-STB...rive/dp/B0084LZJ1M/ref=pd_sim_sbs_computers_2
http://www.amazon.co.uk/LaCie-Minim...HRSO/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1354999731&sr=8-1
2. The ones that seem to be identical to the basic ones in terms of capability, but in more fancy enclosures, such as the g technology g force, or this one
http://www.amazon.co.uk/LaCie-7200RPM-USB3-Hard-Disk/dp/B004CFUTAK/ref=pd_sim_sbs_computers_4
3. The ones with more storage (4TB+) and RAID capabilities, such as
http://store.westerndigital.com/sto...tegory.58729000/parid.13831800/catid.55436400
I realise some of the price difference are due to connectivity, but I am fine with USB3, no need for thunderbolt or FireWire.
My usage: i will use them for a big shared itunes library, iphoto library possibly, movies, and timemachind backups from 2 MBAs. I'll probably leave the mini on 24/7 to access the itunes library.
I will have them inside a cupboard underneath my tv, connected to a Mac mini. Does that mean I should go for type 2 rather than 1, as they have more sophisticated cooling mechanisms?
RAID: was is this, and is it of any use for my usage? My initial instinct is that I rather just clone everything once a week or something like that for backup belong time machine.
I've completely ignored NAS because its not practical for me to attach anything to my router, so attaching storage to the mini seems the way to go.
Also ignored anything self built, because I'm lazy.
Thank you for reading!
During my search for external storage solutions for the Mac mini that will arrive in 15 days, I have come across 3 different types of external HDs
1. The basic ones, such as
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Book-Essent...J428/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1352657346&sr=8-2
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Seagate-STB...rive/dp/B0084LZJ1M/ref=pd_sim_sbs_computers_2
http://www.amazon.co.uk/LaCie-Minim...HRSO/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1354999731&sr=8-1
2. The ones that seem to be identical to the basic ones in terms of capability, but in more fancy enclosures, such as the g technology g force, or this one
http://www.amazon.co.uk/LaCie-7200RPM-USB3-Hard-Disk/dp/B004CFUTAK/ref=pd_sim_sbs_computers_4
3. The ones with more storage (4TB+) and RAID capabilities, such as
http://store.westerndigital.com/sto...tegory.58729000/parid.13831800/catid.55436400
I realise some of the price difference are due to connectivity, but I am fine with USB3, no need for thunderbolt or FireWire.
My usage: i will use them for a big shared itunes library, iphoto library possibly, movies, and timemachind backups from 2 MBAs. I'll probably leave the mini on 24/7 to access the itunes library.
I will have them inside a cupboard underneath my tv, connected to a Mac mini. Does that mean I should go for type 2 rather than 1, as they have more sophisticated cooling mechanisms?
RAID: was is this, and is it of any use for my usage? My initial instinct is that I rather just clone everything once a week or something like that for backup belong time machine.
I've completely ignored NAS because its not practical for me to attach anything to my router, so attaching storage to the mini seems the way to go.
Also ignored anything self built, because I'm lazy.
Thank you for reading!