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Fusion Drive Now Available as Option for Low End 21.5" iMac

SDAVE

SDAVE

macrumors 68040
Jun 16, 2007
3,573
600
Nowhere
"Fusion drive" is just a gimmick. Very transparent to the user, but it's pretty much an mSATA SSD and HDD combo. That will go away once SSD's are more affordable.

Your iMac has a 2.5" HDD slot, so if you just have an SSD in there, you can upgrade it yourself and make it into a "fusion drive". There are plenty of tools out there and people have made it work on systems that didn't come with it by default.
 
MacDav

MacDav

macrumors 65816
Mar 24, 2004
1,031
0
You can create your own "fusion" setup. The software is included in both Lion and Mountain Lion 10.7, 10.8. It's easier if you have a MacPro because you've got slots for extra hard drives and easy access to them. You can use external drives also. Just install your drives, one SSD and one HD. Open up the terminal app. and type: diskutil cs create bla disk0 disk1

Disk0 being your ssd and disk1 being your regular HD. Depending on your set up it may not be disk0 or disk1. You need to know the disk number that is assigned to each disk and use those accordingly. The system software does the rest for you. The two drives mount as a single drive. I haven't tried this myself, I might at some point. If you screw up your Mac don't blame me. I'm not telling you to do this. I didn't come up with this, it's all over the net, do a search. In fact I recommend you do a search and use those instructions instead of mine. You can let me know how I got it all wrong. ;)
 
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Mac32

Suspended
Nov 20, 2010
1,263
454
The iMac storage options are pure BS. What about offering a couple of SSD-options instead, like 256GB and 512GB (in all iMac models)? I for one am not gonna get any fusion drive ever in an iMac. I want SSD. It's safer, cooler, less noisy, faster/always fast etc., pretty much completely superior to HDs in every way expect storage size, but a lot of people don't need 1-3 GBs of internal data in their iMacs!!
 
R

roverma

macrumors member
Mar 29, 2012
72
2
The Netherlands
Mac32 said:
The iMac storage options are pure BS. What about offering a couple of SSD-options instead, like 256GB and 512GB (in all iMac models)? I for one am not gonna get any fusion drive ever in an iMac. I want SSD. It's safer, cooler, less noisy, faster/always fast etc., pretty much completely superior to HDs in every way expect storage size, but a lot of people don't need 1-3 GBs of internal data in their iMacs!!
Click to expand...

Your comment is pure BS!!
Fusion drive is safe, cool, very silent and fast......
 
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paulbeattie87

macrumors regular
Aug 17, 2008
108
4
North East Scotland
The fusion drive is simply scandalous! For the price they charge Apple should be ashamed, it's like the RAM upgrade pricing pay full amount and more for the upgrade and we will keep the original RAM cost built in. This time they're just charging many times over for an SSD that's worth less than $100
 
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Tanax

macrumors 65816
Jun 15, 2011
1,018
335
Stockholm, Sweden
How about getting GTX 680MX for the base 27" too, while we're at it? That's really the only thing I need from the high-end 27" - most likely I'll have to get the high-end because of that reason alone.
 
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apolloa

Suspended
Oct 21, 2008
12,318
7,802
Time, because it rules EVERYTHING!
justperry said:
The next question is, is the connector standard on all Logic boards so that you can D.I.Y. ?
Click to expand...

But you can't open this model up? If you watch ifixit they had to use a heat gun and loads of guitar picks as Apple has glued the front screen onto the chassis! No doubt it can be done but they have made it pointlessly very difficult and you have to re glue the screen back in afterwards.

IMO the worst iMac design yet because of this. But the fusion drive goes a bit of the way to alleviate frustration I guess?
 
Lancer

Lancer

macrumors 68020
Jul 22, 2002
2,217
147
Australia
Good move that is likely to piss off any one who bought an early base model or upgraded to the top 21.5" for Fusion.

Correct me but no one makes a 1Tb 2.5" 7200 HDD, I've seen some 750Gb but I agree there should be a not cost upgrade to the 7200 because it's smaller than the 5400 1Tb.

Over all this is a good move but get Fusion and 16Gb of RAM and the base model becomes a $2000 iMac. It will be some time before Fusion is standard on the iMac, not the next update but maybe the one after that.
 
Morrile

Morrile

macrumors member
Jun 18, 2009
81
22
In an Apartment
Fusion with Express port

Hi,

The idea of creating your own Fusion drive is great but can this be done with a SSD drive within the Express port? I do have a 96Gb SSD express card and wondered if combined with the internal 750GB Std drive if it's possible or not?

Morrile
 
justperry

justperry

macrumors G5
Aug 10, 2007
12,557
9,750
I'm a rolling stone.
apolloa said:
But you can't open this model up? If you watch ifixit they had to use a heat gun and loads of guitar picks as Apple has glued the front screen onto the chassis! No doubt it can be done but they have made it pointlessly very difficult and you have to re glue the screen back in afterwards.

IMO the worst iMac design yet because of this. But the fusion drive goes a bit of the way to alleviate frustration I guess?
Click to expand...

It is by no means as hard as you say, there is a long thread here on MR, look there. Rip Those Macs Open

Morrile said:
Hi,

The idea of creating your own Fusion drive is great but can this be done with a SSD drive within the Express port? I do have a 96Gb SSD express card and wondered if combined with the internal 750GB Std drive if it's possible or not?

Morrile
Click to expand...

Too slow.
 
gnasher729

gnasher729

Suspended
Nov 25, 2005
17,980
5,565
haruhiko said:
Early adopters are screwed again.
Click to expand...

"Early adopters" got exactly what they paid for. Now Apple offers you to buy something that is better than the lowest end iMac for more money, or less good than the better iMac for less money. So please explain how these "early adopters" getting screwed?
 
B

barkmonster

macrumors 68020
Dec 3, 2001
2,134
15
Lancashire
Morrile said:
Hi,

The idea of creating your own Fusion drive is great but can this be done with a SSD drive within the Express port? I do have a 96Gb SSD express card and wondered if combined with the internal 750GB Std drive if it's possible or not?

Morrile
Click to expand...

It wouldn't work because a fusion drive is based around 2 SATA drives, not a mix of external and internal drives. It would also be very dangerous to have a fragmented file system span over 2 drives when one of them relies on an external adapter.

Your best bet would be to get a DVD to 2.5" drive caddy such as the Optibay.

You replace your DVD drive with the caddy and then fit an SSD in it's place.

The Optibay comes with a USB case for the optical drive but you can put your existing DVD in any number of third party external USB cases for future use. There's plenty of alternatives to the Optibay, I got one from a company called Bipra for £20 and then bought a £6 USB to optical SATA cable and plug in the bare drive with my Mac Mini:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/USB2-0-Slim...r/dp/B008BZBDKM/ref=?ie=UTF8&m=A1WVEK949ZXAY8

There's plenty of sites that show you how to create a fusion drive once you've got the SSD fitted. Barefeats did tests and provided a few links on their page:

http://www.barefeats.com/hard158.html

Personally, I'd boot from the SSD and then move all your large files outside of the users folder and onto the HDD (iTunes Music, Movies, iPhone library and any large items in your Documents folder etc...).
 
Last edited:
gnasher729

gnasher729

Suspended
Nov 25, 2005
17,980
5,565
paulbeattie87 said:
The fusion drive is simply scandalous! For the price they charge Apple should be ashamed, it's like the RAM upgrade pricing pay full amount and more for the upgrade and we will keep the original RAM cost built in. This time they're just charging many times over for an SSD that's worth less than $100
Click to expand...

So how much do Dell, HP, Toshiba, Acer, ASUS etc. charge for a Fusion drive?
 
Morrile

Morrile

macrumors member
Jun 18, 2009
81
22
In an Apartment
barkmonster said:
It wouldn't work because a fusion drive is based around 2 SATA drives, not a mix of external and internal drives. It would also be very dangerous to have a fragmented file system span over 2 drives when one of them relies on an external adapter.
Click to expand...

I see your point but the express port is internal from a point of view. As my data on the current drive is safe, I think I will try and see what happens :D

----------
gnasher729 said:
So how much do Dell, HP, Toshiba, Acer, ASUS etc. charge for a Fusion drive?
Click to expand...

I think it's only Apple, so it's looks to be software driven... as I understand it, but no doubt someone will correct me if I am wrong; which I don't mind :)

Morrile
 
M

Mackan

macrumors 65816
Sep 16, 2007
1,421
91
gnasher729 said:
"Early adopters" got exactly what they paid for. Now Apple offers you to buy something that is better than the lowest end iMac for more money, or less good than the better iMac for less money. So please explain how these "early adopters" getting screwed?
Click to expand...

Are you for real? Before you had to pick the high end 21.5'' to have the option to add the Fusion drive. Now you don't need to. Buying the low end + Fusion drive is cheaper than buying high end + Fusion drive.

See, very easy to explain. Now you go think about it.
 
iLondoner

iLondoner

macrumors 6502
Nov 27, 2012
366
324
London (the big one, not London Ohio, Texas, Kentu
I don't see this as Apple trying to screw anyone. More a case of realising what a good move it was to introduce Fusion and spreading the ability to all customers.

Fusion was the only thing that excited me about the recent iMac launch. I wasn't that interested in the mildly enhanced processor/GPU specs or the skinny-edged screen.
 
iGrip

iGrip

macrumors 68000
Jul 1, 2010
1,626
0
azentropy said:
Still wish there was just a SSD or Flash Drive option. Some people don't require 1TB and don't want ANY mechanical HDD and the noise, heat and higher failure time that come along with them.
Click to expand...


But those folks don't represent a high enough amount of profit for Apple to care about. Apple skates to where the puck is GOING TO be.
 
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bbydon

macrumors 6502a
May 18, 2005
587
94
ATL
They most likely didn't have enough or the ability to get the upgrade done before the holidays. Or they listened to the audience and decided to do it. I'm not sure what people are complaining about. The one we got for my uncle with no fusion drive works great ( no beach balls) and is still the same machine we payed for.
 
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