Mac mini Dilemma!

Shaygb · Jan 25, 2013

Hi guys, I know such topics like this have been spoken about. I've posted on some of those threads with little to no response. So I thought I would start my own and hopefully some of you guys out there can assist me on my best option for my needs..

So, I'm looking to upgrade my 2010 MacBook Pro 2.4 ghz, 4gb ram etc..

I am leaning towards a Mac Mini rather then the Imac. If I did get an imac though I would get a 2011 model with FireWire as I have an RME Fireface UCX on the way and it uses FireWire (also USB).

I will be running both Logic Pro 9 and Ableton Suite 8. In my tracks I can have between 15-30 tracks, sometimes possibly close to 40. I have various library's and vst's that I also use on these tracks such as Native Instruments Razor, Massive, Fm8 and build in effects from ableton and logic with some 3rd party as well. I have an SH101 and Korg MS-20 legacy cell w/ mono/poly, polysix & MS-20 software which ill be running so my computer will need to run these smoothly.

I will be using samples in my tracks (drums, percussion etc) and was thinking I want to stream them from an external hard drive.. I would then send out Drum samples to rack effects units for processing then route them back into my DAW. So I want to know what computer would be best for me..

I've also read that you should have numerous external hard drives... 1 or 2 SSD or 7200 rpm HD for samples/libraries and 1 x 7200 rpm HD for recording. Is this somewhat correct.. I know I want to get an external for my samples/library but is it a good idea to get another to record to?

Anyways enough blabbering, I am thinking of getting:

Mac Mini Server $2182.99
- i7 Quad Core 2.6ghz
- 16gb of RAM ( I would buy and install myself)
- 2 x 256 SSD Memory

W/ super drive, keyboard, trackpad

OR

Mac Mini $1617.99
- i7 Quad Core 2.6ghz
- 16gb of RAM ( I would buy and install myself)
- 256 SSD Memory

W/ super drive, keyboard, trackpad

Now I'm not a computer wiz and would like to know am I better of getting the Mini Server with 2 SSD's or the basic Mini with 1 SSD.. And what are the speed differences between these two? Or I better off getting a basic mini and putting in a intel 600gb SSD ($900). As I would like to stream my samples/library from an external hard drive what is better? I've read that SSD's are slower at streaming audio/wav files as compared to a 7200 rpm HD.. Is that correct!?

Can anyone help? Or put in their 2c.. Is the Mac Mini the way to go with what I want to do or is there a better option!?

HELP? Thanks Guys

53x12 · Jan 25, 2013

How much hard drive space do you foresee yourself needing? Other than OS, what else do you want to run off of the SSD?

If you want a larger SSD, you should go with the upcoming 1 TB SSD for $600 from Crucial. Don't spend $900 for a Intel 600GB SSD.

If you only need 100-150 GB of space on an SSD, then go with a Samsung 256GB 830/840 Pro. Remember you can always run an external HDD via USB 3/thunderbolt. For your needs a 2.3 i7 with your own RAM upgrade should be a good fit. Unless you need that 10% boost that the 2.6 i7 will provide you.

philipma1957 · Jan 25, 2013

Shaygb said:
Hi guys, I know such topics like this have been spoken about. I've posted on some of those threads with little to no response. So I thought I would start my own and hopefully some of you guys out there can assist me on my best option for my needs..

So, I'm looking to upgrade my 2010 MacBook Pro 2.4 ghz, 4gb ram etc..

I am leaning towards a Mac Mini rather then the Imac. If I did get an imac though I would get a 2011 model with FireWire as I have an RME Fireface UCX on the way and it uses FireWire (also USB).

I will be running both Logic Pro 9 and Ableton Suite 8. In my tracks I can have between 15-30 tracks, sometimes possibly close to 40. I have various library's and vst's that I also use on these tracks such as Native Instruments Razor, Massive, Fm8 and build in effects from ableton and logic with some 3rd party as well. I have an SH101 and Korg MS-20 legacy cell w/ mono/poly, polysix & MS-20 software which ill be running so my computer will need to run these smoothly.

I will be using samples in my tracks (drums, percussion etc) and was thinking I want to stream them from an external hard drive.. I would then send out Drum samples to rack effects units for processing then route them back into my DAW. So I want to know what computer would be best for me..

I've also read that you should have numerous external hard drives... 1 or 2 SSD or 7200 rpm HD for samples/libraries and 1 x 7200 rpm HD for recording. Is this somewhat correct.. I know I want to get an external for my samples/library but is it a good idea to get another to record to?

Anyways enough blabbering, I am thinking of getting:

Mac Mini Server $2182.99
- i7 Quad Core 2.6ghz
- 16gb of RAM ( I would buy and install myself)
- 2 x 256 SSD Memory

W/ super drive, keyboard, trackpad

OR

Mac Mini $1617.99
- i7 Quad Core 2.6ghz
- 16gb of RAM ( I would buy and install myself)
- 256 SSD Memory

W/ super drive, keyboard, trackpad

Now I'm not a computer wiz and would like to know am I better of getting the Mini Server with 2 SSD's or the basic Mini with 1 SSD.. And what are the speed differences between these two? Or I better off getting a basic mini and putting in a intel 600gb SSD ($900). As I would like to stream my samples/library from an external hard drive what is better? I've read that SSD's are slower at streaming audio/wav files as compared to a 7200 rpm HD.. Is that correct!?

Can anyone help? Or put in their 2c.. Is the Mac Mini the way to go with what I want to do or is there a better option!?

HELP? Thanks Guys

you need to wait for this ssd.

http://www.storagereview.com/micron_and_crucial_m500_ssds_announced_with_up_to_960gb_capacity

http://www.anandtech.com/show/6614/microncrucial-announces-m500-ssd-line-of-ssds

wait for this to come back in stock

http://store.apple.com/us/product/FD388LL/A/refurbished-mac-mini-23ghz-quad-core-intel-core-i7

this is the best ram

http://www.amazon.com/1600MHz-PC3-1...1359148763&sr=8-13&keywords=kingston+16gb+ram

but this will do

http://www.amazon.com/Kingston-Valu...=1359148819&sr=8-3&keywords=kingston+16gb+ram

and this t-bolt

http://www.macmall.com/p/LaCie-Hard-Drives/product~dpno~9025162~pdp.hafbhee

the refurb mini is 679 the ram is 90 the killer big ssd is 600 the t-bolt is 519 a t-bolt cable is 50 all for a total of 1938.

pull one of the 2tb hdds and keep it as a spare put the 960gb ssd in place. speed and space use the internal hdd as a clone of the ssd for a back up and use the 2x 2 tb hdds for more storage. at any one time the internal =1tb the ssd = .96tb the 2tb hdd your total is about 4tb on line and you have a spare 2tb for whatever.

this is far better then your setup. that 2.6 quad is not needed for your work the 2.3 quad will do fine.

Shaygb · Jan 25, 2013

53x12 said:
How much hard drive space do you foresee yourself needing? Other than OS, what else do you want to run off of the SSD?

If you want a larger SSD, you should go with the upcoming 1 TB SSD for $600 from Crucial. Don't spend $900 for a Intel 600GB SSD.

If you only need 100-150 GB of space on an SSD, then go with a Samsung 256GB 830/840 Pro. Remember you can always run an external HDD via USB 3/thunderbolt. For your needs a 2.3 i7 with your own RAM upgrade should be a good fit. Unless you need that 10% boost that the 2.6 i7 will provide you.

I don't think ill need that much.. I'm thinking of keeping my MacBook and using that to download and Internet etc and leave the mini purely for music production. I just liked the idea of having a big SSD because if I changed my mind I had it there. But, I don't think the price is worth it!

I was only gojng to go with apples SSD because I wasn't that confident on opening up my new mini and putting the Samsung SSD in.. But I think I would be able to do it.

----------

philipma1957 said:
you need to wait for this ssd.

http://www.storagereview.com/micron_and_crucial_m500_ssds_announced_with_up_to_960gb_capacity

http://www.anandtech.com/show/6614/microncrucial-announces-m500-ssd-line-of-ssds

wait for this to come back in stock

http://store.apple.com/us/product/FD388LL/A/refurbished-mac-mini-23ghz-quad-core-intel-core-i7

this is the best ram

http://www.amazon.com/1600MHz-PC3-1...1359148763&sr=8-13&keywords=kingston+16gb+ram

but this will do

http://www.amazon.com/Kingston-Valu...=1359148819&sr=8-3&keywords=kingston+16gb+ram

and this t-bolt

http://www.macmall.com/p/LaCie-Hard-Drives/product~dpno~9025162~pdp.hafbhee

the refurb mini is 679 the ram is 90 the killer big ssd is 600 the t-bolt is 519 a t-bolt cable is 50 all for a total of 1938.

pull one of the 2tb hdds and keep it as a spare put the 960gb ssd in place. speed and space use the internal hdd as a clone of the ssd for a back up and use the 2x 2 tb hdds for more storage. at any one time the internal =1tb the ssd = .96tb the 2tb hdd your total is about 4tb on line and you have a spare 2tb for whatever.

this is far better then your setup. that 2.6 quad is not needed for your work the 2.3 quad will do fine.

WOW! Thanks for your reply! I'm definitely going to look into this when I get home!

Is that the mini with the 2 hard drives or is that an earlier model?

zer0tails · Jan 25, 2013

Why is the hyperX the best ram for the mac mini? What advantages does it have over Crucial for instance?

thanks

53x12 · Jan 25, 2013

Shaygb said:
I don't think ill need that much.. I'm thinking of keeping my MacBook and using that to download and Internet etc and leave the mini purely for music production. I just liked the idea of having a big SSD because if I changed my mind I had it there. But, I don't think the price is worth it!

I am confused and maybe something isn't translating over the internet.

Shaygb said:
Or I better off getting a basic mini and putting in a intel 600gb SSD ($900).

If you are even thinking about spending $900 on a 600GB SSD, I was saying you need to highly highly consider getting the 1TB SSD for $600 from Crucial. So either you need and want that space or you don't. But your initial post indicated that you were considering a 600GB SSD.

Yebubbleman · Jan 25, 2013

Shaygb said:
Hi guys, I know such topics like this have been spoken about. I've posted on some of those threads with little to no response. So I thought I would start my own and hopefully some of you guys out there can assist me on my best option for my needs..

So, I'm looking to upgrade my 2010 MacBook Pro 2.4 ghz, 4gb ram etc..

I am leaning towards a Mac Mini rather then the Imac. If I did get an imac though I would get a 2011 model with FireWire as I have an RME Fireface UCX on the way and it uses FireWire (also USB).

I will be running both Logic Pro 9 and Ableton Suite 8. In my tracks I can have between 15-30 tracks, sometimes possibly close to 40. I have various library's and vst's that I also use on these tracks such as Native Instruments Razor, Massive, Fm8 and build in effects from ableton and logic with some 3rd party as well. I have an SH101 and Korg MS-20 legacy cell w/ mono/poly, polysix & MS-20 software which ill be running so my computer will need to run these smoothly.

I will be using samples in my tracks (drums, percussion etc) and was thinking I want to stream them from an external hard drive.. I would then send out Drum samples to rack effects units for processing then route them back into my DAW. So I want to know what computer would be best for me..

I've also read that you should have numerous external hard drives... 1 or 2 SSD or 7200 rpm HD for samples/libraries and 1 x 7200 rpm HD for recording. Is this somewhat correct.. I know I want to get an external for my samples/library but is it a good idea to get another to record to?

Anyways enough blabbering, I am thinking of getting:

Mac Mini Server $2182.99
- i7 Quad Core 2.6ghz
- 16gb of RAM ( I would buy and install myself)
- 2 x 256 SSD Memory

W/ super drive, keyboard, trackpad

OR

Mac Mini $1617.99
- i7 Quad Core 2.6ghz
- 16gb of RAM ( I would buy and install myself)
- 256 SSD Memory

W/ super drive, keyboard, trackpad

Now I'm not a computer wiz and would like to know am I better of getting the Mini Server with 2 SSD's or the basic Mini with 1 SSD.. And what are the speed differences between these two? Or I better off getting a basic mini and putting in a intel 600gb SSD ($900). As I would like to stream my samples/library from an external hard drive what is better? I've read that SSD's are slower at streaming audio/wav files as compared to a 7200 rpm HD.. Is that correct!?

Can anyone help? Or put in their 2c.. Is the Mac Mini the way to go with what I want to do or is there a better option!?

HELP? Thanks Guys

It looks like the main benefit to going the 2 SSDs route is to have 512GB of combined internal storage instead of 256GB. I can tell you right now that unless this was solely meant for professional use and unless all of the data I worked with was on external and always attached drives, I couldn't live with just 256GB. Though I'm not sure you'd have any other speed benefit as there's little, if any benefit to doing a software RAID 0. The benefit I could see is that second drive would be an excellent place to store the projects you are working with at hand as they'll load insanely fast compared to with a hard drive. Then again, supposedly, the capacity bump with speed is the whole point to simply getting a Mac mini with a Fusion drive. But if you want all SSD, going for the additional drive isn't a bad call.

Shaygb · Jan 25, 2013

53x12 said:
I am confused and maybe something isn't translating over the internet.

If you are even thinking about spending $900 on a 600GB SSD, I was saying you need to highly highly consider getting the 1TB SSD for $600 from Crucial. So either you need and want that space or you don't. But your initial post indicated that you were considering a 600GB SSD.

Forgive me I'm at work skimming through replies and writing back! I'm no computer wiz but I was going to have my OS running on the SSD. The space on it wouldn't be used that much as ill have my external hard dives with my samples/library. That's what I said in my original post.

Yes I was considering the 600gb SSD but I wasn't sure if I would need it. Sorry again for my confusion..

Shaygb · Jan 25, 2013

philipma1957 said:
you need to wait for this ssd.

http://www.storagereview.com/micron_and_crucial_m500_ssds_announced_with_up_to_960gb_capacity

http://www.anandtech.com/show/6614/microncrucial-announces-m500-ssd-line-of-ssds

wait for this to come back in stock

http://store.apple.com/us/product/FD388LL/A/refurbished-mac-mini-23ghz-quad-core-intel-core-i7

this is the best ram

http://www.amazon.com/1600MHz-PC3-1...1359148763&sr=8-13&keywords=kingston+16gb+ram

but this will do

http://www.amazon.com/Kingston-Valu...=1359148819&sr=8-3&keywords=kingston+16gb+ram

and this t-bolt

http://www.macmall.com/p/LaCie-Hard-Drives/product~dpno~9025162~pdp.hafbhee

the refurb mini is 679 the ram is 90 the killer big ssd is 600 the t-bolt is 519 a t-bolt cable is 50 all for a total of 1938.

pull one of the 2tb hdds and keep it as a spare put the 960gb ssd in place. speed and space use the internal hdd as a clone of the ssd for a back up and use the 2x 2 tb hdds for more storage. at any one time the internal =1tb the ssd = .96tb the 2tb hdd your total is about 4tb on line and you have a spare 2tb for whatever.

this is far better then your setup. that 2.6 quad is not needed for your work the 2.3 quad will do fine.

I think i will take on your advice and do these things youve listed! Its a VERY good idea.. Rather then max out on a new mini, one with that up coming SSD and that HyperX RAM will do good..

When you say pull out one of the 2TB HHD and put the 960GB SSD in its place are you taking about the 4TB external drive or the Mini you are removing it from.. Sorry bit confused.. Im pretty sure you mean from the mini but it only comes with a 1TB HD? unless im wrong..

THanks

philipma1957 · Jan 26, 2013

Shaygb said:
I think i will take on your advice and do these things youve listed! Its a VERY good idea.. Rather then max out on a new mini, one with that up coming SSD and that HyperX RAM will do good..

When you say pull out one of the 2TB HHD and put the 960GB SSD in its place are you taking about the 4TB external drive or the Mini you are removing it from.. Sorry bit confused.. Im pretty sure you mean from the mini but it only comes with a 1TB HD? unless im wrong..

THanks

no I meant the external t-bolt. using a t-bolt for an ssd booter is rocksolid . also prevents warranty risk. that external t-bolt allows for easy drive removal. look at the thumbnails. I use t-bolt see the two yellow there are in the t-bolt. I can boot from 3 drives. you don't need to boot from 3 drives. in my case there are 3 drives all set as booters. you can do it differently.

Shaygb · Jan 26, 2013

philipma1957 said:
no I meant the external t-bolt. using a t-bolt for an ssd booter is rocksolid . also prevents warranty risk. that external t-bolt allows for easy drive removal. look at the thumbnails. I use t-bolt see the two yellow there are in the t-bolt. I can boot from 3 drives. you don't need to boot from 3 drives. in my case there are 3 drives all set as booters. you can do it differently.

Ahhh I see! That sounds good! What about an SSD in the t-bolt to stream my samples as well? Do you think that's a good idea?

jwjsr · Jan 26, 2013

philipma1957 said:
no I meant the external t-bolt. using a t-bolt for an ssd booter is rocksolid . also prevents warranty risk. that external t-bolt allows for easy drive removal. look at the thumbnails. I use t-bolt see the two yellow there are in the t-bolt. I can boot from 3 drives. you don't need to boot from 3 drives. in my case there are 3 drives all set as booters. you can do it differently.

Interesting,
1.would this setup allow fusion ? I have a 250gb sad on the way. I also think I want fusion because I don't wanna manually manage my files
2. I'm using my tb port on the mini for the Thunderbolt Display, could the external t-bolt plug into the t-bolt display?

What are your thoughts on refurb external t-bolts.

Update: I think t-bolt would daisy chain so 2. Above is not an issue.

philipma1957 · Jan 26, 2013

Shaygb said:
Ahhh I see! That sounds good! What about an SSD in the t-bolt to stream my samples as well? Do you think that's a good idea?

you can decide after the fact once you see how well it works. one ssd as the booter and one for samples is one of a few possibilities.

jwjsr said:
Interesting,
1.would this setup allow fusion ? I have a 250gb sad on the way. I also think I want fusion because I don't wanna manually manage my files
2. I'm using my tb port on the mini for the Thunderbolt Display, could the external t-bolt plug into the t-bolt display?

What are your thoughts on refurb external t-bolts.

Update: I think t-bolt would daisy chain so 2. Above is not an issue.

Okay for question one I have a second mac mini with a diy fusion

it is the quad 2.3 i have a 500gb ssd and the stock 1tb hdd it is a 1.5 tb fusion I also have it hooked up to a bigger t-bolt device a pegasus r6. (that allows 6 hdds or ssds in many different setups)

question 2 you answered

question 3 I have a refurbished little big disk from mac mall. it works well. I have a thread on it on this site.

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/1280118/ I did mods on it I pull the stock hdds sold them on ebay I then put in a pair of 500gb ssds . I also pulled the fan as it wails. thumbnail shows the temps of the ssds and the stock drive on this mini. as you can see the temps of the little big disk are nice and cool

Shaygb · Jan 26, 2013

philipma1957 said:
you need to wait for this ssd.

http://www.storagereview.com/micron_and_crucial_m500_ssds_announced_with_up_to_960gb_capacity

http://www.anandtech.com/show/6614/microncrucial-announces-m500-ssd-line-of-ssds

wait for this to come back in stock

http://store.apple.com/us/product/FD388LL/A/refurbished-mac-mini-23ghz-quad-core-intel-core-i7

this is the best ram

http://www.amazon.com/1600MHz-PC3-1...1359148763&sr=8-13&keywords=kingston+16gb+ram

but this will do

http://www.amazon.com/Kingston-Valu...=1359148819&sr=8-3&keywords=kingston+16gb+ram

and this t-bolt

http://www.macmall.com/p/LaCie-Hard-Drives/product~dpno~9025162~pdp.hafbhee

the refurb mini is 679 the ram is 90 the killer big ssd is 600 the t-bolt is 519 a t-bolt cable is 50 all for a total of 1938.

pull one of the 2tb hdds and keep it as a spare put the 960gb ssd in place. speed and space use the internal hdd as a clone of the ssd for a back up and use the 2x 2 tb hdds for more storage. at any one time the internal =1tb the ssd = .96tb the 2tb hdd your total is about 4tb on line and you have a spare 2tb for whatever.

this is far better then your setup. that 2.6 quad is not needed for your work the 2.3 quad will do fine.

Is it worth getting that HyperX RAM at that price before it goes up?.. i think i might do that!

Also just read that the T-bolt external HD can be daisy chained! That is good as eventually i may want the thunderbolt 27'' apple monitor..

Im in Australia, I cant find on the AUS mac store (refurbished) the Mac Mini youve suggested.. :/

jwjsr · Jan 26, 2013

philipma1957 said:
you can decide after the fact once you see how well it works. one ssd as the booter and one for samples is one of a few possibilities.

Okay for question one I have a second mac mini with a diy fusion

it is the quad 2.3 i have a 500gb ssd and the stock 1tb hdd it is a 1.5 tb fusion I also have it hooked up to a bigger t-bolt device a pegasus r6. (that allows 6 hdds or ssds in many different setups)

question 2 you answered

question 3 I have a refurbished little big disk from mac mall. it works well. I have a thread on it on this site.

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/1280118/ I did mods on it I pull the stock hdds sold them on ebay I then put in a pair of 500gb ssds . I also pulled the fan as it wails. thumbnail shows the temps of the ssds and the stock drive on this mini. as you can see the temps of the little big disk are nice and cool

Ok, my 2012 mac mini -2.3 i7 with 1tb. I have 840 samsung 256gb ssd on the way that I was planning on installing internally to do DIY fusion. After finding you I am wondering if i can avoid installing the 840ssd in the mini and
instead do DIY fusion via using the 840ssd in an external t-bolt(one of the Lacie's?)

53x12 · Jan 26, 2013

jwjsr said:
Ok, my 2012 mac mini -2.3 i7 with 1tb. I have 840 samsung 256gb ssd on the way that I was planning on installing internally to do DIY fusion. After finding you I am wondering if i can avoid installing the 840ssd in the mini and
instead do DIY fusion via using the 840ssd in an external t-bolt(one of the Lacie's?)

Aren't those external TB enclosures still fairly expensive?

jwjsr · Jan 26, 2013

53x12 said:
Aren't those external TB enclosures still fairly expensive?

Well let me tell you how uninformed I am. I go to MacMall and look at the Lacie's and can't even discern whether they are just enclosures or come with HDD's. I am ought-a my league on this thread. I just want philipma1957 to tell me what to get. Right now I don't have a backup and probably don't need one for the nothing I do but he sure as hell knows and he puts a lot of work into simply and concisely advising us with what we need-WITH LINKS-to what we need. Thanks sphilipma1957

tejota1911 · Jan 27, 2013

zer0tails said:
Why is the hyperX the best ram for the mac mini? What advantages does it have over Crucial for instance?

thanks

I'm not sure I would go as far as to say its the best RAM for the mini, however it's advantage over Crucial would be its faster CAS Latency(CL9 vs CL11).

zer0tails · Jan 27, 2013

tejota1911 said:
I'm not sure I would go as far as to say its the best RAM for the mini, however it's advantage over Crucial would be its faster CAS Latency(CL9 vs CL11).

Thanks for clarifying.

These are the specs of the crucial ram I ordered. It says CL11

What do you think? I can still return for hyperX ram if this doesn't measure up because I want the best of the best.

Module Size: 16GB kit (8GBx2)
Package: 204-pin SODIMM
Feature: DDR3 PC3-12800
Specs: DDR3 PC3-12800 CL=11 Unbuffered NON-ECC DDR3-1600 1.35V 1024Meg x 64

53x12 · Jan 27, 2013

zer0tails said:
Thanks for clarifying.

These are the specs of the crucial ram I ordered. It says CL11

What do you think? I can still return for hyperX ram if this doesn't measure up because I want the best of the best.

Module Size: 16GB kit (8GBx2)
Package: 204-pin SODIMM
Feature: DDR3 PC3-12800
Specs: DDR3 PC3-12800 CL=11 Unbuffered NON-ECC DDR3-1600 1.35V 1024Meg x 64

How do you use your computer? Everyday use you won't notice a difference between the two. Go with the cheapest.

tejota1911 · Jan 27, 2013

zer0tails said:
Thanks for clarifying.

These are the specs of the crucial ram I ordered. It says CL11

What do you think? I can still return for hyperX ram if this doesn't measure up because I want the best of the best.

Module Size: 16GB kit (8GBx2)
Package: 204-pin SODIMM
Feature: DDR3 PC3-12800
Specs: DDR3 PC3-12800 CL=11 Unbuffered NON-ECC DDR3-1600 1.35V 1024Meg x 64

No need to return it. The Crucial will serve you well, and honestly you probably wouldn't notice any speed difference between the two.

Shaygb · Jan 31, 2013

philipma1957 said:
you can decide after the fact once you see how well it works. one ssd as the booter and one for samples is one of a few possibilities.

Okay for question one I have a second mac mini with a diy fusion

it is the quad 2.3 i have a 500gb ssd and the stock 1tb hdd it is a 1.5 tb fusion I also have it hooked up to a bigger t-bolt device a pegasus r6. (that allows 6 hdds or ssds in many different setups)

question 2 you answered

question 3 I have a refurbished little big disk from mac mall. it works well. I have a thread on it on this site.

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/1280118/ I did mods on it I pull the stock hdds sold them on ebay I then put in a pair of 500gb ssds . I also pulled the fan as it wails. thumbnail shows the temps of the ssds and the stock drive on this mini. as you can see the temps of the little big disk are nice and cool

Yeah I wasn't quite sure what you mean by the fan wails so you removed it. So I did some reasearch and its apparently really loud! Was it hard to remove the fan? I definitely don't want to have a loud external hard drive around when I'm recording samples.. Another question, do you run your Mac mini and lacie for long period of time? Was wondering if that changed the temp levels as ill be using them for long periods of time..

Also do you know much about the WD My Book VelociRaptor external hard drive?

Thanks!

philipma1957 · Jan 31, 2013

here are the temps in the 24/7 /365 lacie for more then a year.

97 f for each 500gb ssd .

the mini never sleeps the lacie is always power on. my house temp is 76f those 2 drives are 97f. you only need pull the little fan plug loose you can keep the fan in the lacie with the plug out. make sure you have very good screwdrivers as the single hardest thing to do is loosen the screws.

get a small phillips like a 0 or a 00 but high quality and a perfect fit.

I used wiha 0 or 00 and the four screws are hard to turn the first time.

Shaygb · Jan 31, 2013

philipma1957 said:
here are the temps in the 24/7 /365 lacie for more then a year.

97 f for each 500gb ssd .

the mini never sleeps the lacie is always power on. my house temp is 76f those 2 drives are 97f. you only need pull the little fan plug loose you can keep the fan in the lacie with the plug out. make sure you have very good screwdrivers as the single hardest thing to do is loosen the screws.

get a small phillips like a 0 or a 00 but high quality and a perfect fit.

I used wiha 0 or 00 and the four screws are hard to turn the first time.

Oh really! Wow! Well it's shout work well then with what I need it for.. Ok ill make sure I have a really good screw driver. I wish I had an actual release date for those SSD's! Thanks for your help philipma1957!

motrek · Feb 1, 2013

Shaygb said:
...
Now I'm not a computer wiz and would like to know am I better of getting the Mini Server with 2 SSD's or the basic Mini with 1 SSD.. And what are the speed differences between these two? Or I better off getting a basic mini and putting in a intel 600gb SSD ($900). As I would like to stream my samples/library from an external hard drive what is better? I've read that SSD's are slower at streaming audio/wav files as compared to a 7200 rpm HD.. Is that correct!?
...

Personally I don't see the point of getting a Mini with an SSD from Apple in the first place. You can buy a 3rd party SSD and a cheap USB 3 enclosure, plug it into the Mini, and have almost the same performance for as little as $100, plus you can use whatever size/brand SSD you want.

I would recommend going this route--buy a relatively small external SSD for your OS and programs, use the standard internal hard drive for samples and tracks.

Then try moving some samples/tracks to the SSD and see if it gives you a big speed improvement. If so, maybe you will want to move all your samples/tracks to an SSD, so you can easily buy a big and expensive SSD and switch to that.

If it doesn't give you much of a performance improvement then you can just keep using the SSD/HD setup. (And buy external hard drives as necessary depending on the size of your audio collection.)

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