21" fusion drive imac experiences yet?

[chfilm]

hey,

I was wondering if anybody already received their BTO 21" imac with a fusion drive and can tell us how it feels

[barca bear]

Yeah it's fast... Really fast!

[wdowell]

I'm very happy with mine - just wish I could specify which files went where to ensure that gb's of photos aren't hogging the ss bit. But so far seems ok.

[bobright]

Originally Posted by wdowell

I'm very happy with mine - just wish I could specify which files went where to ensure that gb's of photos aren't hogging the ss bit. But so far seems ok.

Huh, so there's no way to know what's where? That sucks.

If I were to use Logic to record and only occasionally used it does that mean it would most likely run on the HDD part since its only used rarely? I'd obviously prefer it to run/record on the SSD part

[henry72]

Originally Posted by wdowell

I'm very happy with mine - just wish I could specify which files went where to ensure that gb's of photos aren't hogging the ss bit. But so far seems ok.

Yes I thinking the same. What I'm worry about is that OS X control where the files go, what if one drive failed. Then I will lost a part of my file? This is the only reason stopping me from upgrading. I haven't order mine yet, will see.

[flynz4]

Originally Posted by henry72

Yes I thinking the same. What I'm worry about is that OS X control where the files go, what if one drive failed. Then I will lost a part of my file? This is the only reason stopping me from upgrading. I haven't order mine yet, will see.

I believe that if either drive fails... you lose your whole combined fusion drive. However... it doesn't matter. That is why you backup.

/Jim

[atteligibility]

Originally Posted by wdowell

I'm very happy with mine - just wish I could specify which files went where to ensure that gb's of photos aren't hogging the ss bit. But so far seems ok.

umm, for a lot of us the main benefit is precisely that we don't have to manually manage what goes on what drive. I know this kind of mental gymnastic would be unbearable to me, I am not good at putting stuff where they belong, and the fact that I don't get a performance penalty for not putting stuff where they belong is a huge plus.

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Originally Posted by henry72

Yes I thinking the same. What I'm worry about is that OS X control where the files go, what if one drive failed. Then I will lost a part of my file? This is the only reason stopping me from upgrading. I haven't order mine yet, will see.

this is a strange way of seeing things? I am not sure I understand:
- If you only have one drive and it fails, don't you lose your stuff too?
- If you have two drives and one fail, don't you use what's on the failing drive?

If you have a solid backup plan (and you should), no matter if you use 1 drive, 2 drives, or a fusion drive, the restoring process will be the same:
- Replace the failing drive
- Restore your files from the backup

[henry72]

Originally Posted by atteligibility

umm, for a lot of us the main benefit is precisely that we don't have to manually manage what goes on what drive. I know this kind of mental gymnastic would be unbearable to me, I am not good at putting stuff where they belong, and the fact that I don't get a performance penalty for not putting stuff where they belong is a huge plus.

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this is a strange way of seeing things? I am not sure I understand:
- If you only have one drive and it fails, don't you lose your stuff too?
- If you have two drives and one fail, don't you use what's on the failing drive?

If you have a solid backup plan (and you should), no matter if you use 1 drive, 2 drives, or a fusion drive, the restoring process will be the same:
- Replace the failing drive
- Restore your files from the backup

Thanks for your reply. True and I always back it up using Time Machine!

I guess another factor would be the price. I will have a think about it

Cheers!

[Apple fanboy]

Quick and quiet would be how I would sum it up. It's been quick at downloading and installing software files (which is about all I've done so far). When I pull up a file its ultra quick, but as I haven't got much on there yet I guess it's all on the SSD!

[MJD Dawg]

As far as I know, everything goes onto the SSD until it's full.

Fusion then moves files back and forth to/from HDD based on how often they're accessed. It takes as little as two times accessing a file located on the HDD before it gets moved to the SSD.

If you've managed to fill the SSD, chances are that at least the software (photoshop,...etc) will reside on the SSD, while the pics that aren't accessed often would reside on the HDD...which is how you'd want it really.

[hfg]

Initially, it is all on the SSD, until you exceed the space.

After you have lived with the Fusion drive for awhile, it should "adjust" itself in keeping with your computing habits, and continue to do so forever.

[iVoid]

If you really want to manually control where files are stored, repartition the two drives as separate volumes, install the OS on the SSD and use the disk drive for whatever data you like.