Take a Chance with 3TB Fusion?

kaelell · Nov 28, 2012, 08:48 AM

Caught up in minds about whether to go 1TB Fusion or 3TB Fusion, want to be able to bootcamp Windows for Games, but its probably only 15% of what I would use my mac for.. however the ability to play games does also effect my other choices with graphics card.

Would you take a chance with a 3TB fusion drive in the hope that in the near future you will be able to bootcamp a windows Install onto it?

Or play it safe with a 1TB drive, which is really pushing the envelope for space for me.

thedeejay · Nov 28, 2012, 08:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kaelell

Caught up in minds about whether to go 1TB Fusion or 3TB Fusion, want to be able to bootcamp Windows for Games, but its probably only 15% of what I would use my mac for.. however the ability to play games does also effect my other choices with graphics card.

Would you take a chance with a 3TB fusion drive in the hope that in the near future you will be able to bootcamp a windows Install onto it?

Or play it safe with a 1TB drive, which is really pushing the envelope for space for me.

1TB for sure. 3TB is a lot of space. What you gonna store that'll take up 1 or even 3 TB? And nowadays external HDD's are dirt cheap do don't worry you'll be fine

kaelell · Nov 28, 2012, 09:04 AM

My previous imac I sold recently was 1TB and I had to really manually shift files around.

(photographer/video editor)
150GB music / 200GB edited photos (with originals stored externally, 150GB bootcamp ) thats already over half gone, without accounting for applications/documents/Videos and my Downloads folder of movies.

Already I use external drives for storage,editing videos and backups but there are times when I reach 80%+ capacity whilst working on a project and was hoping to not have to worry about moving things around so much.
+and given bad experiences with loosing data on external drives, im all for having multiple copies of files over different media until a completion of a project.

But alas you are right, 1TB is what i'm leaning towards.

CWallace · Nov 28, 2012, 09:51 AM

If I buy a 2012 iMac, I will go 3TB Fusion.

Razorhog · Nov 28, 2012, 09:57 AM

Go with the 1TB to be safe for bootcamp. If you need more storage in the future, get a USB3 or Thunderbolt external.

vladfein · Nov 28, 2012, 10:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Razorhog

...If you need more storage in the future, get a USB3 or Thunderbolt external.

Make sure you stack it neatly on top of your Time Capsule, external ODD and whatever else you have dangling from that All-in-One beauty

Razorhog · Nov 28, 2012, 10:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by vladfein

Make sure you stack it neatly on top of your Time Capsule, external ODD and whatever else you have dangling from that All-in-One beauty

LoL, no snide remarks allowed!

Gascogne · Nov 28, 2012, 10:15 AM

About the 3tb fusion drive.
Is the ssd part still only 128gb or is it bigger?

Sk8-Rat · Nov 28, 2012, 10:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by vladfein

Make sure you stack it neatly on top of your Time Capsule, external ODD and whatever else you have dangling from that All-in-One beauty

Quote:

Originally Posted by Razorhog

LoL, no snide remarks allowed!

Snide marks aside, the twelve south backpack properly conceals my external devices

http://twelvesouth.com/products/backpack/

FuriousGreg · Nov 28, 2012, 10:17 AM

Apparently you can't Bootcamp a 3T drive... no reason is given but there is a note about halfway down the page:

Quote:

Note: Boot Camp Assistant is not supported at this time on 3TB hard drive configurations.

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT5446

Anyone know why this is the case?

tann · Nov 28, 2012, 10:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FuriousGreg

Apparently you can't Bootcamp a 3T drive... no reason is given but there is a note about halfway down the page:

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT5446

Anyone know why this is the case?

OH WOW, GREAT find. I think we need to make people aware of this... Wonder why that's the case though, it does it make sense?

xgman · Nov 28, 2012, 10:46 AM

If I'm going to spend this much money on a drive, I might as well buy some expensive TB duo drives and at least can replace the drives in the future with anything I want. Ironically, whatever I spec the imac with internally will end up being used as a storage drive of some sort. A nice fast SSD in a TB enclosure should be a nice booting drive, and less expensive overall than Apple's.

gnasher729 · Nov 28, 2012, 10:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kaelell

Caught up in minds about whether to go 1TB Fusion or 3TB Fusion, want to be able to bootcamp Windows for Games, but its probably only 15% of what I would use my mac for.. however the ability to play games does also effect my other choices with graphics card.

Would you take a chance with a 3TB fusion drive in the hope that in the near future you will be able to bootcamp a windows Install onto it?

Or play it safe with a 1TB drive, which is really pushing the envelope for space for me.

For Bootcamp, you should be able to use a cheap external USB 3 drive.

MatthewAMEL · Nov 28, 2012, 10:55 AM

The Boot Camp 3TB issue isn't related to FusionDrive. It's not a new problem. It just so happens this is the 1st time Apple has offered a BTO with a drive that exceeds 2.2TB which is the MBR limit for boot devices.

Don't get the 3TB Fusion Drive if you want to use Boot Camp.

FuriousGreg · Nov 28, 2012, 10:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gnasher729

For Bootcamp, you should be able to use a cheap external USB 3 drive.

Unfortunatlly...

Quote:

8. If I have more than one hard drive, can I install Microsoft Windows on any drive?

You can use Boot Camp to install Windows on any internal hard drive, but not on an external hard drive

.

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4818#7

Mac32 · Nov 28, 2012, 10:59 AM

But can you use an internal 3tb fusion drive for OSX, and an external thunderbolt SSD for bootcamp/windows 7? That is the big question.
Anyone?

Laucian Nailor · Nov 28, 2012, 11:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mac32

But can you use an internal 3tb fusion drive for OSX, and an external thunderbolt SSD for bootcamp/windows 7? That is the big question.
Anyone?

See above

xgman · Nov 28, 2012, 11:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mac32

But can you use an internal 3tb fusion drive for OSX, and an external thunderbolt SSD for bootcamp/windows 7? That is the big question.
Anyone?

If you can somehow image windows onto the external drive, I don't see why that wouldn't work.

kaelell · Nov 28, 2012, 11:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gnasher729

For Bootcamp, you should be able to use a cheap external USB 3 drive.

I believe you cannot bootcamp windows from external drive, unless you install OS x on it first then bootcamp.

do correct me if I am wrong.

source: various other threads of people unsuccessfully trying to

Mac32 · 11:22 AM

Arggggggghhhh, I thought that was only for USB2/3.
This is infuriating. Why couldn't Apple just have a 256gb SSD + 3tb HD option.

Mac32 · 11:32 AM

What about this: Install Windows 7 on your fusion drive (after decreasing the size of the partition in Disk Utility to 2 gb or less), then cloning the partition with SuperDuper! to an external SSD. After that, just install OSX over the old Windows 7 installation in your iMac. Voila, you can boot your iMac from either your external thunderbolt SSD, or the internal fusion drive.
That should work, right?

xgman · Nov 28, 2012, 11:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mac32

What about this: Install Windows 7 on your fusion drive (after decreasing the size of the partition in Disk Utility to 2 gb or less), then cloning the partition with SuperDuper! to an external SSD. After that, just install OSX over the old Windows 7 installation in your iMac. Voila, you can boot your iMac from either your external thunderbolt SSD, or the internal fusion drive.
That should work, right?

Are you allowed to partition a fusion drive?

MatthewAMEL · Nov 28, 2012, 12:16 PM

You can partition a Fusion Drive. The limitation is only one partition and it must be on the HDD.

I have read reports of people booting Windows using external drives and Winclone. Boot Camp will not install on an external, so getting the windows image on the external would be the trick.

Gascogne · Nov 28, 2012, 12:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mac32

Why couldn't Apple just have a 256gb SSD + 3tb HD option.

So there are only fusion options (128gb ssd + 1tb or 3tb hd) or a 768gb ssd?

Mac32 · Nov 28, 2012, 01:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gascogne

So there are only fusion options (128gb ssd + 1tb or 3tb hd) or a 768gb ssd?

Yep, that's the problem. A seperate 256GB SSD + 1/3 tb HD would have been so much more useful and flexible.

Nov 28, 2012, 08:48 AM	#1
kaelell macrumors 6502 Join Date: Nov 2009	Take a Chance with 3TB Fusion? Caught up in minds about whether to go 1TB Fusion or 3TB Fusion, want to be able to bootcamp Windows for Games, but its probably only 15% of what I would use my mac for.. however the ability to play games does also effect my other choices with graphics card. Would you take a chance with a 3TB fusion drive in the hope that in the near future you will be able to bootcamp a windows Install onto it? Or play it safe with a 1TB drive, which is really pushing the envelope for space for me.
	0

Nov 28, 2012, 10:46 AM	#12
xgman macrumors 68040 Join Date: Aug 2007	If I'm going to spend this much money on a drive, I might as well buy some expensive TB duo drives and at least can replace the drives in the future with anything I want. Ironically, whatever I spec the imac with internally will end up being used as a storage drive of some sort. A nice fast SSD in a TB enclosure should be a nice booting drive, and less expensive overall than Apple's. __________________ {2012 27imac-3.4i7-680mx-32gb ram-768SSD+External TB Samsung840pro ssd + TB velociraptors-UAD Apollo/Marantz/Amphion/Bowers&Wilkins Sound-Impulse 61} {ipads}{iphones}
	0

Nov 28, 2012, 11:08 AM	#20
Mac32 macrumors 6502a Join Date: Nov 2010	Arggggggghhhh, I thought that was only for USB2/3. This is infuriating. Why couldn't Apple just have a 256gb SSD + 3tb HD option. Last edited by Mac32; Nov 28, 2012 at 11:22 AM.
	2

Nov 28, 2012, 11:21 AM	#21
Mac32 macrumors 6502a Join Date: Nov 2010	What about this: Install Windows 7 on your fusion drive (after decreasing the size of the partition in Disk Utility to 2 gb or less), then cloning the partition with SuperDuper! to an external SSD. After that, just install OSX over the old Windows 7 installation in your iMac. Voila, you can boot your iMac from either your external thunderbolt SSD, or the internal fusion drive. That should work, right? Last edited by Mac32; Nov 28, 2012 at 11:32 AM.
	0

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Nov 28, 2012, 09:04 AM	#3
kaelell Thread Starter macrumors 6502 Join Date: Nov 2009	My previous imac I sold recently was 1TB and I had to really manually shift files around. (photographer/video editor) 150GB music / 200GB edited photos (with originals stored externally, 150GB bootcamp ) thats already over half gone, without accounting for applications/documents/Videos and my Downloads folder of movies. Already I use external drives for storage,editing videos and backups but there are times when I reach 80%+ capacity whilst working on a project and was hoping to not have to worry about moving things around so much. +and given bad experiences with loosing data on external drives, im all for having multiple copies of files over different media until a completion of a project. But alas you are right, 1TB is what i'm leaning towards.
	1

Nov 28, 2012, 09:51 AM	#4
CWallace macrumors Demi-God Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Seattle, WA	If I buy a 2012 iMac, I will go 3TB Fusion.
	2

Nov 28, 2012, 09:57 AM	#5
Razorhog macrumors 6502a Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Arkansas	Go with the 1TB to be safe for bootcamp. If you need more storage in the future, get a USB3 or Thunderbolt external.
	0

Nov 28, 2012, 10:15 AM	#8
Gascogne macrumors member Join Date: Sep 2012 Location: Sweden	About the 3tb fusion drive. Is the ssd part still only 128gb or is it bigger?
	0

Nov 28, 2012, 10:55 AM	#14
MatthewAMEL macrumors 6502 Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Orlando, FL	The Boot Camp 3TB issue isn't related to FusionDrive. It's not a new problem. It just so happens this is the 1st time Apple has offered a BTO with a drive that exceeds 2.2TB which is the MBR limit for boot devices. Don't get the 3TB Fusion Drive if you want to use Boot Camp.
	0

Nov 28, 2012, 10:59 AM	#16
Mac32 macrumors 6502a Join Date: Nov 2010	But can you use an internal 3tb fusion drive for OSX, and an external thunderbolt SSD for bootcamp/windows 7? That is the big question. Anyone?
	0

Nov 28, 2012, 12:16 PM	#23
MatthewAMEL macrumors 6502 Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Orlando, FL	You can partition a Fusion Drive. The limitation is only one partition and it must be on the HDD. I have read reports of people booting Windows using external drives and Winclone. Boot Camp will not install on an external, so getting the windows image on the external would be the trick.
	0