External SSD boot drive + RAID

Discussion in 'Mac mini' started by dvd1984, Jun 30, 2011.

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  1. dvd1984, Jun 30, 2011

    dvd1984 macrumors newbie

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    Jun 26, 2011
    #1
    Alright I'm looking to add an Intel 320 120GB SSD as my bootable drive. I'm also getting ready to purchase a 4 bay RAID enclosure with 2 2TB HDD via FW800 for all of my media. My question is can I just add the SSD to the enclosure and keep it as just a bootable drive or am I going to have to format it as a RAID with the two HDDs? It would be nice to skip out on having to have the SSD in a separate enclosure plus everything will be running of firewire.

    Thanks in advance
     
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  2. dolphin842, Jun 30, 2011

    dolphin842 macrumors 65816

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    #2
    To take full advantage of the SSD's speed, you'll have to swap out the Mini's internal drive with the Intel. Whether or not you can keep the SSD separate from the RAID array depends entirely on the enclosure in question. Many come hard-wired for certain raid configurations, while others let you configure them.
     
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  3. Panch0, Jun 30, 2011

    Panch0 macrumors 6502a

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    #3
    Agree with previous poster - FW800 is not going to keep up with an SSD.

    eSATA or Thunderbolt would keep up, but with Firewire your SSD is going to look like a 7200RPM HDD.
     
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  4. dvd1984, Jul 1, 2011

    dvd1984 thread starter macrumors newbie

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    Jun 26, 2011
    #4
    Thanks for the responses. I was trying to avoid ripping the mini apart but if thats what must be done then it looks like I have a project in front of me. I have a Macbook Air and am now spoiled by the SSD so it is a must.
     
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