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Fusion Drive Now Available as Option for Low End 21.5" iMac
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ML's coreStorage does the block level tiering between SSD and SATA. It's not a script and it works quite well. I rolled my own for a new mac mini and its fast.
Wouldn't have been more useful and easier to simply provide a link to one of the endless detailed youtube videos?
In fact it would be more useful to inform people that because the SSD and the HDD can be easily 'unfused'. It would be better to have the two drives separate so that at least you could use the paltry bit of SSD space left to dedicate specific things to like perhaps your managed aperture folder, or heavy duty video editing. However it would then be painfully obvious that you are paying $300 for a 128GB SSD.
Because the fusion system fills up the SSD with stuff that won't need to be on it and just leaves a 4gb 'landing zone', for mission critical work. Granted the average consumer who buys a 21" probably couldn't care but, as said earlier, it's a gimmick.
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I wish...
In New Zealand its a $400 add-on.
($250USD = around $300NZD!!!)
I make it $NZ347 + 15% GST to take it to $NZ400.
Music library would be better off on the HDD anyway, no benefit having it on the SSD. And it's just a couple of terminal commands to create a fusion drive so I imagine that it would be just as easy to make it back into two separate drives. The 'magic' only takes place if there is a Fusion system in place'.
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As you say, that is pure BS. It is fully supported because it's built into the corestorage of os 10.8.2 it's simply a matter of running the terminal commands and presto. A normal fully supported (because it's software not hardware) fusion drive with full functionality.
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1. How do you know it moved you songs to the SSD, and 2. It won't make any difference even if they were on the SSD rather than the HDD, so maybe what you perceive as superfast efficient Fusion operation is simply exactly what a normal HDD would do, which is play songs the instant you press the play button.
128Gb HD in any Mac's should be legaly Banned!!! what a joke!!!
Why complain, you were smart enough to buy it.....
I much prefer spending about $3000 on my BTO 27", than $2000 on a Fusion 21.5" (with 16Gb RAM). I think I'll get much more computer for the extra money, bigger screen, faster HDD, better video, upgradeable RAM, i7 CPU.
The hell? Each standard iMac already has 1TB HDD installed. So, yes .. you pay $250 extra for 128GB SSD ONLY, which not even an actual part of the HDD itself.
It's not a hybrid drive, not some kind of customized HDD. Just one plain HDD which already installed by default, and one blade SSD, fused as one drive with built in software, not hardware. And it costs $250. So maybe you're high.
/Words matter.
OK, let's assume bringing the Fusion Drive to the first 21 iMac is a good thing. But then it becomes a way too expensive machine at an entry level. Specially if you need more than 8 GB RAM.
No doubt, these iMacs 2012 are the worst deal we ever got from Apple. I bet many will wait until the next generation, see if the ratio cost/quality improves drastically ...
No doubt, these iMacs 2012 are the worst deal we ever got from Apple. I bet many will wait until the next generation, see if the ratio cost/quality improves drastically ...
I agree, it's close to $2000 here in Australia with Fusion and 16Gb of RAM.
Don't know if I'd go that far, the 5400 rpm is fine for most users and anyone coming from a laptop with HDD won't tell the difference. 8Gb of RAM is more than enough for entry level users and if they need/want DVD then get the USB one.
Most people will upgrade when needed, only those reading threads like this will 'wait for the next model' which is a fools game. Get the computer you need now if you can wait then do you really 'need' it?
Quite true, but some generations are more fortunate than others.
For instance, my iMac 2011 was a terrific deal, and I got a 100 rebate on top of it. Finally, I added cheap, good RAM from Crucial for a total of 12 GB. All in all, a great set up for a very, very reasonable price.
Allows me to wait a while until I "need" a new one, and I certainly won't trade for the current line up
It works well. Trust the algorithm and let it figure out what blocks are hot. I have two 200GB iPhoto DBs and the performance is terrific.
Well, it worth a thought
Well, as we know, apple is both a hardware and software company. $250 for a ssd of 128gb may sound ridiculous. But, now Apple is not selling the ssd only, what it sells is a technology, which windows counterpart cant do or did not do, fusion dirve. It helps normal consumers get things done.
Rememer, $250 is not solely for the ssd, it is also for the fusion drive technology.
Well, as we know, apple is both a hardware and software company. $250 for a ssd of 128gb may sound ridiculous. But, now Apple is not selling the ssd only, what it sells is a technology, which windows counterpart cant do or did not do, fusion dirve. It helps normal consumers get things done.
Rememer, $250 is not solely for the ssd, it is also for the fusion drive technology.
Wow... Crazy thread.
Amongst other things: there's some bizarro misinformation wielding regarding disk rpm speeds. Fact: a 5400 rpm drive spins slower than a 7200 rpm drive. And thus, there can be performance differences.
http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hard_disk_drive
I work in multitrack audio (Pro Tools). 7200 is a minimum rpm requirement for successfully writing multitrack audio. Anyone doing any serious audio/video capture, will want to start with a 7200 rpm drive. And they will more than likely not be dong such work on an iMac (tho possible).
Amongst other things: there's some bizarro misinformation wielding regarding disk rpm speeds. Fact: a 5400 rpm drive spins slower than a 7200 rpm drive. And thus, there can be performance differences.
http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hard_disk_drive
I work in multitrack audio (Pro Tools). 7200 is a minimum rpm requirement for successfully writing multitrack audio. Anyone doing any serious audio/video capture, will want to start with a 7200 rpm drive. And they will more than likely not be dong such work on an iMac (tho possible).
Then don't buy it if you think you can do better.
Seriously Apple adds availability of a key new development to its base iMac, which is an option and people cry foul. As for making Fusion standard, Apple could do that but the price would likely rise, then you'd hear people crying out that Apple is ripping them off!
Or would just get the 27" iMac but more likely to get a Mac Pro unless they went full SSD.
It's been an option since 10.7 came out. Not an option offered by Apple but it always was, and still is available to anyone who wants it. Of course you have to do it yourself. I understand this is a mind boggling task for some. Those people will have to pay more and buy it as an option from Apple. Anyone with a little tech savvy can use this technology on any Mac running 10.7 or 10.8.
I know both what it is, and how to put one together using terminal. I was curious as to why it didn't come in the base model.
Fusion Drive "technology" is already built into OS X. Anyone with OS X 10.7+ can make a Fusion Drive. So no, $250 does not get you the Fusion Drive technology. What it does get you is 128GB of SSD and support for Fusion Drive technology.
Personally I don't need the support. So that leaves me with $250 for an SSD that is worth $80. Again; Not for me.
Yep. This isn't 1984. Apple is no longer a small company manufacturing products for a niche audience of like-minded individuals. They've evolved. They're as mainstream as mainstream gets. They've never served a more diverse audience at any point in their history. There's not a single move they could make that would satisfy all. They've moved from the butt of counter-culture jokes to represent that which counter-culture loathes most. There was a time when only freaks used a Mac. Now your a freak if you don't. While there are aspects of early Apple I miss, they've never been more poised for greatness than they are right now. Forward ho.
128Gb HD in any Mac's should be legaly Banned!!! what a joke!!!
You have no idea how storage tiering works, do you.
It is meant to be cost effective.
A small, cheap amount of SSD can give you most of the benefit for most of the time you spend on the computer at a much cheaper price. If you're going to add 256gb of SSD, why not 512gb? Why not go fully SSD? Price... 128gb is enough to accelerate the vast majority of the work people do on their machine without needing to go fully SSD.
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By then, spinning disks will probably be down in the 3-5c/gb area or less.
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Sure. But it hasn't been enabled at the factory.
Look... the technology for multiple users for my Windows domain are all built into the operating system, but i still have to pay per head if i add more users.
Same same.
Want feature? Pay money.
Don't want to pay? Do it yourself.
For the average non-technical user who doesn't understand the command line, paying an extra 250 bucks for SSD like performance on 2tb of storage is a good deal that no one else in the industry offers.
You're also paying for the support on the fusion drive for 12 months (which as mentioned here, looks like it means shipping you a new machine rather than the geniuses at the apple store being trained to fix it).
Thus, it is priced "appropriately".
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Fact:
a larger 5400 rpm drive can be FASTER at retrieving data (which is what counts) than a smaller 7200 rpm drive due to short stroking and higher areal density.
Store 750gb on a 750gb 7200 rpm drive, and 750gb on a 2tb 5400 rpm drive and the "slower" 2tb drive will be faster. 5400 rpm drives are generally much larger for the price than what is available in 7200.
The average user are capable of doing it themselves. They're paying for
1) convenience
2) because they're scared to do it themselves, even though they are capable of it
3) 128GB SSD
4) support
That's it. The technology "feature" is there already for everyone who got OS X 10.7+.
And no, it's priced appropriately FOR SOME. Big difference since for me, it is waaay overpriced.
Not Good Enough
until the 3 TB option is available no new iMac for me. Apple sells me for years media through iTunes i have a 2.4 TB iTunes Lib movies tv show and music. at least 45% of that is not available to stream from the cloud. The 24 inch iMac is way to big i just need HD space what gives apple.
FYI to those of you who don't download your purchases i would recommend it you would be surprised how many of them will disappear over the years from the iTunes store
until the 3 TB option is available no new iMac for me. Apple sells me for years media through iTunes i have a 2.4 TB iTunes Lib movies tv show and music. at least 45% of that is not available to stream from the cloud. The 24 inch iMac is way to big i just need HD space what gives apple.
FYI to those of you who don't download your purchases i would recommend it you would be surprised how many of them will disappear over the years from the iTunes store
I wish...
In New Zealand its a $400 add-on.
($250USD = around $300NZD!!!)
I feel bad for u guys. I know all VAT taxes are including in purchases but the math still makes it more expensive than the US. Weird since the iMacs are coming from China which makes shipping cheaper (in theory) to Australia/NZ.