Spending $7000 this christmas for all this. Am i using my money wisely????

[philipma1957]

I'll have 2 caviar blacks in raid 0 for my sound library. 3rd one will be for audio project data. What's up with the samsung 1tb f3s? Are they better than the caviar blacks?

well you picked 1tb blacks cost 100 each the sams are 1tb and 60 bucks each.

you need a backup for the sound library and you need a backup for the project data.

the samsungs are just as fast. and they cost less. 5 are 300

with the caviar blacks 3 are 300.

so you save some money.


a lot depends on how you do your backups. tm is good but you need more then just tm. clones are good. clones and tm are better. if you have a good backup plan for the 3 hdds in the machine you would need;

at least 6 hdds or at least 6tb of backups. 3tb for tm and 3 tb of clones. that is 9 tbs that is 900 if cavair blacks and 540 if samsungs. some would say buy the best that would be these

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136579&Tpk=wd2003fyys


they are 270 each or 810 for 3 in the pro and then backup with lost cost drives

caviar green below at 99 each.


http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136514&cm_re=wd_2tb-_-22-136-514-_-Product



there are a lot of ways to look at drives.


first rule of thumb all hdds break sooner or later you must backup.



second rule of thumb 1 copy is not good enough for a backup at least 2. that is why I said tm and clones. even better tm, clones and offsite.



the 2 rules are more important then anything when it comes to hdds unless you hold your info to be completely worthless.

 

[Pressure]

I would very much consider looking into some nice monitors, which will cost more than $400 I'm afraid to say.

It's what you really will be looking at all the time, so it is important they are good.

 

[kevinkt]

I would very much consider looking into some nice monitors, which will cost more than $400 I'm afraid to say.

It's what you really will be looking at all the time, so it is important they are good.

well I am only doing music recording and writing music scores. i was thinking an 32 - 40inch hdtv

 

[Pressure]

well I am only doing music recording and writing music scores. i was thinking an 32 - 40inch hdtv

Trust me, the monitor is very important, especially after prolonged sessions of staring in front of the computer.

I doubt you would be happy with only a 1920 x 1080 resolution when using multiple tracks but that is just me.

 

[kevinkt]

Trust me, the monitor is very important, especially after prolonged sessions of staring in front of the computer.

I doubt you would be happy with only a 1920 x 1080 resolution when using multiple tracks but that is just me.

lol ok i see do u have any recommendations?

 

[SatyMahajan]

If you are using Logic Studio at all, I urge you to check out this benchmark list:

http://www.gearspace.com/board/music-computers/371545-logic-pro-multicore-benchmarktest.html

 

[nanofrog]

1) you need a 1200-1500 VA pure sine wave UPS - that will be at least $300 probably (http://www.amazon.com/Cyberpower-PP...IJ88/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1290510964&sr=8-5)

Have you used this unit?

I ask, as I've not heard the greatest things about CyberPower's gear (mostly re-branded units sold by Geek Squad for consumer units), and have never had access to their industrial units to know if they're up to snuff.

My familiarity is APC, Tripp Lite, and Eaton for ready-made solutions. Others were custom designs for the buildings (using equipment from Kohler to Detroit Diesel).

3) a single 2TB drive for Time Machine isn't a real robust backup strategy.

Me either (prefer clones for OS's, on-site, and off-site if at all possible, all with proper scheduling).

Will this suffice ?

http://www.officedepot.com/a/produc...-E753-DF11-BAA3-0019B9C043EB&mr:referralID=NA

Unfortunately, No. That unit, though Line Interactive, uses a stepped inverter (Power Factor Control based PSU's, such as what's in the MP, don't do well with this type of inverter).

I don't really see the necessity for a pure sine UPS. The Mac Pro runs absolutely fine without it.
You can get a 1500VA APC Back-UPS for $200 on newegg: -> Click

Adaptive sine wave should be used at a bare minimum (PFC based PSU's tend to not handle stepped signals properly, and can even damage such PSU's; not a good thing IMO).

But for the cost, you can get a refurbished Pure Sine Wave unit for around the same money (adaptive v. pure sine; at least here in the US <~$250USD>, and I presume Canada as well for the same comparison). Between the two, the Pure Sine wave models are a better design to have (engineering POV), so I gravitate towards those (don't care about cosmetics, as refurbished are likely to be scratched/scuffed due to their weight; hard to move, so they get bumped against things during installation and removal to the desired location). Definitely worth the ~$50USD for peace of mind between adaptive and pure sine wave, and a necessity between stepped and adaptive or refurbished pure sine wave units.

Something to consider in terms of what's best for expensive equipment, and more importantly, data security (we're not talking about a $600 budget box system here).

To me, so long as it works properly, I don't care. I'm a form follows function type of person when it comes to providing reliable power for expensive computers (yeah, they may come with insurance, but it's only on the hardware, not the data - and a blown PSU can destroy other parts of the system, including hard drives).

I wonder if that makes a difference. we had a poster that used the unit you linked he came back a week later and wrote it was ff'ing up. He was usa based.

Yes, the US versions are not the same as other countries (they don't auto-switch between 120VAC and 230VAC; there isn't even a manual switch on the back). There's enough sales both domestic and foreign to justify separate units it seems.

 

[khollister]

Have you used this unit?

I ask, as I've not heard the greatest things about CyberPower's gear (mostly re-branded units sold by Geek Squad for consumer units), and have never had access to their industrial units to know if they're up to snuff.

Yup - using one now. There was some traffic a while back here somewhere about them and the experience was good, so I took a chance on it since I get free shipping with Amazon. I may be the only one, but I have had problems with APC, so go figure.

 

[nanofrog]

Yup - using one now. There was some traffic a while back here somewhere about them and the experience was good, so I took a chance on it since I get free shipping with Amazon. I may be the only one, but I have had problems with APC, so go figure.

Good to know the Pure Sine Wave units perform as advertised/expected.

The one that's gotten the attention that I recall, was the Adaptive inverter unit. So far so good, but it's a new design = nothing for long term feedback (I like 2 years if at all possible = long enough to see what happens when they exceed the warranty period).

Use enough units, and you will see failures with all the well known brands. But I don't recall the failure % being notable (not enough to get my attention and think the QC has gone to hell on the professional units).

CyberPower OTOH, the consumer units don't see that wonderful, which is why I asked (figured it's an indicator that the professional units may not be the best choice for critical applications).

But as budgets are always a concern, and their pricing is a bit lower for what's advertised (presume it a means of cutting into the likes of APC, Tripp Lite, and Eaton's business), it would be a good thing to know if that's not the case (quite acceptable for this level and above).

 

[toxic]

I'll have 2 caviar blacks in raid 0 for my sound library. 3rd one will be for audio project data. What's up with the samsung 1tb f3s? Are they better than the caviar blacks?

Samsung F3's are just as fast if not faster at sequential read/write (important for data since it usually sits together) than WD Blacks. they're also cheaper, less noisy, and need less power.

 

[Ilion]

Samsung F3's are just as fast if not faster at sequential read/write (important for data since it usually sits together) than WD Blacks. they're also cheaper, less noisy, and need less power.

The WD blacks have 64 mb cache and 6.0Gb/s.
Does this make a difference compared to the F3 for sample streaming?

 

[toxic]

The WD blacks have 64 mb cache and 6.0Gb/s.
Does this make a difference compared to the F3 for sample streaming?

no. cache makes little difference beyond 16MB, and SATA 6Gb (aka SATA III) is a design standard, not the actual speed.

 

[alphaod]

Looks like a sick setup. Good spending; just don't get drives and RAM from Apple.

For your HDDs, I would suggest a RAID setup; that way your minimize your downtime; just be sure to still keep a backup.

As for monitors, scour the web for deals; and look into refurbished monitors especially Dell Ultrasharp monitors; great deals at a low price.