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TransIntl vs OWC & hard drive question

L

leftPCbehind209

macrumors member
Original poster
Aug 23, 2010
88
0
I just purchased my 6-core MacPro from Apple's website...

...now for memory purchase

1) Noob question alert: Can I buy 16gb (2 x 8gb sticks)? Or, do the 8gb sticks have to installed in threes for performance?

2) Does it matter (quality wise) if I purchase from Trans Intl vs OWC?

3) Do you recommond Hitachi drives vs Barracuda? Or a different brand altoghether?

Thanks.
 
1: yes you can buy two, three just enables triple channel mode, making it slightly faster.

2: both are very good quality from what I hear, so I don't think it will make any difference

3: Personally, I like Western Digital drives, but you can get whatever you please. I have heard some pretty good things about the WD Caviar Black series though. I'd check out the reviews online and buy from a reputable site, so you are sure that you get a good product, and you can get it replaced if it's bad.
 
1. Yes you can. You won't notice the improvements in speed when using triple channel unless the applications you use require high throughput in memory (i.e. its accessed constantly over long periods of time)

2. No, they resell/rebrand stuff - iirc, one uses Samsung.

3. Yes, Hitachi over Seagate :p If you can afford it, get an Ultrastar - otherwise, a Deskstar.
 
Vylen said:
1. Yes you can. You won't notice the improvements in speed when using triple channel unless the applications you use require high throughput in memory (i.e. its accessed constantly over long periods of time)
Click to expand...

I will use for video editing primarily - the "high throughput in memory" you're referring to - is that:
1) When I'm changing my AVCHD file to ProRes?
2) Exporting movie after editing?
3) Encoding movie to burn to disc?
 
I always bought from OWC ?
this time I went with transintl ? why ?
I was playing with the zdnet overclocking tool and in research found that people with memory from apple got the best times ? go figure :) and transintl was second best and OWC was last ? my OWC ones barely go a tick up and crash ? on the over clock :) hmmmmm

either way though :)


now the HDD if you are in the US newegg has a good deal on WD black drives right now ;)
 
leftPCbehind209 said:
I will use for video editing primarily - the "high throughput in memory" you're referring to - is that:
1) When I'm changing my AVCHD file to ProRes?
2) Exporting movie after editing?
3) Encoding movie to burn to disc?
Click to expand...

Probably 1 and 2... but again, it would only give a noticeable difference if its over long periods of time, i.e. days, rather than hours.
 
leftPCbehind209 said:
Is this the one you're referring to?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136456
Click to expand...

yup :) and the 1TB are on a deal also :)

one thing you need backup ? not sure what you have etc..

in general I try to get a dif drive for BU
meaning a different make or the green drives etc..

my reasons are if a drive bug hits it wont hit both drives ? its a small small chance but its something that some people do to help avoid issues plus BU does not need to be fast so might as well go with the slower green drives :)
 
Honumaui said:
in general I try to get a dif drive for BU
meaning a different make or the green drives etc..

my reasons are if a drive bug hits it wont hit both drives ? its a small small chance but its something that some people do to help avoid issues plus BU does not need to be fast so might as well go with the slower green drives :)
Click to expand...
If you want to use the same model while avoiding sequential serial numbers/same batch, make multiple orders (i.e. order 2x from A, B, C,... and so on to get the quantity you need.

And for backups, Green drives are a good way to go, as capacity trumps speed (lower cost per GB).
 
Honumaui said:
yup :) and the 1TB are on a deal also :)

one thing you need backup ? not sure what you have etc..

in general I try to get a dif drive for BU
meaning a different make or the green drives etc..

my reasons are if a drive bug hits it wont hit both drives ? its a small small chance but its something that some people do to help avoid issues plus BU does not need to be fast so might as well go with the slower green drives :)
Click to expand...

Here is a 2tb green drive:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136514&cm_re=western_digital_green-_-22-136-514-_-Product

It works out to be $30 cheaper than the black drive above. But, it only has 3 years of warranty compared to 5 on the black. Wouldn't it be better to spend a little extra to get the better warranty?

Also, when it says "bare drive", do I need to buy anything else in order to install?
 
Bare drive just means it comes with only the drive, none of the packaging that you would find in a store, but I believe the Mac Pros accept drives right out of the box, no additional hardware needed.

You may want to get the extra warranty, however, the green drives typically have a lower failure rate due to a slower speed and lower temperatures, making them excellent for backup.
 
leftPCbehind209 said:
Here is a 2tb green drive:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136514&cm_re=western_digital_green-_-22-136-514-_-Product

It works out to be $30 cheaper than the black drive above. But, it only has 3 years of warranty compared to 5 on the black. Wouldn't it be better to spend a little extra to get the better warranty?

Also, when it says "bare drive", do I need to buy anything else in order to install?
Click to expand...

do you want performance :) get the black for data and get the green to back up to :)
its really about performance issues here than anything :) the black are way way quicker
 
Do yourself a favor and buy the memory in matched sets of 3 for best performance. That is what it was made for.
 
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