esata raid vs internal storage on new mac pro…

[Walter Biscardi]

I’m not a fan of internal storage and probably never will be. I much prefer external storage for heat and performance. Also, if your MacPro goes south, you can simply move the storage to another system and keep going. Others on here love the internal option.

I run the MaxxDigital EVO HD 8TB SAS/SATA model which runs 500MB/s in RAID 5. RAID 5 gives me solid protection in case of a drive failure in the array. 8TB sounds like overkill for your application, but they do have smaller models you may want to look at as well.

They’re also a reseller for Dulce, CalDigit, Sonnet and others so I would recommend them as a first step in choosing your storage solution. Once they know your needs, they can recommend the proper SATA solution.

maxxdigital.com or ron@maxxdigital.com

I should also add that we’re running two older model LaCie S2S SATA array units in our third edit suite. 1.25TB each (5 drives) which top out around 150-175MB/s in RAID 0. Solid performers for the past two years.

Walter Biscardi, Jr.
Biscardi Creative Media
HD and SD Production for Broadcast and Independent Productions.

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[Shane Ross]

For the record, Caldigit no longer makes the S2VR HD…the 5 drive unit. They offer the better solutions of the HDPro and HD One. 8 drive RAID 5 solutions…data protection. And all the major companies offer that. Sonnet, Dulce, CalDigit, Maxx Digital.

But, making an internal RAID is a fine idea, just use a Raid Controller card like the one Apple makes, or the one CalDigit makes (which is cheaper, btw). You can RAID 5 three of the internal drives for a decent 140MB/s. Mind you the external solution will have higher capacity and be MUCH faster (400MB/s to 600MB/s). But if cost is a factor, there is nothing wrong with an internal RAID…IMHO.

Shane

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[Bob Zelin]

the problems with internal RAID –
1) heat
2) you run out of room, and you want to expand, or swap out drives.

Use external storage – all brands mentioned are excellent.

bob Zelin

[Michael Sacci]

FWIW – I have configured my internal drives as such. Small 250GB system drive for just the OS and software. A much bigger drive for Time Machine (750 GB) a catch all drive to more files around (750GB) the 4th slot is open and I swap out different drives as needed.

I then you a 10-bay Raid 0 media drive.

[Robert Neil]

OK chaps, thanks for the responses.

Does anyone think the following plan is fundamentally flawed:

Put an extra 2 x 500 GB drives into the Mac Pro. Add an eSata card to the build. Use the Caldigit S2VR Duo which I have (which I know will handle full HD Prores 422 HQ without hiccups) as my edit drive, 1 TB in RAID 0. Use the 2 x 500 GB drives in the Mac Pro as ‘manual RAID 1’ to backup all the material I’ve got digitized in the eSata CalDigit thing for a given project, and as overflow if I’ve got more than one project to juggle.

And When I get to edit a project that requires 444/uncompressed HD, then that is when I will get a faster set of drives. (And get that production to pay for it 🙂 )

And use the cash I save to get an AJA IO HD rather than a Kona LHE (a question on which I am about to start another thread.)

Whaddya reckon?

[Robert Neil]

Actually let me take back the last comment about getting an AJA IO HD, and not waste anybody’s time by posting on the old Kona vs Io HD thing. I think my original plan to get a Kona LHE for the Mac Pro is much better value for money, I don’t need to be able to digitize on the road, and I already have a Matrox MXO for outputting versatility from my MBP.

[Bob Zelin]

jump in and start working. You can’t think too much about this stuff – as you have already seen, if you think too long, the equipment becomes outdated. Everything we are talking about will be garbage 4 years from now. Buy something, start using it, make money. The LHe is good, the I/O HD is good.

bob Zelin

[Ben Holmes]

On this topic, and speaking as a long time Kona user (and fan mostly) I have gone back and forward over the whole LHE/IO HD debate, and then took a long long look at the Decklink Multibridge Pro. Fundementally it gives me the option to capture uncompressed HD, with all the connectivity of the IO HD (broadly speaking) at the cost of the LHE. And it’s a standalone converter like the IO HD. I even like the PCI-E interface. Also, I’ve had a few problems with PAL field order on some recent jobs on an LH, and I never had that with the Blackmagic cards. Sure, I can’t plug it into a MBP, but editing HD on a laptop is a bad proposition to me anyway.

Feel a bit if a traitor even looking at the competition (and yes, I know about the Kona customer care, although it’s not such a compelling argument when you live outside the USA), but you can’t argue with the price/features.

Can anyone persuade me otherwise?

Ben

Editec Broadcast Editing Ltd

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[Jason Porthouse]

OK, thread drift here -but to address the original post –

I’ve gone for the internal solution for now – I wanted to maximise my £ and that seemed the way to go. I’ve a 3-way stripe (raid0) and performance wise, it’s fine. BUT – I did budget for getting a couple of FW800 drives for backup, and I do, every night. I’m fortunate in that I don’t need ‘ultimate’ reliability (no client driven sessions at the moment) but when I do, then an external raid 5 will be on the cards.

So i think your plan is fine, but I’d budget for a 1 or 2tb drive to back up on to. You’d only be adding a few hundred bucks.

Now – on to Ben!

I went through your exact dilemma a few months back, and plumped for the MBPro. I’m very happy with the kit (and the reseller that I bought it from) and so far am glad that I saved the ££ over a Kona. Yes, AJA seems better built (but not by much) and the interface of the AJA stuff is slicker, but for the price of an LHe I got an MBPro, an AJA Gen10 and upgraded the graphics card to a 1900. Functionally the MBPro is great, excellent connectivity and so far solid and very responsive. For me it was a bit of a no-brainer.

PM me if you want any further details.

Jason

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[Ben Holmes]

Apologies for OT post – just a bit timely for me, with purchases required this week. The Cow also had a thread about the exact monitor choice I was making – all a bit serendipitous, so I couldn’t resist the question.

Good to hear your positive response, always had a good time with BM products before – think I’m going with this option. I’m not a big fan of laptop HD, and since I prefer to use the BOB with the Kona cards anyway, I may as well go for the MBPro, giving me a standalone device into the bargain.

Back on the actual topic, I work regularly with internal and external RAIDs. I am constantly impressed with the speed and responsiveness of our 3x500Gb array, used primarily for Uncompressed SD, and far prefer it in the many situations where I have to take the tower on site. Seperate arrays are universally heavy, hate travel and add to the bulk considerably.

Thanks again.

Ben

Editec Broadcast Editing Ltd

EVS & FCP specialists for live broadcast.

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