Creating the best RAID setup for my MacPro using FCP

I have a MacPro, 2 x 3GHz Dual Core, 16GB ram, 4 x 500GB drives and I work in FCP 5.1.4 and with my Hardware setup I feel it should be faster and I've been wanting to set up a RAID but not sure how to do it, or the best way way to do it.
Out of the 4 drives I have, Drive one is my main drive (boot drive, apps etc.) Drives (2 & 3) which is a TB combined, I'd like to turn those into a RAID) to speed up rendering, editing etc. In FCP and Motion. Drive 4 is where I keep all my working files.
My files are backed up regularly onto external harddrives and kept offsite.
Can I leave everything I have on my entire system the way it is and just turn Drives 2 & 3 into a RAID that's best for this application? People who work in VIDEO I know do this all the time to speed things up but I can't find the steps for the best way to do this. Bits and pieces all over the place but I can't put this puzzle together.
Can you point me in the direction in how to do this?
As I'm doing this is there anything I should be careful about?
Please help me understand this process.
Just in case you need to know what kind of drives I have here's the info:
Capacity: 465.76 GB
Model: ST3500641AS P
Revision: 3.BTA
Native Command Queuing: Yes
Queue Depth: 32
Removable Media: No
Detachable Drive: No
BSD Name: disk1
Bay Name: "Bay 1"
OS9 Drivers: No
S.M.A.R.T. status: Verified
Volumes:
Startup Drive:
Capacity: 465.44 GB
Available: 367.86 GB
Writable: Yes
File System: Journaled HFS+
BSD Name: disk1s2
Mount Point: /

My advice would be 'yes' to what you are saying... with the exception of the Softraid stuff - not that I think its wrong, but I've never used it, so I can't comment if you need it or whether the Mac OSX raid is sufficient - but others here say they prefer it so fair enough. You can see some comparisons here http://www.amug.org/amug-web/html/amug/reviews/articles/softraid/351/
amug always have indepth benchmarks of stuff.
I wouldnt call myself an FCP guru, but I think that your suggestion of putting the FCP scratch disk and client, video files on the raid are the best idea. The scratch folder is essentially where the temp-rendered clips go, so its audio and video - you want that folder to be on a really fast volume. You also want your source video files to be on a really fast volume, so they can be streamed fast enough to play in realtime too when playing unrendered areas, or building a preview.
Some might say in FCP you get bast performance when your scratch disks and video files are on seperate disks. Thats totally true, so it can read from one disk and write to the other at the same time. But in your case you have a 3disk stripe, which is roughly 3x faster than either of your disks! So it would still be faster to have them all on the same stripe.
You can leave your FCP app on the sys drive, keeps things cleaner (drive1 for sys and appsm raid for data). You can keep your project files where ever you want, they're not very big and are kept in memory so dont affect performance at all. Though to stay clean I would keep it on the raid, so again the raid is for data, and you can back it up accordingly. The system drive is only for apps and system so you can back that up accordingly too (less frequently probably).
P.S. Technically your 'point 8' is inaccurate. After creating the raid you will not see drives 2,3 or 4. You will see only one 'volume' for all 3 drives. Overall your mac will have 2 'volumes': the system drive, and the stripe of 2,3,4. Physical drives and 'volumes' that mount in your OS are completely seperate. You can create multiple partitions in a single drive, or you can combine multiple drives into a single volume (e.g. using raid). But basically yes, you copy your client files back to the raid.
And remember, if any ONE of the disks in the stripe dies, you lose ALL of the data on the entire 1.5TB volume. So it is pretty important to backup regularly!!!!
(I dont wanna confuse you any more, but raid5 is a good option if you want more security and don't mind paying extra :P, you'll need more hardware for that, and more drives to make it worthwhile - but I would say skip that for now, as you can build your raid0 for free or almost free and use that until you think you need more)

Similar Messages

What is the best RAID configuration for a MacPro as a Logic User?

There ought to be a universal answer to this question: what is the best RAID configuration for Logic Mac Pro users? I will be more specific.
I use Logic Studio, Reason, Ableton, and Motu Symphonic Instrument simultaneously.
I want to fail safe my precious audio files and improve performance as the system reads/writes data from multiple files, from audio tracks to digital samples.
I want to run video files simultaneously to do nifty audio soundtracking to video.
Here is the configuration I have in mind.
HD 1: OS and Logic Studio, Reason/Ableton samples etc. software (non-raid) (250 GB)
HD 2/3: MIrrored RAID set for AUDIO FILES (500 Gb identical pair)
HD 4: Video files / Bouncing (1 TB)
Makes sense right? A disk for reading software. A pair of 500 GB disks for reading/writing audio files and sessions in mirrored array. A 1 TB disk for video and bouncing. The main question I have is, for audio files only, is striped or mirrored better? 64K blocks the best? And are there any more details. I assume to do this in Disk Utility.

Well, both Mirrored and Striped have their pros and cons. If you use mirrored, it will offer no better performance than the spec'ed drive along with it's sata bus speed. The plus point is, if one drive goes down, you have the second as a backup as the complete contents of one drive are mirrored on the other.
With striped you will get a performance boost because all files (for example a single project) will get written across both drives and hence split the load on the drives and the SATA busses. The drawback is that you'll have to make sure you have a good, regular backup schedule in place because when one of the drives goes to drive heaven, you're going to be stuffed without a full backup of both drives.
Exactly what performance boost you'd get will depend on your project, number of files, size of files, fragmentation of files, track count etc. You may find it would be easier to use the 3 drives straight, with no raid and have:
HD 1: OS and Apps. No samples at all.
HD2: Audio Files for Logic projects
HD3: Reason, Ableton, Logic etc instrument sample library
HD4: Video and bouncing.
Which is what I ended up doing although I use HD4 as an interchangeable backup for HD1 and 2.
There is no universal answer to this as each must make their own choice based on their preferences and needs. Mirrored will give you full backup but on-site, in machine backup. Not much good if something untoward and drastic happens to the physical machine. I think a few people toy with striped RAID but fall on the side of using the drives straight, as in their projects they don't see a big enough gain over splitting the data across your 3 remaining drives without RAID. Studios that seriously consider raid often go out and get a dedicated raid that can offer more variations than raid 0 or raid 1 (Striped and Mirrored) and better throughput.
I hope this helps a little and not just added to the dilemma.

What is the best security package for an imac using yosimity

What is the best security package for an imac using Yosimity

Mac users often ask whether they should install "anti-virus" software. The answer usually given on ASC is "no." The answer is right, but it may give the wrong impression that there is no threat from what are loosely called "viruses." There is a threat, and you need to educate yourself about it.
1. This is a comment on what you should—and should not—do to protect yourself from malicious software ("malware") that circulates on the Internet and gets onto a computer as an unintended consequence of the user's actions. It does not apply to software, such as keystroke loggers, that may be installed deliberately by an intruder who has hands-on access to the computer, or who has been able to take control of it remotely. That threat is in a different category, and there's no easy way to defend against it.
The comment is long because the issue is complex. The key points are in sections 5, 6, and 10.
OS X now implements three layers of built-in protection specifically against malware, not counting runtime protections such as execute disable, sandboxing, system library randomization, and address space layout randomization that may also guard against other kinds of exploits.
2. All versions of OS X since 10.6.7 have been able to detect known Mac malware in downloaded files, and to block insecure web plugins. This feature is transparent to the user. Internally Apple calls it "XProtect."
The malware recognition database used by XProtect is automatically updated; however, you shouldn't rely on it, because the attackers are always at least a day ahead of the defenders.
The following caveats apply to XProtect:
☞ It can be bypassed by some third-party networking software, such as BitTorrent clients and Java applets.
☞ It only applies to software downloaded from the network. Software installed from a CD or other media is not checked.
As new versions of OS X are released, it's not clear whether Apple will indefinitely continue to maintain the XProtect database of older versions such as 10.6. The security of obsolete system versions may eventually be degraded. Security updates to the code of obsolete systems will stop being released at some point, and that may leave them open to other kinds of attack besides malware.
3. Starting with OS X 10.7.5, there has been a second layer of built-in malware protection, designated "Gatekeeper" by Apple. By default, applications and Installer packages downloaded from the network will only run if they're digitally signed by a developer with a certificate issued by Apple. Software certified in this way hasn't necessarily been tested by Apple, but you can be reasonably sure that it hasn't been modified by anyone other than the developer. His identity is known to Apple, so he could be held legally responsible if he distributed malware. That may not mean much if the developer lives in a country with a weak legal system (see below.)
Gatekeeper doesn't depend on a database of known malware. It has, however, the same limitations as XProtect, and in addition the following:
☞ It can easily be disabled or overridden by the user.
☞ A malware attacker could get control of a code-signing certificate under false pretenses, or could simply ignore the consequences of distributing codesigned malware.
☞ An App Store developer could find a way to bypass Apple's oversight, or the oversight could fail due to human error.
Apple has taken far too long to revoke the codesigning certificates of some known abusers, thereby diluting the value of Gatekeeper and the Developer ID program. Those lapses don't involve App Store products, however.
For the reasons given, App Store products, and—to a lesser extent—other applications recognized by Gatekeeper as signed, are safer than others, but they can't be considered absolutely safe. "Sandboxed" applications may prompt for access to private data, such as your contacts, or for access to the network. Think before granting that access. Sandbox security is based on user input. Never click through any request for authorization without thinking.
4. Starting with OS X 10.8.3, a third layer of protection has been added: a "Malware Removal Tool" (MRT). MRT runs automatically in the background when you update the OS. It checks for, and removes, malware that may have evaded the other protections via a Java exploit (see below.) MRT also runs when you install or update the Apple-supplied Java runtime (but not the Oracle runtime.) Like XProtect, MRT is effective against known threats, but not against unknown ones. It notifies you if it finds malware, but otherwise there's no user interface to MRT.
5. The built-in security features of OS X reduce the risk of malware attack, but they are not, and never will be, complete protection. Malware is a problem of human behavior, not machine behavior, and no technological fix alone is going to solve it. Trusting software to protect you will only make you more vulnerable.
The best defense is always going to be your own intelligence. With the possible exception of Java exploits, all known malware circulating on the Internet that affects a fully-updated installation of OS X 10.6 or later takes the form of so-called "Trojan horses," which can only have an effect if the victim is duped into running them. The threat therefore amounts to a battle of wits between you and Internet criminals. If you're better informed than they think you are, you'll win. That means, in practice, that you always stay within a safe harbor of computing practices. How do you know when you're leaving the safe harbor? Below are some warning signs of danger.
Software from an untrustworthy source
☞ Software with a corporate brand, such as Adobe Flash Player, doesn't come directly from the developer’s website. Do not trust an alert from any website to update Flash, or your browser, or any other software. A genuine alert that Flash is outdated and blocked is shown on this support page. Follow the instructions on the support page in that case. Otherwise, assume that the alert is fake and someone is trying to scam you into installing malware. If you see such alerts on more than one website, ask for instructions.
☞ Software of any kind is distributed via BitTorrent, or Usenet, or on a website that also distributes pirated music or movies.
☞ Rogue websites such as Softonic, Soft32, and CNET Download distribute free applications that have been packaged in a superfluous "installer."
☞ The software is advertised by means of spam or intrusive web ads. Any ad, on any site, that includes a direct link to a download should be ignored.
Software that is plainly illegal or does something illegal
☞ High-priced commercial software such as Photoshop is "cracked" or "free."
☞ An application helps you to infringe copyright, for instance by circumventing the copy protection on commercial software, or saving streamed media for reuse without permission. All "YouTube downloaders" are in this category, though not all are necessarily malicious.
Conditional or unsolicited offers from strangers
☞ A telephone caller or a web page tells you that you have a “virus” and offers to help you remove it. (Some reputable websites did legitimately warn visitors who were infected with the "DNSChanger" malware. That exception to this rule no longer applies.)
☞ A web site offers free content such as video or music, but to use it you must install a “codec,” “plug-in,” "player," "downloader," "extractor," or “certificate” that comes from that same site, or an unknown one.
☞ You win a prize in a contest you never entered.
☞ Someone on a message board such as this one is eager to help you, but only if you download an application of his choosing.
☞ A "FREE WI-FI !!!" network advertises itself in a public place such as an airport, but is not provided by the management.
☞ Anything online that you would expect to pay for is "free."
Unexpected events
☞ A file is downloaded automatically when you visit a web page, with no other action on your part. Delete any such file without opening it.
☞ You open what you think is a document and get an alert that it's "an application downloaded from the Internet." Click Cancel and delete the file. Even if you don't get the alert, you should still delete any file that isn't what you expected it to be.
☞ An application does something you don't expect, such as asking for permission to access your contacts, your location, or the Internet for no obvious reason.
☞ Software is attached to email that you didn't request, even if it comes (or seems to come) from someone you trust.
I don't say that leaving the safe harbor just once will necessarily result in disaster, but making a habit of it will weaken your defenses against malware attack. Any of the above scenarios should, at the very least, make you uncomfortable.
6. Java on the Web (not to be confused with JavaScript, to which it's not related, despite the similarity of the names) is a weak point in the security of any system. Java is, among other things, a platform for running complex applications in a web page, on the client. That was always a bad idea, and Java's developers have proven themselves incapable of implementing it without also creating a portal for malware to enter. Past Java exploits are the closest thing there has ever been to a Windows-style virus affecting OS X. Merely loading a page with malicious Java content could be harmful.
Fortunately, client-side Java on the Web is obsolete and mostly extinct. Only a few outmoded sites still use it. Try to hasten the process of extinction by avoiding those sites, if you have a choice. Forget about playing games or other non-essential uses of Java.
Java is not included in OS X 10.7 and later. Discrete Java installers are distributed by Apple and by Oracle (the developer of Java.) Don't use either one unless you need it. Most people don't. If Java is installed, disable it—not JavaScript—in your browsers.
Regardless of version, experience has shown that Java on the Web can't be trusted. If you must use a Java applet for a task on a specific site, enable Java only for that site in Safari. Never enable Java for a public website that carries third-party advertising. Use it only on well-known, login-protected, secure websites without ads. In Safari 6 or later, you'll see a padlock icon in the address bar when visiting a secure site.
Stay within the safe harbor, and you’ll be as safe from malware as you can practically be. The rest of this comment concerns what you should not do to protect yourself.
7. Never install any commercial "anti-virus" (AV) or "Internet security" products for the Mac, as they are all worse than useless. If you need to be able to detect Windows malware in your files, use one of the free security apps in the Mac App Store—nothing else.
Why shouldn't you use commercial AV products?
☞ To recognize malware, the software depends on a database of known threats, which is always at least a day out of date. This technique is a proven failure, as a major AV software vendor has admitted. Most attacks are "zero-day"—that is, previously unknown. Recognition-based AV does not defend against such attacks, and the enterprise IT industry is coming to the realization that traditional AV software is worthless.
☞ Its design is predicated on the nonexistent threat that malware may be injected at any time, anywhere in the file system. Malware is downloaded from the network; it doesn't materialize from nowhere. In order to meet that nonexistent threat, commercial AV software modifies or duplicates low-level functions of the operating system, which is a waste of resources and a common cause of instability, bugs, and poor performance.
☞ By modifying the operating system, the software may also create weaknesses that could be exploited by malware attackers.
☞ Most importantly, a false sense of security is dangerous.
8. An AV product from the App Store, such as "ClamXav," has the same drawback as the commercial suites of being always out of date, but it does not inject low-level code into the operating system. That doesn't mean it's entirely harmless. It may report email messages that have "phishing" links in the body, or Windows malware in attachments, as infected files, and offer to delete or move them. Doing so will corrupt the Mail database. The messages should be deleted from within the Mail application.
An AV app is not needed, and cannot be relied upon, for protection against OS X malware. It's useful, if at all, only for detecting Windows malware, and even for that use it's not really effective, because new Windows malware is emerging much faster than OS X malware.
Windows malware can't harm you directly (unless, of course, you use Windows.) Just don't pass it on to anyone else. A malicious attachment in email is usually easy to recognize by the name alone. An actual example:
London Terror Moovie.avi [124 spaces] Checked By Norton Antivirus.exe
You don't need software to tell you that's a Windows trojan. Software may be able to tell you which trojan it is, but who cares? In practice, there's no reason to use recognition software unless an organizational policy requires it. Windows malware is so widespread that you should assume it's in every email attachment until proven otherwise. Nevertheless, ClamXav or a similar product from the App Store may serve a purpose if it satisfies an ill-informed network administrator who says you must run some kind of AV application. It's free and it won't handicap the system.
The ClamXav developer won't try to "upsell" you to a paid version of the product. Other developers may do that. Don't be upsold. For one thing, you should not pay to protect Windows users from the consequences of their choice of computing platform. For another, a paid upgrade from a free app will probably have all the disadvantages mentioned in section 7.
9. It seems to be a common belief that the built-in Application Firewall acts as a barrier to infection, or prevents malware from functioning. It does neither. It blocks inbound connections to certain network services you're running, such as file sharing. It's disabled by default and you should leave it that way if you're behind a router on a private home or office network. Activate it only when you're on an untrusted network, for instance a public Wi-Fi hotspot, where you don't want to provide services. Disable any services you don't use in the Sharing preference pane. All are disabled by default.
10. As a Mac user, you don't have to live in fear that your computer may be infected every time you install software, read email, or visit a web page. But neither can you assume that you will always be safe from exploitation, no matter what you do. Navigating the Internet is like walking the streets of a big city. It can be as safe or as dangerous as you choose to make it. The greatest harm done by security software is precisely its selling point: it makes people feel safe. They may then feel safe enough to take risks from which the software doesn't protect them. Nothing can lessen the need for safe computing practices.

The best RAID level for video editing that has some form of redundancy?

I've been asked to help find the best solution for importing and editing large amounts of HDV (25 Mbit/s) video. However, those whom I am helping also want a level of redundancy that will allow a single drive to fail and their data to be preserved. So what I'm trying to figure out is the best RAID level (or levels) for their need. I'm fairly certain that either 0+1 or 10 is what I'm looking for, however the I/O performance differences between 0+1 and 10 aren't quite clear to me. If someone could explain that to me I would appreciate it. Additionally, if someone knows a better level than either 0+1 or 10 for the needs I described, please don't hesitate to let me know.

The difference between RAID 10 and RAID 0+1 is how the array is created.
RAID 0+1 creates a RAID from multiple RAID 0 arrays that are mirrored.
You can tolerate any number of drive failures in any one side of the mirror (that side of the mirror goes offline as soon as any one disk fails, so it doesn't matter how many other disks fail in the same array), but one drive failure on both parts of the mirror will trash your data.
RAID 10 creates a stripe of multiple RAID 1 mirrors.
In this setup you create RAID 1 mirror sets and stripe them together.
In this setup you can tolerate one disk failure in each element of the stripe.
For example if you have 6 drives you might create three mirrors of two drives each, and each mirror is then striped.
You can lose one drive in each mirror, but if you lose two drives in any mirror set, you're out of luck.
In both cases, though, you're not going to get the best usage out of the array since mirroring has a 50% overhead - meaning you're only going to get 50% of your total disk capacity as usable space.
With the XServe RAID, the RAID 5 performance is very good - good enough for your 25MB/sec throughput so I'd go with RAID 5 arrays, not RAID 0 or 1 on the XServe RAID itself.
Then, depending on your space requirements, you can either stripe or mirror them together for a RAID 50 or 51 array. In this way you gain the data redundancy of RAID 5 with better disk utilization than 10 or 0+1.
RAID 50 will give you the best performance (and the most usable space), RAID 51 will give you the best redundancy.
At the end of the day it's up to you to decide which format to use based on performance and usable space requirements.

Creating the Best Video Quality for YouTube Using FCE

Hey guys, have a quick question. I'm making drum covers for YouTube, and I want the best possible quality for my viewers. I use Final Cut Express 4.0.1 on my MacBook Pro, and Log and Transfer the video footage from a HDR-CX160 Sony AVCHD Handycam. What are my best options?
Thank you!
Justin

In every aspect of life there is no such thing as one best option as it all depends on your particular circumstances.
Here is a good starting point for you to decide what suits you best.
When you have edited your project in FCE try these settings:-
Select File>Export>Using QT Conversion.
Click the "Options" button and when the the Options window opens you will see "Size", "Settings" and "Sound" buttons.
Click the Size button and set 1920 x 1080
Click the Settings button and select:-
Compression Type . . . . H.264
Frame Rate . . . . . . . . . Current
Key Frames . . . . . . . . . Automatic
Compressor Quality . . . High
Encoding . . . . . . . . . . "Faster" encode will give almost the same quality as "Best" but is twice as fast - your decision!
Data Rate . . . . . . . . . . Restrict to 10,000kbps (Don't use a comma when you enter the number)
Then click the "Audio" button and make sure that AAC has been selected.
These settings should give very good quality results fairly quickly, which should play well. Your file size will be around 5GB per hour.
Some people prefer to use the smaller 1280 x 720, in which case the Data Rate should be 5,000kbps.
I suggest you do a quick test with a film under one minute long to see how it looks as there is nothing worse than spending hours encoding a long project only to find that the settings were unsuitable.

What's the best RAID solution for my iMac / MacBook?

I think it's time I invested in a larger backup hard drive, and for data security I'm looking at 2-drive RAID devices. Is the Lacie 2Big Network good for this purpose? http://www.lacie.com/uk/products/product.htm?pid=10953
What's the reliability and speed really like on such devices?
I have a 1Gbit switch that I could attach a network storage drive to, and the idea of having a public ftp area on it sounds quite cool and useful, anyone know just how secure it is?
What about replacing drives in these things - is it just a case of taking existing hard drive out of a caddy and putting a new one in? (same type, size and speed, presumably)
At work we have some dinosaur Dell servers that have big hardware RAID arrays in them, I've only just started using them myself but can see how versatile the concept is.. are there any drawbacks to having a small home hardware RAID setup?
Thanks!

If you are not limited to NAS, take a look at CalDigit for a great eSATA/FW800/FW400/USB RAID 1/0 external drive.
http://www.caldigit.com/CalDigit_VR/ , we will get one soon.
AFAIK, the CalDigitVR connects using either eSATA, FireWire 800, 400, and USB2.0. The RAID is configurable as performance (RAID 0), protected (RAID 1), or SPAN. The CalDigit's products are used by serious individuals, photographers, movie studios, etc. and are as bulletproof as you can get.
Everything is swappable (including the fan assembly) and can be daisy chained through FireWire port when out of capacity. If know you are using iMac, but if you have a MacPro, you can use their SATA kit to speed up to 200 MB/s !!!.
In the past, RAID protection doesn't come cheap but neither does true peace-of-mind. There are other solutions to be sure, but none offer the longevity and flexibility of the Caldigit products. And the best part is CalDigitVR 500GB starts at only $399.

What would be the best network setup for me?

I am planning a network system for my medical practise. The network will comprise a Macbook Pro(myself) , an Imac(receptionist) and a Macbook for occassional admin use.
I need some advice as to the best way to store the shared data. I will be using Filemaker Pro and will be storing patient appointments, demographics as well as clinical info, visit notes and investigations.
I am considering 3 possible setups
Have shared database on the Imac, backed up by a 500 gigabyte hard disk, or possibly a time capsule, using Time machine.
Have an ethernet hard disk for storage, but then I probably would need to have a different backup system.
Use a mac mini as a file server.
Or use an altogether different setup.
I would appreciate suggestions.
Thank you
ajdk

Hi ajdk-
Then it comes down to your morals and how carefully you want or need to protect patient confidentiality. Your basic network concept should work.
As a start, storing any patient data with regular business data and emails is asking for a security breach.
Make sure to back up your back ups and store said backup securely in a media-rated fire proof vault.
These documents may help:
Creating a small Ethernet network
AirPort Base Station and Network Setup Guide (Mac OS X 10.4 or earlier)
Luck-
-DP

The best HDD setup for my configuration

Hello! My desktop configuration:
Intel core I7-2600K
Gigabyte GA-Z68XP-UD3P
16 Gb RAM 1600 mHz (4*4Gb)
Inno 3D Nvidia GTX 580
I have 5 HDD in my system. What is the best way for Premier pro CS5.5 for this HDD's?
HDD 1 Kingston V200 256Gb SSD
HDD 2 Hitachi 1Tb 7K1000 7200 rpm SATA 3*2 (RAID 0)
HDD 3 Hitachi 1Tb 7K1000 7200 rpm SATA 3
HDD 4 Hitachi 1Tb 7K1000 7200 rpm SATA 3
HDD 5 Western digital 2Tb 7200 rpm USB 3.0 (External)

DeePeeeBee,
Very well explained, exactly the type answer I was looking for, so thank you for that.
On the IDE por of my MB, how do I get a SATA disk connected? a IDE to SATA converter cable? Sorry but IDE has not been in my way for a very long time.
I will defenetly post my results here and how I did it when done, hopefully other can benefit from my results.
So this is my current hardware set up and expecting to have time to put together by the weekend, ( actually the system has been running for more than a year now but I needed an upgrade specially for my HDD and monitors )
Graphic Card:
Nvidia Quadro FX 4800 VCQFX4800 ( I do not see many people saying good thing about this card except for expensive but I am very happy with the real time playback and the rendering time of this card)
CASE:
COOLER MASTER HAF 932 Advanced RC-932-KKN5-GP Steel ATX Full Tower ( Best case I have ever could buy 5 stars for me )
Board:
EVGA X58 FTW3 132-GT-E768-TR LGA 1366 Intel X58 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX
(Board is almost 2 years old but it is excellent board )
RAM:
G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 24GB (6 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800)
(Could have been better but I guess my budget was limited top that, also being used right now and performance is pretty good for me)
CPU:
Intel Core i7-950 Bloomfield 3.06GHz LGA 1366 130W Quad-Core
(At the time was my best choice since I could not aford a extreme edition cpu, I ma very happy with it so far.)
Cooler:
COOLER MASTER V8 RR-UV8-XBU1-GP 120mm Rifle (I hope I can find this cooler around when I buy for my next system, I may not need air conditioning in my studio, this cooler and the tower in conbination can only run at the lowest temp you can imagine, I have not noticed any warm air blowing out of my case, this is not real...I just have to say WOW!!! Love it)
HDD: 2 x Velocity Raptors 600GB 10K ( will use the Marvell chip for RAID 0 and will use this drive for media ... Capture, re-usable clips, sound, music and other pre-done effects and template for After effects, Encore audition and PS)
HDD: 3 x 1TB WD Caviar Black 7200 RPM ( Will use as RAID 0 on Intel chip, will be used
for output files, media cache for all adobe aplications and previous files )
HDD: Intel 120GB SSD drive version 520 ( will only have OS win7 and Adobe CS5.5 or maybe CS6 if I can soon budget an upgrade, MS Office and Roxio for ISO files and virtual drive)
Display:
2 x 22" Gateway Wide screen max resolution at 1650
(Getting these brand new and hopping they are a good choise)
Will post back.
Thanks
Luis

Best RAID setup for Home Directories

Hi there,
I'm looking to upgrade our existing infrastructure which is 5 or 6 years old. We have an old Xserve RAID which has 4x 250Gb disks in a RAID 5 configuration which gives about 640Gb of storage for home directories. However the peak number of users has shot up to something like 85.
I want to be able to increase the storage space for home users but also to provide a RAID storage solution that has optimised performance for the number of users we now have.
Is there any kind of ratio or guideline to the kind of configuration/system I should be looking at? Can anyone offer any advice?
It's a gigabit ethernet network, so obviously I realise that performance is limited by that also.
Any help much appreciated.

OK, that helps a lot.
The CPU load on the server seems a little higher than I'd expect. What's the activity level of the RAID? Are the disks continually active? Are the fiber channel activity lights (the vertical columns of LEDs in the middle) all active?
That will help track the issue to the host system or the RAID.
If the disk activity lights are always busy then it may be an issue with the number of drives for the number of users, and more physical drives would help.
This could also be indicative of a too-full volume (RAID 5 volumes will degrade in performance over about 85% full. At 95% full performance may be excruciatingly slow).
If the fiber channel activity levels are high then the problem is the amount of disk access and your best bet would be to expand to the other half of the array (this will double the available fiber channel bandwidth between the host and the RAID).
If the RAID activity levels aren't high then it could be a network bottleneck on the server, in which case link aggregation could help - it isn't just for redundancy, it will load balance client traffic over the links, effectively increasing performance for clients.
You are right that if you try to expand the current volume with drives, the drives will be sized to 250GB, regardless of their physical capacity. For this reason you would need to build a new array on the other side of the RAID and copy the data over.
The ideal situation would be 14 new drives which you could build into two 7-disk arrays which are then striped on the host system.

What is the best hardware setup for Design Premium?

I'm a high school teacher and teach Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, Dreamweaver, Flash, and I use Bridge for yearbook. My school district is buying me new computers but wants me to come up with all the specs that I want. I'm supposed to give them my top choices for everything. However, I'm a user- not a tech person. Can someone please give me a run down for what I should ask for? I need to know everything from processor, to RAM, graphics card, hard drive, tablets, monitors, etc. If you work with these software programs all the time, what would your ultimate set up be?
I'm currently using CS4 but would like to upgrade. My school district does not use Macs- only PCs. I was not told a price range, so just give me the best of everything.
Please help ASAP.
Thank you!

" I'm currently using CS4 but would like to upgrade"
IF THE UPGRATE IS TO CS5 64 BITS. Better to work with quad core with H.T. like i7 920,930,950. If you like somthing faster we talk about i7 970,980x, 990.
RAM: If you will work with heavy files, start with 12G RAM 3x4. So you have the possibility to upgrate after to 24 if you need it.
"graphics card"
Nvidia card: GTX460, GTX470. NO NEED TO GO TO SERIES GTX5..
"hard drive" many choises. Depent of what performance you want, This can incrise the price a loot.
"monitors" I will say samsung 23, the are sheep and if you like you can have 2 monitor on each PC.
How many PC'S YOU NEED??
B.R.
Cristobal

What is the best easy setup for d600 nikon. and what is the best export for hd movie, 11 min ?

i'm exporting my movie in mpeg4, 1960X1080, for streaming.
all the movie is going well, but there is some cubes in the sky, and also, some frames jumpes.
I treid few times, but its always the same.
Thank you,Lena

You should transcode the Nikon clips to Pro Res 422 before you import them to your project. That can be done in Compressor or MPEG Streamclip. Let FCP automatically determine the best sequence settings, based on your first clip. Export your project as Quick Time Movie, current settings. If you need an MP4 with h.264, MPEG Streamclip can make it for you.
Russ

What is the best Skype setup for this scenario?

I live in the United States and about to be deployed to Afghanistan for about one year. I will have a laptop and an International capable Android phone, both with Skype software installed. I want to be able to use Skype to Skype via the laptop, and also be able to call both landlines and cell phones in the United States while I am in Afghanistan. What would be the best Skype subscription plan in this scenario to keep costs to a minimum.

Hi,
As you probably know, Skype to Skype calls are free, but if you wish to call phones then you would need a subscription that covers calling destination.
You might find Unlimited US&Canada subscription from: http://www.skype.com/go/subscriptions
Fair usage policy applies, but 6hours per day should be more than enough to call your family and friends back home in US.
http://www.skype.com/go/terms.fairusage
Skype also offers Online Numbers for US. For example if you purchase an Online Number in US then your friends who don't have Skype can call that number. They will be charged with local rates and call will be directed to your Skype account when you are online on your phone or laptop.
Tip: If you do decide to purchase an Online Number for 12months then purchase calling subscription first and you will get 50% discount on Online Number.
https://support.skype.com/en/faq/FA331/What-is-an-Online-Number
Andre
If answer was helpful please mark it with Kudos and if issue is resolved mark it with solution. This will help other users find this answer more easily. Thanks in advance!

What's the best PC setup for Premiere Pro?

Or am I in the wrong forum? After 12 years with FCP, I think I am.
I see Walter Biscardi's jumped ship. We've invested a lot in FCP's workflow, with xml-parsing tools and all sorts of stuff that may well have a life on another platform.
We're a Mac house now, but Premiere and Avid both work better on PCs, so we'll be ditching our Macs over time, I guess... any advice? HP or Dell?

Badunit wrote:
Mr Less,
I fully understand that many if not most or all professionals think FCPX is lacking. I am all in favor of irony but have not seen any in your posts. The addition of "lol" does not make a post ironic or funny.
If you dont find this thread ironic, then I suggest you update your dictionary and look-up Irony once more.
This time, spend a little time contemplating what it means. Just because you read the words doesn't mean you have grasped the meaning.
This thread is pure irony. Whether YOU like it or not play no role in this movie. Irony or should I say the terminology surrounding it is NOT subjective to interpretation. Like an Automobile. Just because you dont think Automobile is describing something driving with a motor and 4 wheels well, does not make it less an automobile let a lone a train or fish... Perhaps you take dislike to the automobile, perhaps because it is green, and that is your right but it is STILL an automobile...
God - I hate the vigilantes in here thinking Apple have secretly appointed them POLICE

What is the best IE app for ipad to use ?

What is the best IE app to use for ipad ?

"IE" app? Can you explain what you mean? Internet Explorer is a web browser for the Windows operating system. The built in web browser on your iPad is Safari. If you don't like that, there are lots of others in the App Store. Popular ones include Chrome, iCab Mobile and Dolphin.

Best RAID setup for me?

Hi
Harm has advised me - and everybody else - to go RAID! So I am about to investigate a bit before I take the big step...
My MOBI supports (according to website) RAID 0, 1, 5, and 10. I think - after reading a lot about it - that I could be tempted to chioose RAID 10 - I have 2 1,5 TB disks allready - so I thought about buying another two with same size and set it up as RAID 10 - because as Wikipedia says:
RAID 10
RAID 1+0 (or 10) is a mirrored data set (RAID 1) which is then striped (RAID 0), hence the "1+0" name. A RAID 1+0 array requires a minimum of four drives – two mirrored drives to hold half of the striped data, plus another two mirrored for the other half of the data. In Linux, MD RAID 10 is a non-nested RAID type like RAID 1 that only requires a minimum of two drives and may give read performance on the level of RAID 0.
What about that? Good or bad? I don´t know if my MOBO supports 1+0 or is 1+0 and 10 the same thing?
This is my MOBO: http://www.gigabyte.com.tw/Products/Motherboard/Products_Spec.aspx?ClassValue=Motherboard& ProductID=2988&ProductName=GA-EX58-UD4
Morten

Bryan and Morten,
Can you please provide me with a link how to do the softmod on GTS250? I'm not into posiiton to purchase GTX285 at the moment so, I'll give the 'soft mod' option a shot before I decide which to upgrade first - the GPU or the 6 gigs of RAM i have in my system.
My misfortunes with Adobe/AVCHD are the exact same ones experienced by Morten - even a sinle layer of avchd content in the timeline stutters in both the source monitor and the outcome monito in CS4 and is pain to edit for that reason. Try to add a single video effect (like colour correction) or even a signle transition and ... oh, boy! the editing becomes hell and I start feeling sorry that I did not go for Canon HV40 camcroder that shoots HDV on those good old casettes.
Back to your question Bryan regarding the allocation of hdd - this is the advice I got from Harm on the topic. Also included here is advice on which drives to set in Raid 0 in priority order. Hope this helps:
System with 3HDD
C: OS & programs
D: page file, media cache and renders/previews plus miscellaneous
E: media and exports
System with 4HDD
C: OS & programs
D: Windows page file and renders/previews plus miscellaneous
E: original media
F: media cache and exports
Alternative suggestion:
C: OS & Apps
D: pagefile, temp files (Windows), miscellaneous and exports.
E: media
F: projects and rendered/scratch files
Which to put first on Raid 0?
1. Media cache and renders/previews is useful to put first if you do a lot of scrubbing and previewing.
2. That leaves media in the middle.
3. Exports would be last on my list to put on the raid. Export is a one-way street and time is not really critical.

Creating the best RAID setup for my MacPro using FCP

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