Firewire Speed on iMac

I have an iMac 2.66GHz C2d, with both Firewire 400 and Firewire 800.
When I connect to the Firewire 400 port does this slow down the Firewire 800 port or are they both independent of each other?

I didn't see your thread until after I posted a different thread with a similar question. I am not sure its as simple as: if you have a FW 400 device connected, your FW 800 port will slow to 400.
Here's my post, maybe someone will provide more definitive information: My iMac (new, 3.06 GHz 24") has a FW 800 and a FW 400. I have heard they share the same bus, which, like my MBP, I understand to mean that if there is a FW 400 device attached, it slows FW 800 to 400. Is this true? Really? Here's why I ask. Last night, while using my FW 400 port (as I always do) with my Focusrite Sapphire Audio Interface (just to run iTunes to my amp), I was also transferring very large photo files (many Gigabites) to and from my external FW 800 HD and my FW 800 Compact Flash reader and it seemed that things were moving very very fast, faster than they would move if I'd been using my FW 400 Card reader and the FW 400 port on my external HD (same HD, has both ports). Is it possible that, when the Focusrite isn't taking bandwidth but is still connected, my FW 800 port can move things at FW 800 speeds?
Anyone have a link to something detailed that explains how this all works internally on the iMac?

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SHOCKPROOFX.COM

Scratch Disc Questions using Firewire External Drive & Imac

Hello. I've read through the existing questions regarding scratch disc and Photoshop, yet can't seem to find an answer to my questions. I would greatly appreciate any tips/advice. Here is my setup and situation:
I am running an iMac with a 2.16 intel core 2 duo processor, 3 GB memory, and running OS X version 10.6.4. I am currently using versions cs3 and cs4 of Photoshop, but plan to upgrade to cs5 soon.
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Designer,
Photoshop benefits greatly from having a scratch disk on a separate physical drive, not on the boot disk or on another partition of the boot disk. It's almost not worth connecting via Firewire 400 because the transfer limitations don't allow much performance improvement. But using a Firewire 800 connection gives excellent performance.
Running Photoshop on a one-drive machine is a little frustrating due to the performance hit without the separate scratch drive.
Rich

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Tallan - I've tried Mac OS Extended, Extended (Journaled), Extended (case-sensitive), and Extended (case-sensitive, Journaled). And I've tried all those with the OS 9 driver installation on and off.
I'm going to try doing a bootable back-up using Synchronize Pro, which is what I've used for a long time on previous Macs. But there should still be a way to do a clean install from the original DVD.
Glorfindeal - what "special boot partition" are you talking about? Where is it? How do you do it?
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Any Way to Speed up iMac G5 (20"-iSight)

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There's very little you can do since the machine is not upgradeable. You can add more RAM up to the machine's maximum but that doesn't really make the machine "faster."
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Carbon Copy Cloner
Data Backup
Deja Vu
iBackup
JaBack
Silver Keeper
MimMac
Retrospect
Super Flexible File Synchronizer
SuperDuper!
Synchronize Pro! X
SyncTwoFolders
Synk Pro
Synk Standard
Tri-Backup
Visit The XLab FAQs and read the FAQs on maintenance, optimization, virus protection, and backup and restore.
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Referenced software can be found at CNet Downloads or MacUpdate.

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a friend of mine is running his iTunes library on an external Firewire drive. He is using an intel iMac - not the absolute newest one, this one may be a year or so old.
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Is that also the case with the intel iMacs?
Would firewire be noticeably faster than USB when running iTunes...
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thanks to all of you!
In my experience, one needs all the speed one can get with iTunes and a large library (500 GB and up) so it sounds to me like it's worth the extra dough for a firewire drive, even for a FW 800.
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Not getting full Gigabit Ethernet Speed on iMac Core Duo

I am using Airport to connect to a Linksys Wireless Access Point connected to my DSL modem. I am using ethernet to connect to a 3Com OfficeConnect 8-port Gigabit switch. I have 2x 500 GB LaCie Ethernet Disk Mini's (with Gigabit interface) connected to the switch.
The lights on the switch tell me that the drives and iMac are connected at full speed, however I can transfer a 650MB .dmg file to a firewire 400 drive in 1/4 of the time it takes to transfer the same file to one of the gigabit ethernet drives.
running ifocnfig en0 returns:
en0: flags=8863<UP,BROADCAST,SMART,RUNNING,SIMPLEX,MULTICAST> mtu 1500
inet6 fe80::216:cbff:fe94:747b%en0 prefixlen 64 scopeid 0x4
inet 192.168.0.1 netmask 0xffffff00 broadcast 192.168.0.255
ether 00:16:cb:94:74:7b
media: autoselect (1000baseT <full-duplex,flow-control>) status: active
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I have no idea what that all means, but i do know that I am not getting gigabit ethernet speed.
Can anyone help?
Thanks

If you are transferring data via wireless then you cannot approach Gigabit Ethernet speed. 802.11g has a maximum transfer speed of 54 Mbps while 802.11n is about 130 Mbps. This is much slower than a FW400 port. Your router and switch must both be Gigabit capable and your drive must be connected to Ethernet to even hope to achieve Gigabit speeds - no wireless.

How imortant is a Firewire 800? (imac 24" versus imac 20")

Hi,
I've been using Logic on a 1 ghtz PowerBook G4. I am ready to upgrade.
After looking over everything, I really don't feel I need to spend the $$ on the ProMac - as I think it's too much power for me at this moment. I'd rather buy a new computer when I have the need for more power - and by that time - everything is twice as fast/more bells and whistles and cheaper.
So - I was seriously considering the 24" iMac - basically because of the firewire 800. Problem is - I don't know how important that is to me. I've been holding off buying a pro audio interface (like the Ensemble or RME 800)... I mainly do MIDI (I'm a pianist), but, want to be able to record live musicians in the future as I have a couple of nice mikes.
So tell me - should I go 24" iMac or 20" iMac? For the $600 I'd save buying a 20" iMac - I could buy another 20" screen. But - no Firewire 800 on the 20".
Again - how important is the Firewire 800 for me?
Thanks!

Two reasons:
1) If you use a FW800 device by itself, you get
800Mbps (100 MBps). If you combine FW400 and FW800
devices on the same bus, the FW800 device will
operate at 400Mbps (50MBps), giving you a total
maximum throughput of 100MBps, over the two devices.
ahm. i know that the two firewire busses share the same connection to the cpu. you can see this at
http://developer.apple.com/documentation/HardwareDrivers/Conceptual/iMac0609SuperDrive/index.html
actually i assumed that apple would be smart enough to build the computer in a way that it's not the same if you connect a fw800 device to the 800bus and a 400 device to the 400 bus than if you connect a 800 and a 400 device to the 800 bus (which obviously would clock the 800 bus at 400 speed.
so you are saying that as soon as i connect a 400 device to the computer ALL fw buses become 400, even the one that's labelled fw 800?? where did you get that information?
AND...
2) The PCI bus to which both FW ports are attached
has a maximum throughput of 133MBps. Even if the
FW800 and FW400 ports operated at full-speed when
devices are mixed (they don't...see point 1), you
wouldn't be able to get full bandwidth anyway, since
100MBps (FW800) + 50MBps (FW400) = 150MBps, which
exceeds the max bandwidth of the PCI bus.
how do you know that the pci bus has 133mbps throughput max? all the information that i found is that it's a 33mhz 32bit pci bus...does that automatically mean it has 133 mBps throughput or what...?
i just ordered a 24" imac mainly for the reason that i need one 800bus for audio interface and harddrives (many tracks) and one 400 bus for dv video at the same time. if both of your statements are correct i will cancel the order immediately since i could do the same things with a 20" imac an the screen would be sufficent for me. and should any problems arise i'll sue the **** out of apple for misleading information about their products. i mean you can't label a buss 800 if it is not if you max out the capacity of the computer. that seriously ****** me off...
if you have a link to an apple tech note that clarifies things...i'd really appreciate it...
all the best...

Very slow external disk read/write speeds on iMac?

My late 2012 iMac has slow I/O speeds on USB3 (~90MB/sec), FW800 (~50MB/sec via Thunderbolt adapter) and Thunderbolt (~110MB/sec). I've tested it on several drives using the BlackMagic Disk Speed Test. I'm on Mavericks 10.9.2.
The internal disk (not SSD) is faster than all of the others at ~150MB/sec. I don't know where to go for help with this. Anyone have any suggestions as to what the problem might be?
I'm using this computer to edit HD video and these speeds are just unacceptable. I've tried both a Sans Digital FW800 RAID array (RAID 1) and a brand new OWN Mercury Elite Pro Thunderbolt RAID 1 enclosure.
Thanks!

Your drives shouldn't be running this slow, especially the USB 3.0 and Thunderbolt drives. Period.
You have some hardware issues going on.
Before SSDs, believe it or not, video was edited using mostly 7200 and 10, 000 RPM hard drives.
Usually with FireWire 400/800 drives.
I create and edit video with Final Cut Express 4 using the internal hard drive with two external FW800 drives connected and working and I am not having the issues you are having.
Although, I am, also, using an older 2009 27 inch screen iMac with 16 GBs of RAM running OS X 10.6.8 Snow Leopard.
Also, I forgot to ask, how much RAM installed in your Mac?
I suspect You have either a hardware and/or hardware/software issues.
It would help us to help you if we could have some more technical info about your iMac.
If you wish, Please download, install and run Etrecheck.
Etrecheck was developed as a simple Mac diagnostic reporting tool by a regular Apple Support forum user and technical support contributor named Etresoft.
Etrecheck is a small, unobstrusive app that compiles a static snapshot of your entire Mac hardware system and installed software.
This is a free app that has been honestly created to provided help in diagnosing issues with Macs running the new OS X 10.9 Mavericks.
It is not malware and can be safely downloaded and installed onto your Mac.
http://www.etresoft.com/etrecheck
Copy/paste and post its report here in another reply thread so that we have a complete profile of your Mac's hardware and installed software so we can all help with your Mac performance issues.

Mixing RAM Speeds In iMac G4 1GHz 17" Flat-Panel?

I'm just checking here.
I have an iMac G4 1GHz 17" Flat-Panel, Model M8935LL/A (USB 1.1 version) that currently has the standard 256MB PC2100 (266 MHz) RAM module installed in the factory slot, and a 512MB PC2700 (333 MHz) RAM module installed in the bottom (user-accessible) slot. I bought the machine direct from Apple, so despite the "official" spec (which calls for PC2100 RAM in both slots), it's obvious that Apple knows PC2700 RAM will work in that machine. My understanding is that the faster PC2700 RAM simply downclocks to accommodate the lower 266 MHz bus speed of the M8935LL/A. As I understand the DDR SDRAM spec, any DDR SDRAM (PC1600 through PC3200) module will simply overclock or underclock to accommodate the host bus speed...but feel free to correct me if I'm mistaken on that point.
I'm fixing to upgrade the hard drive to a larger capacity model. I've done it before, so I know it's no picnic. Since I have to go past the factory RAM slot anyway to change the hard drive, I figure I might as well upgrade the internal RAM to the full 1GB limit. (Yes...I know Apple says you can't exceed 512MB in either slot, so please—no remonstrances about sticking to Apple's spec. The spec is wrong.)
Obviously, it's possible to mix the two RAM speeds between the two slots, since Apple shipped the computer that way. Here are my questions:
• Is there any downside to going the other way when I upgrade the RAM—that is, putting a 1GB PC2700 (184-pin) module in the factory slot, and a 1GB PC2100 (200-pin) module in the user slot? The reason I ask is because my preferred supplier (OWC) can't supply me with both modules in the same speed.
• Is there any performance advantage in both modules being the same speed—that is, both PC2100 or both PC2700? If not, I'll just buy the one of each speed that OWC has available.
Thanks!

jjw wrote:
So, you know have 2Gb available in your flat screen imac?
Yes indeed—2GB confirmed as available by Apple System Profiler. Both modules are PC2700. Everything is working fine.
I guess I can understand why Apple discourages users from replacing the 184-pin "factory slot" module. There's not a whole lot of slack in the motherboard connector cables, so it's best to disconnect them in order to get the bottom section to lie flat on the workbench. I suppose some folks might be hesitant about disconnecting things, but it's really quite simple, and involves only three connectors. After having changed the hard drive a few years ago, replacing the RAM was a piece of cake by comparison.
A word of caution to anyone who's going to attempt it, though. There are TWO heat sink interfaces between the bottom section (where the motherboard is mounted) and the top dome. Those heat sink surfaces are coated with thermal paste at the factory, but the compound dries out over time, becoming a rubbery membrane between the heat sink surfaces. Once you separate the top and bottom sections, the membrane rips apart, and the firm connection between the heat sink surfaces is permanently gone. It's a bad idea to simply put them back together after you change the RAM module; you won't get a good thermal connection.
The solution is to scrape all of the old rubbery compound off all four surfaces (two on the bottom and two on the top section). I did it with a piece of PVC, but you can use anything with a sharp edge that won't scratch the metal surface—even your fingernails will work, unless the old compound has dried out to the point where it's hard. After you scrape the old gunk off, apply new thermal paste to all four surfaces.
The other maintenance item you can perform while you're in there is cleaning out all the dust, which accumulates in vast quantities and interferes with cooling. I vacuumed it out with a plastic crevice tool, being careful NOT to touch any of the components with the tool. Vacuuming can build up a static charge on the tool, especially in dry environments, and high static voltages aren't friendly to microprocessors. I used a securely grounded anti-static wrist strap throughout the entire operation, and even wrapped it around the vacuum tool.
Good luck!

Problems with Photoshop performance and data transfer speed on iMac

Two months ago, I started noticing slow performances using Photoshop (above all using clone stamp tool) on my 27" iMac (late 2012). I did the AHT and I found that 8GB of 32GB RAM were broken.
I removed them but the problem didn't disappered, I also noticed that data transfer speed (both copy and paste from/to internal HD and from CF card/external HD) was really slow.
I tried many solutions suggested by Apple support, none of them worked out. At the end, I tried uninstalling and re-installing Photoshop: no more problems!!!
10 days ago, I received a new 8GB RAM module and so I installed it back... suddenly, the problem came back, I tried re-installing again Photoshop but the problem, this time, still persist!
Does anyone had the same experience? All other CC programs work well (LR, AE, Premiere...)

yes, it does!
what seems to be very strange to me is how data trasnfer speed could be affected!
(just to say, I've already tried reset of SMC and PRAM, I've tried with different accounts and I've also re-installed the OS, next step would be formatting the disk and installing the OS from zero)

Can I share an external hard drive and simultaneously have it connected via firewire to my iMac?

Trying to get an external hard drive that is connected to my Airport Extreme to also be connected to my iMac via firewire 800. Any ideas?

That shouldn't be attempted. Unless the drive is specifically designed for it, which very few drives are, connecting it to more than one computer(which includes the base station for this purpose) at any given time through USB or FireWire can damage it.
(69639)

Mounting secondary drive from old G4 via Firewire to new iMac?

I just got my new iMac up and running (god is it gorgeous). The 'transfer files' thing in the initial install pulled all the programs and user settings from my old G4's primary drive perfectly, but the G4 has a second IDE drive in it where I kept much of the data. When I boot the G4 with the "T" held down, only the primary drive shows up on the iMac... how do I get the iMac to recognize and pull data from the other drive in the old tower?
Drew

Hi-
When I boot the G4 with the "T" held down, only the primary drive shows up on the iMac... how do I get the iMac to recognize and pull data from the other drive in the old tower?
This is a limit of firewire target mode, only the master drive will show.
If the secondary drive is bootable, connected to the master connector (end connector, not middle), and jumpered as master, you will be able to mount the drive in FTD mode.
Alternatively, copy the files from the secondary drive to the primary drive, and transfer from there.

Firewire Speed on iMac

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