Fusion drive vs. sdd and external

HI everyone,
In the market for a new iMac to replace my 2007 model. I'm stuck between getting a fusion drive or a 256GB SSD and an external drive. I have a huge photo library, iTunes library and do some video editing with iMovie.
I guess I'm wondering if a 7200 RPM external USB 3.0 or Thunderbolt drive combined with the 256 GB SDD would be as fast as a fusion drive.
Thanks

I currently have a 27" iMac with 16GB RAM and that is plenty for the work I do. I edit short films (any where between 5 and 45 minutes, music videos, and documentaries (~5-60 minutes). Most of the media is 1080p.
You will be fine for the work you are doing. Just make sure you have at least a 7200 RPM external drive to store your media then some where to back up your media/project. (do not edit with out backups!!)

Similar Messages

Mac Mini late 2012 with fusion drive running slow and has error code 4dd/11/4000000: sata (1,0) after running diagnostic

Hi,
I have a mac mini late 2012 i7 with 16 GB RAM, fusin drive 1.12TB. It became very lagging recently and after doing the first verify disk, I was prompted to reclone using time machine. Anyway I did a full restoration with my image and the problem still persist. And I did a verify disk again and this time it indicates the disk was ok and I even did a permission repair. Problem still persist and I did the PRAM reset and nothing helps.
I did a fresh mavericks installation. Initially it seems ok but after transfering more data into the system, the lagging seems to comes back. My suspicion was a hard disk failure on the 1tb hard drive.
Finally I did a diagnostic abd the test has this error code 4dd/11/4000000: sata (1,0) .
Does this means one of my drive is giving problem? As fusion drives comes with 2 drive I believe. One is 128GB SSD and the other is 1 TB drive.
My warranty has expired.
Thanks in advance for any help or advise

Hi IIIaass,
Thanks for the reply. I have search on youtube regards to the apple fusion drive. However, I didn't find anything useful. I would like to know if it consists of 2 hard drives or just 1 drive. And if it consists of 2 hard drives, can I buy another ssd and merge the 2 together.
I do not have the tools right now to open up the mac mini. I have ordered it online and its on the way. If you have any information on this, please share with me.
Thanks

VMWare Fusion, multiple virtual machines, and external hard drive

I have 3 different distributions of Linux installed with VMWare Fusion. If I was to move the virtual machine files to an external hard drive, would they still work with VMWare Fusion, or would I have to re-install the 3 Linux operating systems to the external hard drive via VMWF?

Hi,
you can move Fusion VMs to external harddisks without re-creating or re-installing them.
http://communities.vmware.com/message/735993;jsessionid=D252883C5D718D096210B83F 43819A88
Regards
Stefan

I have lost space on my drives - both internal and external drives.

I am new to Mac. I have a Macbookpro using 10.6.7.
I used boot camp to add a partition to my internal drive so I could add some much needed PC apps. Before adding apps I decided to rough it and deleted the partition, But when I use get info for the drive I do not see the space added back to the total available. Is there something that I forgot to do? The boot camp partition no longer appears in the sidebar of finder.
For external drives I run get info on the single folder in the drive and it tells me that I am using 200G - it is a 650G drive. When I run get info on the drive it tells me I have 39G available. Where has the other 411G gone? Could there be hidden files that I can't see? If so, how do I make hidden files visible on a Mac. Could it be backup files from the automatic backup (time feature) feature? If so, would they be hidden files?
I really am having a hard time with this Mac but am learning - I keep pushing it and bought books and read anything I can get to learn but it is frustrating sometimes. However, I refused to give it. Sites like this one are a real blessing and I can't say enough about all the help I get from all of you.
Thanks.
Bhubha

You should repair both disk with disk utility, open the program and click repair also repair your permissions. You can also use Omni Disksweeper to check your file usage.

MacMini Fusion Drive Trouble:

Hi,
I just bought a new MacMini and have trouble with the built-in hard drive which is a fusion drive.
Obviously I can´t access most of the storage space. In the hard disk utility, total capacity is given with 1.12 TB, while 30.9 GB are in usage and 3.7 GB are free disk space (try to add that up to 1.12 TB?). Accordingly, my apple doesn´t let me install anything beyond 3 GB or so. I have tried both of the repair options in the hard disk utility, with no appreciable result. I have also tried to add a partition, which didn´t work, because there was not enough disk space to add the 999 GB partition that the utility suggested...
OS was updated when I set up the Mini and there are no more recent updates available.
I am new to the Mac world and have limited knowledge to "try around", so I would appreciate help.
Thanks in advance.
Best Regards.

I have a different problem with my mini with fusion drive
After booting and transferring a user to the drive i wanted to startup again but i got after the chime a screen with a round circle with an bar tru it
Resetting the pram did not change
After option key i could choose from a list of drives but after choosing one external or internal the circle with the bar appeared
On another mac i create a mountain lion usb stick but with same result
The mac arrived two days ago so it is brandnew
What can i do?
David van deinse
Netherlands

Fusion Drive vs. Little Big Disc for LR 4

Help me understand which would be better for my workflow, just sticking with the Fusion Drive, or employing the LaCie Little Big Disk.
I shoot around 40 weddings a year, each wedding is around 30GB.
I keep one wedding on my Mac at a time, via LR4. That wedding will stay there until it's finished. But on Saturdays, when I shoot a new wedding, that new wedding temporarily comes into LR for culling and a sneak peek. When I finish the sneak peek for my bride, I save the XMP files and then remove the new wedding from Lightroom.
My plan is to keep my main wedding on the Fusion Drive in Lightroom, and at 30GB, I assume the whole experience will be blazing fast, since the Fusion Drive is offering 400MB/S +
But my question is this : should I keep my other unedited weddings on a LaCie Little Big Disk? Or on the 5400RPM HDD inside the iMac? The LaCie offers read/write times around 200MB/S via Thunderbolt. But apparently that's only true for sequential transfers. Random access is more like 1.5MB/S. From what I understand, this is true of all HDD Raids. If you want fast random reads you simply cannot use an HDD.

I currently have a 27" iMac with 16GB RAM and that is plenty for the work I do. I edit short films (any where between 5 and 45 minutes, music videos, and documentaries (~5-60 minutes). Most of the media is 1080p.
You will be fine for the work you are doing. Just make sure you have at least a 7200 RPM external drive to store your media then some where to back up your media/project. (do not edit with out backups!!)

Fusion Drive on a 2010 iMac with 2tb HDD & 256gb SSD

Hi,
well basicailly the title says it all!
I have a 2010 iMac with the 256gb SSD and 2TB HDD which to me seems like it would be great option for the Fusion Drive...
Does anyone have any ideas on how I could make the drives work like the new Fusion Drive?
I've seen the Macworld Tutorial on a DIY Fusion Drive but i'm still not sure if doing that will work in the same way as the preinstalled 2012 iMac Fusion Drive... I know that Mac OSX will treat the combined drives as one, but in terms of moving files depending upon their usage is another matter.
If the Macworld step by step is followed will Mountain Lion handle frequently used files / apps like the apple presentation states or will it just use the drives as one and not increase the performance of my machine?
Any help on this would be much appreciated, especially if anyone has followed the Macworld steps etc!
Thanks
Darren

Thanks fir the reply, I thought with the fusion drive the SSD and HDD were two seperate storage devices seen by OSX as one volume, and the software determins where the files most used will be placed and accessed from.
I've read a bit about this here;
http://macs.about.com/od/diyguidesprojects/ss/Setting-Up-A-Fusion-Drive-On-Your- Current-Mac.htm
but would be great to hear first hand experience!!
With this DIY approach it appears that the same functionality of the 2012 iMacs is achieved but simply not using the older Disk Utility, but a newer version only included on the newer models...

Mac mini fusion drive startup slow

Unfortunately my fusion drive was damaged and replaced by Apple service center. When I got it back it startup very slow, even slower than my white mac book.
Initially, I though it was not start up from SSD so I tried to select SSD as the start up disk. There are only one hard disk to select (bundled SSD and typical HDD and it showed a size of 1.1 TB). Is this normal to see only only one hard drive? I thought there should be 2 disc, SSD and normal HDD.
I also erased the disc and reinstalled the mountain lion, but it still start up slow.
Is there any configuration I have to do in order to make it boot up from SSD?

Thank you for your help.
My Mac HDD and SSD are as follow.
Is there anything wrong?

Installing Windows 7 on Late 2013 iMac w/ Fusion Drive

Sorry in advance for the long post, but I have tried to exhaust all possibilities, and bring as much knowledge about our environment to the table to avoid confusion.
Here's our goal: Install Mac & Windows on a Late 2013 iMac with a 1TB Fusion Drive
Install our Mac Image with Deepfreeze on Partition 1
Install our Windows 7 x64 Image with DeepFreeze on Partition 2
Here's why our goal cannot work out of the box:
Deepfreeze for Mac, is not supported on a Fusion Drive. Now before anyone says "just don't use deepfreeze"...we are using it, and that is that.
In order to get our existing image to work on the iMac, we had to split the Fusion Drive.
Splitting Up the Fusion Drive
We booted into Recovery, Opened up terminal, retrieved the LvGUID, deleted it, and split up the SSD from the HD.
So now, we have a 128GB SSD, and 1TB HD showing up under Diskutilitiy.
We then partitioned the 1TB HD, into two, 500GB Partitions. One for Mac OSX 10.9.4, and the other for Windows.
The 128GB SSD is going to be used for scratch space, temp, etc. And is irrelevant at this time.
Deploying our Mac Image
After splitting the Fusion Drive, we netbooted and installed a "NetRestore" of our image. Worked completely fine, no issues. DeepFreeze Works fine, the 128GB SSD shows up just fine, and the other 500GB Windows Partition shows up fine. All drives / partitions can be written to with no problem.
Deploying our Windows Image
Deployed our Windows Partition image as we have done in the past, by booting into a windows PE Disk. (We have other various 2009, 2010, and 2011 iMacs across campus, with NO FUSION DRIVES installed, and dual boot them successfully using the same procedure. Minus the splitting of the fusion drive part of course) After the Windows image is deployed to the windows partition, we then boot it up to a Windows 7 Install disk to fix the MBR, Bootrec, and BCD options to allow it to boot properly. Here's where we run into issues: Upon getting the Windows 7 Install screen, the USB Keyboard and Mouse, DO NOT WORK.
Here's the options we've tried to get them to work properly
1. Tried another known working Mac USB Keyboard & Mouse = Failed
2. Tried a known working Windows Keyboard & Mouse = Failed
3. Plugged Just a known working Mac Keyboard into each USB Port to see if recognized = Failed
4. Plugged Just a known working Windows Keyboard into each USB Port to see if recognized = Failed
5. Plugged Just a known working Mac Mouse into each USB Port to see if recognized = Failed
6. Plugged Just a known working Windows Mouse into each USB Port to see if recognized = Failed
7. A Windows 8.1 Recovery USB will boot and the USB Mouse & Keyboard are recognized and installed! (YAY!!) However, we cannot repair a Windows 7 install with Windows 8.1..
BootCamp Drivers & Support Media
Downloaded the Current BootCamp Support drivers to enable the USB and other various drivers to be loaded during setup (Placed the $WinPEDriver$ and AutoUnattend.xml, and BootCamp folder on the Root of a USB, and modified a Windows7 Installation disk and placed on the root as well) The drivers do not load. Have also placed on a brand new USB2, and USB3 flash drive formatted at FAT32, to see if that made a difference, which it did not. The BootCamp USB made within Mac, it loads saying "Now booting into Boot Camp Assistant Created USB Drive..." or something like that (Don't remember the exact Message)
Side Note:
Restored Fusion Drive to its original State, and booted from the BootCamp USB drive, still no usb Mouse & Keyboard Support.

I have same issue
Tried everything differend hdd,ssd as well
Basically when trying instal win 7 via iOS maverick when reboting and windows booting to the first scree everything freezing cant do much.
Also tried install clear ssd without any system, but soon after format ssd or hdd I have error that I cant use this disk to install windows!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
What is funny Windows 8 installing without any problem!!!
what is going on APPLE??wher is support
This issue I have only on Late 2013 on my other Late 2012 this issue not exist and everything working as should.

Disk Utility error when verifying DIY fusion drive

Hi,
It has been a while since I had to post a problem, but I need others advice on this if you can help. When 10.8.3 came out I installed an M4 512gb ssd in my main drive bay of 2008 unibody aluminium macbook and put a 1tb spinner in the optibay. Created a fusion drive, migrated data and all has been great. Decided to run disk utility today to check for any errors as I had a sleep issue with the 10.8.4 update which I ended up solving by changing the sleep settings in terminal - the issue had caused a few forced shutdowns. I have Disk Utitliy Version 13 (450). The Fusion drive is shown as the logical volume group followed by the volume disk. When I run a verify disk on the volume itself it is all ok:
Verifying volume “Cybernet”
Checking storage systemChecking volume.
disk0s2: Scan for Volume Headers
disk1s2: Scan for Volume Headers
disk0s2: Scan for Disk Labels
disk1s2: Scan for Disk Labels
Logical Volume Group 0DAE76E1-A325-4925-902F-1015B270B84C spans 2 devices
disk0s2+disk1s2: Scan for Metadata Volume
Logical Volume Group has a 2170 MB Metadata Volume with double redundancy
Start scanning metadata for a valid checkpoint
Load and verify Segment Headers
Load and verify Checkpoint Payload
Load and verify Transaction Segment
Load and verify Transaction Segment
Load and verify Transaction Segment
Load and verify Transaction Segment
Load and verify Transaction Segment
Load and verify Transaction Segment
Load and verify Transaction Segment
Incorporate 6 newer non-checkpoint transactions
Load and verify Virtual Address Table
Load and verify Segment Usage Table
Load and verify Metadata Superblock
Load and verify Logical Volumes B-Trees
Logical Volume Group contains 1 Logical Volume
Load and verify 309877EC-EA53-443C-A75C-63C159B04EF3
Load and verify 5388E543-6974-4251-BDBD-FA850C121897
Load and verify Freespace Summary
Load and verify Block Accounting
Load and verify Live Virtual Addresses
Newest transaction commit checkpoint is valid
Load and verify Segment Cleaning
The volume 0DAE76E1-A325-4925-902F-1015B270B84C appears to be OK.
Checking file systemPerforming live verification.
Checking Journaled HFS Plus volume.
Checking extents overflow file.
Checking catalog file.
Checking multi-linked files.
Checking catalog hierarchy.
Checking extended attributes file.
Checking volume bitmap.
Checking volume information.
The volume Cybernet appears to be OK.
When I run it on the LVG it comes up as:
Verifying partition map for “M4-CT512M4SSD2 Media”
Checking prerequisites
Checking the partition list
Checking for an EFI system partition
Checking the EFI system partition’s size
Checking the EFI system partition’s file system
Checking all HFS data partition loader spaces
Checking Core Storage Physical Volume partitions
Checking storage system
Checking volume.
disk0s2: Scan for Volume Headers
disk1s2: Scan for Volume Headers
disk0s2: Scan for Disk Labels
disk1s2: Scan for Disk Labels
Logical Volume Group 0DAE76E1-A325-4925-902F-1015B270B84C spans 2 devices
disk0s2+disk1s2: Scan for Metadata Volume
Logical Volume Group has a 2170 MB Metadata Volume with double redundancy
Start scanning metadata for a valid checkpoint
Load and verify Segment Headers
Load and verify Checkpoint Payload
Load and verify Transaction Segment
Load and verify Transaction Segment
Load and verify Transaction Segment
Load and verify Transaction Segment
Load and verify Transaction Segment
Load and verify Transaction Segment
Load and verify Transaction Segment
Load and verify Transaction Segment
Load and verify Transaction Segment
Load and verify Transaction Segment
Load and verify Transaction Segment
Load and verify Transaction Segment
Load and verify Transaction Segment
Load and verify Transaction Segment
Load and verify Transaction Segment
Load and verify Transaction Segment
Load and verify Transaction Segment
Load and verify Transaction Segment
Load and verify Transaction Segment
Load and verify Transaction Segment
Load and verify Transaction Segment
Load and verify Transaction Segment
Load and verify Transaction Segment
Load and verify Transaction Segment
Load and verify Transaction Segment
Load and verify Transaction Segment
Load and verify Transaction Segment
Load and verify Transaction Segment
Load and verify Transaction Segment
Load and verify Transaction Segment
Load and verify Transaction Segment
Load and verify Transaction Segment
Load and verify Transaction Segment
Load and verify Transaction Segment
Load and verify Transaction Segment
Load and verify Transaction Segment
Load and verify Transaction Segment
Load and verify Transaction Segment
Load and verify Transaction Segment
Load and verify Transaction Segment
Load and verify Transaction Segment
Incorporate 40 newer non-checkpoint transactions
Load and verify Virtual Address Table
Load and verify Segment Usage Table
Load and verify Metadata Superblock
Load and verify Logical Volumes B-Trees
Logical Volume Group contains 1 Logical Volume
Load and verify 309877EC-EA53-443C-A75C-63C159B04EF3
Load and verify 5388E543-6974-4251-BDBD-FA850C121897
Load and verify Freespace Summary
Load and verify Block Accounting
Load and verify Live Virtual Addresses
Newest transaction commit checkpoint is valid
Load and verify Segment Cleaning
The volume 0DAE76E1-A325-4925-902F-1015B270B84C appears to be OK.
Incorrect size for volume “Cybernet”
Problems were found with the partition map which might prevent booting
Error: Incorrect size for logical volume.
Verifying partition map for “WDC WD10JPVT-00A1YT0 Media”
Checking prerequisites
Checking the partition list
Checking for an EFI system partition
Checking the EFI system partition’s size
Checking the EFI system partition’s file system
Checking all HFS data partition loader spaces
Checking Core Storage Physical Volume partitions
Checking storage system
Checking volume.
disk0s2: Scan for Volume Headers
disk1s2: Scan for Volume Headers
disk0s2: Scan for Disk Labels
disk1s2: Scan for Disk Labels
Logical Volume Group 0DAE76E1-A325-4925-902F-1015B270B84C spans 2 devices
disk0s2+disk1s2: Scan for Metadata Volume
Logical Volume Group has a 2170 MB Metadata Volume with double redundancy
Start scanning metadata for a valid checkpoint
Load and verify Segment Headers
Load and verify Checkpoint Payload
Load and verify Transaction Segment
Load and verify Transaction Segment
Load and verify Transaction Segment
Load and verify Transaction Segment
Load and verify Transaction Segment
Load and verify Transaction Segment
Load and verify Transaction Segment
Load and verify Transaction Segment
Load and verify Transaction Segment
Load and verify Transaction Segment
Load and verify Transaction Segment
Load and verify Transaction Segment
Load and verify Transaction Segment
Load and verify Transaction Segment
Load and verify Transaction Segment
Load and verify Transaction Segment
Load and verify Transaction Segment
Load and verify Transaction Segment
Load and verify Transaction Segment
Load and verify Transaction Segment
Load and verify Transaction Segment
Load and verify Transaction Segment
Load and verify Transaction Segment
Load and verify Transaction Segment
Load and verify Transaction Segment
Load and verify Transaction Segment
Load and verify Transaction Segment
Load and verify Transaction Segment
Load and verify Transaction Segment
Load and verify Transaction Segment
Load and verify Transaction Segment
Load and verify Transaction Segment
Load and verify Transaction Segment
Load and verify Transaction Segment
Load and verify Transaction Segment
Load and verify Transaction Segment
Load and verify Transaction Segment
Load and verify Transaction Segment
Load and verify Transaction Segment
Load and verify Transaction Segment
Load and verify Transaction Segment
Load and verify Transaction Segment
Load and verify Transaction Segment
Load and verify Transaction Segment
Incorporate 43 newer non-checkpoint transactions
Load and verify Virtual Address Table
Load and verify Segment Usage Table
Load and verify Metadata Superblock
Load and verify Logical Volumes B-Trees
Logical Volume Group contains 1 Logical Volume
Load and verify 309877EC-EA53-443C-A75C-63C159B04EF3
Load and verify 5388E543-6974-4251-BDBD-FA850C121897
Load and verify Freespace Summary
Load and verify Block Accounting
Load and verify Live Virtual Addresses
Newest transaction commit checkpoint is valid
Load and verify Segment Cleaning
The volume 0DAE76E1-A325-4925-902F-1015B270B84C appears to be OK.
Incorrect size for volume “Cybernet”
Problems were found with the partition map which might prevent booting
Error: Incorrect size for logical volume.
I got the same when I did a safe boot and when rebooted from the recovery partition.y question is, do I repair or could it damage my setup? eg is Disk Utility being accurate and it can repair the error, or is it a phantom issue that should be ignored bearing in mind it's a DIY fusion drive and it could end up getting mashed?
Thanks!

Hi,
The computer's running fine since I sorted the sleep issue. No issues as far as I can tell, which is why I was surprised to see the error. What does the error actually mean - is it saying that the volume is a different size than the computer thinks it should be and therefore it'll just change a few values? In which case I suppose a repair is harmless? I just don't want to repair and then reboot to find the volume corrupted.

How to clean-install Mavericks to a fusion drive?

Because I cannot find a complete answer here or anywhere else, I seek information about reinstalling Mavericks on a 1TB fusion drive on my late 2013 iMac. I see discussions about reinstalling, backing up data, Boot Camp issues, rebuilding a fusion drive, making a fusion drive from scratch, and the like; but I do not find the level of detail I am seeking about starting over with a fusion drive. I upgraded to Mavericks from Mtn Lion and now see hints that I needed to do something special to take advantage of the properties of this drive.
That said, here are my questions:
(1) When I "Command-R" reboot to Recovery and get to the Disk Utility, I see a separate 1TB HD as an extended partition as well as a 125GB drive that is root (/), which I presume is the SSD. To accomplish the clean installation, do I format BOTH? Or will formatting only the 1TB HD suffice? Does formatting only the 1TB HD also take care of formatting the SSD? Maybe it's not advisable to format the SSD ...?
(2) Does the downloaded Mavericks installer loaded onto a USB stick using DiskMakerX have the capability to do this clean install properly? or is it necessary, in order to take advantage of the fusion drive properties (SSD+HD), to download Mavericks Installer after wiping the HD so that support for the fusion drive is maintained?
(3) Because I am curious, where does OS X (I mean the OS, not data) reside after the installation is done? on the SSD? on the HD? I ask this because I have read that "the OS remains on the SSD," but, seemingly in conflict, that the SSD is for quick access to frequently used programs and data. Both could be correct.
Sorry for the length of this. And thanks.

The screenshot of DU within the booted Mavericks, not Recovery.
/dev/disk0
   #:                       TYPE NAME                    SIZE       IDENTIFIER
   0:      GUID_partition_scheme                        *121.3 GB   disk0
   1:                        EFI EFI                     209.7 MB   disk0s1
   2:          Apple_CoreStorage                         121.0 GB   disk0s2
   3:                 Apple_Boot Boot OS X               134.2 MB   disk0s3
/dev/disk1
   #:                       TYPE NAME                    SIZE       IDENTIFIER
   0:      GUID_partition_scheme                        *1.0 TB     disk1
   1:                        EFI EFI                     209.7 MB   disk1s1
   2:          Apple_CoreStorage                         999.3 GB   disk1s2
   3:                 Apple_Boot Recovery HD             650.0 MB   disk1s3
/dev/disk2
   #:                       TYPE NAME                    SIZE       IDENTIFIER
   0:                  Apple_HFS Macintosh HD           *1.1 TB     disk2
/dev/disk3
   #:                       TYPE NAME                    SIZE       IDENTIFIER
   0:      GUID_partition_scheme                        *500.1 GB   disk3
   1:                        EFI EFI                     209.7 MB   disk3s1
   2:                  Apple_HFS LaCie                   499.1 GB   disk3s2
   3:                 Apple_Boot Recovery HD             784.2 MB   disk3s3
And you know what this is, per your request. It shows the OS on the SSD portion, the Recovery partition on the HD, etc. It's a little confusing because the disk reference numbers do not agree with those in the screenshot below, but that probably is because the shot below results from booting from a USB stick.
Now to your comments/answers/thoughts:
(1) Issue of number of drives. This is a fuzzy iPhone screenshot of DU after booting from a USB Mavericks installation stick:
Looks like I cannot format the SSD directly, if that is what disk5 really is. Below I mention another possibility for getting it formatted (third paragraph from the end).
(2) Which source for new installation of Mavericks
I agree that it's probably best not to use the USB stick I have but to use the Recovery method to download a fresh copy. I'm not sure about the reliability of the USB vs downloading, either, but there is some evidence out there (somewhere -- I've seen it but I don't recall where) suggesting it.
(3) Where OS X is installed -- fusion drive portion or HD portion of the Macintosh HD:
From the information given with "disk5" in the screen shot just above, it does appear that after a USB boot, DU sees items separately, including the main storage (Macintosh HD), the Recovery partition (disk4-used also for creating the USB stick installer), and OS (disk5). Some of this layout may hold true with a "Command-R" boot from the Recovery partition, and I know I've looked at it but for the moment cannot recall the information.
Further, it appears the OS is on the SSD. It also appears it cannot be formatted UNLESS such formatting occurs when the target for the formatting process is "Macintosh HD." I am inclined to believe now that when I make this clean reinstallation, the new copy of OS X will be put on the SSD portion, as you state. I am aware that the moving of data back and forth from SSD to HD is outside user control.
Lowluster, thank you for answering my questions in such an organized fashion (that I can follow!). I feel confident now about proceeding even though not all questions are answered definitively.
Allan, I'm glad to know about fusing separately an SSD with an HD. It will be useful should I run into another user's desire to create a fusion drive. Thank you again.
David

Should I get standard hard drive or fusion drive on a new 21.5" iMac?

I'm thinking about getting a new 21.5" iMac. How do I decide whether to get the standard hard drive (5400 rpm) or the Fusion Drive? Besides Web surfing and email, I would be using it to play flash games, listen to Internet radio, and stream movies occasionally on Netflix.

@TmanW:
Technically you cannot control where data goes on the Fusion drive 100% of the time as in the case of a two drive setup (SSD + HDD), but you can tilt where the data goes by watching disk usage and also partioning. My understanding how the Fusion drive works from MacPerformanceGuide.com (where they tested the Fusion on a late 2012 27" iMac) is that as long as you do not have more the 112GB filled on the Fusion, the drive won't kick data to the HDD when peforming tasks that use more than the 4GB buffer. I interpret this to mean as long as I keep the capacity below this 112GB threshold, I am more likely to get SSD performance. And to keep things under this threshold, one could just use the Fusion drive for system and apps only and perhaps targeted file usage (working Photoshop files that would be transferred back to non-SSD storage afterwards).
MPG also tested the Fusion drive with a partition method that biases the first partition to be 2/3 SSD and in this scenario a user can effectively (though once again not 100%) target SSD usage most of the time.
Once I get my new iMac, prior to cloning my existing system on to the Fusion drive, I will see firsthand if these tests are true to form with their results.

HOW CLOSE CAN BEHRINGER TRUTH B2031A SPEAKERS BE TO A 2013 IMAC WITH FUSION DRIVE?

How close can you put studio speakers (specifically Behringer truth b2031a) to a 2013 imac? I know the speakers are sheilded but is it still safe right next to the computer? Will the fusion drive inside or a external be affected by the speakers? Anyone who has knowledge or experience in this topic your information would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

This was a concern expressed in this thread: Worrying reply to Apples FAQ on new Fusion Drive
However, Apple has since amended the FAQ, clarifying their earlier Fusion confusion.
Therefore I believe the answer is yes, you can add an external USB HD. If Apple would only state that explicitly in this document, it would eliminate all doubt.

Dead Fusion drive, brand new Late 2013 iMac. No status update from Apple.

Can someone let me know who I shouyld contact with regards to my below issue? I've spent hours upon hours trying to get my new iMac back from Apple store here in New York city, no success.
Purchased a new Late 2013 model 21" build-to-order iMac 3 months ago >
Hard drive partition corrupt within first month which required in store HD partition correction flash via genius bar >
HD hardware failed next month >
Genius appointment Feb 6 2014, was told new fusion drive was required and would take "2-3 days" >
7 days later I went in-store for status and was told they had no info and would call me with an update >
3 more days I go in store again after no call, still no status update >
Forced to purchase a new cheaper PC so I could keep working from home >
Now its 13-14 days later, I just spent over 2 more hours with Apple Support and still no results, now waiting for store Manager (“Matt”, W 14th St store in NYC) to call me. Its been 5 hours since my call this morning.
I have purchased a new computer as I work from home and cannot be without a computer fofr my job. This is ridiculous, I demanded a refund yet was told because I purchased from an authorized reseller (Tekserve - tekserve.com ) and not an actual Apple store, they cannot refund. Tekserve receipt states all support must go through Apple as it’s a build-to-order system. I paid over $1800 for this iMac (2.7GHZ quad core, 16gb RAM, Fusion drive etc..) a few months ago and it’s been the worst experience I’ve ever had with Apple in 7 years. Pi55ed off. Give me a new exact model iMac today OR give me a refund.
Apple employee, Look up the below repair ID, it'll have my cell phone number attached. Call me anytime with a solution. I've spent hours and hours on calls with Apple support with no results, no return calls from store manager.
Serial: D25LG******* / Repair ID R114745188

brettnyc wrote:
Thats my only option, I shall visit the store this evening and demand to see the manager.
Buying from an Authorized Apple reseller should never mean I get any less support than buying direct from Apple.
You're totally correct on both counts, when you ask to speak to the manager, even though you may be tempted to be angry the best approach to handling the situation is by being; calm, organzied and persistent. Bring all receipts, include names, times, places of who you spoke to and state your case.
I'm sure your issue will be addressed. In addition if you are in the US you can always call Apple's customer relations phone number, I believe the current number is 800-767-2775.
Good luck.
<Edited by Host>

Is there a way to run a external ssd with my mid 2011 iMac hdd in a raid configuration and basically have a fusion drive

is there a way to run a external ssd with my mid 2011 iMac hdd in a raid configuration and basically have a fusion drive

A Fusion Drive is not a RAID; it's a CoreStorage logical volume group. While it's technically possible to do as you suggest, there would be little or no benefit from it.

Fusion drive vs. sdd and external

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