New iMac due out??

[ToyotaNSaturn]

Originally Posted By: DrDusty86
The MAC hard drives are HORRIBLE in my experience... Mine is a late 2010 Pro getting #4 replaced as I type....PURE JUNK!
RUN away. my next computer is going to be HP again.. I love em'


I bet they were Seagate hard drives.

Apple notifies owners of Seagate HD recall:
http://www.macrumors.com/2012/10/19/appl...d-drive-recall/

 

[Hokiefyd]

Our 2007 iMac still has its original 500 GB HDD. I don't know the manufacturer, but it's spinning along great. The entire system is backed up with TimeMachine, so it's not as if it's a big issue when it does fail, which, as is the case with all HDDs, is inevitable.

When it eventually does fail, I'll put a SSD in it.

 

[Hokiefyd]

Okay, NOW Apple has unveiled a new iMac:

http://www.apple.com/imac/

Looks like the same screen sizes will be offered, 21.5" and 27". Looks like the same Intel Core i5 and i7 processors, new nVidia graphics, and an interesting new Fusion Drive option, which appears to be a combination of traditional hard disk drive technology and solid state hardware.

New physical footprint (a much thinner edge) and new levels of energy efficiency. More RAM is now standard as well (8 GB). They look like solid products.

 

[MrHorspwer]

Originally Posted By: Hokiefyd
Looks like the same Intel Core i5 and i7 processors, new nVidia graphics, and an interesting new Fusion Drive option, which appears to be a combination of traditional hard disk drive technology and solid state hardware.


The processors are new too. The old ones were based on Intel's Sandy Bridge platform. The new ones are Ivy Bridge. Ivy Bridge processors offer an ~10% bump in performance at the same clock speed vs. Sandy Bridge parts, while using less power doing it.

Fusion Drive it what intrigued me most. It's uses two physical drives, an SSD and a HDD, so it's not like a single hybrid drive. It also uses each drive individually, so it's not like it uses the SSD as a cache. I really don't think there's anything else like this, that can look at an SSD+HDD as a single volume, but still install components on each drive individually and dynamically change where the programs are hosted on an as-needed basis. Cool stuff.

 

[PandaBear]

Originally Posted By: MrHorspwer
Fusion Drive it what intrigued me most. It's uses two physical drives, an SSD and a HDD, so it's not like a single hybrid drive. It also uses each drive individually, so it's not like it uses the SSD as a cache. I really don't think there's anything else like this, that can look at an SSD+HDD as a single volume, but still install components on each drive individually and dynamically change where the programs are hosted on an as-needed basis. Cool stuff.


My guess is this is mainly handled in the OS. Most likely there's some intelligence to put large media file like movies and photos on the mechanical drive and the OS and application related stuff in the SSD. I wonder what would the drive looks like if you install Windows on it.

 

[ToyotaNSaturn]

The technology is labeled Intel Smart Response Technology, first available on the Sandy Bridge platform

http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/article/Intel-Smart-Response-Technology-Explained/1292

 

[MrHorspwer]

Originally Posted By: ToyotaNSaturn
The technology is labeled Intel Smart Response Technology, first available on the Sandy Bridge platform

http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/article/Intel-Smart-Response-Technology-Explained/1292


Apple discussed the Fusion Drive and indicated that it is not a type of drive caching, which is what Intel SRT is, and it is not a form of RAID. The magic all happens at the OS level.

The best comparison to existing tech is automatic tiered storage in enterprise systems. From Ars Technica:

Quote:
Based on Schiller's explanation, Fusion Drive sounds similar. In a caching solution, like Intel's, files live on the hard disk drive and are temporarily mirrored to the SSD cache as needed. In an enterprise auto-tiering situation, and with Fusion Drive, the data is actually moved from one tier to another, rather than only being temporarily cached there.