Does anyone know offhand what the specs are on the hard drives in the new iMacs? Specifically, the RPMs and the cache size? Are these the same specs across all capacities, including f.ex. the 500GB ones? TIA!
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Hard drive in the new iMacs?
- Thread starter OldCorpse
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Well, not sure this helps but I know the 250GB and 320GB are both 7200rpm. My guess is the 500GB is either 7200 or 5400rpm.
Just found that the 500GB is also 7200rpm
Thank you guys! Fantastic. Any idea if the cache is 16MB or 8MB? I'm asking about the specs, because I want to make sure I understand what they are selling, so I can make apples to apples (yes, pun, sorry) comparison:
I noticed Apple wants $149 for the 500GB HDD option - which is odd, in that I can buy a 500GB SATA drive for around $100, and then I'd still have the 250/320GB one left as an external. I mean what's the deal here? The DIY route leaves me $50+250GB external drive richer than asking Apple for a 500GB BTO.
I noticed Apple wants $149 for the 500GB HDD option - which is odd, in that I can buy a 500GB SATA drive for around $100, and then I'd still have the 250/320GB one left as an external. I mean what's the deal here? The DIY route leaves me $50+250GB external drive richer than asking Apple for a 500GB BTO.
The deal is that you are not paying for labor and you are assuming the risk that if you break something it will not be covered by warranty. If you are comfortable with that you can save a lot of money.
I've not seen anything to indicate that the drives that can have either 8mb or 16mb cache have 16. So the 320GB and 500GB likely still come with 8mb cache.
In addition to what emptyCup said, these sort of add ons are where the vendors can make some serious money. Remember they are a business not your friend
there is another thread about DIY HDD in an iMac. Long and short, don't do it. Not worth the headache and especially the risk. Pay the few bucks extra for the biggest internal drive you can afford. The stock drive is probably fine in most cases anyway. If you have large video files, they should be on external.
I went for the 750 because I have large Sound Effects Libraries and I want to have various DVD images on the internal drive. Still, I don't see myself getting near 750 anytime soon. Still, nothing will come close to the speed of an internal SATA drive -- so I was willing to spend a few extra bucks just in case I need the space down the line.
I went for the 750 because I have large Sound Effects Libraries and I want to have various DVD images on the internal drive. Still, I don't see myself getting near 750 anytime soon. Still, nothing will come close to the speed of an internal SATA drive -- so I was willing to spend a few extra bucks just in case I need the space down the line.
Fair enough. I was looking for a music/film editing rig without spending as much as I'd have to do for a MP. The key variables for me are RAM and a fast HDD. I figured it would be cheaper if I can get an iMac and bump up the RAM on my own, and was hoping to do the same with the HDD, especially if I can put in something better specced than what Apple is likely to put in. However, if going DIY on the HDD is not a good idea, I'll resist (incidentally, I did change the HDD in my mini on my own without a problem, so that emboldened me).
The specs of the 500 GB in my iMac
Rotational Speed 7,200 RPM (nominal)
Buffer Size 16 MB
Average Latency 4.20 ms (nominal)
Start/Stop Cycles 50,000 minimum
More here:
http://www.wdc.com/en/products/Products.asp?DriveID=301
Rotational Speed 7,200 RPM (nominal)
Buffer Size 16 MB
Average Latency 4.20 ms (nominal)
Start/Stop Cycles 50,000 minimum
More here:
http://www.wdc.com/en/products/Products.asp?DriveID=301
Ah, brilliant, imacan! Thank you for this. Of course, the maker of the HDD is also important. I'm glad it's not a Maxtor. I guess WD are OK, along with Seagate. I know they make 10K RMP, but I think in smaller capacities drives.
i've got the seagate in mine - ST3500630AS
Key Features and Benefits
SATA 3Gb/s interface
Perpendicular recording technology for maximum drive capacity and reliability
16-MB cache buffer
Ultra-fast performance
Superb reliability
Whisper-quiet operation
Enhanced G-Force Protection against handling damage
78 MB/s maximum sustained data transfer rate
Clean Sweep calibration and Directed Offline scan diagnostics
RoHS (restriction of hazardous substances) compliant
5-year warranty
-----------------------------
Model Number ST3500630AS
Interface SATA 3.0Gb/s
Cache 16 MBytes
Capacity 500 GB
Guaranteed Sectors 976,773,168
Spindle Speed 7,200 rpm
Average latency 4.16 msec
Random read seek time <8.5 msec
Random write seek time <10.0 msec
Key Features and Benefits
SATA 3Gb/s interface
Perpendicular recording technology for maximum drive capacity and reliability
16-MB cache buffer
Ultra-fast performance
Superb reliability
Whisper-quiet operation
Enhanced G-Force Protection against handling damage
78 MB/s maximum sustained data transfer rate
Clean Sweep calibration and Directed Offline scan diagnostics
RoHS (restriction of hazardous substances) compliant
5-year warranty
-----------------------------
Model Number ST3500630AS
Interface SATA 3.0Gb/s
Cache 16 MBytes
Capacity 500 GB
Guaranteed Sectors 976,773,168
Spindle Speed 7,200 rpm
Average latency 4.16 msec
Random read seek time <8.5 msec
Random write seek time <10.0 msec
Most of the 500GB ones are 16MB cache. Seagates and WD, but I've seen a Hitachi as well. The 320GB one that I last worked on was a WD, but it was 8MB cache.
I do Mac support for a very large company BTW.
I do Mac support for a very large company BTW.
1 Tera drive
All iMac models include standard 3.5-inch Serial ATA hard drives that run at 7200 revolutions per minute (rpm). Your hard drive will come already formatted with the Mac OS Extended file format for efficient storage of your data.
I got the above from the apple store. I ordered my iMac with the terabyte drive.
My question.. is this one drive or two 500's? Does anyone know... thanks..
All iMac models include standard 3.5-inch Serial ATA hard drives that run at 7200 revolutions per minute (rpm). Your hard drive will come already formatted with the Mac OS Extended file format for efficient storage of your data.
I got the above from the apple store. I ordered my iMac with the terabyte drive.
My question.. is this one drive or two 500's? Does anyone know... thanks..
Ordered a 500GB direct from Apple, and my system information shows this:
ST3500630AS Q:
Capacity: 465.76 GB
Model: ST3500630AS Q
Revision: 3.BTH
As for doing the upgrade on your own, you'd have to look at the post from (Tom Sawyer, I believe) as Sirmausalot mentioned. I thought about it, and I know where you're coming from. As comfortable as I am with the innards of a PC, these all-in-one designs are a completely different matter. Decided the extra $100 was not a worth the risk compared to the potential damage I might have done if I were to open up the iMac myself.
ST3500630AS Q:
Capacity: 465.76 GB
Model: ST3500630AS Q
Revision: 3.BTH
As for doing the upgrade on your own, you'd have to look at the post from (Tom Sawyer, I believe) as Sirmausalot mentioned. I thought about it, and I know where you're coming from. As comfortable as I am with the innards of a PC, these all-in-one designs are a completely different matter. Decided the extra $100 was not a worth the risk compared to the potential damage I might have done if I were to open up the iMac myself.
Thank you everybody for the fantastic replies, there's a ton of information here!
I noticed that Seagate has the 1TB drives out there with a massive 32MB cache! Here's a link from newegg:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...1c3grabb3r-_-Hard+Drives-_-Seagate-_-22148278
The specs on this thing are insane! 3.0Gb/s - that's insanely fast. I don't know if Apple is selling the latest and greatest drives out there, but this drive is very good news. I mean, this is plenty for music/film work as your primary drive (of course you'll still need externals).
Dear fellow mac users - THESE ARE GOOD TIMES! I wouldn't mind for the price of the 1TB drives to come down, but in time, I'm sure they will
I noticed that Seagate has the 1TB drives out there with a massive 32MB cache! Here's a link from newegg:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...1c3grabb3r-_-Hard+Drives-_-Seagate-_-22148278
The specs on this thing are insane! 3.0Gb/s - that's insanely fast. I don't know if Apple is selling the latest and greatest drives out there, but this drive is very good news. I mean, this is plenty for music/film work as your primary drive (of course you'll still need externals).
Dear fellow mac users - THESE ARE GOOD TIMES! I wouldn't mind for the price of the 1TB drives to come down, but in time, I'm sure they will
IMHO it makes a great deal of sense to upgrade - do it BTO (unless you are comfortable DIY). Upgrading after the fact is a pain should you find you need more space (and I always find I need more space). You want your primary drive to be as large as possible, to futureproof your machine. And yes, the cache is important - the bigger the cache, the faster your drive, which is not only a factor in everyday use, but crucially important if you want to do any music or film editing.