Opinions on using two HDDs in stripping mode as boot drive(s) on Mac Mini (mid 2011)

[sotosoul]

Hello dears,
I own a mid-2011 Mac Mini which had a faulty 500 GB hard disk and I replaced with one 1 TB drive. Wanting to put the second data connector to use, I've been thinking to add a second hard drive (1 TB), repartition them both in "stripped" mode so that the OS will be seeing them as one 2TB partition and then reinstall the OS.
Will the computer be any faster with this RAID-like configuration?
SSD drives are above my budget (the 1TB WD drive costs 62 euros) and I can really put the extra TB in good use.
So?
Any other comments/suggestions? 2TB drives are too thick (15 mm) to fit in the mini for now.

 

[COrocket]

Yes, it will be quicker and your sequential read/writes should approach double the speed. So loading large files and booting should be quicker. However, you still will not get the random access speeds which are a hallmark of SSD's and make the system feel "snappier".

FYI, 2TB drives are now available in the standard 2.5" 9.5MM height from seagate if you really need to maximize the drive space in your mini http://www.seagate.com/about/newsro...ivision-ships-2tb-storage-solution-pr-master/

 

[xlii]

Add a ssd and configure the 2 drives as one fusion drive.

 

[satcomer]

You could use something like the OWC Data Doubler for Mac Mini. You can even look at the install videos .

 

[sotosoul]

You could use something like the OWC Data Doubler for Mac Mini. You can even look at the install videos .

Thanks satcomer, but it is too expensive. I have already ordered one kit for less than 13 euros. eBay

 

[satcomer]

Thanks satcomer, but it is too expensive. I have already ordered one kit for less than 13 euros. eBay

Plus if you are using Mavericks and are thinking of making a DIY Fusion Drive then look at forum post by Dark Dragoon DIY 10.9 Fusion Setup because the other versions for DIY Fusion Drives are for 10.8 ONLY.

 

[sotosoul]

Hello again,
I finally connected two 1TB drives internally, backed up my files and repartitioned them as one 2-TB "stripped RAID volume". I had prepared a bootable SD card with Mavericks, which I used to reinstall the OS. I hereby present the findings, in case somebody else is interested:
1) NO RECOVERY PARTITION (with bold capital letters). Apple does not support it on RAID volumes, which means no FileVault (some folks could live without it) and no Find My Mac (I'd rather have it, because... you never know...).
2) No recovery partition means no disk/OS recovery without an external drive, properly prepared.
3) System does run faster, yet not as fast as if it had an SSD.
4) The SATA connector cost 14€ and the 1TB 9.5mm Western Digital Blue drive cost 62€.

 

[El Hikaru]

Hello again,
I finally connected two 1TB drives internally, backed up my files and repartitioned them as one 2-TB "stripped RAID volume". I had prepared a bootable SD card with Mavericks, which I used to reinstall the OS. I hereby present the findings, in case somebody else is interested:
1) NO RECOVERY PARTITION (with bold capital letters). Apple does not support it on RAID volumes, which means no FileVault (some folks could live without it) and no Find My Mac (I'd rather have it, because... you never know...).
2) No recovery partition means no disk/OS recovery without an external drive, properly prepared.
3) System does run faster, yet not as fast as if it had an SSD.
4) The SATA connector cost 14€ and the 1TB 9.5mm Western Digital Blue drive cost 62€.

Excellent report!
Confirmed result is very valuable amount educated guesses.

 

[paulrbeers]

Hello again,
I finally connected two 1TB drives internally, backed up my files and repartitioned them as one 2-TB "stripped RAID volume". I had prepared a bootable SD card with Mavericks, which I used to reinstall the OS. I hereby present the findings, in case somebody else is interested:
1) NO RECOVERY PARTITION (with bold capital letters). Apple does not support it on RAID volumes, which means no FileVault (some folks could live without it) and no Find My Mac (I'd rather have it, because... you never know...).
2) No recovery partition means no disk/OS recovery without an external drive, properly prepared.
3) System does run faster, yet not as fast as if it had an SSD.
4) The SATA connector cost 14€ and the 1TB 9.5mm Western Digital Blue drive cost 62€.

Not to mention you doubled your failure rate by running "RAID 0"

 

[IllIllIll]

Not to mention you doubled your failure rate by running "RAID 0"

And "stripping" is something you do in a gentleman's club. "Striping" is what you do with RAID 0.

 

[haravikk]

NO RECOVERY PARTITION

Actually that's up to you, though you're a bit late to easily fix it; what you needed to do was create the recovery partition (one for each drive), then only RAID the remaining space of each drive.

The easiest way to do this is start with both disks erased and to install OS X with the installer onto each one, as this will create a recovery partition for both drives. Once that's done you wipe the two Macintosh HD partitions and turn them into a RAID volume. At this point you can enable FileVault just fine if you want to.

If you were going for a mirrored array then this even has the added benefit of giving you a redundant recovery partition, with a striped array it's still handy of course if you lose the array when a disk fails, so you can recover once you've replaced the failed drive.

 

[drsox]

And "stripping" is something you do in a gentleman's club. "Striping" is what you do with RAID 0.

Surely it is what one watches not what one does ! Unless MacRumors users are performers also of course.