Slave machine advice w/VE Pro. Mac Mini?

[James Steele]

Right... couldn't hurt anything to move a project over to it when I'm working on it and see. Although, I really need to get more SSDs! Especially one for my Sample Library. I would love the boost in instrument load times. But I have a 500GB conventional drive nearly full. I'd have to get an SSD at least that size... and even one that would leave some room for growth.

[Justin_K]

Thanks again for all your replies.

My main goal is to stop the overload during playback in DP whilst keeping a playable latency when composing.

I think I'm going to start by upgrading CPU, then step by step add SSDs as budget allows if the benefits are apparent.

Final question: So far OWC has been suggested. Is there a reason I should only be looking at this brand? Should I avoid Samsung for instance?

[HCMarkus]

So far OWC has been suggested. Is there a reason I should only be looking at this brand? Should I avoid Samsung for instance?

There are a ton of great, affordable SSDs now. Here's what Anandtech recommends:
http://www.anandtech.com/show/8783/best ... liday-2014

I like OWC for a lot of Mac stuff, but, IMO, OWC does not offer the best SSD performance/price ratio. If a drive with SandForce controller (as OWC uses) is preferred, I would recommend Intel SSDs. More reliable firmware, 1/2 the price of OWC. Again, use Trim on all SSDs; explore Trim Enabler by Cindori.

Another interesting option for Mac OS users is the "Fusion Drive", which can be created in Terminal using any SSD and HD. I run a Fusion drive setup in my laptop, but have never tried one in my studio Mac. The concept is cool: The OS automatically allocates data according to usage keeping data that is most-used on the SSD, less-used on the spinner. Writes smaller than 4GB are written to the SSD; this is the amount of free space always maintained on the SSD.

http://www.anandtech.com/show/6679/a-mo ... sion-drive

Here's one explanation of how to do it with any SSD and HD:
http://blog.macsales.com/17624-os-x-10- ... ipped-macs

The Fusion Drive could be a cool way to handle Sample data. As noted, I haven't tried it, but if budget is an issue, it could be worth a little experimentation. Works great on my Mac Book!

[Shooshie]

I like OWC for a lot of Mac stuff, but, IMO, OWC does not offer the best SSD performance/price ratio. If a drive with SandForce controller (as OWC uses) is preferred, I would recommend Intel SSDs. More reliable firmware, 1/2 the price of OWC. Again, use Trim on all SSDs; explore Trim Enabler by Cindori.

Another interesting option for Mac OS users is the "Fusion Drive", which can be created in Terminal using any SSD and HD. I run a Fusion drive setup in my laptop, but have never tried one in my studio Mac. The concept is cool: The OS automatically allocates data according to usage keeping data that is most-used on the SSD, less-used on the spinner. Writes smaller than 4GB are written to the SSD; this is the amount of free space always maintained on the SSD.

http://www.anandtech.com/show/6679/a-mo ... sion-drive

Here's one explanation of how to do it with any SSD and HD:
http://blog.macsales.com/17624-os-x-10- ... ipped-macs

The Fusion Drive could be a cool way to handle Sample data. As noted, I haven't tried it, but if budget is an issue, it could be worth a little experimentation. Works great on my Mac Book!

Very educational. Thanks!

Shooshie

[Justin_K]

Hello again.

I'm having difficulty finding a seller who will ship my CPU upgrade to Australia for a reasonable cost. (I'm getting fed-ex quotes of $200 and more!)

I've found this site, but I'm confused as to what I'm buying as there seems to be a few similar products.

Can someone point me in the right direction please?

Is this:
https://www.eoptionsonline.com/69y0849.html

the same as this?
https://www.eoptionsonline.com/69y0846.html

They are both x5680, but one says DDR3 etc...

A little confused

This company is at least more reasonable with shipping.

thanks again in advance for all your help.

[James Steele]

The Fusion Drive could be a cool way to handle Sample data. As noted, I haven't tried it, but if budget is an issue, it could be worth a little experimentation. Works great on my Mac Book!

This! We all have sample libraries we favor and use more often than others. Those could be on the SSD, and the nifty free Waterbell library I downloaded just to collect stuff and never use could be on the spinner.

[HCMarkus]

The Fusion Drive could be a cool way to handle Sample data. As noted, I haven't tried it, but if budget is an issue, it could be worth a little experimentation. Works great on my Mac Book!

This! We all have sample libraries we favor and use more often than others. Those could be on the SSD, and the nifty free Waterbell library I downloaded just to collect stuff and never use could be on the spinner.

Exactly.

[HCMarkus]

Hello again.

I'm having difficulty finding a seller who will ship my CPU upgrade to Australia for a reasonable cost. (I'm getting fed-ex quotes of $200 and more!) I've found this site, but I'm confused as to what I'm buying as there seems to be a few similar products. Can someone point me in the right direction please?

Is this:
https://www.eoptionsonline.com/69y0849.html

the same as this?
https://www.eoptionsonline.com/69y0846.html

Looks like it, but the more expensive one says "IBM", and I have no idea what IBM has to do with this Intel CPU. Unfortunately, when I tried adding to the shopping art, the website reports "out of stock" for both listings.

Maybe these guys can point you in the direction of an Aussie used CPU reseller… https://www.ramcity.com.au

[Justin_K]

thanks again!

[Justin_K]

After making dozens of phone calls to Mac "techs' I can;t seem to find anyone who has the skill to swap out my CPU. Some just won't do it, others advised against it.

I'm slowly educating myself and I may even attempt the swap by myself. It doesn't look too hard provided I'm careful.

I have some more questions.. if anyone has more time for me!

I've watched some upgrade videos on YouTube. One regarding having to remove a soldered cover from the CPU... with an iron??!!

How do I know the CPU I am buying has that cover on it or not?

Quite confused.

[HCMarkus]

After making dozens of phone calls to Mac "techs' I can;t seem to find anyone who has the skill to swap out my CPU. Some just won't do it, others advised against it.

It's seems to be a bit of a headache and I wonder if it's worth my time and money?

Any other comments re: my initial plan for using Mac Minis as slaves?

I'll offer you one last encouragement: Dude, it is SO worth it! And SO easy on your 5,1 dual CPU Mac Pro!

And if you just can't bring yourself to try it on your own, don't call a Mac Tech. Call someone who builds PCs. Anyone who has built a PC (and they abound) can do this in 20 minutes (well, maybe 40 for a dual CPU machine). Here is how they will do it:

Remove CPU Tray from Mac Pro
Unscrew Allen bolts (captive, so they won't get lost) and lift off the two CPU heatsinks
Unclamp the old CPUs and remove (probably after cleaning old thermal paste off the old CPUs)
Clean the old thermal paste off both heatsinks with cleaning fluid
Drop new CPUs into the CPU holders and clamp into place
Apply thermal paste to new CPUs
Reinstall CPU heatsinks and tighten Allen bolts.
Replace CPU tray
Turn it on and dig it.

If your installer wants to be a little more cautious, he can install CPU A and test before installing CPU B. Mac will boot with a single CPU, but fans will roar to top speed shortly thereafter.

Just like this x 2 for your dual cpu Mac:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5p08Oh--TaU
Note Geekbench before and after scores at end of video.

Here are the details:
http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=1122551

I upgraded my single CPU 4,1 Mac in minutes. I had only installed two CPUs in my life before I did my Mac. It is actually incredibly rewarding, which is why I am such a cheerleader, and that Geekbench Multicore Score boost translates directly into more DP horsepower.

Caveat for 4,1 Dual CPU Owners Only: Not as easy on 4,1 duals, but still doable.

I'll shut up now. But thanks for listening. And have a nice day.

[Justin_K]

Thanks once more.

I'm gonna do it!

[mikehalloran]

Hello again.

I'm having difficulty finding a seller who will ship my CPU upgrade to Australia for a reasonable cost. (I'm getting fed-ex quotes of $200 and more!)...

That's insane -- except it's FedEx.

Have any seller ship USPS. There's Priority and Global Express which, believe it or not, is handled by FedEx under contract to USPS. It's not cheap to ship to Australia but USPS is far more reasonable.

The size of the box is more important than the weight when calculating shipping. This was always true with USPS. On January 1, both FedEx and ups changed their pricing to add size surcharges for smaller boxes than they used to. In any case, the seller must know the package dimensions to give you an accurate quote.

[Justin_K]

Upgrade done.

All good!!

Thanks for all your assistance.

[HCMarkus]

Upgrade done.

All good!!

Thanks for all your assistance.