Mac Pro Tower -> nMP Upgrade Tips for Dummies

[monkey man]

How do I replicate a system such as the following using Darth Vader's headgear?

2012 12C Mac Pro with 40G and Xeon 5680 upgrade (still waiting on chips)
4 internal WD Caviar Black HDs and 1 SSD (in optical bay) in JBOD config (only one I understand)
13 USB ports - 2 4-port USB3 cards for guitar gear, synths etc., iLock, portable USB3 HD backup and so on, plus the standard ports for MOTU MIDI and keyboard/mouse as I can't use wireless (health)

I'm talking value for money, placement, pitfalls and so on... all for complete luddites such as the Monkster.

Only one stipulation: No fans other than whatever's in the nMP.

Thank you in advance, fellow Unicorns!

[MIDI Life Crisis]

No really cheap way to do it. I opted for SATA docks for my multiple internal drives. kingwin makes some nice 7 port USB hubs. My FW and DVI peripherals all required ThunderBolt converters. I think I spent about $500 USD beyond the cost of the Mac Pro to get all my components connected after moving from my 2008 8 core. Once it was all done it was/is just amazing.

[monkey man]

Doh! DVI not standard either? Hmm...
I'd need 2 of those USB hubs (USB3 I hope), a SATA dock and a TB to DVI adapter, by the sound of it.

$500US doesn't seem quite as much as I'd have thought, although it'd be a little more 'cause of the 2nd USB dock. The less this stuff costs, the more doable the upgrade becomes, of course.

Any fans in these enclosures / peripherals or whatever they're called?

Thank you, Magilla.

[mikehalloran]

No fans other than whatever's in the nMP.

The four WD drives will each have to be in its own dock unless the TB dock can show both drives. Specs seem to indicate they can. Even then, the Caviar Black is a very warm drive – the sooner you get those replaced with SSDs, the cooler your studio will be.

TB Dock
http://www.highpoint-tech.com/USA_new/s ... erview.htm

Otherwise, USB 3 docks are readily available from many sources – one drive to a customer. USB dual drive docks will only show one drive – the reason for two spaces is so that you can copy from one to the other.

Doh! DVI not standard either?

Hasn't been in a long time. The Apple adapters are easy. Others are available.

[MIDI Life Crisis]

Yeah the Kingwin stuff is USB3. The trash can has two HDMI ports but if your using two DVIs then the HDMI port is not going to give you a third video out. My dual TB as well as dual USB3 docks do show up with both drives inserted but not every time. There's also a bug in 10.10.2 with some TB and USB docks where you can eject the disk from the desktop and even remove it from the dock safely but if you just eject it from the desktop and shut the power to the dock it can create a kernel panic and shut down the Mac. Apple is aware of the problem, which does not exist in 10.10.1.

[monkey man]

Yeah the Kingwin stuff is USB3. The trash can has two HDMI ports but if your using two DVIs then the HDMI port is not going to give you a third video out. My dual TB as well as dual USB3 docks do show up with both drives inserted but not every time. There's also a bug in 10.10.2 with some TB and USB docks where you can eject the disk from the desktop and even remove it from the dock safely but if you just eject it from the desktop and shut the power to the dock it can create a kernel panic and shut down the Mac. Apple is aware of the problem, which does not exist in 10.10.1.

Oh joy! USB3. That's the stuff.

Just 1 DVI. Not enough space between my speakers for a 2nd monitor; that's how it'll have to always be, as the edges of the Dell display borderline impinge upon a clear path from my beloved cone flappers.

Ahh... so that's why you reverted to 10.1.1, eh? Colonic... I mean colonel panics ain't a good thing; even I know that much.

Thank you, Magilla. You da big, scary ape, and you can sleep wherever in the jungle you please. Just not with me. Or near me. Now, where'd I leave that nose peg?

No fans other than whatever's in the nMP.

The four WD drives will each have to be in its own dock unless the TB dock can show both drives..

I don't understand this, Mike. Four drives each in its own... TB dock show both (meaning 2?).

EDIT: After reading your link, I think I get it, if the HighPoint one is what you're talking about.

Specs seem to indicate they can. Even then, the Caviar Black is a very warm drive – the sooner you get those replaced with SSDs, the cooler your studio will be.

2T each, soon to be upgraded to 3T each. I think that's too big (if not expensive) for SSD for me, correct?

Provided I can use a utility like "Keep Drive Spinning", which I use now, I can set them all to auto-sleep except for, say, the audio one. Can one do this stuff even if they're mounted externally? Would a fan in the dock be necessary if out of the multiple drives installed, only one or two are active most of the time (audio & samples)? Occasionally I backup by copying between these drives - data folder (iTunes, setup & software etc.), audio and sample drives. Would fanless still be OK for these weekly / monthly transfers, if indeed it's even OK in the former scenario?

TB Dock
http://www.highpoint-tech.com/USA_new/s ... erview.htm

Wow, that looks amazing. Pity it's HighPoint, 'cause I'm giving away (actually, throwing out) my HPT Rocket USB3 4 port PCI card. iLock doesn't work, drives don't eject properly and DU functionality is curtailed. I've the "new" Sonnet one on its way. I persisted with patience and driver updates but no longer have much faith in HPT. The Sonnet one at least doesn't require driver installation, which gives me hope. That is, If I stick with the tower....

The fact that this dock looks so open suggests it'd be fanless. That'd be cool, at least. As you said, I'd need two. They look kinda dust-prone and dicky 'though. I'd pictured something more akin to a tower where the drives are in horizontal bays and'd be protected from the outside world (and quieter), which is why I asked about fan/s.

See, I told you I'm a dummy (in another thread, folks), and implied it in the thread title for good measure.

Otherwise, USB 3 docks are readily available from many sources – one drive to a customer. USB dual drive docks will only show one drive – the reason for two spaces is so that you can copy from one to the other.

My USB backup drives are buss-powered portables which I store in soft cases. That's my primitive backup method. I don't know any better!

Doh! DVI not standard either?

Hasn't been in a long time. The Apple adapters are easy. Others are available.

A-ha! This must be a trick - something simple I actually understand. What's the catch? LOL

Gee, thank you for chiming in, Mike. Very much appreciated.

[mikehalloran]

There's also a bug in 10.10.2 with some TB and USB docks where you can eject the disk from the desktop and even remove it from the dock safely but if you just eject it from the desktop and shut the power to the dock it can create a kernel panic and shut down the Mac.

I use an eSATA Dock and there's no way to eject is at all except to shut down my Mac, turn off the dock and then swap drives.

Although I understand the convenience of being able to eject – and think that Apple should correct this – it wouldn't be a deal killer for me.

2T each, soon to be upgraded to 3T each. I think that's too big (if not expensive) for SSD for me, correct?

None available (yet?)

The fact that this dock looks so open suggests it'd be fanless. That'd be cool, at least. As you said, I'd need two. They look kinda dust-prone and dicky 'though. I'd pictured something more akin to a tower where the drives are in horizontal bays and'd be protected from the outside world (and quieter), which is why I asked about fan/s.

These units rely on ambient air cooling – no fans. I have two eSATA/USB 2 units that have been in continuous service since 2010. Perhaps it's the part of California where I live but dust has not been an issue. Even if it were, the drive just lifts out (with the dock off) and sets back in – you could wipe it down in a few seconds.

There may be other, fanless solutions. These are the ones that I know. My pet peeve is heat. After I became handicapped in 2009, my G5 heat pump became unacceptable to me which is why I upgraded. I am convinced that the savings on air conditioning over the years paid for my iMac. Booting from an SSD dropped the temp even more so that its fans come on only on hot summer days.

I don't like external devices with fans. They dissipate the heat, true, but add more of their own. The lower noise floor is a plus, of course.

[monkey man]

I wholeheartedly concur, Mike.

I use neither aircon nor heating and am therefore always open to more "temp-neutral" solutions. At least the boot drive would be (the nMP's) SSD. With a "universal" dock such as you've recommended, there'd thankfully be the option of replacing the SATAs with SSDs over time (as if there's any other way!).

This all looks kinda promising; I'm pleasantly surprised as I was under the impression it'd cost a whole lot more. Is there any point worrying about whether or not Apple will continue down this path? It's just that having to make so many changes to my setup obviously brings with it the question of the longevity of the paradigitizm. Thoughts?

[MIDI Life Crisis]

So why is he Mile and I'm Magilla? Oh yeah, poo. Carry on... lol

[mikehalloran]

Gazing into my scratched, second hand, discount crystal ball...

I think that the next version of the nMP won't be released until Apple has the usb 3.1 chip sets -- that has to be the hold-up. Perhaps an onboard 2T SSD will be available now that OWC has an aftermarket blade available. Better graphics cards that can handle 4K over one pipe, one would hope. I expect an evolutionary update.

The nMP is an unqualified success for Apple. Their Texas subcontractor hired 1,200 people to build it and there haven't been any layoffs.

Switching to an SSD put off my need to upgrade for awhile. Still, when I do, I'd like to consider the nMP. The current version (with three years AppleCare) would certainly meet my needs. I wouldn't mind 2T onboard, however.

[MIDI Life Crisis]

What does nMP stand for?

[MIDI Life Crisis]

Yeah the Kingwin stuff is USB3.

Oh joy! USB3. That's the stuff.

Um... at the NewEgg site, one of the Kingpin hubs is for sale. Can you find the typo? I did call them and they'll update the page. In the mean time...

[mikehalloran]

Damn, sometimes I'd like a protector for that!

[bayswater]

one of the Kingpin hubs is for sale. Can you find the typo?

Is this it?

[MIDI Life Crisis]

That and the 7 port version. The 7 port version IQ ports don't work for access, only charging. The aluminum version does allow access to the USB ports.ay be an OS error. The mfg was surprised it wasn't working but confirmed it.