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A Tale of Two Drives

Friday, August 28th, 2009 | Author: OWC Grant

Seems like lately I’m playing a fun game of “he said” with OWC Chris S. In this installment, I once again have to commend Chris for his well phrased examination on all the features and benefits offered by the Mercury Elite-AL Pro “Triple mealp_onscreen0409Interface” single bay storage solution.

However, that was back in late July and the “now” news is about lower prices on the “Dual Interface” version of this professional grade storage solution. Featuring FireWire 400 and USB 2.0 interfaces and capacity from 80GB to 2.0TB starting at just $74.99, you just can’t find a better combination of value, performance, and award winning “buy with confidence” reputation in Mac or PC desktop storage.

Here’s a quick “tale of the tape”:

  • Oxford 934SSA based performance bridge solution
  • Two 1394A pin 6 pin FireWire 400 ports, One USB 2.0 port
  • FireWire 400 and USB 2.0 connecting cables included
  • Up to 32MB drive cache
  • Fully bootable and ideal for applications, A/V, photos, music, etc.
  • Certified for Audio/Video and Time Machine
  • Compact, shock resistant Aluminum design
  • $200 retail value utility bundle: Prosoft DataBackup III (OS X), NovaStor NovaBackup (Windows), Carbon Copy Cloner (OS X), and Intech Speedtools (8.6-10.5.x)
  • Fully Mac & PC compatible
  • Industry leading 3 year Solution Warranty

So, now that I’ve got your attention, let’s get to the main course…bring on the models!

80GB 7200RPM with 8MB Data Buffer $74.99
160GB 7200RPM with 8MB Data Buffer $ 89.99
250GB 7200RPM with 16MB Data Buffer $ 95.99
320GB 7200RPM with 16MB Data Buffer $ 97.99
500GB 7200RPM with 16MB Data Buffer $107.99
750GB 7200RPM with 32MB Data Buffer $134.99
1.0TB 7200RPM with 16MB Data Buffer $137.99
1.0TB 7200RPM with 32MB Data Buffer $149.99
1.0TB Enterprise 7200RPM 32MB Buffer  $189.99
1.5TB 7200RPM with 32MB Data Buffer $194.99
2.0TB GreenPower w/32MB Data Buffer $299.99 (A $30 drop!)

All of the above models can be found at: http://eshop.macsales.com/shop/firewire/1394/USB/EliteAL/400+USB2/

And if you’re a DIY’er, we even offer 0GB “Add Your Own Drive” Kits from $49.99 so you can build a solution with your own supplied hard drive! And of course, we offer the resources you need to make that install easy like free installation videos in our Tech Support area.

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Category: Product Spotlight, Special OWC Deals

Snow Leopard changes the way we look at Gigabytes (and megabytes, and kilobytes, as well).

Friday, August 28th, 2009 | Author: OWC Chris S.

gigabyte_difference

For a long time, there’s been an interesting discrepancy between the capacity listed on a hard drive’s label and the capacity reported by the computer. For example, attaching a 250GB hard drive would show up in the system as having 232.74GB available. Many would chalk it up to “formatting.” While the formatting information takes up some space, 17GB is a little excessive for formatting data. So where did this other space go?

The real culprit here is the discrepancy between base-10 mathematics (how most of us count) and binary (aka “base-2″) counting. To drive manufacturers, a kilobyte was 1000 bytes, a megabyte was 1000 kilobytes and a gigabyte was 1000 megabytes.

However, computers don’t natively use base-10; they use a base-2 system. To them, a kilobyte is defined as 1024 (which is 210) bytes, a megabyte is 1024 kilobytes, and a gigabyte is 1024 megabytes.

This methodology worked fine for many years; after all, 1024 isn’t TOO far off from 1000. As drive capacities increased, however, this became more and more pronounced. Drive manufacturers were defining “gigabyte” as 1,000,000,000 bytes (1000 x 1000 x 1000), while computers recognized a gigabyte as 1,073,741,824 bytes (1024 x 1024 x 1024). Every gigabyte added to a drive exacerbated the problem, adding 73,741,824 bytes to the discrepancy.

Snow Leopard, though, changes this. Instead of simply reporting the base-2 number for a unit of drive space, it converts it to an easier-to-understand base-10 number – the same way it is measured by drive manufacturers. In easier terms: a 500GB drive shows up as 500GB in the Finder, rather than 463.13GB.

Of course, this doesn’t mean that you magically get more drive space. You still have the same number of bytes (the base unit) to deal with. The number of bytes that make up larger increments has just changed. Of course, this change in measurement is applied across the board in the finder. All your files will seem “larger,” even though they all have the same number of bytes in them. For example, here’s a pair of screen shots of a folder in my music library.

sizes

These shots are of the same files, in the same folder, on the same drive. In 10.6, though, they’re reported as being “larger.” But are they? The main folder shows up as having 308,937,619 bytes in both systems. The only difference is the 10.5 uses base-2 for its measurement, and 10.6 uses base-10. In 10.5, a megabyte is 1,048,576 bytes. In 10.6, it’s an even 1,000,000. Divide 308,937,619 by both of those, and you can see how the Finder in each OS arrived at its figure.

This may be a bit confusing for a while – after all, we’ve kind of gotten used to things the way they were. There is a bright point, though: now you don’t have to ask where all that space went when you install or attach your new hard drive.

For more information, you can check out this Apple KnowledgeBase article.

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Category: Fresh from Apple, Tech Tips
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Snow Leopard Released Today – Preliminary Testing Shows: This cat is fast!

Friday, August 28th, 2009 | Author: OWC Michael

SnowLeopardBoxandDesktopApple’s latest and greatest operating system Mac OS X Snow Leopard hit the shelves this morning and the optimization on the back end is absolutely incredible.

Now that the official version is in our hot little hands, we’ll be hard at work here at the OWC labs testing and benchmarking all the compatible machines.  As each set of results is finalized, I’ll be posting the findings here first. So make sure you keep an eye on our blog for the very latest information.

As reported by OWC Chris S. on Wednesday, Adobe did drop their support of Adobe Creative Suite CS3 for Snow Leopard.  Photoshop CS3 was a standard in our memory benchmarking suite for the past several years.

One of the tests we’ve run is the OWC Super-Photoshop Test, which was created as an extended test to our 21 Step Photoshop Action Test. The OWC Super-Photoshop Test measures the time (in seconds) it takes to execute a custom action script comprising of 47 commonly-used, memory-intensive processes on a 21 megapixel image using Adobe Photoshop. It is designed to represent an average photo editing session of a graphic artist. No other processes are running in the background besides those that keep the machine itself running. This is pure, linear computing where every available resource is on hand for the one test running.

In transitioning this test from CS3 to CS4 we decided to take one machine and run the same test between CS3 and CS4 on 10.5 Leopard, then test CS4 on Snow Leopard, just to make sure we were comparing Apples to Apples.

SnowLeopardFast

We've found gains in speed of over 20% already.

As you can see, with the standard 4GB of memory installed, updating the software on 10.5 optimized the test by 28 seconds!  That’s over a 10% gain in speed just from Adobe themselves.  Not too shabby.

When running the same test after upgrading the machine to Snow Leopard though, the speed kicks up even further and drops another 51 seconds from the runtime.  Simply put, Apple’s optimization with the release of Snow Leopard sped this one process up by over 20%

More tidbits and a lot more data from our findings will be coming out just as quickly as we can get the numbers together.  Stay tuned as it looks like this kitty has claws!

UPDATE:

By popular request, we have updated the chart to include Photoshop CS3 times as run under Snow Leopard.

SnowLeopardCS3CS4

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Category: Benchmarking/Performance

Elite-AL Pro RAID prices drop even further.

Thursday, August 27th, 2009 | Author: OWC Chris S.

raiddropWho would have imagined it? Just two months after the initial Falling Prices posts, we’re already in repeats. In June, we announced some great price reductions in our Mercury Elite-AL Pro Performance 7200RPM RAID “Triple Interface” model line. Now, we’re happy to announce even further price cuts.

As I mentioned back then, these are really nice units: fast enough for the data I was writing to it and incredibly easy to set up. With all the software and extras included (hint: the secret ingredient is “love”) they were a great deal before; this new price drop makes them an even better value.

In case you’re new (and/or just don’t feel like searching the archives) let’s go over some of the features of this specific OWC Storage Solution:

  • Triple-Interface - The  Mercury Elite-AL Pro Performance 7200RPM RAID can connect up via FireWire 800, FireWire 400, or USB 2.0. All you need to do is plug it in and go, so it’s great for projects that need to bounce between computers.
  • Custom Oxford-based bridge - This A/V Certified bridge chipset ensures fast and reliable data transfer between the drives and your computer.
  • Large Capacity - The Mercury Elite-AL Pro Performance 7200RPM RAID is available in capacities up to 4.0TB. That’s enough room to store all your music, Photos, capture video, or even make backups.
  • Fast, Fast, Fast - There are two 7200 RPM drives, configured in a RAID 0 (striped) in this solution. This provides phenomenal read/write speeds, making disk-intensive tasks, such as video capture and editing, much faster.
  • Fully Bootable - With Snow Leopard releasing soon, many people are cloning their old system over to an external drive before installing the new OS. With the Mercury Elite-AL Pro Performance 7200RPM RAID, you can rest assured that if a key piece of software is incompatible with 10.6, you can boot right to your clone and continue working.
  • No searching for cables - Like all OWC products, the Mercury Elite-AL Pro Performance 7200RPM RAID comes with all the connecting cables you need. Whether you need FireWire 800, FireWire 400 or USB 2.0, the cable is in the box so you can use your drive right away.
  • Backup software included - For making your backups easy, we include the full retail version of Prosoft DataBackup III ($59 retail value) for OS X and NovaStor NovaBackup ($49 retail value) for Windows. Also included is the Intech HD Speedtools performance suite and Carbon Copy Cloner. None of these applications are required to use the Elite, but they are excellent applications to have in your utilities library.
  • 3-Year Warranty - The Mercury Elite-AL Pro Performance 7200RPM RAID is backed by an industry leading 3 Year Full Solution Warranty, underscoring OWC’s commitment to quality, performance and reliability.
  • The Mercury Elite-AL Pro Performance 7200RPM RAID also qualifies for our exclusive Prosoft Drive Genius offer! Buy Drive Genius now for as low as $25 with purchase of a qualifying storage product – That’s up to 74% off retail price, up to 37% off OWC’s lowest normal selling price!

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again – these Storage Solutions are one heck of a value, especially with these new, lower prices.

Ease of use, speed and reliability make the Mercury Elite-AL Pro Performance 7200RPM RAID a great solution. These new prices make them a great value.

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Category: Product Spotlight, Special OWC Deals
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Ride the USB bus for On The Go Savings

Wednesday, August 26th, 2009 | Author: OWC Grant

prod_otg

While OWC Chris S. did a very nice and thorough examination of all the benefits to the FireWire 400/USB 2.0 “Combo Interface” Mercury On-The-Go Pro just last week, I wanted to make you aware of the biggest savings ride offered in this product.

While perhaps not as exciting from a speed thrills standpoint, the USB 2.0 only interface On-The-Go Pro models offer all the same great base benefits but at the lowest prices in the line.

Think of it this way…when you want to go somewhere, and don’t have a lot of green, you can still get to your destination by bus…and in this case, via USB 2.0 that’s found on nearly every legacy to modern computer.

So go ahead, climb aboard the bus…and enjoy the savings from us!

80GB 5400RPM w/ 2MB Buffer    -  $62.99
160GB 5400RPM w/ 8MB Buffer  -  $72.99
250GB 5400RPM w/ 8MB Buffer  -  $82.99
320GB 5400RPM w/ 8MB Buffer  -  $89.99
500GB 5400RPM w/ 8MB Buffer  -  $114.99

250GB 7200RPM w/ 16MB Buffer -  $92.99
320GB 7200RPM w/ 16MB Buffer -  $102.99
500GB 7200RPM w/ 16MB Buffer -  $159.99 (a $30 price drop)

And geez…even the 0GB “Add Your Own Drive” Kit is priced from $25.99. About the only way to travel with your data more economically would be by special Express!

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Category: Product Spotlight, Special OWC Deals
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Some things may not sit well with Snow Leopard.

Wednesday, August 26th, 2009 | Author: OWC Chris S.

snowLeopardWell, Snow Leopard is on its way, set for arrival in just two days’ time, and is now likely available for order at your favorite retailer. Before the big cat lands, however, you may want to take a look at the software you run every day. As it turns out, some of our favorite apps may need to be updated before it will work with Apple’s latest.

This really isn’t a new thing; each version of OS X has had its share of applications that wound up M.I.A. on release. Though it eventually works out (via update or replacement), it is generally nice to know what kind of hurdles we’ll be facing ahead of time.

So far, the most comprehensive list of applications compatible with 10.6 can be found at http://snowleopard.wikidot.com. Not surprisingly, its depth has made it extremely popular. Unfortunately, this popularity means a lot of hits and, apparently, an overloaded server. As of this posting, getting through to the site is extremely spotty (and, no, that’s not a “Leopard” pun).

Adobe Drops support of CS3

One of the biggest announcements regarding an application’s status with Snow Leopard came from Adobe. The producer of the popular Photoshop application (among many others) announced today that Adobe Creative Suite CS3 would not be supported under Snow Leopard. Not surprisingly, the outcry from the Mac community was considerable.

It should be noted that they did not say that CS3 wouldn’t function under 10.6; they said it would not be supported. This is a key difference. Preliminary reports from many Mac-centric sites show that CS3 seems to be working okay under Snow Leopard (we’ll assume they have the Developer’s Preview) or have only minor errors. However, you’re on your own for troubleshooting.

If you need Adobe support, though, then you may need to either leave your OS where it is, or upgrade Creative Suite to CS4. In the meantime, we all get to look forward to CS5, which is reported to include 64-bit compatibility.

That syncing feeling…

This one hits me a little close to home. It turns out that while Apple was getting rid of old code, it got rid of something else: iSync support for Palm devices.

If you used iSync to synchronize your Palm device with iCal and Address Book, you’ve got to find another solution, as the old iSync conduit no longer works. At the moment, there are no third-party solutions that function flawlessly, though there are reports that basic syncing is possible.

Is it too soon to Snow?

The answer, really, can only be answered by you. Are all your day-to-day applications Snow Leopard compatible? If not, can you live without them until they’re updated?

If your apps are all up-to-date and compatible, then go right ahead and update to Snow Leopard; its pretty spiffy (or so I hear).

If, however, you have a “must run” app that isn’t compatible yet, then you’ll obviously want to hold off until it is. Just do what I do: keep a close eye on MacUpdate. When an app is updated, it’s usually listed there first.

This post has 7 comments.
Category: Fresh from Apple, Tech Tips

New Installation Video – OWC Mercury Elite-AL Pro RAID Enclosure

Friday, August 21st, 2009 | Author: OWC Chris S.

eliteRAIDYowza! It’s been one heck of a week around here, as we all get ready for the release of Snow Leopard. I’d go into details, but it’s much more fun to leave it hanging at that in order to build suspense. :-D

To distract you, I’ll remind you of the fact that it has been a couple of weeks since we’ve introduced a new Instructional Video. Well, I’m glad to say that we’re back on schedule with our videos, and have a new one for you this week.

This time around, we’ll show you how to install a pair of 3.5” SATA hard drives in an OWC Mercury Elite-AL Pro RAID Enclosure. Whether you’re using the Triple or Quad interface model, this video shows you how easy it is to drop a pair of drives inside.

Following these instructions, you’ll have a nice, fast RAID 0 going in no time.

As always, you can find this video (along with all our other instructional videos) both in our Tech Center and on our YouTube Channel.

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Category: Installation Videos
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Falling Prices V: A New Beginning

Friday, August 21st, 2009 | Author: OWC Chris S.

falling_otgAbout a month or so ago, we had a series of price drops across our line of external enclosures. Well, the trend continues, this time extending into our popular Mercury On-The-Go Pro series. I’m a big fan of these drives, owning a couple for several years now, and these new prices have me looking at purchasing yet another one to compliment my new MacBook Pro.

I’m not alone in praising the On-The-Go Pro; it has received praise from the likes of MacFormat UK, The Mac Observer, Photoshop User, CNET and Macworld. It has even been used by Macworld as the drive to beat when comparing  other portables. Why all the love? Let’s take a look at what this pocket-sized powerhouse offers:

  • FireWire and USB 2.0 connectivity - No matter what computer you want to hook it up to, the Mercury On-The-Go Pro can accommodate. Whether you want to use the fast FireWire connection or the near-ubiquitous USB 2.0, the OTG (as we like to call it around these parts) can not only connect, but it can even be powered by your bus of choice. Leave that tag along AC adapter at home!
  • Fully Bootable - This is great for backing up your system on the road. If something happens to your main drive and you’ve cloned your system to the Mercury On-The-Go Pro, all you need to is hook it up and you can continue working as if you were running off your internal drive.
  • Fast, Fast, Fast - The Mercury On-The-Go Pro features Oxford Performance chipsets (FireWire), and the best qualified HD mechanisms for optimum performance and reliability.
  • Made for travel - The small form factor lets you conveniently stow it in your laptop bag, a desk drawer, or even your shirt pocket! Its shock absorbing design further protects the drive (and your valuable data) from the rigors of day-to-day travel.
  • Backup software included - Backing up with the Mercury On-The-Go Pro is even easier with the included software bundle. We include the full retail versions of Prosoft DataBackup III ($59 retail value) for OS X and NovaStor NovaBackup ($49 retail value) for Windows. Also included is the Intech HD Speedtools performance suite and Carbon Copy Cloner. None of these applications are required to use the drive, but they are excellent applications to have in your utilities library.
  • Accessories included - The Mercury On-The-Go Pro comes with all the cables you need to use the drive right out of the box. We even include a nice carrying case to keep it all together when you’re on the road.
  • 3-Year Warranty - OWC stands behind its products. The Mercury On-The-Go Pro is covered with an industry leading 3-Year Full Solution Warranty.
  • The Mercury On-The-Go Pro also qualifies for our exclusive Prosoft Drive Genius offer! Buy Drive Genius now for as low as $25 with purchase of a qualifying storage product – That’s up to 74% off retail price, up to 37% off OWC’s lowest normal selling price! This isn’t a “limited/non-support” version, either – it’s the full retail version! It’s a great deal on a great product.

Now that we’ve established what makes the On-The-Go Pro so popular, let’s take a look at the great new prices that will make the On-The-Go Pro.

Built for performance, reliability, and durability, the Mercury On-The-Go models have been recognized with top reviews and include ‘Very Good’, ‘Gear of the Year’, and Editor’s Choice award bestowments. Bus Powered, Pocket Sized – High Capacity Storage in the palm of your hand!

Double Feature – further falling prices!

You may recall that the original set of price drops were for the NewerTech miniStack. Well, aficionados of hard drives with integrated FireWire and USB hubs can rejoice – we have even more price reduction on these to announce.

That’s two drive series Price Drops in one post! In these economic times, every penny counts, so we here at OWC are making sure you get the best bang for your buck every day!

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Category: Special OWC Deals
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