For those of you who want to let your inner geek show, have we got the desktop background for you!

While we’ve been exploring potential ways to upgrade the hard drive in the new iMacs, our own OWC Jamie took these photos of the new machines with their screens removed to expose the electronic goodness found inside.  They make quite unique desktop pictures.

Or, you could use this as a static screensaver to discourage others from using your precious computer making them think your machine is down for maintenance.

The desktops are custom sized to the resolutions of the respective monitors:

21.5″ iMac   : 1920 x 1080

27″ iMac      : 2560 x 1440

To download, right-click on the links above and Choose “Save Linked File”

To install your desktop background, go to System Preferences (on the Apple menu) and choose Desktop & Screen Saver (in Personal): Desktop (control-clicking the desktop and choosing Change Desktop Background… from the pop-up menu will also get you there), then click Folder… (in the left panel) and select the folder in which you saved the picture. If the folder is not in the list, click the “+” in the lower left and navigate to the correct folder to add it. Click the picture in the right panel to display it as your desktop background.

Today we completed the benchmarking of the last two iMac computers that Apple introduced last month: The 2.66GHz iMac Intel Core i5 and the 2.8GHz iMac Intel Core i7.

With the ability to simultaneously run 4 cores and 8 cores respectively, these machines are quite the powerhouses of processing power.

It’s interesting to note that even with faster starting times than the other iMacs in this series, the RAM Hog II test (which simulates powerhouse usage where 80% of the machine’s resources are busy with other processes) was rendered satisfied after 12GB of memory was installed.

Not to say that 16GB didn’t show significant results in its own right. The After Effects Render Test (which spawns subprocesses for each core processor) showed steady improvement in times as more and more memory was added to the computer.

And speaking of that 16GB upgrade, to put a spotlight on the results, the i5 model was up to 44% faster in that RAM Hog II test with the maximum memory installed.

As always, what level to upgrade your Mac is a personal choice. You can check out all the Late 2009 iMac memory and hard drive upgrade options and decide if you want to go mild or wild.

Let’s face it, you love your Mac and “feeding” it with upgrades, accessories, updates, and tweaks to keep it running at optimum performance levels is one of your passions. And, as you can imagine, that’s pretty much Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) around these parts. But by maxing your Mac, you might be neglecting to take care of yourself. Our wonderful customer Robert M. from New Hyde Park, NY, shared a great recipe from his mom that can nourish you faster than perhaps how your Mac runs after one of our upgrades. And if you’re a guy, ya’ just gotta love the idea and the ingredient measurements!

Scrambled Eggs in a Mug

Ingredients:

• 1 qty “two serving cup” of Egg Beaters (or the Stop and Shop version)
• 1 or more handfuls of shredded cheese
• 1 teaspoon or so of bacon bits
• 1 cooking spray, preferably butter flavored (optional)

Preparation:

1. Spray interior of a 16 oz coffee mug with the cooking spray. (Robert prefers 16 oz Dixie PerfecTouch travel cups)
2. Shake and pour “two serving cup” of Egg Beaters into mug.
3. Drop shredded cheese to taste into mug.
4. Drop bacon bits into mug. A teaspoon or just a bit more is enough otherwise it tastes a tad salty.
5. Mix all ingredients together.

Cooking:

1. Place in microwave for about a minute.
2. Stir and then place back in microwave and cook until done which is defined as when the eggs are no longer runny.

Like all good informational sources, Robert recommends “keeping an eye on the eggs as you nuke them because they’ll fluff and possibly overflow the mug during the ‘nuking process!” He assures us that they will settle after cooking though.

Hats off to you Robert for keeping the Mac faithful fueled. About the only thing better than Robert’s recipe is an idea from a movie I still want to go into business on someday…

One of the biggest changes in Apple’s lineup last month was the addition of two more memory slots to the new iMacs, giving them a total of four. This gives the new iMacs the capability to handle up to 16GB of RAM. While adding more memory will always improve performance, 16GB really makes a difference.

Apple has generally made the iMac’s memory easy to upgrade, and this revision is no different. Some people, though, like to see it done first before diving in themselves. That’s why this week’s addition to our Instructional Series of videos is all about adding memory to your Late 2009 iMac! It doesn’t matter if you have a 21.5″ or 27″ model, or whether you have a Core 2 Duo, i5, or i7 processor, the process is the same for all of them and we show you how to do it.

As always, you can find this video (and all of our instructional videos) either in our Tech Center or on our YouTube channel.

We just got our first 2.66GHz Quad-Core 27″ iMac i5 machine within the last hour and I really wanted to share our excitement with you.  So we took photos of our unboxing of this unit.

The box itself is sturdy and strong with a comfortable enough handle to lug this baby with it’s monster screen wherever you need:

more…

Creating a new homepage look can either be met with cheers or yawns depending on how personally invested you are in the site. We get pretty excited here about many products and often can’t help ourselves from “getting our geek on” and wanting to tell you about all the cool stuff we carry…whether it be our own OWC branded products, the products from NewerTech for which we are an exclusive distributor, or a great deal on one of the many other leading brand names in our over 2,500 item on-line catalog.

Realizing that might be a bit much and overwhelm you like a kid in a candy store, we redesigned macsales.com homepage to have a kinder, gentler look. Adding to this fresh approach is a caricature of OWC Larry himself calling your attention to products he gives a hearty thumbs up to.

So we hope this redesign (and our ongoing efforts to come) is met with cheers from you and improves your site experience with us. As always, keep your feedback coming and thank you for your trust in us as your source for your Mac, PC, iPod, and iPhone technology needs.

During the course of a normal day here, I see/hear/read a lot of customer correspondence. The majority of it is very complimentary which is very gratifying and really pumps up the team morale here. Sometimes one comes by though that is a bit unique in nature/subject and I dive into those with much curiosity. Such was the case yesterday when I saw an exchange between a customer and none other than OWC Larry…the CEO here for you newbies. Now before you say, “well sure, probably a long time customer who has spent gazillions with OWC!”, what sealed the deal for me was that this customer was two years new to us.

It turns out Scott A. from Saint Paul, MN, was looking for a bigger Cinema Display for a legacy MacBook Pro. He had stopped by an Apple store and was told to contact us. While we didn’t have anything that Scott could purchase, OWC Larry researched it enough to refer Scott directly to another source as his best option and provided a link to the exact listings.

And while Scott summed up his appreciation for this action as:

“You guys are a great source of expert, practical,  helpful information about Mac products…you must be if the Genius Bar at the Apple Store recommends you.”

the entire interaction got me thinking that truly is one of the OWC Differences…we aren’t about selling products as really anyone can create a storefront and do that. We do, from every corner in our LEED Platinum designed building, truly exist to serve you. Is that a “Genius” approach to running a successful business? I dare say it’s surely better, and more soul fulfilling, than putting the bottom line on a pedestal. And I think the man in the poster looking over my shoulder in my office would agree.

We’ve received four configurations of the 21.5″ and four configurations of the 27″ machines so far.  The quad core i5 and i7 machines aren’t due out till later this month.  Between the advancements in Snow Leopard and adding additional memory to these computers, they sure can go fast!

In fact – we found up to a 46% performance boost by installing the OWC 16GB Memory Upgrade Kit versus the factory installed 4GB.

We’ve run the machines through a rigorous battery of benchmark tests to test not only the pure processing speed of these machines, but also show what adding OWC memory to the setup can do.  Additionally, the different video card options have also been pitted against each other, so if you haven’t purchased your iMac yet, we now offer a definitive tool for making an informed decision on which graphics card to order.  Both of the Radeon HD options prove to generate twice the gaming frame rates than the Nvidia equipped model.  Not too shabby!

Unlike the prior generation of iMacs, these models have a total of four DDR3 memory slots. You can add an additional 4GB kit and have 8GB total or an 8GB kit and have 12GB total without removing  the standard factory 4GB.

Should you want to max the memory up to 16GB, you will need to take out those original modules. While Apple officially supports up to 16GB in all the new iMac models, they only offer up to 8GB in the 21.5″ model. Not only does OWC offer you the options for up to 16GB total, but even if you just need an additional 4GB, we’ll save you 50% compared to the same installed by Apple.

The results make our company mantra ring true.  ”More Memory = Faster Mac!”

As additional machines are run through the same tests, they will appear on the same page as our overall goal is to have every Snow Leopard compatible machine tested using the same process.

Sometimes even the best educated guesses can be thrown for a loop when an unforeseen “X-Factor” comes into play. Such is the case with the Late 2009 iMacs.

As we were getting information together for the new iMac instructional videos, we came across a little tidbit that, apparently, hasn’t been covered anywhere else: Apple has switched the iMac’s method of hard drive temperature sensing. They’ve gone from an external sensor that attached to the outside surface of the drive to a connector that seems to use the drive’s internal sensors. more…

With Apple’s new machine releases, we’re hard at work in the OWC Test Labs seeing just how fast we can make the machines go.

Our first machine that we’re looking at is the October 2009 2.26GHz MacBook.  This machine is pretty tight on the inside – meaning there isn’t much extra unnecessary space inside.  Like the iPod and iPhone, conservation of space seems to be a high-priority of Apple’s design teams.  So even though the machine is lighter and sleeker, it does pose some drawbacks in upgrading.  This Macbook has no problem running either a 5400rpm, 7200rpm or SSD drive for the fastest speeds, however; the physical height of the drive is limited to the 9.5mm form factor.  The 12.5mm drives are too tall to fit in the space provided.

I should reiterate that point.  The drive doesn’t officially fit.  Sure, we were able to cram it in, and screw the cover closed (with a little bowing of the bottom) but we don’t suggest or will support actually running the drive this way.  Too much physical pressure on a drive can certainly contribute to early drive failure – it’s just not worth risking your data or the expense of a warranty compromised drive.

We’re pleased to announce our findings that our OWC brand memory certainly takes the cake in these machines!  While Apple lists 4GB as the maximum amount of installable memory, our 8GB memory kit OWC8566DDR3S8GP is now tested and fully certified for the full 8GB utilization – a real performance benefit for memory intensive application loads. While we were at it, we also tested another brand 8GB memory kit and found it consistently caused kernel panics and non-boot issues. Even though both are the same spec of DDR3 1066MHZ SO-DIMM, sometimes quality does have its result.

Thus, when we talk about how OWC brand memory meets or exceeds all Apple requirements for memory, it’s not just idle chatter or marketing-speak. Our on-premise testing lab enables us to physically confirm this fact for every machine listed in our compatibility charts.  Then, we back our quality assurance with a lifetime warranty.  How can you go wrong?

While NASA’s LCROSS mission perhaps fizzled to the naked eye, I did catch some highlights in OWC Larry’s recent Hot Deals Blast that might lift your spirits. And if you aren’t a subscriber to the Blast, you can do so for free by visiting the OWC Resource Center. “What’s a Hot Deals Blast?” you might be asking…well the official description from our site is:

Some deals are of such limited quantity or just simply too hot to wait for our next Tips n’ Deals emailing. The OWC Hot Deals Blast goes out 5-7 times a month and subscribers are sure to have the first shot at new specials we put online. This is the list to be on to make sure you’ve got the first shot at new deals, clearance specials, etc!

That said, two product mentions jumped out at me as being very useful. The first is how you can maintain your Mac like a Genius and perform Recovery like a Pro.

Prosoft Drive Genius should be a standard part of every Mac user’s software library. For $59.99 (vs. $99 retail) or as low as $25 with a qualifying storage solution, it’s a great deal + an application that can pay for itself. This is the same utility that the Apple Store Genuis Bar uses for the ‘Yearly Tune Up’ service that is part of the ProCare service they offer. Instead of paying them to do it, you can keep your Mac running great and right from the comfort of your own home. Already fully updated for Apple OS 10.6 ‘Snow Leopard’ – this utility suite includes:

Drive Slim – locates duplicate, identical files and allows these space wasting dupes to be deleted and can put aliases in their place so no problem finding the single file that remains.

DeFrag – Over time, as you write new files, update existing files, delete files – files and file groupings on your hard drive become fragmented. As a result of fragmentation, your hard drive has to move the read/write heads to multiple locations when reading and/or writing and that slows things down. By optimizing your drive with the Defrag utility, best data access performance is then restored.

Repair – fixes minor corruption/file system issues; Shred – DoD compliant erasure of data from unused portion of drive/after file deletion, etc.; Clone – make a bootable clone of your entire drive on another, for backup or when upgrading to a new drive; Integrity check – make sure all systems are ‘go/green’ – identify those that are not; And more!

Prosoft Data Rescue is the utility that can save you big time should a major problem occur. Also available for $59 (vs. $99 retail), this utility is tops for recovering data. From accidental file deletions to catastrophic drive directory corruption and even with a drive that is failing -this is the utility up to the task of bringing back your critical files. Somethings even a backup isn’t going help you with – and before paying the high price for someone else to recover your priceless data, more often than not – as long as the drive is still seen (even if it won’t mount), Data Rescue will save the day.

Keep your Mac tip-top + be prepared – Both Drive Genius + Data Rescue together for $109.99 (vs. $198 Retail)

The second item that caught my eye was how you can power your mobile Mac with genuine Apple MagSafe Power Adapters. We’ve got ‘em used or refurbished, fully tested, and backed by a 90 day OWC Warranty starting at $42.75 in the following models:

Apple Genuine 85 Watt Magsafe AC Power Adapter for all Apple MacBook Pro 15″ and 17″ Models

Apple Genuine 60 Watt Magsafe AC Power Adapter for all Apple MacBook and MacBook Pro 13″ Models

Apple Genuine 45 Watt Magsafe AC Power Adapter for all Apple MacBook Air Models

If you can use a spare adapter, or need a replacement for one gone bad – this saves you over $30 vs. the cost of a new adapter. NOTE: it is important to purchase the adapter model that is correct for the laptop model you have/plan to use it with. Using a lower wattage adapter than correct for your machine will impact charging time while a higher wattage than specified can reduce the lifetime of the battery.

One thing to remember on all of the above prices…those are the everyday prices. There are additional savings to be had if you are a Hot Deals Blast subscriber…so join today!

Breaking it down to its simplest forms, there are two main reasons to add a RAID setup to your computer system. Performance and Redundancy.

Let’s break these down individually:

Little Johnny was acting up in class and his teacher made him sit in the hallway while all the other kids went to recess. If he could finish writing “I will not put frogs in the teacher’s desk ever again” 100 times on paper before the rest of his classmates came back to class, little Johnny would be able to join them in the playground. more…

Avast Ye and a hearty Happy Talk Like a Pirate Day to ya!

And with the pirate theme today check out our specials and clearance listin’s with prices so low you will practically be stealin’ t’ booty from us.

Just a few of t’ gems ye’ll be findin’ thar:

Apple genuine Magsafe 45W, 60W and 85W Power Adapters from $42.75

Kensington PocketLink 3-in-1 Cable- Retractable Ethernet, USB & Telephone cord for mobile or home use for only $2.99

The Vidpro SN-925 Notebook Workstation with Integrated 6 port USB 2.0 powered Hub & Media Card Reader. only $29.99

Apple Genuine MacBook and MacBook Pro batteries from only $49.99

…and who could live without t’ LIDAR evading Laser Plate – Clear Automobile License Plate Protective Shield  for only a measly $4.99 Arrr!

So join us in a tankard of grog, Rum, or brain toniq and join in the fun.

For complete information on the world-wide phenomenon that IS Talk like a Pirate Day, check out the official website:

We’ve got a new Installation Video this week. This time around, we show you how to install a hard drive in the Newer Technology miniStack.

We all love the miniStack. Its small form factor, support for large SATA hard drives, built-in USB and FireWire powered hubs and all the most popular connections make it an affordable, easy-to-integrate storage solution. I should know; I have a pair of them at home connected to my AirPort Extreme as AirDisks.

Of course, not everybody needs a whole new storage solution; sometimes you just need to drop an existing 3.5” hard drive into a new enclosure.

Fortunately, you can still get all the features of the miniStack while using your own drive. All you need is a miniStack 0GB kit, your own SATA hard drive and this new video, and you’ll be up and running in no time.

Check out the new video, either in our Tech Center or at our YouTube Channel and see how easy it actually is to install, and stay tuned… we’ve got a fun new video in the works that we think you’ll enjoy; we know we’re enjoying putting it together.

With the recent unveiling of our new site look, you may have noticed the site “wrapper” space theme. If you have been an OWC customer or follower for any amount of time, you likely will have heard or read about our affinity for Star Trek and all things space related as well as the impetus for our company name.

As such, it was only logical to create a background with that theme. Sorry, I couldn’t resist that and in no means am I as quick with the Trekkie nods as OWC Chris S. was in our movie recap.

So, if you would like to boldly give your Mac’s desktop a look that is from an Other World and join us in stargazing, you can use the very same OWC Blue Star Field background.

As just one of our many ways to connect and communicate with customers at OWC, we dove into the deep end of the “social marketing” Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube pools earlier this year as well with the unveiling of and commitment to this blog.

As I am the “man behind the curtain” persona of @macsales on Twitter, I’ve become somewhat of a Twitterholic. That being said, I have no plans of posting random thoughts such as my affinity for Take and Bake meals from Two Tails Market & Eatery.

Rather, what I’ve found other Tweeps to be thankful for are Tweets from us on new product announcements, insights to overlooked features on existing products or even new uses for those products, special price deals, independent product reviews, and facilitating customer service related needs.

The Tweets we are thankful for are the daily recommendations and praise OWC/macsales gets. I’ve visited other users Twitter profiles so I could personally thank them at their website. One person actually then Tweeted that thanking him was a classy act. Ever since that comment, I’ve been trying to come up with a consistent and significant way we could recognize these Tweets and perhaps introduce these folks to other Tweeps.

Additionally, I wanted to come up with a phrase or hashtag that could become as widely used as #FollowFriday or #FF for short. While it would be cool for OWC to be credited as the founder of a Twitter Trend, what would be most gratifying is to see this become THE hashtag used anytime someone wants to Tweet their appreciation for an act of kindness from any source.

So with great hope and positive intentions surrounding this sentiment, I give you Thanks For The Love or #TFTL. While OWC/macsales is well known for high performance, high quality products and a dedication to serving the customer that is second to none, I wanted to make sure we’re also known for truly appreciating our customers loyalty and trust in the form of a Tweet and that #TFTL is just one small way we can “pay it forward” in the world.

So go ahead…make someone’s day…tell them #TFTL.

It’s Friday, and that means we’ve got another Instructional video for you! As you might expect, this week we’re installing a new hard drive in a the mid-2009 revision of the 15” MacBook Pro.

Upgrading the hard drive in your MacBook Pro not only allows you to store more files, but  it also can improve performance if you’re upgrading from a 5400 RPM drive to a 7200 RPM drive.

As usual, you can find the new video both in our Tech Center and on our YouTube Channel.

Next week, by popular demand, we’ll be starting a series on installing drives in our external enclosures. While it’s common knowledge that our enclosures are made of high-quality components and materials, we also believe that “quality” also includes giving you complete, easy-to-follow instructions on how to assemble and use them.

Stay tuned; as each one becomes available, we’ll announce them here.

When Apple introduced the MagSafe adapter in 2006, it was kind of a mixed blessing. While the theory behind it is incredibly cool, the fact it is a proprietary connector protected by patents and lawyers means that third-party power adapters aren’t going to be legally seen at reasonable prices any time soon, and Apple’s trend toward integrated batteries means that you can’t hot-swap while on the road if you need to. The only option you have is to buy a second adapter from Apple… until now.

OWC’s happy to announce that we’ve got Apple Genuine 60 Watt MagSafe Power Adapters for MacBook & 13” MacBook Pro and Apple Genuine  45 Watt MagSafe Power Adapters for MacBook Air now in stock.

These are Apple Genuine adapters, not some illegal, unsupported knockoff. While not brand new, these units are in Good condition, have been OWC Tested before shipping and are backed by a 90 Day OWC Warranty for your peace of mind.

If you can use a spare MagSafe adapter, or need a replacement for one gone bad – buying a used adapter from us saves you about $30 bucks off of the cost of a brand new one.

Keep in mind, though, that these adapters are only good for the MacBook/13” MacBook Pro and MacBook Air. They won’t work for the 15” & 17” MacBook Pros. We are currently on working on getting some 85 Watt adapters for those models and we’ll let you know right here on the OWC Blog when we get them in.