About Macs: A Storage Review and a Failing Grade for the iMac

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Macs Macs Basics Reviews Tips & Tricks From Tom Nelson, your Guide to Macs This week, the new 2011 iMacs came under the gun for the use of specially modified internal hard drives. These special drives remove the possibility of users replacing or upgrading the internal hard drives in 2011 iMacs, at least for now. It may be a case of Apple being ahead of the curve in addressing an ongoing drive issue. Or not; only time will tell. Also this week, I reviewed a new 4-bay external RAID storage solution for the Mac that has some appealing qualities. If you're serious about your backups, or you need a higher performance storage system, it may be worth a look-see. Mercury Rack Pro Review: Hardware RAID Storage Solution OWC's Mercury Rack Pro is a compact 1U desktop or rack mount external RAID storage solution for the Mac. The Mercury Rack Pro provides a quad interface using eSATA, FireWire 800, FireWire 400, or USB 3.0. The Mercury Rack Pro supports hardware-based RAID 0, RAID 1, RAID 3, RAID 5, and RAID 10. Although not technically a RAID type, the Mercury Rack Pro also supports SPAN. It can also access each drive independently. After spending a few weeks with the unit, I think it may be a good choice for those of us with lots of multimedia files we need quick access to. If you use RAID 10, 3, or 5, you''ll have some form of data redundancy to ensure that you won't lose your data if a drive fails. The Mercury Rack Pro would also make a great Time Machine drive for those who take backups seriously... Read more See More About:  firewire  esata  external hard drive Apple Gets an F For 2011 iMacs The new 2011 iMacs get a failing grade when it comes to hard drive replacement. That may surprise a good many readers; after all, iMacs haven't had user-serviceable hard drives for many years. But while Apple's policy has been hands-off when it comes to the inside of the iMac, many DIY enthusiasts have been swapping out hard drives in their iMacs for years. It was never that difficult a job for the handy handyperson, but the new 2011 iMacs throw a monkey wrench into the process... Read more Tuesday Mailbag: Connect Your Mac to Your HDTV One of the more popular questions we get here concerns hooking a Mac up to a TV. So this morning, when Casey sent me a note asking how to make the connection to his new TV, I was ready with the answer... Read more What Are Your Must-Have Mac Applications? I have a list of the 10 applications I always install on our Macs. My question is, what are your must-have Mac applications... Read more Macs Ads Storage SATA Raid Storage iMac Apple iMac Computer Hard Drive Storage Featured Articles Erase and Install of OS X 10.6 Windows Keyboards and Macs Set up GMail on Your Mac Safari Tuneup Adding Startup Items Back Up Your iPhoto Library   More from About.com Backyard Chickens 101 Dabble in the self-sufficient, eco-friendly life with these essential chicken-raising tips. More> 24 Amazing Container Gardens These gorgeous and creative gardens prove it doesn't take a lot of space to create something special. More> This newsletter is written by: Tom Nelson Macs Guide Email Me | My Blog | My Forum   Sign up for more free newsletters on your favorite topics You are receiving this newsletter because you subscribed to the About Macs newsletter. If you wish to change your email address or unsubscribe, please click here. About respects your privacy: Our Privacy Policy Contact Information: 249 West 17th Street New York, NY, 10011 © 2011 About.com   Mac News & Events Rumor: Apple Getting Ready for Retail Store 10th Anniversary Event Apple Steals & Deals: Sunday, May 15, 2011 Sandvox 2: Tom's Mac Software Picks Advertisement