Recommend me a hard drive...

[Screwdriver]

This is an interesting read, it looks like hard drive technology has moved on a bit since I've had to buy one. My systems still use SATA, I don't know what the drive in my newish HP laptop will be, SSD or even that NVMe?

What's the exact model/version?

It's an HP Envy x360, Intel i5. It's incredibly thin, so probably is the newer drive type?

Yes it will have an SSD, a fast, solid state drive, a lump of silicon with no moving parts etc. You will immediately notice much faster boot up and general speed up on everything.

Nice bit of kit.

[Ant]

What's the exact model/version?

It's an HP Envy x360, Intel i5. It's incredibly thin, so probably is the newer drive type?

Yes it will have an SSD, a fast, solid state drive, a lump of silicon with no moving parts etc. You will immediately notice much faster boot up and general speed up on everything.

Nice bit of kit.

It is a lovely laptop, came with W11 already on it, 13.3" screen which makes a difference as I didn't want another 15" laptop. Now my 15" laptop looks massive in comparison.

[Screwdriver]

Expect an accident to happen to it soon meaning it gets withdrawn from sale.

Got a shock when I saw my email: "Your bid doesn't meet the minimum reserve price"

Odd I thought since I paid for it pronto! Though there was some strangeness during the transaction.

Then I realise, after I got the email, 4 seconds later someone tried to snipe it and bumped the total to £200.50.

I reckon I just nicked it by that 50p. Thank goodness I wasn't up against ChatGPT (that's gonna change things up...)

[Screwdriver]

It is a lovely laptop, came with W11 already on it, 13.3" screen which makes a difference as I didn't want another 15" laptop. Now my 15" laptop looks massive in comparison.

I lucked into a mint condition MacBook Pro 13" and it is a nice form factor. Bigger isn't always better.

With the Mac Mini, there is a case to be made that it really ought to be at a spec which includes the features and all the ports the LaCie provides. Plus you really ought to be able to fit your own hard drive/ram (you can't, it's fixed).

What Apple are doing is effectively pitching items at a particular price point and a specific user. If you're a graphics pro you'll be wanting a Mac Pro.

Better be sitting down when you see the price of one of those...

[Ant]

It is a lovely laptop, came with W11 already on it, 13.3" screen which makes a difference as I didn't want another 15" laptop. Now my 15" laptop looks massive in comparison.

I lucked into a mint condition MacBook Pro 13" and it is a nice form factor. Bigger isn't always better.

With the Mac Mini, there is a case to be made that it really ought to be at a spec which includes the features and all the ports the LaCie provides. Plus you really ought to be able to fit your own hard drive/ram (you can't, it's fixed).

What Apple are doing is effectively pitching items at a particular price point and a specific user. If you're a graphics pro you'll be wanting a Mac Pro.

Better be sitting down when you see the price of one of those...

The Mac stuff yeah, not cheap, my Mrs is a Mac lady, she has spent eye watering amounts on the gear, but of course really her company pays for it......at home she has a Macbook Pro and another desktop kind. I'm not au fait with them, though I have tried to use them and I don't really get on with them well, but wanted to try out of curiosity.

[Slenver]

If you're a graphics pro you'll be wanting a Mac Pro.

I don't think that's true. Clearly the demands software makes increases as hardware also improves, but it's got to the point where very few people *need* something like the Mac Pros any more.

I've just ordered my team new MacBook Pros and they were delighted as they all just had Airs last buying round. I think that's where it's got to really - even your average graphics pro can make do with a 3 year-old entry-level laptop, at a pinch.

Very few people could realistically justify anything more powerful than a mid-level MacBook Pro these days, certainly not most designers, musicians etc that always have in the past. The only camp left really is those doing video and rendering, and even then you're talking about justifying the savings of a few seconds/minutes of export time because there's a business cost associated. It's just the difference in deciding when to make a cup of tea for most video editors even, not something worth paying extra thousands for.

[Screwdriver]

If you're a graphics pro you'll be wanting a Mac Pro.

I don't think that's true. Clearly the demands software makes increases as hardware also improves, but it's got to the point where very few people *need* something like the Mac Pros any more.

I've just ordered my team new MacBook Pros and they were delighted as they all just had Airs last buying round. I think that's where it's got to really - even your average graphics pro can make do with a 3 year-old entry-level laptop, at a pinch.

Very few people could realistically justify anything more powerful than a mid-level MacBook Pro these days, certainly not most designers, musicians etc that always have in the past. The only camp left really is those doing video and rendering, and even then you're talking about justifying the savings of a few seconds/minutes of export time because there's a business cost associated. It's just the difference in deciding when to make a cup of tea for most video editors even, not something worth paying extra thousands for.

Yes, no argument here. I was paraphrasing the Apple philosophy, it is they who are insisting "you'll be wanting a Mac Pro" by virtue of NOT speccing out the Mac Mini. It's the little things that get you like the price point for a sensible (1-2TB) hard drive. The entry level Mini has a mer 256GB. So you need an external drive and that uses up one of only two TB ports, the other one will be for your monitor!

It's annoying but I am happy with this workaround. It will be justified mostly by video editing when a slow system can just drive you nuts, especially when you're scrolling but also with any type of transition/effect.

I started this quest when I discover that Fusion 360 isn't supposed to be unusably slow and it actually does have many of the features I need, just not on my "ancient" iMac. Which reminds me of another annoyance: I can't use the amazing iMac screen as a display (well. I can but I can't iyswim). Thankfully I should be able to plug in a nice pair of cinema displays I got as a parting gift from Disney/Technicolor when I worked for them.

Can't wait to get this all set up on my other luxury item, a giant powered standing desk system - also a present from Disney.

Pics to follow when it's all set up. I can't wait...

[Slenver]

I can't use the amazing iMac screen as a display (well. I can but I can't iyswim).

For reference, I've been using my 27" 5k display as a second screen to my M2 MBP for a couple of months now.

It's possible natively of course, but it doesn't work at full resolution i don't think (from memory). However, you can buy a little dooberry that works well. Lag-free, wireless 5k.

https://astropad.com/product/lunadisplay/

The main caveat is that when everything goes to sleep it can be a pain as you need to unlock the iMac, and that requires keyboard and mouse. Though actually, maybe I should just tell it to never sleep... hmmm.

My mouse can toggle between 3 BT inputs, so that's fine, but my keyboard can't so I have to quickly plug it in to enter password.

I'm very much looking forward to just selling the iMac and getting a new monitor, but waiting patiently for Samsung to bring out their promised 5k one. Hopefully soon.

But in the meantime, the Luna works well and might suit your needs.

[Screwdriver]

I looked at a number of possible hacks to use the iMac as a monitor, including the Luna but while you can do it, I can't really justify it. It's a 2012 iMac and a potential second working unit for any intel x64 apps that might object to the new M1 Apple silicon. Plus of course I have a lovely pair of Apple Cinema display units which can be reunited.

I also upgraded the iMac with its own 1TB internal (+ an ext SSD boot drive) and maxed out the ram so it's a pretty handy device in its own right. It just cannot keep pace with the iOS updates which are unavoidable for the iPhone/iPad.

I have to move away from Sketchup and while FreeCAD is a great contender, if I have to sit down and lean a new thing, that thing is going to be Fusion 360. That is soul crushingly slow on the iMac, hence the upgrade. My understanding is, Fusion have "recently" compiled a version which should fly on Apple silicon.

We'll see how the M1 handles DaVinci but I do have an elderly Mac Pro setup running Final Cut Pro which was just as fast as I needed for offline edits. It's a fiddle to get it to work with modern CODECS but it can be done and hence squeezed into an HD video workflow (albeit with a bit of a cludge). If it works well on the M1, then I will also get up to speed with DaVinci Resolve.

I am rapidly running out of excuses now for setting up a decent YouTube channel and banging out some "Maker" stuff. Could also be bike restoration alongside 3D printing (interesting bedfellows) plus all the other crap I get up to in the shed.

[Slenver]

I looked at a number of possible hacks to use the iMac as a monitor, including the Luna but while you can do it, I can't really justify it. It's a 2012 iMac and a potential second working unit for any intel x64 apps that might object to the new M1 Apple silicon. Plus of course I have a lovely pair of Apple Cinema display units which can be reunited.

I thought it might be a 5k iMac so a bit easier to justify I guess. Be interesting to know if there's still anything that would need x64 apps. I don't think there's really anything left these days, unless you specifically need to use something deprecated.

I think the Cinema displays were nice in their day, but no way I could use something so low-res these days! Far as I'm concerned, the iMac 5k launch in 2014 heralded the end of non-retina displays and I could never go back!

[Mussels]

I looked at a number of possible hacks to use the iMac as a monitor, including the Luna but while you can do it, I can't really justify it. It's a 2012 iMac and a potential second working unit for any intel x64 apps that might object to the new M1 Apple silicon. Plus of course I have a lovely pair of Apple Cinema display units which can be reunited.

I thought it might be a 5k iMac so a bit easier to justify I guess. Be interesting to know if there's still anything that would need x64 apps. I don't think there's really anything left these days, unless you specifically need to use something deprecated.

I think the Cinema displays were nice in their day, but no way I could use something so low-res these days! Far as I'm concerned, the iMac 5k launch in 2014 heralded the end of non-retina displays and I could never go back!

Microsoft data crunching apps aren't an option on Macs, you just get a dumbed down version of Excel.
Most people won't care but they are essential for me.

[Slenver]

Microsoft data crunching apps aren't an option on Macs, you just get a dumbed down version of Excel.
Most people won't care but they are essential for me.

You highlighted the x64 apps bit, but we were talking about Intel vs Apple chips within Macs, this wasn't about PCs.

[Screwdriver]

What madness is this??

Box turned up today, complete with LaCie 1Big SSD Pro 2TB, all the documents, all the accessories.

IT LOOKS NEW!! UNUSED!!

Hope I haven't used up all my luck, I was planing to win big on the premium bonds this month.

Anyhow, now I need to rip my setup apart and go through the process of systematically swapping everything to a fresh new system. Countless logins, passwords, sync setups, s/w authentication etc. not to mention the physical reconfiguration. This may take some time. See you on the other side...

[Slenver]

What madness is this??

Box turned up today, complete with LaCie 1Big SSD Pro 2TB, all the documents, all the accessories.

IT LOOKS NEW!! UNUSED!!

Hope I haven't used up all my luck, I was planing to win big on the premium bonds this month.

Anyhow, now I need to rip my setup apart and go through the process of systematically swapping everything to a fresh new system. Countless logins, passwords, sync setups, s/w authentication etc. not to mention the physical reconfiguration. This may take some time. See you on the other side...

You got a serious bargain there. Plus you don't lose the TB port and gain an extra USB-A.

[Screwdriver]

I have also been sorting my utilities, hoofed Shill Energy in the nuts and switched to Octopus.

Also switched away from BT who were robbing me blind (I had some serious issues last year or so and took my eye off the ball).

I say this because I am sitting it on this disaster zone now that I have ripped my entire desktop system apart, pulled out the desks, re run wires, cables, power, put up shelving etc…

Then my internet dies. I don’t believe in coincidence but it apparently is one unless the massive boom when I unplugged the subwoofer blew something up in the street.

I switched to Vodafone coz they’re cheap. Got them on the phone and I’m told they will send an engineer to repair the cabinet “up to 24 hours but no more than 72 hours”. FFS!

Oh really, you mean “up to 72 hours then?” I ask rhetorically.

THREE DAYS!

I see a return to BT in the near future….

[Mussels]

Vodafone are probably slow because like BT they rely on Openreach to fix it.

[Screwdriver]

Dark moment with the amazing LaCie, it would disappear and not bother showing up. Drove me nuts.

Fixed now. The issue was with the lack of internet. Mac couldn’t download a required kext file or Rosetta2 for the x64 (Intel) toolkit software. Got it going with hot spot ( which I am using now on iPad). All good.

Then I registered it with LaCie and it has a warranty until late 2025! Reckon the seller must be buying up bankrupt/broke studios. This was a new old stock unused item. Weird.

Crazy thing is there wasn’t a bidding war but as I said above, eBay crashed just a few minutes prior to the auction end, I was lucky to get logged back on just in time. Reckon a fair few others weren’t.

Now I just need to wait up to 24 hours or within 72 hours for the internet to come back and normal service will be resumed. I dare not fire up the new system and port over all my synchronised media without a reliable network connection.

Sorry no pics but it’s looking good, trust me….

[rodbargee]

I used a crucial SSD 1tb which went perfectly for a year it them crapped out but got a full backup of it so reloaded the replacemsnt which was FOC.
This kind of thing
https://www.cclonline.com/ct2000mx500ss ... ate-drive/

[Screwdriver]

This is as good as any place to have a rant. So I do have 4G which should serve as a good standby due to lack of broadband. But I discover the following.

I can't connect to my iCloud account on the new system because it's not already logged in. So the hotspot won't work unless I open it up to "everyone". Not doing that, not worth the risk.

My old system is now jury rigged on the new desk so that I can keep an eye on my cctv suff which is still working locally since I floodwired the place (garages, shed, workshop, whole of house, with ethernet. With ethernet connected, this machine won't connect to the internet via WiFi (i.e. hotspot).

So iPhoto synch and file synch is happening right now (with ethernet disconnected) on my old drive , annoying since I will have to manually synch all my backups or start "losing" files and what I was planning on was a nice quick switchover.

I have multiple cloud based accounts for example my real Human account (with email, data, phone. eBay. forums etc) and a Screwdriver account also with data, phone etc. I keep them separate (I AM NOT SCREWDRIVER!!) so that I can happily engage with other aliases or people I don't know or companies I don;t want to be spammed by etc. I think the drug dealers call it a "burner" phone but I have a "burner" life...

Also, a lot of my softwares have limited seats, my cctv for example has ONE seat so I need to "deauthorise" one installation before it will become valid on a new system. NB nt as simple as simply logging out. It's all pretty mind boggling having spent the last thirty years just copying my digital self from one machine to another until, like my actual life it is fantastically cluttered with stuff I just can't throw away.

Hence my "home system" has in excess of 800 GB of on it. And that does NOT include a huge film library or a huge video backup from GoPro/YouTube content creation. That stuff is spread over half a dozen other disks and older Mac systems.

But the lack of broadband at the precise instant I needed it has been a mixed blessing. Means I couldn't just rush into it. I know what I am like and I would just be "ahh fuckit" and just do a clone and deal with the wreckage (see above!).

So I am deciding NOT to copy my old system, nor all my archive data, nor even the actual software and login data. This new M1 Mac Mini will be all new, properly installed software and content generated on this system, stays on this system. Sort of thing. Therefore I won't be using the ultra high speed Lacie as a boot drive. It can be done and I can do it but it is fraught with potential issues I just don't want to eplore. It is after all an entirely new chipset. The M1 is the new Apple ARM silicon and it's easy to fall into the trap of thinking you know all about bootloaders and disk formats when in a new architecture, you don't know what you don't know...

I will of course be using the LaCie as intended as a very high speed media dive for photo, video and 3D content generation.

Someone was saying 'what would you do when you retire" well, here I am retired and doing exactly what I was doing 25-30 years ago!