With my recent purchase of the Synology DS1010+ I’m able to make it work in an apple environment (more on that later) so I’m selling my Drobo V2 which I have been very happy with but didn’t need it anymore since the DS1010+. So I will have four 1TB hard drives looking for a home in this case my brilliant Antec 300 case (best mid size case ever as far as I’m concerned). Housing the four 1TB drives is one thing but what operating system do I install?

My two options are Windows 7 or FreeNas. These are my pros and cons for each. Although the decision does seem simple I wanted the system to be primarily a backup solution:

MAC PRO (primary files)   –>   SYNOLOGY DS1010+ (backup)   –>  OLD PC (secondary backup)

I have played with FreeNas in the past. When it works it’s great but when it doesn’t it suffers from everything LINUX based, it’s a real pain in the neck to track the problem and fix. With Windows 7 it’s still not that clear cut. The system can be slow, it’s more demanding on CPU and I’ve not fully tested RAID 5 as a reliable backup solution. I could buy a RAID card, but I don’t see the need to spend another £100+ when I’m about to move away from the Drobo.

In the end, I felt all the advantages that Windows 7 had to offer outweighed FreeNas. I had already purchased a Windows 7 license anyway so the monetary factor was not an issue. The pros are heavy; websites, emails, editing, gaming as well as backup completely outweighed FreeNas in every other regard.

Right now, I’m archiving files off my Drobo onto this Windows 7 machine, it’s not superfast but it gets the job done. Once I’ve completed the copy I will remove the drives out of the Drobo and insert them into the PC; I shall try to configure it for RAID 5 but I have never tried it before so it’ll be a first for me! I will post transfer speeds when that’s done.

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I have literally ordered the DS1010+ today. It it totally geeky to admit I’m looking forward to playing with it, but so be it… I’m totally excited to get it!!

As a photographer with a thirst for huge amounts of disk-space, I shall be writing updates as and when I have time. In the meantime, below is a list of all the best reviews of the Synology DS1010+ I have been able to find on the internet.

• SmallNetBuilder.com
• Amazon.com – the feedback from purchasers is an interesting positive read
• TechWorld.com
• PCPro.co.uk
• Synology

I also discovered on YouTube that there is a video made by Synology to prove the LAN speed of the DS1010+

If you’ve found a good review, then please post it in the comments!

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First and foremost, my Mac Pro has been stable. It has not wobbled once since the upgrade. I was originally worried about the heat before I did the upgrade but the temperate has remained the same, even when pushed by HandBrake or Final Cut Pro 2. In the first month I ran a battery of real world stability tests by opening up multiple applications while copying multiple files and folders to my drobo and to other internal hard drives. The heat only went up a few degrees.

The speed increase has been amazing, especially when my applications utilize multiple processors! The following isn’t very scientific but I’ll do my best.

• Handbrake – uses multiple cores. Speed increase isn’t quite halved, but realistically I just leave that running and do something else. I don’t tend to sit there watching it. It is noticeably faster.
• Final Cut Pro 2 – uses multiple cores. Rendering previews is much quicker, I would say again it almost halves the time which is damn important as I do alot of rendered previewing when I’m editing. When I try to view the edits with effects, then it does drop frames alot (which is why i render). However, when I edit HD material then it really does struggle, I can’t view the previews properly unless I render.
• Photoshop CS4 – recently composited some magazine covers for a band at full resolution. I could see all 8 cores doing something but I couldn’t tell if anything felt quicker.
• Parallels – just for a test I wanted to see if Half Life 2 would run in Parallels which was running Windows XP. It ran fine. Also in the background I ran a YouTube video and a BBC iPlayer video simultaneously all running in the background. I could see no lag while editing photos in Lightroom. I believe a faster HDD would make a siginificant difference.
• LightRoom 2.0 – editing individual photos show no significant increase in speed, if anything Lightroom hits the Hard drives harder than the CPU. However, when bulk exporting files it does feel alot faster than before. Since I work in Lightroom 80% of the time this was well received.

Without doubt, it’s a worthy upgrade. If you have any questions, then leave comments below and I’ll do my best to answer them.

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Built around the Antec 300, it has become my third backup solution of my photos.

As you can see from the photos, it’s full of cables; I’m ashamed of my cable management skills. It was tidy, but after consistantly inserting and pulling out  components I gave up!

These photos were taking with a Nikon 10.5mm Fisheye lens and a D300.

More photos can be viewed here

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Not only does he remain true to the spirit of the song, but he’s also recorded it properly using proper recording equipment so the sound is much better than a tinny camcorder microphone. Anyway, click the video, have a listen and enjoy!

You can view Cory’s MySpace here

I see Your face in every sunrise
The colors of the morning are inside Your eyes
The world awakens in the light of the day
I look up to the sky and say
You’re beautiful

I see Your power in the moonlit night
Where planets are in motion and galaxies are bright
We are amazed in the light of the stars
It’s all proclaiming who You are
You’re beautiful, You’re beautiful

I see you there hanging on a tree
You bled and then you died and then you rose again for me
Now you are sitting on Your heavenly throne
Soon we will be coming home
You’re beautiful, you’re beautiful

When we arrive at eternity’s shore
Where death is just a memory and tears are no more
We’ll enter in as the wedding bells ring
Your bride will come together and we’ll sing
You’re beautiful, You’re beautiful, You’re beautiful

I see Your face, You’re beautiful, You’re beautiful, You’re beautiful
I see Your face, You’re beautiful, You’re beautiful, You’re beautiful
I see Your face, I see Your face
I see Your face, You’re beautiful, You’re beautiful, You’re beautiful

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With Windows Mobile 7, they have made the mobile phone the everything device when it can’t be that. Whenever you try to treat a small device as a big device you just get programs trying to run faster than the hardware is able to; Microsoft’s previous solution to this is to make the HARDWARE more powerful when they should be making the software simpler.

Windows Mobile 7′s interface is a barrier, it makes me think about where I want to get to when really I just want it to run the program I tell it to. There are too many buttons, options and ‘things’ cluttering the OS that the human eye doesn’t know where to look. Many people have complained about the iPhone’s simplistic interface but believe me that although it does look easy it take someone who KNOWS User Interfaces to design and implement, it also takes the vision of Steve Jobs to implement that and produce it for the masses.

One thing Microsoft must sort out is their message; what are they trying to say by releasing WM7? Are they targetting iPhone users or are they aiming for the corporate stuffy suit market? Whatever it is, right now Microsoft is saying an awful lot, but the message is lost to most of us.

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I didn’t have thermal paste, acetone and a very long screwdriver to reach down the heatsinks to unscrew the CPU.

I also had a massive issue trying to get the memory cage off; the screws that hold them in place strip very very easily. In a matter of minutes I manged to completely render them useless. In the end, I read an article where they had a similar problem so they just used a bit of brute force to remove the heatsink cover, the front fan assembly and a memory cage slot holder.

I am very happy with the results. I have put new life into a 4 year old Mac Pro. I didn’t have the finance to upgrade to a 2009 Mac Pro but I have no regrets, it is far more rewarding knowing that I upgraded it myself.

My one advise is to don’t bother trying to unscrew the front screws on the memory cage, just unsrew the back ones so you can lever it out to pull out the plastic heatsink cover. From there on it’s easy peesy, so long as you have the right tools.

Mac Pro opened. Memory module, front fan assembly and heatsink covers removed.

Side view of heatsinks with lots of dust collected over the years. Easily removed with compressed air.

As you can see, I could not remove the memory cage assembly so I had to use brute force to remove everything except the memory cage.

So much dust!!

The pair of Intel Xeon x5355 processors in place.

Heatsink with all the old thermal paste still on.

With a bit of Nail Polish remover, I cleaned the heatsink plating.

2 Quad core X5355 processors in place

Intel Xeon x5355 Quad Core 2.66GHZ Processor

GEEKBENCH RESULTS: 52% speed increase

MAC PRO 1,1 QUAD CORE – 4952

MAC PRO 1,1 EIGHT CORE – 9436

Please leave comments below. I’d like to hear your experiences in your upgrade.

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The Premise.

The purpose of this post is to compile all the information i can find about upgrading a 2006 Mac Pro 1,1 with the quad core X5355 Intel Processors. I’ve recently purchased two Intel Xeon X5355 with the intention of upgrading (updating) my 2006 Apple Mac Pro desktop I purchased a couple of years ago.

Why Upgrade?

Currently I have Two 2.66 GHz (5150) Dual-core Intel Xeon “Woodcrest”; effectively this means I have four processors working together. I work alot on processor intensive apps, especially Final Cut Pro which is a video editing suite by Apple specifically for Macs. I also run alot of programs simulataneously such as Parallels, Photoshop and Adobe Lightroom. Because I edit alot of photos then a fast cpu, as well as fast Disk system like a Raid 0, will make editing much quicker. I sometimes have to batch export over 700 photos in one session!

The equipment list to upgrade.

• Mac Pro 1,1 (duh)
• 2 x Intel X5355 processors, although reports have said you can use just one at a time
• Torx 3mm (T15) Screwdriver with a long neck
• Thermal paste
• An assortment of Philips screwdrivers

30 Jan 2010 – As yet, I am still waiting for the CPUs to arrive. In the meantime I am reading and reviewing all the following websites for information.

• Hardmac.com – Tutorial on how to upgrade the CPUs.
• XLR8yourmac.com – Select Mac Pro from the drop down box.
• AnandTech.com – Tutorial with photos. Good detail.
• MacRumours – Bulletin board thread with indepth discussion.

There’s a video that shows what to do!

I will be updating this post as I have time and gather more information.

2 Feb – My X5355 Processors have arrived!

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Engadget have posted an interesting article about the Nikon D300s. It sits between the amateur Nikon D90 and the Semi-pro Nikon D700. I already have the D300, however there is not enough difference to justify the minor upgrade. To be honest, if I was coming into Digital SLRs fresh, then I would go for the awesome Canon 5D Mark 2. It’s full frame, better ISO and full HD video.

Read more and form your own opinion by going to Endgadget.

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