Photography, geek, gadget stuff and life.
Geek stuff
Silverstone Sugo SG09 as a gaming and Plex PC
34 months ago
There was an opportunity to start a new PC project based on some spare parts I had just doing nothing. I already have a well configured Windows 7 PC I use for editing photos, editing HD videos and gaming. My second PC acts as a file server for archiving purposes; it does have a decent AMD CPU and a 560Ti GPU but it doesn’t really see much action other than when I need to backup my commercial photos. My third PC is just something I built just for fun but it didn’t see much use other than playing a few games in the spare room so I wanted to give it more purpose by moving it into the living room to serve my 46″ TV. I also wanted a small mobile case so I could transport it to LAN events or hide discretely within my living room.
The case it was in was a cheap no brand case that merely served a purpose but it was too big for my sparse living room so I needed something much smaller and discreet. The motherboard is a Micro-ATX format board, it’s not as small as mini-itx but I didn’t want to buy any new components so the new case had to accommodate that. After extensive research I came across Silverstone’s Sugo SG09 priced around £90 new in the UK. Because I didn’t want to spend that much on a case I waited until it popped up on Ebay for £50! A bargain I thought and snapped it up.
As soon as it arrived I pulled apart the old PC case and set about putting all the components into the Sugo SG09. I had read a few reviews saying it was a tight squeeze when it comes to cable management and they were right! After a bit of trial and error I just cabled up the back with plastic ties but it still leaves a bulge when you put the case on. I had to put some of the cables underneath the PSU by literally shoving it in there. All this cabling is right next to a 120mm on the side.
One thing I didn’t like was the 120mm fan on the left side panel as I felt it served no real purpose; other than the cables I shoved in there, there was no component that needed cooling so I removed it. The rest of the build was very easy like any other case.
The internal specifications are as follows:
- M4A87TD/USB3
- 8gb Ram
- MSI GTX570 GPU
- Crucial 120gb SSD
I overclock the GTX 570 to 850mhz which produces quite a bit of heat so this was a real test for the SUGO SG09 to see if it really could exhaust the heat properly and to my amazement it handled it fine!
I’m sorry if this doesn’t seem very scientific, I just wanted to share my experience with this wonderful little case. I can totally recommend it to anyone who has a Micro-ATX motherboard. I am going to EPICLAN 10 in a months time, and this little case is perfect for taken to LAN events!
I have used it several times to watch videos using PLEX and played several games of Battlefield 3 without any issues at all!
Sugo SG09 with a USB wireless keyboard and mouse dongle
The huge 180mm fan!
The rear of the SUGO SG09. A very well laid out rear end!
An alternative to Drobo. The MediaSonic StarTech HFR2-SU3S2 ProRaid USB 3
41 year ago
Being a photographer, storage is incredibly important; storage that can expand and offer protecting is crucial.
When it comes to direct access storage devices that offer built in disk failure redundancy features and multi drive capabilities the biggest name is Drobo by Data Robotics.
However, I lived with a Drobo V2 for just over a year. This version had the USB2 and Firewire 800 interfaces. In the beginning it was great. Drobo was small, quiet and kept my files safe and protected. But I was soon wanting more from the diminutive device. I needed faster random access, faster sequential data throughput and finally I wanted an transfer interface that wasn’t based on 10 year old technology (USB and FireWire). So it was time to move on and I sold it.
18 months later there was a Drobo shaped space next on my desk. I still wanted all those features which the Drobo couldn’t offer. I looked at the Drobo’s newer siblings; the Drobo S and Drobo FS but reviews slated them for the slow speed and their inadequate ability to maximize their eSata and USB 3 interfaces. Plus they were notoriously expensive.
The search continued for many months when I stumbled on a small device from MediaSonic for around £100 (approx $160 US).
The device has a very silly name, it’s called the HFR2-SU3S2. Even with the silly name it does have a lot features. It has an eSata and USB 3 interface, 4 drive bays and a choice of RAID 0, 1,5 and 10.
This is how I’ve configured it:
- Three 2TB Western Digital drive at 5200RPM
- USB 3 interface
- RAID 5 configuration giving me 4TB of usable storage
Using the USB 3 interface it’s as speedy as any SATA drive in my PC; I was hoping it would be faster since I have it configured in RAID 5. I was expected higher performance since the data is spread across the three 2TB drives I have installed but without doubt the results are faster than the Drobos.
There is no software provided and the instructions are short; however this was not an issue for myself as I have a lot of experience with these devices, but I can imagine it would be a bit intimidating for the absolute beginner.
I have read other comments about the HFR2-SU3S2 being quite noisy; I have found it to be very quiet. It is by no means silent. I would describe the noise level to be on the ‘very quiet’ scale. I set the fans on auto and it just does the rest!
In the box, you get a USB3 and a eSATA cable. Both are quite short so if you plan on having the unit on your desk and your computer is underneath your desk, then you may have to purchase a longer lead like I did. I got a 2m eSATA cable for only £2.00
The lights on the front are bright but not distracting. When the drives are being accessed the activity lights turn purple. There have been comments from other users saying it’s too bright but I disagree. While they are noticeable on my desk they don’t annoy me.
Overall, this is a magnificent little device that has little compromise when compared to the more expensive Drobo. The only limitation I see is all the drives have to be matched (you can mix up manufacturers and sizes on the Drobo).
Buy it, it’s cheap and offers an expandable means of storage with redundancy.
Why DropBox is every photographer’s friend.
01 year ago
I do intend to write a blog about all the software tools I use to make my job a little easier, but for now I want to talk about a little utility I use daily called Dropbox.
Dropbox is probably the best file synchronisation and ‘cloud’ manager there is. I can work on any file on my Mac (or PC) and I know that file will be automatically saved online every time I change that file. Not only that, but the synchronisation is fully automated.
The free version starts off with 2gb so the it’s not massive. Even the biggest version of 100gb isn’t enough to hold all my photos which currently a stands at 2.7TB. But it’s not all about size, besides I wouldn’t want to hang around waiting for 2.7TB to sync!!
Dropbox is about simplicity and having your previous files up to date, always available and minimises duplication of projects.
Dropbox Case Study:
I’m a professional photographer, so that means I deal with thousands of photos any given month, but I don’t use Dropbox for all those files. I use dropbox when I’m working on larger single images like a Photoshop file of a large Magazine cover composition. These files are typically a manageable 100mb. I use Dropbox to keep that file always backed up every time I change the file by saving. Not only that, with Dropbox it stores previous versions of the same file so if I make an irreversible change in Photoshop I can go to the Dropbox website and retrieve the previously saved version up to a few days! Think of it like an online version of Apple’s Time Machine.
Another advantage is I can work on that file on my Macbook Pro when I need to work remotely, but when I am home I can work on the same UP TO DATE file on my Apple Mac Pro without having to copy from the Macbook Pro. Also because I’m working on virtually the same file I don’t need to worry about storing duplicate files; I just need to store and manage one file which is always up to date and backed up.
Once my Photoshop file is complete I can then use Dropbox as a delivery method. I simply move the file onto the Public folder within the Dropbox folder, right click, copy the unique dropbox link then paste that link to send to my clients as you would send any link; by email, online chat etc.
You can try out Dropbox for free with the standard 2GB, but if you click my referral link then we both get an extra 250mb for free!
Nikon 24-70mm coffee mug
12 years ago
I just received this present through the post from my brother in Hong Kong. It’s the awesome 24-70mm F/2.8 coffee mug.
My postman, who’s also a keen photographer, rang my doorbell because I had to sign for it. Because it was an international package it had to be declared on the label which said “Mug”. I opened it with much excitement and lo and behold it was the Lens mug. I’ve not been this excited about a package since my last lens which was the £1200 14-24mm!! This mug was a fraction of the price but it just looks so damn cool!!
Being a geek and a photographer I had to photograph them side by side. Can you tell by the photo below which one is the real one?? 
Thanks to my bro Ray!!!
A photographer’s editing studio/desk
02 years ago
i thought I would share my current desk and all the Apple things I have collected.
My desk. December 2010. Aylesbury
- Macbook Pro i5 2.66
- iPad WIFI 3G 16GB
- 30″ Dell Monitor
- 15″ iiyama monitor
- Macbook Pro 15″ Core 2 duo 2.33
- Mac Pro 2007 model, upgraded to 8 cores
- iPhone 3GS 32GB
What you can’t see is my iMac 24″ in my studio.
Synology DS1010+ video overview
02 years ago
HADD3RS on YouTube as uploaded a recent overview of my current NAS storage solution the Synology DS1010+
Worth watching because he’s striped it naked! Personally, I don’t like exposing my bits like that on video , well not so early on anyway
iPad for Professional Photographers
02 years ago
My friends call it the iFad (ho ho), but to me it has become a tool that I use more often then my other Apple computers with the exception of the iPhone. There are limitations to the iPad without doubt but then there are limitations of every product I have; no one questions if the Mac Pro desktop is “portable”, likewise nobody asks if the iPhone can be used to edit 25mb RAW Images!
Where the iPad really works for me is in it’s presentation and 90% of what I do online which is surfing the web.
If you’re a photographer, then don’t wait. Get an iPad now while it’s still new and fresh; remember when the iPhone was new and original? Now it’s quite common.
Canon 5D Mark 2 Video test with my kitten Toffee
12 years ago
I’ve been given a Canon 5D mark 2 to play with and I could not think of anything more interesting than my cat. The lens is a 24-105mm F4 L series. I hope you enjoy!
Expanding capacity of Synology DS1010+
12 years ago
I’m a huge consumer of data; typically my data storage hovers around the 2.5TB range with most of that being my archive of photos. So as the Synology DS1010+ is to be my main file server I needed to feed it with drives. Yesterday after noon (approximately 20 hours ago) I added a 2tb drive to compliment the other 4 2tb drives already in there. It’s taking much longer than I anticipated but at least it’s doing it’s job. I’ve been having issues with the DS1010+ and Apple Macs which I’m hoping to solve. I have been in touch with Synology tech support but they have been very slow to respond and not up to the standard I would expect. Time will tell, I will keep you updated.
Synology DS1010+ a few days on.
02 years ago
by Terry
in Geek stuff
I received the Synology DS1010 less than a week ago. I’ve not really had time to put it through it’s paces, but I thought I would write about my impressions so far.
The unit itself is heavy for it’s size, sleek and does look the business in an understated fashion. I initially loaded it up with three 1TB drives; one Western Digital WD10EACS-65D and two Hitachi HDT72101.
The DS1010 took around six hours to build the Raid 5 volume, after that I decided to run some very short tests; I wasn’t impressed. The unit is attached to a gigabit Netgear switch, I made sure all the a cables were quick enough by testing it on other Gigabit capable machines. However when transferring files across to and from the DS101 the speeds were well below par, only reaching around 20mb/s. Sometimes it would burst to an unbelievable 100mb/s but only for short moments.
Since then I’ve put in two 2TB drives and as of right now it’s rebuilding the Raid 5 volume which does take a long time.
I shall post some benchmarks when I have a bit more time.
