10000rpm HD in a mac mini w- pics

[bxt403]

I'm not asking if it's possible...

The only PITA is when I was installing Reason- as the optical drive SATA port is where the OS is - so verifying Reason 4.1 took a bit of ingenuity- but I managed to get it done. Having a Seagate 7.2krpm HD for the record HD over SATA, and the WD for OS makes for a fuucking great time for me. Still cheaper than an SSD ($ vs GB's you get) and the Xbench score is 172.35...4GB DDR3 RAM, 2.26 C2Duo and a 2.5" Western Digital Velociraptor (that is intended for Blade servers) for the OS disc after some phreaking/modding by me. Honestly it was easier to get rid of the RROD on an Xbox 360 that was given to me, however opening the Mini's case is WAY less cumbersome than the 360.



Dual monitors from such a tiny box kicks ass.

[7rojo7]

How many monitors can the mini support? only 2? pretty good anyway, I thought maybe more. I'm wondering about how many the MBP 17 can do.
can you record through the usb, anyone do it
looks like an affordable rig!
Is 128 GB (thinking SSD) enough for the internal?
TC Konnekt 48
Audient ASP008 with ADAT card
a few more pres
at least 20 channels record I would guess
cool mod!
I currently can't start threads for some kakameiny reason, so I search for close stuff and resurrect them
are you running only reason?
is there a fan in that thing?

[bxt403]

Originally Posted by 7rojo7

How many monitors can the mini support? only 2? pretty good anyway, I thought maybe more. I'm wondering about how many the MBP 17 can do.
can you record through the usb, anyone do it
looks like an affordable rig!
Is 128 GB (thinking SSD) enough for the internal?
TC Konnekt 48
Audient ASP008 with ADAT card
a few more pres
at least 20 channels record I would guess
cool mod!
I currently can't start threads for some kakameiny reason, so I search for close stuff and resurrect them
are you running only reason?
is there a fan in that thing?

I could record through USB- but it's just too slow compared to SATA.
The audio is very glitchy 88/96k since my Duende Mini and Motu Travelers are on the same FW800 bus. Having all three FW400 devices on the same FW800 bus is error free at 44.1/48kHz. I'm sure I could've gotten away with 96kHz sessions if the Duende was able to have its own bus (since I was able to do 96k with my 1.83Ghz Core Duo MacBook Pro with a FW400 expresscard). But as the Duende Mini has the extra channels unlocked- I should be able to get away with 64 tracks @ 44/48kHz (the limitation being the number of slots the Duende allows).

The thing is using 3% processing power in Ableton Live with a 16 track project that has a Channel strip on each track and the Master Bus Compressor on the main output. That's using only the Duende Mini effects and Ableton Live. But I haven't been able to get to a high track count so I could see how much processing power I can actually squeeze out of the mini.

There's only one fan in the unit (and the Hard drive is right above it)- using SMC fan control the mini is still running relatively cool (I'd say around 37 degrees Celcius with the fan running mid-speed). There's plenty of clearance above and below the HD- so airflow isn't obstructed, since I was aware that the VelociRaptor likes to run hot. Since the latest version of the mini is so energy efficient (i.e- runs very cool) the added heat from the HD doesn't seem to be taxing on the mini. I'm sure since the HD is running off its own power supply, it helps keep the temperature low

And yes it can handle Dual high-resolution monitors (it shares 256MB DDR3 with main memory with 2GB or more installed).

[bxt403]

So nearly 2 years after the mod- the system has been smooth- although since DDR3 memory prices have dropped (and since the mini can now be maxed to 8GB via firmware update)- the system's now running Duende Native and the full 8GB of DDR3. The hottest I've seen it running has been about 61 degrees Celsius on a project that had some Duende Native plug-ins and running Aurturia Analog Factory's CPU hungry patches (considering my core1duo 1.83Ghz Macbook Pro was usually running around 84 degrees when taxed and Arturia would be in major gltich territory; while Duende v3 plus hardware would likely cause the MBP to crash- the mini is still running cooler and is extremely stable).

The magic smoke that makes my computer work hasn't escaped and I'm really liking Duende Native.