My Mac Pro has SSD's for the OS's (currently; OS6 & OS7); and the original 640GB drive as a Time Machine. (I always keep the current OS when upgrading; in case of problems.)
I removed a third SSD to fit the Icy-Dock, for a mirrored RAID.
This is a solid, heavy box; apparently designed for PC's, as the activity lights are hidden when installed in a Mac Pro.
I chose two Seagate Hybrid XT drives (250GB versions) to fill the icy-dock.
The XT drives slide straight into the caddy without the need for screws.
Fitting SSD's or HDD's is the same - press the release button on the front of the caddy, and the top springs open. Lift the top tray and drop the bottom drive into place with the connectors facing forward, and taking care to ensure that the plastic removal tab in the caddy, is free. Allow the top tray to sit on the bottom drive and insert the second drive. Then close the lid until the catch clicks into place. Closing the lid slides both drives forward into the connectors.
Although the drives are fitted and the RAID selector is set to RAID 1; the software is not configured to any setting. It is not possible to do the manual setting on the Mac as the reset button is tight up against the backplane (on the main circuit board), so it is necessary to download the configuration software from the icy-dock web site.
To install - remove the side from the Mac; slide out a disc carrier; fit the dock with the screws already in the Mac carrier and slide it back into place.
Start the Mac, download the software and run the `configurator'.
RAID 0. Is available, and striping the RAID may give a slight increase in performance; but this would be minimal as it took my Mac just 50 seconds to give a working desktop. I feel a better use of drives is to use mirroring.
As someone who has lost valuable files in the past, I may be over-cautious, but it's good to feel secure, knowing an instant backup is always there.
Once configured, and this isn't obvious: The software just stops. Looking carefully at the open window, does show a RAID setup, which is the confirmation.
On exiting the setup, OSX tells you it can't read the drive. Accept the offer to reformat the drive, which will open Disc Utility. Select `erase' (the logical drive, not the physical one). Disc Utility then confirms you have a RAID setup, so just exit and you are ready to go.
The configuration software is reliable, and didn't crash at any time, working perfectly.
The setup has been working reliably for seven months, and with the Hybrid setup; files open instantly. With larger files, a pair of SSD's might provide even better performance: but the built-in hardware RAID would be difficult to improve on.
| Brand | Icy Dock |
|---|---|
| Item model number | MB982SPR-2S |
| Manufacturer | Icy Dock |
| Form Factor | 3.5 inches, 2.5 inches |
| Hard Drive Interface | Raid |
| Are Batteries Included | No |
