sflocal

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sflocal
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  • Synology partially drops support for third-party drives in 2025 NAS range

    sflocalsflocal
    avon b7 said:
    paulk91 said:
    I can understand why Synology did this.  I have been burnt (pretty bad) by buying four high volume drives that were marketed by Western Digital as "NAS" drives, and that totally failed hard in my Synology.  The compatibility requirements are really very fiddly and opaque for me as a very savvy prosumer.  Not an expert, but definitely in the weeds in detail.  The level of detail required to ensure that drives are compatible is crazy - many vendor sites for HDD don't have the level of precision necessary - don't show all of model specs or swap out as interchangeable minor differences without disclosing it.  I lost hundreds on those unreliable drives.

    Personally, have been bitten by Western Digital cutting corners, I view this as potentially similar to the "Apple tax" on memory but more understandable.  People may kvetch about it, but it's hard for Synology to not lose their brand reputation if Western Digital can't be trusted.
    As long as you stick to certified drives and pay attention to firmware requirements (compatibility listings sometimes also provide firmware versions too) you should be OK with just checking which drives are good for you (from a price/capacity standpoint) on the NAS vendors compatibility list. 

    Another key consideration IMO is to purchase drives from authorised resellers or trusted vendors. There is a lot of fraud in the market with re-badged, refurbished or outright different hardware under the label. 

    I use Toshiba N300 drives (RAID1) which some consider noisy but they have been ultra reliable for me. 
    "As long as you do this, then that, and especially this, then no problem."

    Actually, that is the problem.  I can understand why they're doing it.  Just go to the Synology / NAS forums.  There are countless people that focus on nothing more than the cheapest, questionable hard drives, stick them in a Synology NAS, and then go online to gripe and complain as to why it's not working right.  Why should companies like Synology deal with trying to provide support to users that - given the option - don't adhere to best practices?  

    And yes, that CMR and SMR debacle.  The hard drive market is convoluted with various type of hard drive technologies that don't play well with NAS systems.  NAS manufacturers have to take the reins since it's obvious the users don't care.
    ecarlseenFileMakerFellerwatto_cobra

  • Elevation Lab has a gadget that gives an AirTag a ten-year battery life

    sflocalsflocal
    SSD1400 said:
    4-pack of ElevationLab capsules is $40.  8-pack of Energizer Ultimate Lithium AA batteries is about $33.  So you get about 10-years life for $73.

    4-pack of Energizer Lithium CR2032 batteries is about $6.  Lithium CR2032 batteries will probably last in an AirTag for about 3+ years, so you pay about $18 to get a 10ish-year life.

    Kinda pricey just to not have to change a battery so often.  Still, I can see a use for these given their "rugged" enclosure and IP rating.  I'll take 4 please.
    Most of my AirTags run out of battery within 12-18 months.
    appleinsideruserwatto_cobrashamino

  • Apple's Magic Mouse charging port design has never been a big deal

    sflocalsflocal
    The haters blame the apologists, the apologists hate the haters.

    The amount of energy expended by haters on this is just pathetic.  Go ahead and label me an "apologist".  I honestly don't care.  If anything, it just shows how petty you are.

    It gives you enough of a warning that batteries are getting low.  Plug the damn thing in for 5 minutes while you take a coffee break and it's good for the entire day, if not longer.  Plug it in overnight before going to sleep, or leaving the office and it's back up running for weeks on end.  It's not that hard, but maybe it is for you.

    Quit your whining.
    williamlondonChromejobdocno42watto_cobra

  • Apple adds nine Macs to its obsolete devices list

    sflocalsflocal
    dewme said:
    I suppose this now puts a couple of my still-working-nicely Macs on the Archaic list.  

    No big deal, I'm sure there are still Apple fans driving Macs on the Historical list.
    The OCLP project is bringing all the "obsolete" Macs back into full use again.  It's actually quite impressive.  I don't think Apple may be necessarily happy about it but it's great to see old, but fully functioning Macs that would have gone to the trash bin have a second life.

    muthuk_vanalingamgatorguynubuswatto_cobra

  • Mac Studio storage upgraded by hardware hacker, but don't expect a retail kit soon

    sflocalsflocal
    This is a fantastic - and evolving - option for Mac Studio owners.  As they use customer boards for the NAND chips, I would totally entertain this route if bigger players like OWC, Crucial, and Kingston created their own versions.

    I often restored Macs with DFU and that part is actually quite easy, but definitely not for the average Joe.

    My only curiosity is whether Apple will clamp down on this by removing the SSD slots on future Mac Studios and soldering the chips directly on the board.  

    Either way, it gives me hope.  I want my future Mac Studio to be 8TB and that $2,400 upcharge is just highway robbery.
    VictorMortimer