Orico’s Reveals New Hybrid Storage For Apple’s Mac Studio And Mini

Storage brand Orico has announced a new high-performance storage system called Data Matrix. The system is designed specifically for creatives and post-production professionals working with the latest Apple Macs. The Orico DMM System is ideal for anyone who needs plenty of scalable space for storing 3D graphics, video footage, audio files or any other creative projects that generate a lot of data.

Multimedia studios spend a lot of time creating content using sophisticated software running on powerful computers. These large and complex projects produce massive amounts of data, especially with 4K and 8K video being the norm. Other applications such as virtual reality and augmented reality are also driving the need for more reliable and affordable local storage.

Creatives using computers like Apple’s Mac Pro, Mac Studio and Mac Mini need to store projects safely but still want them readily accessible for edits and post production work. Given the exorbitant price of Apple’s own SSD storage, there’s a genuine need for an alternative that’s fast, robust and affordable.

The DMM System is a collaboration between Orico and Western Digital. Orico is using Western Digital’s Red hard drives for longer term storage and archiving, while editing is carried out on SSDs. The hybrid nature of the system offers benefits with speed, capacity and affordability.

The DMM Series uses a flexible combination of SSD and HDD technology. Files that are “hot” can be worked on in real time off an SSD When the work is done, the data can be transferred to the HDD for cold storage where it won’t need to be so quickly accessible. Cold files can be moved to the hot section if further post production work needs to be done.

The concept of Orico’s DMM is a little like Apple’s old Fusion drives which used a combination of SSD and HDD technology in a single storage drive. The SSD on the Fusion drive was where data that was needed quickly would be placed while archive data was shunted to the HDD part of the drive for “cold storage.”

The Orico DDM Series features similar styling to Apple’s Mac Studio and Mac Mini computers. The units offer storage capacities up to 112TB, split between SSD and HDD. This dual approach lowers costs while still providing a high level of security.

I watched a demonstration of a DMM prototype running at Orico’s research lab. The write speed of the unit topped out at 1,500 MB/s while read speeds reached 3,000 MB/s making editing of video footage feasible in real-time.

As well as offering straightforward data storage, the DMM Series also supports hardware RAID stacking in RAID 0/1/5/10, JBOD and Normal configurations. The RAID option is a vital feature of the system and provides data redundancy should a drive fail. It means projects are always securely backed up no matter what happens.

The DMM units are whisper quiet in operation which makes them ideal for use in distraction-free work environments, especially when working late at night. Up to five DMM units can be daisy-chained for true scalability. The units can hold multiple drives and have ports for driving 4K/8K displays. There are also high-speed CF Express. SD and microSD card slots. The units connect directly to their host computer via a USB/Thunderbolt cable.

This announcement by Orico is a genuinely interesting development. While Apple’s latest Macs are relatively affordable for the processing power they offer, the high cost of Apple’s internal storage options can make them prohibitively expensive for creative use. Apple doesn’t appear to want to enter the physical data storage business and seems content to sell space on iCloud instead.

The Orico DMM Series is an excellent idea and its Mac-like styling and use of hybrid SSD and HDD for storage will appeal to content creators. The support for RAID and the addition of data ports makes the DMM System a compelling prospect for post-production and is ideal for any graphic-intensive work that generates large amounts of both short and long-term data.

Pricing & Availability: The Orico DMM Series is launching on Kickstarter. Early adopters should always carry out due diligence but there is an opportunity to take advantage of discounts and rewards on limited quantities of DMM. The Data Matrix Elite 2Big comes in 5TB/ 9TB/ 17TB/ 23TB capacities, while Data Matrix Pro 3Big offers 10TB/ 18TB/ 34TB/ 46TB of storage. Finally, the Data Matrix Ultra 6Big can be ordered in 22TB/ 72TB/ 82TB/ 112TB options. See Orico’s Kickstarter website for individual pricing.