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External HD Advice Needed
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| cryophonik |
OK, so I just built a second studio (laptop) and I'm considering adding an external HD. I'm thinking that having the project files on a separate HD would make sharing with my desktop DAW much easier, but I'm concerned about speed. The new laptop has a 750GB internal HD, but I want to: (1) have the ability to easily share/backup projects with my primary desktop DAW, and/or (2) have storage for all of my sample libraries without using up most of my internal HD space. Between Komplete, EWQL, Maschine, Kore2, Spectrasonics (Omni, Stylus, Trilian), etc and all of my 3rd party libraries, I have 400GB+ in samples.
My new laptop has two USB3.0 ports, 1 USB2 port, and 1 eSATA/USB2 port. I'm guessing that eSATA or USB3 would be the way to go for an external HD, but I'm not sure which format would be preferable.
So, what do you guys think? Should I keep my project files, or sample libraries on an external HD? Would an eSATA or USB3 drive be sufficient, or would I just be asking for problems using an external HD in either of these capacities? |
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| TranceLover007 |
If you have a USB 3.0 port or an eSATA port on your computer (and from what looks like you have), you can buy a compatible external enclosure (make sure it says USB 3.0 or eSATA) and use Solid State Disks.
Yesterday came across one 240GB for $287 and 480GB for $670 (you may even find cheaper one) - that would be my choice if gas is not in question lol.
Cheers Dave |
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| cryophonik |
| Yes, I know that I CAN buy one and how much they cost. I actually have one now, but it's an older USB2 and it's too slow for anything other than backing up data. My question is more concerned with whether or not it's a good idea to work directly from an eSATA or USB3 external HD. Are they fast enough, or will I have performance issues trying to read samples and projects from an external HD, compared to the internal HD? |
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| TranceLover007 |
| quote: | Originally posted by cryophonik
Yes, I know that I CAN buy one and how much they cost. I actually have one now, but it's an older USB2 and it's too slow for anything other than backing up data. My question is more concerned with whether or not it's a good idea to work directly from an eSATA or USB3 external HD. Are they fast enough, or will I have performance issues? |
I was talking about Solid State Disks with your laptop support of USB 3.0 and/or eSATA port which has enough speed (Win 7 support) that you shouldn't see/notice any major slowdowns at all (USB 3.0 connections will likely to achieve 400MB/s which should be around 10X faster then USB2.0)
So the short answer should be, YES they should be fast enough ;)
Cheers |
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| TranceLover007 |
Anyway external solid state disk is our plane in the near future.
Cheers |
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| cryophonik |
| Thanks Darek. Which do you think would be preferable - USB3 or eSATA? I've seen and read (e.g., on various forums) that it may not be just a matter of speed, but also how each format (USB3 and eSATA) handles data, but I have no idea how that would apply to my situation. |
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| TranceLover007 |
| quote: | Originally posted by cryophonik
Thanks Darek. Which do you think would be preferable - USB3 or eSATA? I've seen and read (e.g., on various forums) that it may not be just a matter of speed, but also how each format (USB3 and eSATA) handles data, but I have no idea how that would apply to my situation. |
Hey Dave I think that eSATA to be the most reliably performing option of the two as USB3 is still maturing and will get better and hopefully cheaper in the near future (also speed and reliability strictly depending on quality of drivers/chipset/etc for USB3) - so my choice would be eSATA.
Cheers |
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| DJ RANN |
In an ideal world, samples would be on a fast internal drive, but with external speeds now being comparable (non SSD of course) to good internal, you'll be fine.
Just make sure you get a G-Raid or LaCie, and I would go with usb3. I don't really like esata as the bridges are prone to frying with an accidental hotplug. |
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| Looney4Clooney |
i've had 2 g drives fail. I think they were using toshibas at the time. Fortunately, you get the manufacturer warranty. I have 4 3 TB ones for short term backup. They look nice and are constructed well. You can also daisy chain them which is handy.
If you have an old pc, i would try using that as a server. Much more reliable and faster as you can use multiple channels. |
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| cryophonik |
Thanks for the info, RANN!
| quote: | Originally posted by DJ RANN
...and I would go with usb3. I don't really like esata as the bridges are prone to frying with an accidental hotplug. |
OK, well that's good to know, because I was starting to lean toward eSATA.
| quote: | Originally posted by Looney4Clooney
If you have an old pc, i would try using that as a server. Much more reliable and faster as you can use multiple channels. |
Hmmmm...that's actually something to consider. Or, maybe I'll just buy an actual server and wire up the whole house. That could have a lot of benefits. |
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| Mel David |
Your internal HD has plenty of space for projects. Even if you do a lot of audio recording it's still plenty of space. 60 mins of audio is roughly 700MB at CD quality.
The more peripherals you add to your laptop the more it becomes more like a desktop so why even bother to have a mobile studio? Why complicate things?
Just have your sample libraries installed on both PCs, and transfer project files between the two machines at will using networking or external storage. |
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| Looney4Clooney |
| quote: | Originally posted by cryophonik
Thanks for the info, RANN!
OK, well that's good to know, because I was starting to lean toward eSATA.
Hmmmm...that's actually something to consider. Or, maybe I'll just buy an actual server and wire up the whole house. That could have a lot of benefits. |
a computer is a server. anything within 5 years will be good enough for that purpose. |
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