KVR Audio

someone called simon · Wed Mar 13, 2019 1:58 am

I need to get some more storage for my 250 SSD 2012 MBP. This will be for recorded audio tracks, and maybe sample libraries, but not intense usage thereof. Maybe an average piano, some drums, not detailed orchestral etc. And not likely to be recording more than 2 tracks at a time.

I'm unsure whether an SSD will have an advantage over a HDD in track counts over USB 2, but I *think* it still will.

I probably wouldn't be using more than 20 maybe 30 tracks, that seems well within the capabilities of USB 2 and a HDD, but I'd rather get the more robust and light/small solution.

I would be interested to know though if there would be any advantage for audio tracks and samples with the SSD, despite the USB 2 bottleneck.

I could get a TB 3 SSD and an TB 3 – TB2 2 adaptor, but thats an expensive option that I doubt I'd need. And of course all SSDs are USB 3 so I'd have that advantage when I upgrade my laptop eventually.

thanks

jancivil · Post by **jancivil** » Wed Mar 13, 2019 4:36 pm

For sample libraries, the HDD spinner is far more of a bottleneck than any USB connection rate. For recording, it isn't going to be that much of an upgrade I think. I don't know quite why you're thinking of an external drive rather than internal, though. The best option from your vantage point is a single SSD internally. The old thinking about separation of drives per purpose has no moment to SSD.

someone called simon · Wed Mar 13, 2019 7:00 pm

Ok thanks. The internal SSD is 256 gig (I mistakenly said ram in my post), never thought of upgrading that, but there are pros and cons to bigger internal or an external drive I'd say.

jancivil · Post by **jancivil** » Wed Mar 13, 2019 7:10 pm

For me that's pretty durn small. I'm maxing out 1TB in mine. But Apple's price for 2TB was astronomical. That was 'con' for sure.

But this one (2018) for whatever reason is performing A-Ok at 97% full.

In my now-dead 2010 MBP, I had an internal 1TB installed, it wasn't a whole lot of money.

jancivil · Post by **jancivil** » Wed Mar 13, 2019 7:14 pm

I have an HDD for backups, I wouldn't want to go back to it to stream samples, for sure. I have done with a USB2 connecting drive, it's definitely better than a spinner. If you have a very little amount to worry about, I don't know. But the sheer wait time is vastly reduced here, and it is overall just better performing.

But SSD being random access, there is no reason to worry about where it has to look, so partitioning or any/all that is just history.

someone called simon · Thu Mar 14, 2019 1:42 am

Curiously I feel getting an internal upgrade would have to be a 1 TB. But for an external I'd be happy getting a 500 gig. Cost is definitely a factor. And there's the hassle of having to reauthorise stuff for a new internal drive, and copy across the system.

I have a few HDDs connected to my desktop which I use for work, but it still has Logic 8 on it (!) And I've done very little recording in years. So using my laptop and getting the current Logic seems to be the way to go. And the path of least resistance seems to be to bump up the storage via the external option...

Tj Shredder · Post by **Tj Shredder** » Sat Mar 16, 2019 2:46 pm

Hands down get an internal ssd. That is the most cost effective! If you have your time machine backup its dead easy as well...
I got a 1 TB ssd for 144 €, they might be cheaper in the mean time...
Go to ifixit.com and learn how to do it yourself...

jancivil · Post by **jancivil** » Sat Mar 16, 2019 10:05 pm

I had someone stick mine in the last computer, the cost was FAR less than he could do for an external, and less than OWC online's prices.

jdnz · Post by **jdnz** » Sun Mar 17, 2019 4:50 am

someone called simon wrote: ↑Thu Mar 14, 2019 1:42 am Curiously I feel getting an internal upgrade would have to be a 1 TB. But for an external I'd be happy getting a 500 gig. Cost is definitely a factor. And there's the hassle of having to reauthorise stuff for a new internal drive, and copy across the system.

Is your 2012 mbp a retina or a non-retina - cos the non-retinas still had optical drives, so it's easy to buy a mount kit, rip out the optical drive and install a 2nd ssd so you can keep the current system drive AND have additional internal storage

someone called simon · Sun Mar 17, 2019 8:22 am

It's a retina, so no luck there.

I can get an external 500 gb ssd for NZ$200, and a 1 tb for about $380. Buying a Mac specific internal SSD 1 tb would be about $540, or a little over $600 for a kit with the tools and a case to reuse the original 250 gb ssd. dropping it to 500 gb would be about $440

That is, however, the online OWC stuff, which from my searching is the only way I'd know for certain it would work. I could ask around for an independent mac person locally to supply one I guess, which would be worth a shot.

For me at the moment $200 is doable, and the internal options are all too costly unless I can find someone locally that is cheaper than OWC

Thanks for the input

jdnz · Post by **jdnz** » Sun Mar 17, 2019 8:54 am

someone called simon wrote: ↑Sun Mar 17, 2019 8:22 am That is, however, the online OWC stuff, which from my searching is the only way I'd know for certain it would work. I could ask around for an independent mac person locally to supply one I guess, which would be worth a shot.

Since it's a proprietary ssd not many options - so anyone local will just be onselling either OWC or Transcend ssds, and since RAMcity was au$400 for a 480gb it's pretty poor value (given I picked up a 1tb 2.5" ssd for <nz$200 in the latst pbtech sale)

I'd probably just go a samsung t5 (nz$215 for 500gb) - still not great value and you'll be bandwidth limited on usb2 (need usb3 to get full speed on it)

jancivil · Post by **jancivil** » Sun Mar 17, 2019 7:53 pm

I don't recall exactly how much putting a 1TB in my mid-2010 MBP was but ballpark 100 USD. I can only guess why it was so inexpensive (probably not Apple), but it worked.
I suggested putting it in where the optical drive used to be (or so it appeared in System Information, ie, wasn't one) but I didn't really look at it once done. But that's not an option for you I see. I know the difference at the Apple Store between 1 and 2TB is phenomenal which is why I don't have it.

jdnz · Post by **jdnz** » Sun Mar 17, 2019 10:02 pm

jancivil wrote: ↑Sun Mar 17, 2019 7:53 pm I don't recall exactly how much putting a 1TB in my mid-2010 MBP was but ballpark 100 USD. I can only guess why it was so inexpensive (probably not Apple), but it worked.

those old mbps were easy as they just use a standard 2.5" sata ssd - anything generic works (only catch was that apple would only enable TRIM on 'their' ssds - but there were ways around that)

of course apple then decided to go with ssd 'blades' using a prorprietary interface (no mSATA or m.2 for apple!) - and of course has now gone even further with soldering the flash to the mainboard

sneer · Post by **sneer** » Mon Mar 25, 2019 4:43 pm

Just upgrade your internal 250GB SSD to a bigger one. SSDs are pretty cheap nowadays anyways

clarifying external HDD vs SSD for my USB 2 / TB 2 MBPro