Solid State Drives
Nov 14, 2019 14:08:22 #
Has anyone added an SSD to their system as an external drive to store photographs? I want to move to an SSD in my laptop. Should I get it as an internal drive and use an HHD as an external drive?
Nov 14, 2019 14:17:21 #
NCMtnMan
Loc: N. Fork New River, Ashe Co., NC
Yes to your question about using the SSD for internal and HHD for external.
Nov 14, 2019 14:19:11 #
Depending on the make & model of your computer, the hard drive bay may not be suitable for the SSD - space, mounting, wiring harness. I just got SSDs for external use.
Nov 14, 2019 15:08:48 #
Lenfagen wrote:
Has anyone added an SSD to their system as an external drive to store photographs? I want to move to an SSD in my laptop. Should I get it as an internal drive and use an HHD as an external drive?
I put a 2TB SSD in my iMac, and a 1TB SSD in each of my twins' MacBook Pros. Those SSDs made a HUGE performance difference.
The SSD makes a great WORKING DRIVE. It is MANY times faster than a stock 5400 RPM or 7200 RPM rotating platter drive. It uses much less energy, and generates less heat. Most operations on my iMac run about 5-10 times faster with an SSD, depending on whether they are mostly I/O intensive or processor intensive. A fast processor isn't fast if the limiting factor is a slow-rotating platter!
Conventional hard disk drives make good backup and storage media. External portable SSDs make good sense if you need to download raw files and/or video in a hurry, for use on another computer. They are especially great if you have a Thunderbolt 3 or a USB-C interface. If all you have is a USB 2 port, the improvement will be slight.
Nov 14, 2019 15:17:51 #
mas24
Loc: Southern CA
I have a Lenovo laptop that is now 7 years old. Works fine. I have a 500gb HDD. I'm wanting a new laptop. But, I can replace my hard drive with a SSD 500gb, or 1TB SSD. And get an external hard drive for backup. There are many brand names to choose from. The Crucial name Brand is suppose to be a reliable one to purchase. Hoggers on this forum, on past topics on this, say it resulted in an improvement in both laptops and Desktop computers. You can purchase these SSDs online or at a Best Buy Store.
Nov 15, 2019 07:09:27 #
Look at JEFF Cables blog. He posted about a new SSD external drive that he thinks is really great. I don’t recall the brand off the top of my head though. He posted it in the last two weeks though...
Lenfagen wrote:
Has anyone added an SSD to their system as an external drive to store photographs? I want to move to an SSD in my laptop. Should I get it as an internal drive and use an HHD as an external drive?
Nov 15, 2019 07:12:48 #
I just upgraded the computer to an internal M.2 SSD. The difference is noticeable.
To go along with that I put together a 2 TB M.2 SSD into a small USB 3.1 case. Both from B&H. The result is a faster PC and fast external storage that fits inside a shirt pocket.
To go along with that I put together a 2 TB M.2 SSD into a small USB 3.1 case. Both from B&H. The result is a faster PC and fast external storage that fits inside a shirt pocket.
Nov 15, 2019 08:53:41 #
hannaco wrote:
I just upgraded the computer to an internal M.2 SSD. The difference is noticeable.
Yes, M.2 is the way to go if your motherboard will accommodate it.
Nov 15, 2019 08:55:33 #
Lenfagen wrote:
Has anyone added an SSD to their system as an external drive to store photographs? I want to move to an SSD in my laptop. Should I get it as an internal drive and use an HHD as an external drive?
Please forgive my ignorance, but what is "HHD"? Thanks.
Nov 15, 2019 09:04:43 #
jackm1943 wrote:
Please forgive my ignorance, but what is "HHD"? Thanks.
Probably a typo for HDD. Either that or it's a Hard, Hard Drive.
Nov 15, 2019 09:09:02 #
Lenfagen wrote:
Has anyone added an SSD to their system as an external drive to store photographs? I want to move to an SSD in my laptop. Should I get it as an internal drive and use an HHD as an external drive?
I have done both SSD and normal HD both internally and externally. You will benefit most by having the SSD internal to your computer. Using a standard HD externally gives you the largest capacity for the fewest $. Today's hard drives have an extremely long life and failure rate is negligible when it is used intermittently as you would for external archival storage. When in the corporate world, I worked for many years in the data storage field and even 20 years ago, it was almost impossible to erase a standard HD.
Good luck,
Dave
Nov 15, 2019 09:14:12 #
I have an internal 180 GB SSD and an internal 2 TB HDD. I also have 2-4 TB external HDD's. The SSD has my OS and programs, no images or data...
Nov 15, 2019 09:14:53 #
SSD's are pretty cheap now ... and redundancy is your friend.
I have built two externals now and they work fast and silently ... as advertised.
I have built two externals now and they work fast and silently ... as advertised.
Nov 15, 2019 09:36:41 #
Jagnut07
Loc: South Carolina
So what does the M and M2 signify in the SSD nomenclature? I have seen both but no idea what it means
Thanks.
Thanks.
Nov 15, 2019 09:41:58 #
Lenfagen wrote:
Has anyone added an SSD to their system as an external drive to store photographs? I want to move to an SSD in my laptop. Should I get it as an internal drive and use an HHD as an external drive?
Nothing wrong with an SSD as an external device other than cost. But to get the most out of the extra expense you'll want USB 3.1 (5 Gbps), 3.2 (20 Gbps) or faster (USB 4 will offer 40 Gbps). If your laptop doesn't have at least USB 3.1, you'd be wasting your money on an SSD when you'll likely not be seeing data transfer any faster than USB 2.0 (5Gpbs or 625Mbps) will pass. A fast mechanical drive tops out at almost 2Gbps or 250 Mbps.
A SATA III interface can only pass about 6Gbps, which would be 725Mbps, regardless of whether you are using an SSD or mechanical or hybrid drive.
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