# Additional SSD Decision



## LauraC

Hi~ 

I'm running a Dell XPS 8940, 11th Gen i9, 64Gb RAM, 1 available USB-C port, the rest are USB 3.0. 2Tb SSD used for OS, 2Tb SSD for Libraries, 2Tb HDD for Data, Two 14Tb External HDD for backups.

I am quickly approaching capacity on my internal 2Tb 2.5" Sample Library SSD (because you know, Black Friday sales are only about 6 months away~). My options are:

1) install another 2.5" Internal SATA SSD (need to confirm there is indeed another slot left)
2) Purchase external SSD; or
3) Purchase Internal SSD and connect via external docking bay.

Thoughts? As always, thank you~


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## easyrider

1) install another 2.5" Internal SATA SSD (need to confirm there is indeed another slot left)


By the looks of it you have 4 sata ports on the motherboard. One being used for an optical drive.

Always fill your internal ports first....this allows more expansion should you need it.


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## kgdrum

This is probably what you don’t want to hear but I generally wait to buy SSD’s until BF Cyber-Monday etc……..
Last year I got a 4tb (WD Blue) for $375,im hoping to find a similar deal again.
I’ve been looking as one of my 2tb SSD’s is approaching having no more available space & the prices haven’t been what I’m comfortable with.
So yeah if you can add another 2tb go for it but if you need something like a 4tb they are often substantially lower priced around BF.


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## LauraC

kgdrum said:


> This is probably what you don’t want to hear but I generally wait to buy SSD’s until BF Cyber-Monday etc……..
> Last year I got a 4tb (WD Blue) for $375,im hoping to find a similar deal again.
> I’ve been looking as one of my 2tb SSD’s is approaching having no more available space & the prices haven’t been what I’m comfortable with.
> So yeah if you can add another 2tb go for it but if you need something like a 4tb they are often substantially lower priced around BF.


Actually, that's exactly what I want to hear. First, it will tame my GAS for a bit. I'm holding off on a couple of big purchases (OT ARK, SF Tundra, etc.) and just sustaining with some fill-in now. Thanks for the input!


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## sostenuto

Amazon has right now at $339. !



(_side note_) Using (3) Win10 Pro Desktop PC(s) .... _not moved physicall_y .... thus SSD(s) placement quite flexible if other hardware slots are filled. Some case bottom, some zip-tied, or velcro'd.


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## LauraC

easyrider said:


> 1) install another 2.5" Internal SATA SSD (need to confirm there is indeed another slot left)
> 
> 
> By the looks of it you have 4 sata ports on the motherboard. One being used for an optical drive.
> 
> Always fill your internal ports first....this allows more expansion should you need it.


Thanks - the math sounds right re: the ports.


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## kgdrum

sostenuto said:


> Amazon has right now at $339. !
> 
> 
> 
> (_side note_) Using (3) Win10 Pro Desktop PC(s) .... _not moved physicall_y .... thus SSD(s) placement quite flexible if other hardware slots are filled.



@sostenuto 
Wow! That’s a great price!
With all do respect you are an evil bastard,lol 😂 😘
The question is how do I resist……………..


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## sostenuto

Painful GAS here as well ! Could open massive space now filled with aging HDD(s).


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## kgdrum

The good news is it’s showing not in stock until 5/18 here in the USA so it can be ordered and we will not be charged until it’s in stock ready to ship,I phoned & confirmed this w/Amazon.


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## lp59burst

Personally I prefer to RAID 0 two 2TB drives into 4TB instead of using 4TB drives. That way if one drive fails I only need to replace a 2TB SSD which are on sale far more often then then 4TB's are.

If a 4TB drive fails "_off season_" you'll likely be spending around >$500-$600 US including tax to repalce it. If a 2TB fails in a 4TB RAID 0 array you can almost always get a new 2TB SSD at around $200 - $225 including taxes. You'll be back to 4TB again for less than half the cost. The chances of two RAID 0 2TB SSD's failing in the same array at the exact same time is really quite small.

Most of my 2TB's are Samsung 850 or 860 EVO's but I do have two 2TB WD "Blues" in RAID 0 and iirc I paid around $150 each on sale.

I have four 4 port QWC TB3 external mini-enclosures that I use which gives me 16 drive slots.

Anyway, I just wanted to add my $0.02 on why I'm not a fan of 4TB drives.


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## easyrider

lp59burst said:


> Personally I prefer to RAID 0 two 2TB drives into 4TB instead of using 4TB drives. That way if one drive fails I only need to replace a 2TB SSD which are on sale far more often then then 4TB's are.
> 
> If a 4TB drive fails "_off season_" you'll likely be spending around >$500-$600 US including tax to repalce it. If a 2TB fails in a 4TB RAID 0 array you can almost always get a new 2TB SSD at around $200 - $225 including taxes. You'll be back to 4TB again for less than half the cost. The chances of two RAID 0 2TB SSD's failing in the same array at the exact same time is really quite small.
> 
> Most of my 2TB's are Samsung 850 or 860 EVO's but I do have two 2TB WD "Blues" in RAID 0 and iirc I paid around $150 each on sale.
> 
> I have four 4 port QWC TB3 external mini-enclosures that I use which gives me 16 drive slots.
> 
> Anyway, I just wanted to add my $0.02 on why I'm not a fan of 4TB drives.


Why waste a port ?

Raid 0 is vulnerable to malware etc and of one disk dies you lose the array

Stablebit drivepool is the better option. You can pool drives of any size into one big volume

My pool is currently 10TB window sees it as one drive. I can remove drives without deleting data, add drives ,setup duplication at folder level on so on. Hugely powerful


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## Nick Batzdorf

I just went through this same quandary with only slight variations:





__





SSDs for 5,1 Mac Pro


I need more SSD, and am thinking 2TB is the right size. While I have a SATA 3 card in my Mac Pro 5,1 (which has a SATA 2 internal bus) and don't really care about the speed, I'm leaning toward this M.2 one just because it's the same price as SATA 3 drives...




vi-control.net


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## LauraC

Nick Batzdorf said:


> I just went through this same quandary with only slight variations:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> __
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> SSDs for 5,1 Mac Pro
> 
> 
> I need more SSD, and am thinking 2TB is the right size. While I have a SATA 3 card in my Mac Pro 5,1 (which has a SATA 2 internal bus) and don't really care about the speed, I'm leaning toward this M.2 one just because it's the same price as SATA 3 drives...
> 
> 
> 
> 
> vi-control.net
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Nick Batzdorf said:
> 
> 
> 
> I just went through this same quandary with only slight variations:
> 
> https://vi-control.net/community/threads/ssds-for-5-1-mac-pro.109364/#post-4823517[
> 
> 
> 
> http://
Click to expand...

http://


lp59burst said:


> Personally I prefer to RAID 0 two 2TB drives into 4TB instead of using 4TB drives. That way if one drive fails I only need to replace a 2TB SSD which are on sale far more often then then 4TB's are.
> 
> If a 4TB drive fails "_off season_" you'll likely be spending around >$500-$600 US including tax to repalce it. If a 2TB fails in a 4TB RAID 0 array you can almost always get a new 2TB SSD at around $200 - $225 including taxes. You'll be back to 4TB again for less than half the cost. The chances of two RAID 0 2TB SSD's failing in the same array at the exact same time is really quite small.
> 
> Most of my 2TB's are Samsung 850 or 860 EVO's but I do have two 2TB WD "Blues" in RAID 0 and iirc I paid around $150 each on sale.
> 
> I have four 4 port QWC TB3 external mini-enclosures that I use which gives me 16 drive slots.
> 
> Anyway, I just wanted to add my $0.02 on why I'm not a fan of 4TB drives.


That's a very good point. I don't think I'd go the RAID route - I hung up my IT screwdriver years ago and every time I go down an IT rabbit hole, I lose too much time I could have been writing.
However, your point about 2Tb drives makes a lot of sense. My backup system is pretty bulletproof and I can restore a machine in record time these days (don't ask...), so I'm not too worried about complete redundancy.


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## LauraC

Nick Batzdorf said:


> I just went through this same quandary with only slight variations:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> __
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> SSDs for 5,1 Mac Pro
> 
> 
> I need more SSD, and am thinking 2TB is the right size. While I have a SATA 3 card in my Mac Pro 5,1 (which has a SATA 2 internal bus) and don't really care about the speed, I'm leaning toward this M.2 one just because it's the same price as SATA 3 drives...
> 
> 
> 
> 
> vi-control.net


Must be something in the air....


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## LauraC

easyrider said:


> Why waste a port ?
> 
> Raid 0 is vulnerable to malware etc and of one disk dies you lose the array
> 
> Stablebit drivepool is the better option. You can pool drives of any size into one big volume
> 
> My pool is currently 10TB window sees it as one drive. I can remove drives without deleting data, add drives ,setup duplication at folder level on so on. Hugely powerful


I love that they have this on their webpage: "*We never bundle any crapware with our products."*


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## easyrider

LauraC said:


> I love that they have this on their webpage: "*We never bundle any crapware with our products."*


Tiny footprint, brilliant code, brilliant support...Stablebit Drivepool is on my servers and all my computers.🤓

Managing just one drive letter makes organising libraries and data a breeze.


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## lp59burst

easyrider said:


> Why waste a port ?
> 
> Raid 0 is vulnerable to malware etc and of one disk dies you lose the array
> 
> Stablebit drivepool is the better option. You can pool drives of any size into one big volume
> 
> My pool is currently 10TB window sees it as one drive. I can remove drives without deleting data, add drives .setup duplication at folder level on so on. Hugely powerful


Looks like a great option worth checking out for Windows users but, if you lose a 4TB SSD drive you still need to replace it and a 4TB SSD is a lot more expensive and rarely on sale... so there is that... not sure how Stablebit drivepool helps with that...

"_Raid 0 is vulnerable to malware etc_" Good point...no risk there with NTFS...


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## easyrider

lp59burst said:


> Looks like a great option worth checking out for Windows users but, if you lose a 4TB SSD drive you still need to replace it and a 4TB SSD is a lot more expensive and rarely on sale... so there is that... not sure how Stablebit drivepool helps with that...
> 
> "_Raid 0 is vulnerable to malware etc_" Good point...no risk there with NTFS...


WD blue come with 5 years warranty. I really don’t see your point?

I bought my 4TB WD blue for 289.99 on sale from Amazon. If it fails I RMA it....I don’t buy another one....not while it’s in warranty....whats Cool is I could add a USB drive to my pool copy the data from backup and back be up and running in minutes.

When the drive arrives from RMA I add it to the pool remove the USB and get on with my life. Drive pool will just balance the data itself.

Native Access, Spitfire, all the samples libraries software players are none the wiser.

Raid 0 was decent enough to improve speed with mechanical drives long ago...Now it’s just a PITA and a futile exercise with SSDs readily available.



Spoiler



IMO


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## kgdrum

sostenuto said:


> Amazon has right now at $339. !
> 
> 
> 
> (_side note_) Using (3) Win10 Pro Desktop PC(s) .... _not moved physicall_y .... thus SSD(s) placement quite flexible if other hardware slots are filled. Some case bottom, some zip-tied, or velcro'd.



Well I actually held off yesterday,I’m partially relieved because I’m really trying not to add anything substantial to my collection of libraries until BF and I have to buy a new drum module in the next few months(hopefully).
But I’m also a bit disappointed because if you go to Amazon today the SSD is back to $415 😱
So my question @sostenuto 
How did you happen to find that price? Was it just luck through a web search or do you have other methods to find low prices?
Thanks


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## sostenuto

Not sure now. Thought it was here, but first Link at this price was to Newegg. Did quick check to Amazon and was same $$. Must have been major orders, cuz price kept increasing steadily. 
Now rethinking (2ea) 2TB alternative, but time is not critical so back to price watching ..... mostly Amazon.


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## Jeremy Spencer

sostenuto said:


> Now rethinking (2ea) 2TB alternative, but time is not critical so back to price watching ..... mostly Amazon.


I would definitely go that route, if your 4TB fails you are hooped.

I also recommend spending the extra on a Samsung or Crucial. They often go on sale. I’ve only owned these, and a couple of Kingston’s....never a failure. However, I know a few people who had problems with WD Blue.


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## sostenuto

THX ! All smaller ones are Samsung .... EVO or QVO. Good advice. 
Checking out StableBit DrivePool after posts here. Likely don't 'need' as new SSD(s) will be for Sample Libs. Personal projects are comparatively small, even orchestral ones.


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## LauraC

Jeremy Spencer said:


> I would definitely go that route, if your 4TB fails you are hooped.
> 
> I also recommend spending the extra on a Samsung or Crucial. They often go on sale. I’ve only owned these, and a couple of Kingston’s....never a failure. However, I know a few people who had problems with WD Blue.


My only hard and fast rule is avoiding anything Seagate, like the plague.


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## Reid Rosefelt

LauraC said:


> 1) install another 2.5" Internal SATA SSD (need to confirm there is indeed another slot left)


You can get a kit like this one for $9

https://amzn.to/3hbagof
and you can put two SSDs in the space for one SSD. It splits the power, but you still need a SATA cable for each one.

If you don't have enough available SATA ports, but if you do have a PCIe slot available (even a very small one), you can put in a card that will give you 4-6 extra SATA ports. Like this one:

https://amzn.to/2RzN9cm
If you have the right PCIe slots, you can install NVMe SSDs.


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## Nick Batzdorf

easyrider said:


> I bought my 4TB WD blue for 289.99 on sale from Amazon



They're way more than that now - all 4TB ones are.


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## LauraC

Just finished chatting with Dell support - seems I have maxed out my internal ports. Live & learn - I didn't think I'd be blowing through storage this fast (ha). I'll probably get a 4Tb internal and an external 4 bay docking station so I can move the data from the 2Tb to the 4Tb easily and then have that as an expansion option.


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## Nick Batzdorf

LauraC said:


> My only hard and fast rule is avoiding anything Seagate, like the plague.


I will never buy anything from that company again. Never.

They went out of their way to be nasty to me when I had four of their drives (independently) fail just out of warranty within a period of a month.


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## Nick Batzdorf

LauraC said:


> I didn't think I'd be blowing through storage this fast (ha).


You're new to this game.


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## kgdrum

No Seagate here as well.
Too many issues,I crossed them off the list several years ago. 👎


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## LauraC

Nick Batzdorf said:


> You're new to this game.


Yes. Yes I am - and loving every minute (and Terabyte) of it!


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## LauraC

Nick Batzdorf said:


> I will never buy anything from that company again. Never.
> 
> They went out of their way to be nasty to me when I had four of their drives (independently) fail just out of warranty within a period of a month.


When I was in IT, a hundred years ago, we had an out-of-the-box fail rate of almost 30% for Seagate. That was their 'acceptable' fail rate. Unbelievable.


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## Simeon

Laura, looking at the Dell site, it mentions having an M.2 slot for an NVME drive, is that a possibility? It might be a situation where you activate it and it takes over some of the SATA lanes.

I just replaced my second 1tb NVME with a 2tb, so now I have 4tb of NVME on board but it is crazy how fast they fill up, amazing.

So I have come to the conclusion that GAS, causes LSD (Library, Storage, Deficiency) 😳

All the best.


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## LauraC

Simeon said:


> Laura, looking at the Dell site, it mentions having an M.2 slot for an NVME drive, is that a possibility? It might be a situation where you activate it and it takes over some of the SATA lanes.
> 
> I just replaced my second 1tb NVME with a 2tb, so now I have 4tb of NVME on board but it is crazy how fast they fill up, amazing.
> 
> So I have come to the conclusion that GAS, causes LSD (Library, Storage, Deficiency) 😳
> 
> All the best.


I'll look into that - the tech at pro-support didn't give that as an option. I asked about removing the M.2 that is being used for wi-fi and bluetooth (I use neither on this machine). He said that is a possibility but also an unsupported configuration and it man not work. I'd prefer to keep it simple.


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## Simeon

LauraC said:


> I'll look into that - the tech at pro-support didn't give that as an option. I asked about removing the M.2 that is being used for wi-fi and bluetooth (I use neither on this machine). He said that is a possibility but also an unsupported configuration and it man not work. I'd prefer to keep it simple.


So looking at the Dell configuration page it looks like the NVME drive the mention is set up for the BOOT drive. Also normally the wireless M.2 slot is a different key as it is a shorter card. I installed one of the Intel based cards for Bluetooth MIDI and controllers.


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## LauraC

Simeon said:


> So looking at the Dell configuration page it looks like the NVME drive the mention is set up for the BOOT drive. Also normally the wireless M.2 slot is a different key as it is a shorter card. I installed one of the Intel based cards for Bluetooth MIDI and controllers.


That was nice of you to check that out. I'm thinking the easiest solution is to get the larger drive and an external docking system until my next machine (and this can become my VEP machine if I ever decide to jump down that rabbit hole, lol).


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## EgM

LauraC said:


> My only hard and fast rule is avoiding anything Seagate, like the plague.


I *lol'ed* your post because it's so true  I've lost so much data with Seagates. Granted I've lost data to WD drives, at least those lasted well above their warranties.


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## kgdrum

@LauraC 
I have 5 internal drives in my MacPro and I also have four “toaster” drive docks that run off a USB3 card.
What I like about the toasters is i can quickly and easily swap drives whether they’re 2.5 SSD’s or 3.5 HD’s. I use one for projects and one for boot drive backup.
The other two I have ready and available when I’m cloning drives,backing up etc………


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## sostenuto

Never, ever find it acceptable to comment /critique others' hardware/software experiences.
OTH .. such drastic variation !! ..... (3) Win10 Pro Desktop PC(s) .... now over 5 years running .... all loaded with Seagate HDD(s) and never an issue. Seagate telephone Support has been quick, easy and useful.
Also running 8TB Seagate NAS for apprx same time frame. Humming along perfectly as well as streaming Bluesound audio system throughout home almost 24/7. 

Truly disappointed you all have had these unacceptable problems.  WTF is likely reason for such B/W experiences ?? Future happenings not likely to relate, as Samsung ( or Crucial ) SSD(s) going forward.


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## LauraC

sostenuto said:


> Never, ever find it acceptable to comment /critique others' hardware/software experiences.
> OTH .. such drastic variation !! ..... (3) Win10 Pro Desktop PC(s) .... now over 5 years running .... all loaded with Seagate HDD(s) and never an issue. Seagate telephone Support has been quick, easy and useful.
> Also running 8TB Seagate NAS for apprx same time frame. Humming along perfectly as well as streaming Bluesound audio system throughout home almost 24/7.
> 
> Truly disappointed you all have had these unacceptable problems.  WTF is likely reason for such B/W experiences ?? Future happenings not likely to relate, as Samsung ( or Crucial ) SSD(s) going forward.


Burn me once, shame on you - burn me 20 times....well, you get it, lol. I just won't give them another opportunity. The competition is solid enough I don't have to.


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## sostenuto

LauraC said:


> Burn me once, shame on you - burn me 20 times....well, you get it, lol. I just won't give them another opportunity. The competition is solid enough I don't have to.


Only truly focus on future ... soooo .... what is advised alternative (HDD /NAS) ? ____ Western Digital ?
In USA, and could make some difference ?


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## easyrider

LauraC said:


> Just finished chatting with Dell support - seems I have maxed out my internal ports. Live & learn - I didn't think I'd be blowing through storage this fast (ha). I'll probably get a 4Tb internal and an external 4 bay docking station so I can move the data from the 2Tb to the 4Tb easily and then have that as an expansion option.


Hmmm....open up your case and take a look?


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## rnb_2

I haven't bought a 3.5" hard drive in a long time, but if I was in the market, I'd keep an eye on Backblaze's drive stats (the latest is here) to get an idea which drive models are performing well for them.

I think a lot of people were probably burned by Seagate's 3TB drives about a decade ago - Backblaze's examination of the failure record for those drives is pretty illuminating. The failure rates for the major drive manufacturers are pretty good across the board right now, however.


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## LauraC

easyrider said:


> Hmmm....open up your case and take a look?


You would have to say that, wouldn't you, lol.


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## EgM

My best recommendation for 3.5 rotary drives is WD RE series! if they still exist, I haven't been keeping track...

edit:

They still do!  (canadian link but you should be getting a link for your country I assume)



edit2: Oops, reading comprehension eh? You want an ssd drive lmao


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## EgM

(Yeah I read the thread now  )

I'd get a 870 EVO 1 TB SSD or equivalent, WD, Intel or such

Or 2Tb/4Tb if you need that much and just get a cheap USB3 enclosure to put it in. Just be sure that you're not using the same USB3 bus to drive all those external drives if you want true iops.


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## Tatiana Gordeeva

Just jumping in the discussion...About storage in general. Based on my own experience of the last few years:

Fastest meanest storage: NVMe on PCIe 4.0. Samsung 980 Pro. 7000 MB/s READ & 5100 MB/s WRITE !!! I just put 2 of them in my recent build. Lightning fast!
Best source for reliability info of HDDs: https://www.backblaze.com/b2/hard-drive-test-data.html
They report every 3 months on the status of their 170000+ HDDs (Yes! 170 thousand drives!)
Reliability-wise HDDs & SSDs:
Best HDDs for years are Hitachi (HGST) drives. I have 60TB of them in a RAID 6 running for 4 years 24/7 without one failure
Worst ones ever were the Seagate infamous 3TB of years back (during Asian floods). I had 20+ of them fail on me one after the other
Since then: I have a dozen Seagate 8TB running for years, also many external USB 3.0 ones also without one failure
WD: learned the hard way to distrust them long ago, didn't try them back since then (I think they bought HGST so I would trust those models)
SSDs: they fail too! Bought 8 identical ones once and one failed 6 months later (Plextor I think they were). Now I use many Seagate 1TB (with backups of course) because they're cheap. No problem.

Never underestimate the necessity of multiple backups. RAIDs are not backups. Disks are cheap but time is invaluable. Store safely!


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## LauraC

EgM said:


> (Yeah I read the thread now  )
> 
> I'd get a 870 EVO 1 TB SSD or equivalent, WD, Intel or such
> 
> Or 2Tb/4Tb if you need that much and just get a cheap USB3 enclosure to put it in. Just be sure that you're not using the same USB3 bus to drive all those external drives if you want true iops.





Tatiana Gordeeva said:


> Just jumping in the discussion...About storage in general. Based on my own experience of the last few years:
> 
> Fastest meanest storage: NVMe on PCIe 4.0. Samsung 980 Pro. 7000 MB/s READ & 5100 MB/s WRITE !!! I just put 2 of them in my recent build. Lightning fast!
> Best source for reliability info of HDDs: https://www.backblaze.com/b2/hard-drive-test-data.html
> They report every 3 months on the status of their 170000+ HDDs (Yes! 170 thousand drives!)
> Reliability-wise HDDs & SSDs:
> Best HDDs for years are Hitachi (HGST) drives. I have 60TB of them in a RAID 6 running for 4 years 24/7 without one failure
> Worst ones ever were the Seagate infamous 3TB of years back (during Asian floods). I had 20+ of them fail on me one after the other
> Since then: I have a dozen Seagate 8TB running for years, also many external USB 3.0 ones also without one failure
> WD: learned the hard way to distrust them long ago, didn't try them back since then (I think they bought HGST so I would trust those models)
> SSDs: they fail too! Bought 8 identical ones once and one failed 6 months later (Plextor I think they were). Now I use many Seagate 1TB (with backups of course) because they're cheap. No problem.
> 
> Never underestimate the necessity of multiple backups. RAIDs are not backups. Disks are cheap but time is invaluable. Store safely!


Hey, Tatiana - Thanks for such a detailed response. Yep - I backup Data to two external HDDs and a cloud source. I can now rebuild a crashed PC in record time! (BTW, loved hearing your music and reading through your gear page!)


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## Tatiana Gordeeva

LauraC said:


> Hey, Tatiana - Thanks for such a detailed response... BTW, loved hearing your music and reading through your gear page!


Hello Laura and thank you for your kind words! Sorry for my long post (in the way echoing some of @rnb_2 's own post) but not exactly answering your question. I had too much time I guess and needed to vent about storage  My main workstation was down, being upgraded. Oh and by the way: if you read about my gear setup from my website it is a _really_ old one. That's one of the reasons why my website is being reworked completely: I used Wix to build the current one years ago and some plugin to list my gear but this plugin has now disappeared and I cannot even update that page anymore! Computers sometimes!!


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## Tatiana Gordeeva

Speaking of storage headaches...  While my main system was down I took the opportunity to take a picture of my server-side machine "Ganesh" (the elephant god) configured as a RAID 6 (but still backed up off-site and online)






The gaffer tape on both disk arrays is to damp vibrations as when all disks are running this thing hums like a washing machine!


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## LauraC

Tatiana Gordeeva said:


> Speaking of storage headaches...  While my main system was down I took the opportunity to take a picture of my server-side machine "Ganesh" (the elephant god) configured as a RAID 6 (but still backed up off-site and online)
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> The gaffer tape on both disk arrays is to damp vibrations as when all disks are running this thing hums like a washing machine!


Well, naming your server for the "remover of obstacles" was a smart move!


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## Tatiana Gordeeva

LauraC said:


> Well, naming your server for the "remover of obstacles" was a smart move!


 Actually my husband, who configured the studio network, decided to go with different deities for the names of the machines: Ganesh, Atlas, Helios, Zeus, Athena, etc.


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## Tralen

sostenuto said:


> Only truly focus on future ... soooo .... what is advised alternative (HDD /NAS) ? ____ Western Digital ?
> In USA, and could make some difference ?


I had an enormous failure rate with Seagate on servers. If not for a recording room, take a look at Hitachi/HGST drives, I find them extremely reliable (but extremely noisy).


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