# How many internal hard drives/SSDs are too many?



## krops (Feb 21, 2018)

I was running out of storage space, so I bought a new 5TB HDD, which I installed without hiccups, but is there any recommended upper limit to the number of drives you have in your computer? I've now got the system drive (SSD), one 500GB SSD for my largest Kontakt libraries, one 4TB HDD and now also the 5TB HDD. Am I starting to push it a bit? I've got a water-cooled tower with one rear and one top fan, and I've also spread my files so that the two HDDs will most likely not be in use simultaneously (ie. the 4TB one now contains only music related files including the rest of my Kontakt libraries, and the new 5TB drive is only for photos). I've also got a 250 GB SSD collecting dust (I replaced it with the 500 one a long time ago), and, well there are still more drive slots in the bay...


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## JohnG (Feb 21, 2018)

I have six drives in my main DAW Mac Pro. Strings PC has four. SSDs don't seem to generate quite as much heat as HDDs but I do have one of those Noctua CPU coolers in the PC so maybe that helps.


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## pmcrockett (Feb 21, 2018)

I've never heard of anyone's system overheating because it had too many drives. If you're concerned about it, though, additional case fans are inexpensive.


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## EvilDragon (Feb 22, 2018)

There is no such thing as too many drives. :D

I personally have 9 drives - 4 platters (2x2 TB, 2x1 TB) and 5 SSDs (4x1 TB, 1x250 GB). No overheating here - a good case and a few well-placed fans inside it is all it takes.


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## dzilizzi (Feb 22, 2018)

It is usually up to your motherboard specs. I think mine has spots to plug in 6 SATA drives, but that includes the DVD/Blueray drive. You also may need to up your power supply. Each one drive takes so much watts of power. I may be at four drives and a DVD right now with a 500 watt power supply. I am still within the 500, but if I'm getting close.


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## EvilDragon (Feb 22, 2018)

Drives don't really take that much power. Especially SSDs - they are only a couple of Watts each...


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## dzilizzi (Feb 22, 2018)

EvilDragon said:


> Drives don't really take that much power. Especially SSDs - they are only a couple of Watts each...


This is true. Unless you are already near the top of your power max.


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## Nick Batzdorf (Feb 22, 2018)

That's never even crossed my mind with the desktop Macs I've had for a million years (they have six drive bays, depending on how you count them). But could the power supply be an issue with some PCs?


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## Nick Batzdorf (Feb 22, 2018)

Hah. Crossed posts.


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## chillbot (Feb 22, 2018)

EvilDragon said:


> I personally have 9 drives - 4 platters (2x2 TB, 2x1 TB) and 5 SSDs (4x1 TB, 1x250 GB).


That's pretty much the same as my current setup.

I had a post typed out about how VisionDAW once built me a machine with 12 internal drives, none of them SSD drives. And I was going to mention how that machine and all the drives were still functioning today. But I wouldn't do that because I know if I were to post that, all the drives would suddenly and simultaneously grind to a halt.

Anyway I wouldn't worry much about too many drives.


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## dzilizzi (Feb 22, 2018)

Nick Batzdorf said:


> That's never even crossed my mind with the desktop Macs I've had for a million years (they have six drive bays, depending on how you count them). But could the power supply be an issue with some PCs?


I built my own and went much higher than I needed to go based on the initial build. The factory built computers are probably build to the minimum power needed. Adding one or two drives is probably not a problem, they are about 20W each, about half for an SSD. But if you have added video or audio cards, you may be close. I'm probably making a big deal out of nothing.


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## krops (Feb 22, 2018)

Cheers, guys. I'll toss that last SSD in there too, just because I can...


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## kitekrazy (Feb 22, 2018)

So do some of you have boards with that many Sata ports or do you buy those internal cards to add more? I only have 6 Sata ports.


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## EvilDragon (Feb 22, 2018)

Getting an extra card is the best way to go. As I often recommend:

https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16816118112

This card will get you 8 additional SATA (over SAS port, so you'll need matching breakout cable/s) over a single PCIe slot. Enough bandwidth for SATA SSDs.


In case of not enough slots in the case to put those SSDs in, get one of these:

https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817994181

or these:

https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817198068


Or, wow... first time I'm seeing this:

https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817994178

Can't believe they managed to cram 8 2.5" slots in a single 5.25" drive bay!! 



Actually, even if you DO have enough slots in the case to fit more drives, get one of these anyways, because it is MUCH less hassle with cables - on the 4-slot bay, only one SATA power cable is enough to send all the juce those 4 SSDs need! (On the 6 and 8 slot versions they have two ports for power supply).


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## krops (Feb 22, 2018)

kitekrazy said:


> So do some of you have boards with that many Sata ports or do you buy those internal cards to add more? I only have 6 Sata ports.


Actually, you made me think about this thing a little differently now: if I don't go beyond the number of SATA slots on the motherboard, I shouldn't have to worry, right? I still have one to spare.


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## EvilDragon (Feb 22, 2018)

You CAN go beyond the number of SATA ports on the motherboard. As above suggested.  You can keep on stacking the drives till the cows go home, as long as you have a good PSU to keep it all nicely powered.


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## krops (Feb 23, 2018)

I know, I was just observing that I definitely needn't worry when I haven't even maxed out the existing ports.


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## EvilDragon (Feb 23, 2018)

Yeah, for sure


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## chimuelo (Feb 24, 2018)

EvilDragon said:


> You CAN go beyond the number of SATA ports on the motherboard. As above suggested.  You can keep on stacking the drives till the cows go home, as long as you have a good PSU to keep it all nicely powered.


I hereby declare ED as an American by association.
More than one way to skin a cat, hold your horses, cows coming home.
You’ve retained slang better than anyone I’ve seen in these forums.
Plus you’re usually right on tech stuff, always right on virtual sampling and synth issues.

The more drives the merrier we are...


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## EvilDragon (Feb 25, 2018)

Hahaha. 


Yeah I like using idioms. Makes people always wonder how come I'm not British or American when I talk to them. :D


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