• Avid Media Composer

  Best storage solution for Avid MediaFiles folder/drive?

  Posted by Luc Tarradelles on November 19, 2013 at 5:14 am

  My Current System:

  AMD FX 8350 – (CPU)
  Asus Sabertooth 990fx r2.0 – (Motherboard)
  G.Skill 16 gb 1866 mhz – (RAM)
  Nvidia Quadro 2000 – (GPU)
  Rosewill 650W – (PWS)

  120 gb Samsung 840 pro – (Boot/program drive)
  240 gb Samsung 840 pro – (Avid MediaFiles drive)
  1 tb Seagate 7200 Rpm HDD – (Personal/media drive)
  3 tb Seagate BackUp Plus External HDD usb3.0 – External HDD for working with other systems, back up and Alternative MediaFiles drive if project size exceeds designated ssd.

  Hello, new to the forums, I hope you guys can help me out.
  I just built a new system and am trying to configure it to be as simple, effective and cheap as possible. I’m looking for that perfect “all I need” configuration.

  My background:

  I’m currently a film student and film/edit a variety of projects. I edit anything from short documentaries, short films up to 20 min., music videos/mash ups, and experimentation/promo work. I plan on finishing enough projects to develop a professional website in order to garner as many clients and to maybe one day work in a studio.

  I currently have my Windows 7 OS and Avid MC 7 suite, along with a host of other programs(Adobe After Effects, illustrator, propellerheads reason, illustrator, pro tools, and etc..) installed on a 120 gb Samsung 840 Pro SSD. I am definitely keeping this storage solution.

  Though where I am uncertain is how to go about storing the Avid MediaFiles directory when I’m editing projects. Currently I have a 240 GB version of the Samsung 840 Pro SSD acting as my main MediaFiles drive. As of late, I am noticing 240 gb isn’t really enough storage space, as I only have about 20 gb’s left on a 5 min promotional video I’m currently working on. The main reason why I’m using this SSD is because I thought it would speed up rendering and overall performance in MC. I’ve definitely noticed a difference from my older system, but I’m not sure if its mainly because of the other components. Is a SSD over an HDD for the MediaFiles drive really that much better? I’m currently contemplating getting a 1tb-3tb internal WD black HDD to replace the SSD, or what if I just used my external 3tb Seagate HDD?. I’d rather have more room, save money and don’t mind if it only costs me a few seconds when compared to the SSD.

  Or, if the SSD is really important should I look into a bigger SSD solution?

  There are many options on the table and I thought I’d ask for some guidance. So far I have spend around 1200 on this system and don’t really want to spend that much more.

  Any suggestions or thoughts would be greatly appreciated.

  Thank You

  Peter Groom replied 12 years, 5 months ago 3 Members · 2 Replies
• 2 Replies

• 

  James Patterson

  November 19, 2013 at 10:44 am

  SSD’s make a big difference when your applications are on that drive but for your media, 7200 rpm HDD’s are fast enough. Get a big internal drive (or drives set up as a raid) for your Avid media plus a couple of external drives to store the raw camera rushes. These can then double up as your backup and can be easily plugged in to relink for online.

  Best

  Paddy
• 

  Peter Groom

  November 19, 2013 at 11:13 am

  I have looked at SD drives, but as BIG ones are still very costly, Im inclined to stay with the MUCH cheaper traditional drives for media and have a break for coffee every now and then!
  Peter

  Post Production Dubbing Mixer

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