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The best disk set up please?
Hello there,
I got 3 x 2TB HDD, 1 x 1TB HDD in my Mac Pro :
1 x 1TB 7200rpm HDD = OS and Applications
3 x 2TB HDD 7200rpm (RAID 0) = Everything else (Media, Projects, Exports, Previews, Media Cache)I’m planning to buy a 512gb SSD for my OS and applications (going to put this SSD in my 2nd optical drive’s free bay). So I wonder which disk setup is the best for doing intensive editing in Premiere Pro and animations + effects in After Effects.
Here is my 2 setup that I have in mind :
Setup 1
1 x 512gb SSD = OS and Applications
3 x 2TB HDD (RAID 0) = Media, Projects, Previews, Exports
1 x 1TB HDD = Media CacheSetup 2
1 x 512gb SSD = OS and Applications
2 x 2TB HDD (RAID 0) = Media, Projects
1 x 2TB HDD = Previews, Exports
1 x 1TB HDD = Media CacheSo, which setup is the best? Or if you have other suggestions, please do tell me as well. Please do help me because I’m starting a new project soon and need to set everything as soon as possible. Many thanks!
*NOTE : I have a 4TB external HDD for backups*
Regards,
Ash -
15 Replies
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In my oppinion the setup 2 is the correct, except for the SSD.
Having it for media cache instead of OS and programs will increase performance as Premiere uses media cache files in a normal workflow. The only thing you´ll notice having an SSD for OS and programs is a very quick boot. So i think is worth it using this drive better for reading media cache files.Hope that helps.
Regards -
Setup 1 with minor modifications would be the one that you would get best performance .
I keep OS,APPS & Project files on the computers internal drive.
Then I put Media, Previews, Media Cache on my fastest drive which I would guess is your raid 0. In my case its my external Dulce DQg2 Raid 5 array.
Finally I export to another hard drive. This avoids playing Media back and Exporting video files to the same drive simultaneously.
Tom Daigon
PrP / After Effects Editor
http://www.hdshotsandcuts.com
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DxPrG3WUyz8
(Best viewed at 1080P and full screen)
HP Z820 Dual 2687
64GB ram
Dulce DQg2 16TB raid -
Hey Gabriel,
Thanks for your reply.
I’ve read that SSD will have performance degradation if we’ve used like 60% of the capacity and this will happened if we write a lot of media cache in it. Is this true?So, let say if I’m using the Setup 2 and use the 1 x 1TB HDD for my OS and applications and then use the SSD for media cache. Do you think 512gb SSD is enough or is it overkill for media cache? If it is overkill, should I get a smaller capacity, maybe 256gb SSD? Because I can always clean/delete my cache files after finishing a project isn’t it? Many thanks.Regards,
Ash Depp -
Hi Tom,
Thanks for your reply.
Doesn’t this setup means that the read and write process (Media, Previews, Media Cache) will be on the same drive (RAID 0)? I thought that Media Cache should have a dedicated or separate drive from the Media drive for the best performance? This is because the computer will read the Media and write the cache and having 2 separate drives for them will gain a better workflow.
This is just my opinion and what I know from what I’ve read. I’m still a student and don’t have that much experience in the real world yet. Just a few freelance here an there. So, please do correct me if I’m wrong and other suggestions are welcome. Thanks.
Regards,
Ash Depp -
This configuration was set up for me by ADK Computers who designs, sells and consult on edit systems specifically that use Adobe CS software.
I could speculate on the performance increase Ive experienced since my new HP Z820 was configured. But folks like Eric Bowen at ADK know more about the details of this than I ever will.
Please post your question here
https://forums.adobe.com/community/premiere/hardware_forum
where he is a regular participant and Im sure he will share his experience and knowledge with you. Sometimes when I ask him about computer related issues, I find I understand about 50% of the explanation 😀 Im an editor not a computer scientist. And its those guys who know how to get the best performance from soft and hard ware.
I am in awe of his skills.Tom Daigon
PrP / After Effects Editor
http://www.hdshotsandcuts.com
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DxPrG3WUyz8
(Best viewed at 1080P and full screen)
HP Z820 Dual 2687
64GB ram
Dulce DQg2 16TB raid -
Haha. Yeah, that’s really true! I’m also not a computer scientists/engineers myself and it’s a bit hard to understand when people explain in forums/blogs.
Anyway, I will definitely post my questions there as well and hopefully I will get the best answer here or in the other forum. Thanks a lot!Regards,
Ash Depp -
Glad to help, Ash.
Tom Daigon
PrP / After Effects Editor
http://www.hdshotsandcuts.com
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DxPrG3WUyz8
(Best viewed at 1080P and full screen)
HP Z820 Dual 2687
64GB ram
Dulce DQg2 16TB raid -
[Ash Depp] “Doesn’t this setup means that the read and write process (Media, Previews, Media Cache) will be on the same drive (RAID 0)? I thought that Media Cache should have a dedicated or separate drive from the Media drive for the best performance? This is because the computer will read the Media and write the cache and having 2 separate drives for them will gain a better workflow. “
Even though a RAID may appear as a single drive, it’s really a set of multiple spindles. They do not bottleneck as easily on multiple disk accesses as a single physical drive would. I think it’s pretty unlikely that Premiere would bottleneck on storage for the media cache with a three-spindle RAID0. I wouldn’t worry about it too much. I’d worry about your safeguarding your backups instead — if a single disk in the RAID 0 array fails, you’ll lose everything on the entire array.
In terms of cache use, After Effects is a different story. The global performance cache is a new set of features in Ae CS6, and that includes a persistent disk cache. Because this cache is frame based (for both intermediate layers and finished comps), it’s much more disk-intensive than Premiere’s previews (rendered as movies). This really benefits from fast storage like an SSD.
Walter Soyka
Principal & Designer at Keen Live
Motion Graphics, Widescreen Events, Presentation Design, and Consulting
RenderBreak Blog – What I’m thinking when my workstation’s thinking
Creative Cow Forum Host: Live & Stage Events -
Hi Walter,
Thanks for your reply.
So, does this means that I’m good to go with this setup? :
1 x 1TB 7200rpm HDD = OS and Applications
3 x 2TB HDD 7200rpm (RAID 0) = Media, Projects, Exports, Previews
1 x 512gb SSD = Media Cache (both PP and AE)
1 x 4TB external HDD = Backups* I don’t mind to RAID 0 because my 4TB external HDD is always connected and will do the backup hourly. *
Please do let me know if you have other suggestions in order for me to use my 3 x 2TB HDD, 1 x 1TB HDD and the 512gb SSD that I’m going to buy. Many thanks.
Regards,
Ash -
Your also going to want your Raid to be in one enclosure with a hardware raid controller. You can stripe a raid across multiple external drives but it can get clunky and introduce problems that you will not have with a dedicated RAID controller. Sure they are a tad bit more expensive but worth it.
“Think of everything in terms of building capacity.”
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Product Manager, Flanders Scientific Inc.
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