Thinking to buy a new PC - Few questions about the SSD-drives

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Heigen5
Posts: 1505
Joined: 25 Sep 2018
Location: Finland / Suomi

23 Aug 2020

Yo! Well yeah, might be getting a new PC soonish.
I have few questions about the SSD-drives:

1) Does it matter if the Refills are not on a SSD-drive, but the Win10 would be on the SSD?
2) If I'd also get a SSD-external drive, would there be any speed bottlenecks other than the USB3 speed?

Thanks!

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TheDragonborg
Posts: 285
Joined: 10 Feb 2020

23 Aug 2020

I have all of my samples and projects on standard HDDs but my boot drive is a SSD... A HDD is better for storing audio files and projects as the drive is going to be read/written to a lot. SSDs can degrade over time as they are used. It's why they tend to have a smaller usable portion of the disk compared to a HDD of the same capacity and why it's a good idea to never let a SSD get close to full as it can affect performance.

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bitley
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23 Aug 2020

SSD matters a lot, 50-60 times faster than rotating disks. I love them. Saves power too. And no noise. Brilliant invention. Look into the new formats too like M2.

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TheDragonborg
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23 Aug 2020

bitley wrote:
23 Aug 2020
SSD matters a lot, 50-60 times faster than rotating disks. I love them. Saves power too. And no noise. Brilliant invention. Look into the new formats too like M2.
On your boot drive yes... I've found it doesn't make that much difference when it comes to general storage drives. Not that big of a deal if it takes a half second longer to load an audio file.

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Dante
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23 Aug 2020

Make sure your motherboard has M2 slots for SSD and get the M2 SSD installed into the build if not already off the shelf.

EdGrip
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23 Aug 2020

TheDragonborg wrote:
23 Aug 2020
I have all of my samples and projects on standard HDDs but my boot drive is a SSD... A HDD is better for storing audio files and projects as the drive is going to be read/written to a lot. SSDs can degrade over time as they are used. It's why they tend to have a smaller usable portion of the disk compared to a HDD of the same capacity and why it's a good idea to never let a SSD get close to full as it can affect performance.
While SSDs degrade over time in theory, in practice it's not a problem you'll ever run into before your whole computer is upgraded and/or SSDs have become so cheap it doesn't matter.
SSDs are ideal for storing samples because they are so much faster to read. You can audition samples as fast as you can press the down key, and you can load a big sample library far faster than if it were on a mechanical drive.

The only reason to have a HDD is price; durability does not come into it.

My C:\ is a 500GB Samsung SSD that I bought in 2015. I can't remember how much i have set aside for overprovisioning. It's fine and healthy, and all my projects, samples and refills are on it for fast loading.
I think 500GB is a good sweet spot, but if you can afford bigger then go for it - don't be cheap and buy (for example) a 128GB boot drive, would be my advice.

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TheDragonborg
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24 Aug 2020

I use like 1 plugin with huge sample library and it doesn't take that long to load just a few seconds. I use mostly HDDs for storage because they were drives from older computers that I no longer use (a 1TB HDDs and some 500GB ones). And yes I know it would take quite a while for SSDs to degrade but I'm still using some 10 year old HDDs.

EdGrip
Posts: 2343
Joined: 03 Jun 2016

24 Aug 2020

From the internet somewhere:

"Even if you write 7GB/day to a decent 256GB 25nm-process SSD, the flash memory should last for tens, if not hundreds, of years."
The lifespan increases with the size of the drive, because the wear levelling is spread over more memory.

https://www.anandtech.com/show/4159/ocz ... 2500-ssd/2

Lifespan is not a consideration with SSDs, aside from massively write-heavy data applications.

I also like to use the SSD for downloading my latest photography session. I keep the session on the SSD until I'm finished editing etc. and then move it over to the bigger data HDDs.

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Heigen5
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Location: Finland / Suomi

24 Aug 2020

Thanks for the info everyone. The new PC would have a 1Tb sized SSD M2.

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TheDragonborg
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24 Aug 2020

Be sure to grab extra storage drives... 1TB will fill up fast.

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Heigen5
Posts: 1505
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Location: Finland / Suomi

24 Aug 2020

TheDragonborg wrote:
24 Aug 2020
Be sure to grab extra storage drives... 1TB will fill up fast.
I have 2Tb harddrive in my current PC which would become a storage drive in my new PC. I probably will get an external 1Tb SSD too at some point.

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Boombastix
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24 Aug 2020

Rarely do I see SSD crash reviews for Samsung, but plenty for other brands. I always pay a little extra to get the Samsung's, a few bucks saved is NOT worth it if you get a premature crash IMO.
10% off at Waves with link: https://www.waves.com/r/6gh2b0
Disclaimer - I get 10% as well.

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gullum
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25 Aug 2020

1 kick on your computer could kill an HDD because of moving plates and needles while an SSD is more guarantied to survive bad treatment

ronsmith
Posts: 1
Joined: 26 Aug 2020

26 Aug 2020

Heigen5 wrote:
23 Aug 2020
Yo! Well yeah, might be getting a new PC soonish.
I have few questions about the SSD-drives:

1) Does it matter if the Refills are not on a SSD-drive, but the Win10 would be on the SSD?
2) If I'd also get a SSD-external drive, would there be any speed bottlenecks other than the USB3 speed?

Thanks!
Do you need any help with your PC build? Contact me if you do.

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WillyOD
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Location: Left of stardust
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26 Aug 2020

1,5 years ago I bought over 2000€ computer. Asus gaming desktop PC thingie. My first brand PC, before that just custom builds for ~30 years.
So anyways, I did "lots" of research on this new machine and decided to go for broke. I mean what could go wrong with about the most expensive machine out there.

A total oversight on my part but damn was I bummed when I first opened my new PC. Otherwise a solid computer but it has zero PCI extension slots.
I couldn't fit in my Firewire PCI-E card inside so I had to switch audio interfaces (to Balance LOL)!

(I also promised to sell my old computer to a friend of mine for 800€ for but at that point I'd rather have gone back to my old PC but I'd already given the machine to him in advance...)

Also, yes, get all the SSD. You could go even go 128/256Gb for system drive and get another 256+ SSD for data.
I used to make music but now I just cry on these forums. @diippii.com

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