iMac 2Tb SSD vs 1Tb SSD + Samsung x5 1Tb

[Dutch60]

Hello again everyone.
As I said before, I consider buying a new iMac 2019.

Can anyone tell me about any pros/contras:
1. iMac with 2Tb internal SSD
vs:
2. iMac 1Tb internal together with 1Tb Samsung X5

At the moment I'm using a Lacie 6Tb Thunderbolt 3 external for things like Time Machine (although not through TB 3, because my present iMac doesn't have this (2013).

Thank you!

 

[eric89074]

The price of the 1TB X5 is almost as much as going from 1TB SSD to 2TB. Get the 2TB SSD and keep the Lacie as your time machine.

 

[Dutch60]

Thank you Eric. That's what I was thinking as well. But not sure. Therefore my question.
At the moment I'm on a 3Tb Fusion Drive 2013 (128Gb SSD). 1Tb is used. With a 2Tb SSD I would like to move "something" to my external (Lacie 6Tb TB3). I would like to have more than 1Tb free space on a 2Tb internal SSD. And then the next question comes....how and what can I move to the Lacie without compromising too much on speed? Yes, I'm not technical at all.
Around 900Gb of photo's here (main usage for my Mac is photography).
Should I move all my images to the external? How easy/fast can I use those images in my (photography)programs?

 

[priitv8]

Should I move all my images to the external? How easy/fast can I use those images in my (photography)programs?

External X5 is about the same speed as internal NVMe SSD.
I personally would not archive anything on SSD - price per MB is just too high.
I keep my working copy of a library on X5. As soon as I am done - I move it out to HDD for archival.

 

[mikehalloran]

APFS Snapshots lets you restore your entire system to a previous state in a few minutes as opposed to a complete Time Machine restore that can take hours. In addition, you can restore individual files and apps in even less time. It requires Time Machine to be active although it does not make calls to your TM volume.

It's an incredible tool that blew me away when I discovered it.
http://www.motunation.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=64689
I will write this up more concisely but I want to test a few things before that happens.

One problem: It only works on the boot SSD. Files on an external drive will be backed up to a TM volume but cannot be restored via Snapshots.

In my case, I have 6TB of USB 3 external storage for virtual instruments (VIs) and other libraries but there's nothing that can't be downloaded. For me, having 2TB onboard is the right amount. A corrupted file from another studio can screw up days of work. Being able to restore my system to before I imported the file takes about 90 seconds on my iMac Pro.

 

[gilby101]

how and what can I move to the Lacie without compromising too much on speed?

Before you move anything to your Lacie (=backup drive) think about what you will do for backup of the stuff you move. Without an additional backup drive, you should only move what you don't mind losing!
[doublepost=1558996342][/doublepost]

iMac 1Tb internal together with 1Tb Samsung X5

Should I move all my images to the external?

I would not be considering a Samsung X5 unless I really needed the speed. What about a much cheaper Samsung T5 which is more than adequate for fast access to photos. My photos are all on a T5 with my Lightroom catalog on the internal SSD.

 

[Dutch60]

External X5 is about the same speed as internal NVMe SSD.
I personally would not archive anything on SSD - price per MB is just too high.
I keep my working copy of a library on X5. As soon as I am done - I move it out to HDD for archival.

Thank you. I’ m not using Adobe (Lightoom) anymore, but DXO Photolab 2. It’s “reading” images straight from the internal HD (no need to actively import any images in this program). I wonder how this would work with these images on external Lacie.
[doublepost=1559056822][/doublepost]

APFS Snapshots lets you restore your entire system to a previous state in a few minutes as opposed to a complete Time Machine restore that can take hours. In addition, you can restore individual files and apps in even less time. It requires Time Machine to be active although it does not make calls to your TM volume.

It's an incredible tool that blew me away when I discovered it.
http://www.motunation.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=64689
I will write this up more concisely but I want to test a few things before that happens.

One problem: It only works on the boot SSD. Files on an external drive will be backed up to a TM volume but cannot be restored via Snapshots.

In my case, I have 6TB of USB 3 external storage for virtual instruments (VIs) and other libraries but there's nothing that can't be downloaded. For me, having 2TB onboard is the right amount. A corrupted file from another studio can screw up days of work. Being able to restore my system to before I imported the file takes about 90 seconds on my iMac Pro.

Thank you for this answer. I never heard of it. Looking forward to your more concise write up!
[doublepost=1559057133][/doublepost]

Before you move anything to your Lacie (=backup drive) think about what you will do for backup of the stuff you move. Without an additional backup drive, you should only move what you don't mind losing!
[doublepost=1558996342][/doublepost]
I have an additional backup drive.


I would not be considering a Samsung X5 unless I really needed the speed. What about a much cheaper Samsung T5 which is more than adequate for fast access to photos. My photos are all on a T5 with my Lightroom catalog on the internal SSD.

For me it’s either a fast 1 Tb external SSD for access (but then limit internal SSD to 1Tb), or using 2Tb internal and using my external 6Tb Lacie TB3. Trying to limit extra costs.

 

[mikehalloran]

The price of the 1TB X5 is almost as much as going from 1TB SSD to 2TB. Get the 2TB SSD and keep the Lacie as your time machine.

I agree

Thank you for this answer. I never heard of it. Looking forward to your more concise write up!

Ha! Me too.

I should have everything in place and ready to go for doing some additional testing soon.