Mac Pro - Hard drive and storage advice

[scouser75]

Hi guys, I have a 2009 8 Core Mac Pro running El Capitan which is fast running out of storage space. What are my best options for the following?

I currently have the following:

* 1 630gb hard drive which I use as my boot drive and where I keep my iTunes and Photos folders. My wife also has a user account and she also keeps her iTunes and Photos folder here.

* 1 2TB hard drive which I use to keep my film editing projects.

* 1 2TB hard drive which I use to keep more projects and also my personal documents.

My problem is, the boot drive only has 60gb remaining. We have far too many photos and a fair bit of music, spread over mine and my wife's accounts. I can get a bigger boot drive (maybe even go for an SSD), but that too will eventually run low. Is there a better option for the Photos app, where we can combine our photos into 1 Photos file?

I'm in your experienced hands folks

 

[flaubert]

Well, it sounds like you have a underlying goal of unifying your Photos libraries. I understand why that is desirable: whenever you have a family situation it makes sense to have a single repository for shared photos. I think that there are some tricks by which you can accomplish that, by creating a third Apple ID, and then using iCloud Photos associated with that Apple ID on multiple devices. I’m not 100% sure what implications that would have elsewhere in your computing experience however, and I’m not near my Mac to check it out.

Here is what “Take Control of iCloud” by Joe Kissel says about multiple iCloud accounts on Macs:

Apart from that, each user account on a Mac can have a primary iCloud account—with full access to all available services—as well as secondary iCloud accounts with more limited access. Once a given user has signed in to an iCloud account, that iCloud account becomes the primary account for that user—and the only one that can use Safari data syncing, iCloud Photos, iCloud Drive, iCloud Keychain, and Back to My Mac. If you then add another iCloud account while logged in to the same user account, your Mac treats the new iCloud account as secondary, which means it can be used only for email, contacts, calendars, reminders, and notes. (And yes, you can have more than one secondary iCloud account.)

So what I take from that is that if you set up a shared iCloud account for the purposes of having all photos shared through iCloud Photos it will have to the be the primary account, and it will come with other things being shared as well, such as iCloud Keychain and iCloud Drive.

Returning to your storage issue, what I would recommend is to buy a 1TB SSD (Other World Computing has been having a blow-out sale of 1TB Micron drives lately for $89: https://eshop.macsales.com/item/Micron/AK960TCB1A/ ). Then I would structure it so that your boot disk is the SSD, with perhaps all of your music and personal files transferred over from the 2nd 2TB disk. Then I would move your Photos library over to that same 2nd 2TB hard disk spinner, where it likely will have plenty of room to grow once the personal files are off of there.

 

[machenryr]

This is what I’m just starting to organized. I just installed a SSD PCIe 1TB boot drive. But this is going to be just for OS, applications and maybe documents. I’ve already put all my music related stuff, iTunes, Virtual Instrument libraries to a different SSD. Then movies, FCP and photos on yet another SSD. I’m a recording studio guy so two of the drives are for audio projects. Then a back up volume or two.

I’m still organizing so I’m not quite sure. For me the boot volume is PCIe, a 500 GB SSD in the optical bay and four SSDs, two 1 TB and two 2 TB.

IF all works according to plan I might be able to stave off the new MacPro for a minute!

 

[scouser75]

Well, it sounds like you have a underlying goal of unifying your Photos libraries. I understand why that is desirable: whenever you have a family situation it makes sense to have a single repository for shared photos. I think that there are some tricks by which you can accomplish that, by creating a third Apple ID, and then using iCloud Photos associated with that Apple ID on multiple devices. I’m not 100% sure what implications that would have elsewhere in your computing experience however, and I’m not near my Mac to check it out.

Here is what “Take Control of iCloud” by Joe Kissel says about multiple iCloud accounts on Macs:

Apart from that, each user account on a Mac can have a primary iCloud account—with full access to all available services—as well as secondary iCloud accounts with more limited access. Once a given user has signed in to an iCloud account, that iCloud account becomes the primary account for that user—and the only one that can use Safari data syncing, iCloud Photos, iCloud Drive, iCloud Keychain, and Back to My Mac. If you then add another iCloud account while logged in to the same user account, your Mac treats the new iCloud account as secondary, which means it can be used only for email, contacts, calendars, reminders, and notes. (And yes, you can have more than one secondary iCloud account.)

So what I take from that is that if you set up a shared iCloud account for the purposes of having all photos shared through iCloud Photos it will have to the be the primary account, and it will come with other things being shared as well, such as iCloud Keychain and iCloud Drive.

Returning to your storage issue, what I would recommend is to buy a 1TB SSD (Other World Computing has been having a blow-out sale of 1TB Micron drives lately for $89: https://eshop.macsales.com/item/Micron/AK960TCB1A/ ). Then I would structure it so that your boot disk is the SSD, with perhaps all of your music and personal files transferred over from the 2nd 2TB disk. Then I would move your Photos library over to that same 2nd 2TB hard disk spinner, where it likely will have plenty of room to grow once the personal files are off of there.

Hi Flaubert, thanks for such a top answer. If I do move my iTunes Library to another HD:

* Do I create another iTunes Library on the boot drive?

* If I do create another iTunes Library, what happens to all my iTunes content on my iPhone and iPad if I sync from my computer? Will I lose all my music on my iPhone / iPad?

* I checked my iTunes folder and it's currently at 102GB! Within the folder, I have a Home Movies folder and Mobile Applications folder (I actually have 2 Mobile Applications folders - 1 within the iTunes folder, then one within the iTunes Folder / iTunes Media / Home Movies.

Both these are quite hefty folders in regard to GB. Can I go in and delete the films in the Home Movies folder (I have no idea how they appeared in there and do not need them on my phone).

Also, can I delete the applications I have in these folders? Or will this delete them from my phone when I next sync?

I've attached a pic of my current storage situation. Strangely, on Mac Pro, it says I have 170GB of Movies, but I've checked the iTunes Folder and my Movies folder and calculated only a total of 45GB. I can't figure out where the other 125GB for movies has come from. I looked through ALL the folders on this drive and there are no other movies!

What on earth 'other' is I also do not know. Maybe my Mac apps such as Final Cut 7 suite, Office apps etc???

Sorry for so many questions. I just don't want to do something silly and regret it.