Mac Pro HDD upgrade

[uplift123]

Hi all,


I'd be grateful for some advice on purchasing a new HHD and Ram:



I have a Mac Pro Mid 2012 3.2Ghz Quad-core 12GB RAM with the default 1tb HDD and a Samsung EVO 256GB SSD running Yosemite which I use for Music Production - both acoustic and electronic - meaning that I record a lot of audio but also use a lot of software instruments, samples and sample instruments. I have 2x external WD 1TB Hard Drives for backup.


I'm starting to run out of HDD space and sometimes get performance issues with larger projects forcing me into higher buffer settings and latency.



I'm looking to install another 1TB HDD. I will then run the OS and apps off of the SSD, run my samples off of the old default HDD and write/record audio to the new hard drive. Eventually I will be looking to get another SSD, but that will be slightly further down the line. I am also looking to get some more RAM.



I'd be so grateful if I could get some advice on the fastest (1TB) HDD to get (Not SSD – too expensive for 1TB). I’ve read that there is no point getting a hybrid as the amount of Audio I’ll be recording will far exceed the 64GB or whatever cache and it won’t be the same data being accessed all the time.



I’d also be grateful if you could advise me on what RAM to get. Should I replace all my RAM? (I haven’t altered the stock RAM that comes with the Mac Pro) or should I leave that and get extra?



I’d also be appreciative if you could tell me whether I should split my samples and sample instruments across drives or partitions?



Also – should I upgrade my CPU? Or is it not worth it?


Thanks so much!


Alex

 

[flowrider]

The fastest HDD, IMO, as an SSHD. The only maker, AFAIK, for 3.5" SSHD devices is Seagate:

http://www.seagate.com/internal-hard-drives/solid-state-hybrid/desktop-solid-state-hybrid-drive/

I have 5 SSDs, 1 SSHD and 1 HDD - All internal in my cMP. The HDD is a WD Black and the Seagate feels snappier. Neither the HDD or the SSHD have an OS on them. The price difference between an HDD and the SSHD is really very small IMO.

As far as RAM goes, since the W3565 CPU in your machine only supports 1066 MHz RAM, that would work well for you. But, 1333 MHz RAM is usually the same price, so I would be looking at that. Populate only the first three slots with matched RAM sticks, as the CPU uses three memory channels, My Ram supplier since 1986 has been:

http://www.datamemorysystems.com/ap...33ghz-md770ll/a-cto-mid-2012-memory-upgrades/

They are great folks to work with and I recommend them highly. Many members of this forum have tried them on my recommendation, and all have been pleased with the results.

As far as the CPU is concerned - Yes an upgrade would be very worthwhile on your machine. You could upgrade to 6 fast cores (3.46GHz) with either a W3690 or an X5690 CPU. On a single processor system, either CPU would work well and neither one would have an advantage over the other. Let price be your guide. Both would perform very well in you system and both would support the faster 1333MHz RAM speed. Installation on the cMP 5,1 is really quite easy.

Lou

 

[monokakata]

Do you have a reason for sticking to only 1 TB for the new drive? There are attractively-priced 2, 3 and 4 TB drives out there from all the major players. As flowrider says, Seagate has some hybrid models.

Your Mac Pro has no intrinsic limitation on HDD size. It has 1 TB because that's how Apple shipped it. No other reason.