MP 6,1 Transitioning storage from the MP5,1 to the MP6,1

[fiatlux]

This is possibly one of least sensible moves I made regarding Macs but I just could not resist to a very good deal on a 12-core MP6,1 to replace my aging 6 core MP4,1->5,1. 😉

As HDD and SSD grew bigger and got cheaper, I had rationalised my storage in my classical Mac Pro, with just three disks:

1. a 500 GB PCIe SSD boot disk (OS and apps)
2. a 2TD SATA SSD master data disk (mostly pictures and music library)
3. a 4TB HDD for Time Machine

Main use for the machine is Lightroom & Photoshop, with a tiny little bit of video editing (iMovie/Adobe Rush until I find time to learn Resolve). I am trying to decide what would be the most sensible way to move that storage over to the 'new' MP6,1. The MP6,1 also has a 500GB SSD so that part is sorted out.

From the cheapest to the most expensive options:

• move the 2TB SSD and 4TB HDD in dedicated USB 3.0 enclosures. Cheapest, but USB 3.0 ports on the MP6,1 are not plenty and I read the overall USB3.0 bandwidth is capped on the MP6n1 - which could lead to decreased peformances if I needed to copy a lot of files e.g. from a USB 3.0 card reader. I am also a bit concerned about the reliability of the USB connection to disks which are supposed to be always 'on' - no issue with wake from sleep?
• move the 2TB SSD and 4TB HDD to a TB2 (or a TB3 with Apple's adapter)

  enclosure​

  - potentially noisy?​
• replace the 2TB SSD and 4TB HDD with TB2/TB3 external disks - potentially quieter (but bus-powered TB3 disks wont work on the adapter).
• get an Amfeltec Anglefire 3-slots adapter in the MP6,1 and add a 2TB M.2 PCIe and a 4TB one... when they exist! Possibly a mid/long-term objective but currently not really sensible.

What do you think?

 

[krakman]

I suggest you use the usb 3 enclosures for your ssd and hdd its very unlikely that you will saturate the usb bus.

 

[fiatlux]

I suggest you use the usb 3 enclosures for your ssd and hdd its very unlikely that you will saturate the usb bus.

Any risk with external disk drive disconnection when waking from sleep? And would it be less of an issue with TB disks?

It used to be an issue with USB devices on my cMP, even though this is something that Catalina seems to have addressed.

 

[bsbeamer]

This has been working well for my SATA SSD needs when transitioning out of MP5,1 in all testing. Not using with MP6,1 however. Simple 2.5" > 3.5" adapters make this completely tool-less and actually find it more flexible (and faster) than MP5,1 internal (non-RAID) data rates when used with USB-C 10Gbps PCIe card.

Oyen Digital Mobius Pro 5C 5-Bay USB-C External Drive Enclosure (3N5-C-M)

The Mobius Pro 5C 5-Bay storage system is designed to meet the needs of power users with the most demanding storage requirements. The tray-less design provides a simple method for HDD removal and insertion - simply pull the lever to insert or withdraw the HDDs.

www.amazon.com

 

[crjackson2134]

It has been my understanding that USB anything does not support TRIM that SSD's need. Has this situation changed? If not, my personal usage would guide me towards TBx solutions. A lot more expensive I know, but I suppose it depends on your needs.