Question Best hard drive setup/configuration for a PC for Video editing, Gaming, Streaming, etc...

[Eamonn100]

I've read that SSD's with the older hard drives is a good way to go. The older hard drives for storage and the SSD's for day to day use?

At a rough guess I'd need 8-10TB of total hard drive space.

Is having two 2TB SSD's a good way to go, with maybe three 2TB older hard drives? What about a few external hard drives semi permanently plugged into the PC.? What are the advantages/disadvantages of this route?

Could folks that have multiple hard drives/storage please post their thoughts.

 

[azed3000]

This is like a "how long is a piece of string' type of question. If you have unlimited funds, Id saturate with 2tb/4tb NVME SSDs, and have sata SSD 8tb as storage for older game titles. And even go as far as to setup a NAS setup for files that aren't as frequently accessed, setup a nice raid config so there's backups of important files.

If youre on a budget. Then NVME SSDs 2TB for apps and couple of 4tb HDDs for your big files.

 

[Eamonn100]

This is like a "how long is a piece of string' type of question. If you have unlimited funds, Id saturate with 2tb/4tb NVME SSDs, and have sata SSD 8tb as storage for older game titles. And even go as far as to setup a NAS setup for files that aren't as frequently accessed, setup a nice raid config so there's backups of important files.

If youre on a budget. Then NVME SSDs 2TB for apps and couple of 4tb HDDs for your big files.

Yes I am aware it's a "How long's a length of string" but I'm just wanting to see what folks that do a lot of video editing, photography, etc.. have on their PC's.

 

[Hellfire13]

Ideally, get a 1TB or 2TB NVME for daily operations. Make a 250gb partition on it for your Windows. Use the rest of the space for the files currently in use or frequently used. And, use other HDD for storage and archiving.
Note, you can buy a 250gb SSD for Windows separately too, but a bigger drive performs faster due to more flash modules or parallel access on them.

Also, get a SSD with DRAM cache...
"A DRAM cache can be important in more ways than just holding a map of the data. An SSD moves the data around quite a bit in an effort to extend its lifespan. This technique is called “Wear Leveling” and is employed in an effort to prevent some of the memory cells from wearing out too quickly. A DRAM cache can be of tremendous help in this process. The DRAM cache can also improve the overall speed of the drive because the OS would not have to wait as long to locate the desired data on the drive. "
https://appuals.com/ssd-buying-guide/#:~:text=Importance of DRAM Cache,from wearing out too quickly.

 

[USAFRet]

I have 6x 1TB SSD's.

1 for the OS and applications.
The others each gave their individual use case.
CAD/photo/video/etc.

Also, don't forget to factor in some sort of backup routine.

 

[azed3000]

Yes I am aware it's a "How long's a length of string" but I'm just wanting to see what folks that do a lot of video editing, photography, etc.. have on their PC's.

Ahh I understand. Yea thats fair. If its important data (i mean really important), id get a NAS in a raid setup and have a 2tb/4tb MLC nvme as a boot drive for quick access. At least that way your files are stored centrally, not relying on a PC, and it's always backed up. People tend to shy away from NAS but once you get it, its great. You can use your existing drives and keep your build free from nested sata cables.

 

[USAFRet]

Ahh I understand. Yea thats fair. If its important data (i mean really important), id get a NAS in a raid setup and have a 2tb/4tb MLC nvme as a boot drive for quick access. At least that way your files are stored centrally, not relying on a PC, and it's always backed up. People tend to shy away from NAS but once you get it, its great. You can use your existing drives and keep your build free from nested sata cables.

Note that a RAID in a NAS is not a real backup.
Helps against physical drive death, but not all the other common forms of data loss.

 

[Eamonn100]

I have 6x 1TB SSD's.

1 for the OS and applications.
The others each gave their individual use case.
CAD/photo/video/etc.

Also, don't forget to factor in some sort of backup routine.

... and how do you install them all on your PC?

I mean, are there extra devices to buy so that they are all connected to the Motherboard? What is the configuration of such a setup?

 

[USAFRet]

... and how do you install them all on your PC?

I mean, are there extra devices to buy so that they are all connected to the Motherboard? What is the configuration of such a setup?

2x NVMe in M.2 ports.
The other 4 are SATA III 2.5", connected to the SATA ports on the motherboard.

Parts list in my sig, under Viper.

 

[Eamonn100]

Note that a RAID in a NAS is not a real backup.
Helps against physical drive death, but not all the other common forms of data loss.

So I guess both together is best practice? Or is that regarded as over kill??

 

[USAFRet]

So I guess both together is best practice? Or is that regarded as over kill??

A RAID 1 (mirror) is only really useful if you actually need 24/7 uninterrupted ops. Like if you were running a webserver, and downtime = lost sales.

If you can survive through the horrors of a 30-60 minute recover to a new drive, RAID 1 isn't needed. Just overkill.