Two hard drives and one SSD; optimal install strategy?

[WXM]

Hi all

I'm wiping and reconfiguring the drives for my Win7-64bit computer, onto which I will be installing DP8 and MachFIVE 3 and the rest in a few days. This will be my "Digital Performer machine." Everything big for my immediate put-together is in my sig, and note that this will be my first time doing any kind of music set-up on my own hardware. Also note that I'm not planning on adding gobs more VI's, at least not in the near future. Not being a musician, I'm mostly going to be doing music "sketching" to the best of my ability (as opposed to being musically bad-ass like all of you. ). But as I replenish my funds down the road I may expand.

For the drives, I've got from fastest to slowest:
- a 1/4 TB Vector SSD
- a 1/2 TB 10,000rpm VelociRaptor HD
- a 1.5 TB regular ol' hard 7200rpm SATA drive

Based on what I've read around here and elsewhere I was thinking the best plan would be to make the 10,000 RPM drive my system drive as well as the install drive for the programs. The VI data I would put on the SSD drive to create the "speedy data spewer." The regular ol' 1.5TB HD would be for only bouncing to disc and backing up (or would spreading some small plug-ins to this drive be a good idea?).

Anyone have suggestions or alternative/better strategies? As with everybody I'd really like to set this up right and not to have any regrets down the road. Thanks ahead of time for your advice and thoughts.

[HCMarkus]

Sounds like a good strategy, although some would suggest using the SSD as your boot/applications drive. The call probably depends on how much VI stuff you do vs how often you boot your system. You could put project and audio files on your 7200 RPM spinner, which should be able to serve up plenty of tracks to take care of all but the largest project. But your would then need a another HD to use as backup.

I like the external HD backup approach, as it allows me to keep two backup drives which I rotate on and off site. Having survived a wildfire 10 years ago in which my studio didn't fare so well, I cherish and protect my data.

I'm currently enjoying an all-SSD workflow (except for backups) and finding it to be refreshingly speedy. SSD 1: OS, SSD 2/3: VI Data, and SSD 4: Project and Audio Files.

[WXM]

although some would suggest using the SSD as your boot/applications drive. The call probably depends on how much VI stuff you do vs how often you boot your system.

This may sound goofy, but I kind of just don't trust SSDs quite yet for using them as the main drive (doing little writes all over the place). I just feel a little safer using it only as a send-only (non-write) drive. And the fact that the SSD here is the smallest drive, I figure using it for my current few VIs is best. But I ask...

Question: The Slate Digital Drums and Damage... How much of their installs are "VI data"? I.e., will I likely be installing a plug-in portion (on my applications drive) and then "VI data" portion separately, or does it all always go together? And Slate FGX and Recabinet, those would install purely as a plug-ins (on the applications drive), nothing for those installs on a pure VI drive, right? (Sorry if that's a stupid thing to get a confirmation of, but... )

I like the external HD backup approach, as it allows me to keep two backup drives which I rotate on and off site. Having survived a wildfire 10 years ago in which my studio didn't fare so well, I cherish and protect my data.

My PC build allows me to hot-swap drives in the top of the case. (And they are "internal drives" drives, plugged straight into the mobo, are not USB.) The 7200rpm drive was going to be the one sticking out the top so that I could often swap it with another of its low-cost ilk to do easy different-drive backing up (via copying project folders over from the 10,000rpm main drive).

You could put project and audio files on your 7200 RPM spinner, which should be able to serve up plenty of tracks to take care of all but the largest project. But your would then need a another HD to use as backup.

Cool. But if I have lots of room on the 10,000rpm drive then using that drive for the projects as well as OS and program files is fine, right? Or would it be way better to have the project files on a different drive than where DP8 and MachFIVE and other plugs are installed? I just don't imagine the computer needing to be reading a lot of DP8's program code from the drive when doing playback, but am I wrong? Do the OS and DP8 and plug-ins generally cause a lot of constant drive spinning in and of themselves (in acquiring their commands operation code)? I imagine it's just usually a blip of drive-read to send a command into RAM and that's about it (unlike bouncing to disc where everything is chugging away). Correct, wrong?

I'm currently enjoying an all-SSD workflow (except for backups) and finding it to be refreshingly speedy. SSD 1: OS, SSD 2/3: VI Data, and SSD 4: Project and Audio Files.

Nice. I don't really have the funds for that myself at this point. And I guess you're finding the SSDs to be fully reliable. Cool.

[HCMarkus]

It is hard to quantify some of the factors that make for a smooth-running system. Sounds like you have a good grasp on the pros and cons of the various approaches; I am sure you will make the best decision given resources available to you. Having hot swap HDs is really cool, although I have been finding great deals on external Seagates lately... $119 for 3 TB at Amazon or B&H.

As far as SSD reliability, I have either been very fortunate so far or the Intel 330 SSDs I run are actually pretty great! I love the fast boot and prject load times, not to mention overal responsiveness of the system I get with SSDs.

PS: Love the quote in your sig. I'm a Mac guy, have been since 1984, but I use PC's, too, and have never seen the need for discussion to devolve to the level some seem inclined to seek.

[WXM]

Having hot swap HDs is really cool, although I have been finding great deals on external Seagates lately... $119 for 3 TB at Amazon or B&H. As far as SSD reliability, I have either been very fortunate so far or the Intel 330 SSDs I run are actually pretty great! I love the fast boot and prject load times, not to mention overal responsiveness of the system I get with SSDs.

Yeah, the reviews on the Intels are usually very good. And the Adatas. I'll mellow out a bit after using the SSD I just got I'm sure. I will say I got that 500GB 10000rpm drive new on super sale for only $80. For that capacity to price ratio compared to an SSD, combined with my leeriness of SSDs, I couldn't help but be glad with that snag, even if that drive's speedier-ness can't really compete with SSD speeds.

Love the quote in your sig. I'm a Mac guy, have been since 1984, but I use PC's, too, and have never seen the need for discussion to devolve to the level some seem inclined to seek.

To put my position non-aggressively, I don't like Win OS. I'll just stop there on that subject.
But what I currently do like about PCs are the hardware choices for building your own rig from the ground up. You and others here mostly probably know this, but maybe not? The PC build options are now quite vast and can be pretty cheap if you research enough and are patient for sales to roll around. And PC builds are getting pretty f---in' easy, most everything color-coded and/or with idiot-proof sockets/plugs. I consider myself a novice and I've built most of my machines. Easy. (Just make sure your power supply unit is powerful enough!)

Here's the model of my main comp's case, with 240mm fan and the dual-hot-swap drive bays on top. Practical and lovely...and I got it for only $45!
http://www.bjorn3d.com/Material/revimag ... /intro.jpg
And here's my mobo (for i7 3960X processor). Yes, that's eight RAM slots (can handle up to 128GBs of RAM!)
http://www.msi.com/pic/product/five_pic ... 172742.jpg
Despite the matching blue, I don't trick out my machines with any crazy "mod" stuff (http://www.xoxide.com/lighting.html), although that seems like it might be kind of fun if ya have the time and money and desire. To continue going off on this tangent, if you haven't seen extreme PC modding there are many nice, artful, crazy things out there. In fact, I can't help but put some links now. (If you've already seen or just don't care for this stuff, forgive me.) Note that these only scratch the surface. If you like the imagination on these then do a google image search for more insanity. It's of course sad to consider that in a small number of years, after all this work, the guts of all these things will be about worthless
http://www.ugo.com/tech/mini-media-center
http://www.ugo.com/tech/edelweiss-pc
http://www.gizmowatch.com/entry/8-best- ... y-can-buy/

Thanks for the replies HCMarkus (and I hope all my blabbing above wasn't too much of a )

[HCMarkus]

Thanks for the replies HCMarkus (and I hope all my blabbing above wasn't too much

Not at all, good stuff. We'll be seeing lots of new things here with the DP8 Win release.

I actually looked into Win or Hackintosh, tempted by the hardware Horsepower for low $ but ended up buying a used 4,1 2009 Mac Pro and flashing the EFI to 5,1, then doing a CPU/GPU swap, so my '09 is now equivalent to a 2012 3.33 Hex Mac Pro in every way but its serial number.

Those Raptors are great drives.

[WXM]

I actually looked into Win or Hackintosh, tempted by the hardware Horsepower for low $ but ended up buying a used 4,1 2009 Mac Pro and flashing the EFI to 5,1, then doing a CPU/GPU swap, so my '09 is now equivalent to a 2012 3.33 Hex Mac Pro in every way but its serial number.

I am swift, and I am strong! But you...are smaaaaart!



(all from a Bill Murray/Steve Martin SNL segment in case you didn't just happen to know)


I would have just bought a Mac for doing DP (despite not really having room for a another whole computer set-up here); I was looking at used Macs with intent when they made that announcement in Jan. 2012. "Awesome! No need to spend over a grand for a weaker used Mac just for some music sketching when I can just use this powerhouse Windows machine that already has a spot here!" is what I thought upon hearing of the release for supposedly the "Spring 2012" quarter. Oh well, it's fine. I've been working on other stuff this whole time anyway, and it is good I don't have another whole OS leg of computers set-up here in my little apartment.