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External storage choices and options

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External storage choices and options

Postby Ron Hunter » Fri Aug 05, 2016 3:15 pm

Hello! I have a question about external storage to be used with my late-2013 retina Macbook Pro (MBP).

The MBP has a 256GB SSD from the factory, and this is too small for any photo or video storage. Therefore I currently use an inexpensive USB3.0 1.0TB "My Passport Ultra" from Western Digital to store my Lightroom catalog, photos, and video files. I can't tell if the Passport's internal HDD is 5400RPM but I suspect it is, as Blackmagic Speed Tests indicate read/write speed in the 50MB/sec range.

This solution works OK, but you can imagine there is noticeable latency when editing photos or videos (Final Cut Pro X).

The "problem" is that this Passport only gets backed up once in a while. I have a second 1.0TB Passport that I keep in a safe, and whenever I remember to do it, I go get the 2nd Passport and connect it to the MBP for "backup" (manual file transfer).

So in summary, my current workflow/backup situation is two USB3.0 1.0TB external drives. I would like a more automated backup solution. More data transfer speed wouldn't hurt either.

I see that Other World Computing has an "OWC Drive Dock" that allows two bare 2.5" or 3.5" SATA drives to be connected to a Mac via Thunderbolt cable. I was thinking about getting that, adding two 1.0TB SATA HDDs, and configuring as RAID 1 (mirrored drives). They also have a RAID 5 product with 4x 1.0TB drives, but that is > $700 and it seems overkill for a hobbyist like me. Then again, I have many hours invested in my Lightroom catalog and I would be devastated if something happened to it.

Any other thoughts on how I can improve my workflow/backup situation?
Desktop: HPE-580T, i7-950 (3.07GHz), 16GB RAM, Win'7 64-bit Home Premium, PSE12/PRE12, Lightroom 5.
Laptop: MacBook Pro (retina), 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD, Final Cut Pro X, Motion 5.
Cameras (in use): Panasonic GH4/Canon HFR400/Canon HV30, GoPro HD Hero2.
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Re: External storage choices and options

Postby Steve Grisetti » Fri Aug 05, 2016 4:13 pm

Best and easiest solution? Back up to online file storage. Carbonite is an excellent choice for $5 a month. iDrive is also excellent at about $3.75 a month.

Backup is automatic. You don't have to think about it. And, should a catastrophe occur -- say your computer crashes or your house blows up -- your files are safe.
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Re: External storage choices and options

Postby Peru » Fri Aug 05, 2016 5:41 pm

Steve Grisetti wrote:Best and easiest solution? Back up to online file storage. Carbonite is an excellent choice for $5 a month. iDrive is also excellent at about $3.75 a month.

Backup is automatic. You don't have to think about it. And, should a catastrophe occur -- say your computer crashes or your house blows up -- your files are safe.


I agree. I don't use Carbonite, but my daughter does. She is not as obsessive about backing up as I am. When her laptop had an unrecoverable blue screen (...long story, but I had to use the recovery partition to get it working), she had access to her college homework and notes on another laptop and her smart phone.
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Re: External storage choices and options

Postby Ron Hunter » Fri Aug 05, 2016 5:54 pm

Thanks guys, that does sound compelling. I see that Carbonite offers "unlimited" backup for one computer. I presume that still applies if the one computer has a 1.0TB external drive connected to it? On second thought, I see that they have a "Personal Plus" program that covers a computer and external hard drive.

And I presume I will want a wired connection to the Internet, instead of trying to transfer hundreds of gigabytes over WiFi?
Desktop: HPE-580T, i7-950 (3.07GHz), 16GB RAM, Win'7 64-bit Home Premium, PSE12/PRE12, Lightroom 5.
Laptop: MacBook Pro (retina), 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD, Final Cut Pro X, Motion 5.
Cameras (in use): Panasonic GH4/Canon HFR400/Canon HV30, GoPro HD Hero2.
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Re: External storage choices and options

Postby Ron Hunter » Fri Aug 05, 2016 6:01 pm

Ah, the Carbonite "Personal Plus" that includes external hard drive coverage is for Windows only.
Desktop: HPE-580T, i7-950 (3.07GHz), 16GB RAM, Win'7 64-bit Home Premium, PSE12/PRE12, Lightroom 5.
Laptop: MacBook Pro (retina), 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD, Final Cut Pro X, Motion 5.
Cameras (in use): Panasonic GH4/Canon HFR400/Canon HV30, GoPro HD Hero2.
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Re: External storage choices and options

Postby Peru » Sat Aug 06, 2016 7:34 am

Keep in mind that this is data backup only. It does not back up your system files. You will still need to take measures (system image or clone) to back up the operating system.
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Re: External storage choices and options

Postby sidd finch » Sun Aug 07, 2016 10:39 am

I see that Other World Computing has an "OWC Drive Dock" that allows two bare 2.5" or 3.5" SATA drives to be connected to a Mac via Thunderbolt cable.


My fear with those is the dust and electrostatic discharge from handling. I have a powered USB 3.0 docking station that I can plug in multiple 3.0 drives that works well. The speed difference is really noticeable. And with an SSD latency should be greatly reduced.

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Re: External storage choices and options

Postby Ron Hunter » Sun Aug 07, 2016 12:14 pm

Hi Sidd, would you kindly post a picture or link so I can see the product you are talking about? I am also concerned about having the electronics of a bare HDD exposed, so I'm open to other choices.
Desktop: HPE-580T, i7-950 (3.07GHz), 16GB RAM, Win'7 64-bit Home Premium, PSE12/PRE12, Lightroom 5.
Laptop: MacBook Pro (retina), 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD, Final Cut Pro X, Motion 5.
Cameras (in use): Panasonic GH4/Canon HFR400/Canon HV30, GoPro HD Hero2.
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Re: External storage choices and options

Postby sidd finch » Sun Aug 07, 2016 1:49 pm

Ron Pic's and links to what I have and something I came across.

Image

Sabrent USB 3.0 to SATA External Hard Drive Docking Station for 2.5 or 3.5in HDD, SSD [4TB Support] (DS-UBLK) 30.00 USD

http://www.frys.com/product/8048294?sit ... IN_RSLT_PG

I am using the following

1, USB 3.0 external hard drive case

Image

http://www.frys.com/product/8785691?sit ... IN_RSLT_PG

With

AmazonBasics 4 Port USB 3.0 Hub with 5V/2.5A power adapter

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00DQ ... UTF8&psc=1

or

StarTech USB 3.0 to 2.5" SATA III Hard Drive Adapter Cable w/ UASP - SATA to USB 3.0 Converter for SSD/HDD - Hard Drive Adapter Cable

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00HJ ... UTF8&psc=1


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Re: External storage choices and options

Postby Chuck Engels » Sun Aug 07, 2016 7:56 pm

I have two of the single BlacX docking stations, these are awesome :TU:

http://www.thermaltakeusa.com/products- ... C_00001574

Image
1. Thinkpad W530 Laptop, Core i7-3820QM Processor 8M Cache 3.70 GHz, 16 GB DDR3, NVIDIA Quadro K1000M 2GB Memory.

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Re: External storage choices and options

Postby Ron Hunter » Thu Aug 11, 2016 6:50 pm

Thanks Chuck (and Sidd)! I like that docking station but I notice the HDD has a protective cover over it. Can you purchase the cover for the HDD so that its printed circuit board isn't exposed?
Desktop: HPE-580T, i7-950 (3.07GHz), 16GB RAM, Win'7 64-bit Home Premium, PSE12/PRE12, Lightroom 5.
Laptop: MacBook Pro (retina), 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD, Final Cut Pro X, Motion 5.
Cameras (in use): Panasonic GH4/Canon HFR400/Canon HV30, GoPro HD Hero2.
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Re: External storage choices and options

Postby Chuck Engels » Fri Aug 12, 2016 10:12 am

I'm not sure that's a protective cover Ron, it might just be the way that brand of hard drive looks. If there is a cover I am not aware of one. I have all of mine (10+) in a drawer carefully stacked and never had a problem, no covers. Hard drives can take more than most people think they can. I've been using the BlacX boxes (I have two single drive units) for well over 5 years and just love the ease and convenience.
1. Thinkpad W530 Laptop, Core i7-3820QM Processor 8M Cache 3.70 GHz, 16 GB DDR3, NVIDIA Quadro K1000M 2GB Memory.

2. Cybertron PC - Liquid Cooled AMD FX6300, 6 cores, 3.50ghz - 32GB DDR3 - MSI GeForce GTX 960 Gaming 4G, 4GB Video Ram, 1024 Cuda Cores.
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Re: External storage choices and options

Postby Peru » Fri Aug 12, 2016 12:42 pm

Putting a cover on it might create a heat problem.
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Re: External storage choices and options

Postby Chuck Engels » Sun Aug 14, 2016 1:20 pm

The drive in the BlacX picture above has the circuit board facing away, the disc is facing. Some drives have a clear piece so you can see the drive inside. Bob is right, a cover would cause a heat problem.
1. Thinkpad W530 Laptop, Core i7-3820QM Processor 8M Cache 3.70 GHz, 16 GB DDR3, NVIDIA Quadro K1000M 2GB Memory.

2. Cybertron PC - Liquid Cooled AMD FX6300, 6 cores, 3.50ghz - 32GB DDR3 - MSI GeForce GTX 960 Gaming 4G, 4GB Video Ram, 1024 Cuda Cores.
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Re: External storage choices and options

Postby Ron Hunter » Mon Aug 15, 2016 8:33 pm

This thread is a good example of why I like asking other people for feedback on things. I never knew these docking stations existed, and they are exactly what I was looking for.

Thanks a bunch!!! :exc:
Desktop: HPE-580T, i7-950 (3.07GHz), 16GB RAM, Win'7 64-bit Home Premium, PSE12/PRE12, Lightroom 5.
Laptop: MacBook Pro (retina), 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD, Final Cut Pro X, Motion 5.
Cameras (in use): Panasonic GH4/Canon HFR400/Canon HV30, GoPro HD Hero2.
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