Olympus-OM
[Top] [All Lists]

Re: [OM] Computer Question

Subject: Re: [OM] Computer Question
From: Moose <olymoose@xxxxxxxxx>
Date: Thu, 23 May 2013 12:57:48 -0700
On 5/23/2013 11:49 AM, Tina Manley wrote:
> Computer Gurus -
>
> I read that to really speed up LR, I needed a Solid State Drive so I
> ordered this one:
>
> http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B009LI7CTY/ref=oh_details_o04_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
>
> I thought it would be an external drive that I could hook up to USB but
> it's not!

You have fallen into part of the same trap Brian just encountered.

You have confabulated different things.

    1. SATA and USB are fundamentally different, with different connectors and 
different ways of communicating through
    those connectors.

        a. SATA was developed as a way to connect internal drives to the 
motherboard. It may also be implemented through
        an adapter card that connects to the motherboard data bus. However, 
that may or may not be as fast as direct
        connections designed into the motherboard.

        So far, SATA has come in three speed categories, SATA (I), SATA II and 
SATA III. The speed must be implemented
        on both ends of the cable. Your computer most likely has the original 
SATA. You may attach a SATA III like the
        one bought, and it will work, but at the lower transfer speed.

        b. eSATA (external SATA) was developed as a way to connect drives 
outside the computer box at internal
        connection speeds. In its simplest form, as I use it, it is as 
connector(s) that goes in the back opening(s) of
        the computer and plugs into a SATA outlet on the motherboard. There is 
then a physically different cable that
        connects to it and to an external drive holder with appropriate 
connector.

        Electrically, the computer simply sees another internal drive. With a 
SATA drive, connection speed is the same.
        I don't know enough about specs, but have seen cables advertised as for 
SATA III. It is not only possible, but
        likely, that some eSATA connectors and/or cables and most or all 
current external eSATA drive holders will not
        support full SATA III speeds.

        c. Some 3.5" external drives with separate power supplies come with 
eSATA connections. I have a WD My Book 1TB
        drive that connects that way, as well as a Thermaltake 'toaster' as 
just described by Chuck and another external
        drive enclosure with eSATA. The toaster accommodates both 2.5" and 3.5" 
drives.

        d. USB was developed as a way to connect almost any sort of external 
device to computers. Although there were
        prior, slower versions, you almost certainly have USB 2.0 HS 
connections. They are perfectly good for many, many
        devices, and not bad for modest HD volume connections, but wholly 
useless for what you are trying to do.

        USB 2.0 HS is fine for copying files from SD cards to a portable HD, 
terrible for editing files on main computer.

        Chuck has already covered USB 3.0. it's just not ready for prime time 
for folks like me and you.

        Most 2.5" external drives and enclosures, such as your drive would fit 
into, depend on power from the USB port,
        rather than an external supply. This makes them ideal for many portable 
uses, but also means they don't so SATA.

    2. SSDs (Solid State Drives) may speed up file access in two different ways.

        a. Because they don't use a spinning disk and moving arms to access 
data, all accesses are of equal speed, and
        faster than a physical disk.

        b. They are generally SATA III, and thus can deliver data at a higher 
rate than older specs, if the computer can
        match that.

Sooooo ... If your computer has motherboard SATA connections, you may mount 
your new drive in your computer with nothing 
more than four screws and power and data cables. If you don't have a free 2.5" 
drive bay, you will also need an 
inexpensive mounting kit.

You may then get the benefit of the faster ACCESS speeds of an SSD, but not the 
TRANSFER speeds of SATA III.

Setting the new drive as the cache drive for LR will give the faster access 
speed. However, to gain speed in file open 
and save operations, you must copy the files you will be working on (including 
any prior LR data) onto the SSD, then 
whatever files LR uses to store it's operations data in back to where the 
original files are stored.

I assume that, like PS, LR uses a cache separate from the general OS cache. If 
not, and unless the OS cache may be 
relocated to the SSD, the only speed up may be in file access.

In the end, you may not experience much difference. I have a SATA III SSD on my 
system, but only SATA speed motherboard. 
It really doesn't make much difference in PS.

> There are evidently ways to install it in a drive bay, which I
> do have.  What do I need to do that?  Is there any way to use it as an
> external hard drive or would that defeat the purpose?

As above, the purpose is largely or wholly defeated either with internal or 
external connections. Real speed comes with 
a new computer with native SATA III on the motherboard, SSD SATA III primary 
disk and perhaps a small, separate SSD for 
cache (at least for PS).

> TIA for any advice.  I need it!

Return it and save the money toward a new computer with SATA III and an SSD 
primary(boot) drive. (All the above is from 
a Windoze user. I have no idea about iMacs, SATA III and SSD boot drives.)

Hard Headed Storage Moose

-- 
What if the Hokey Pokey *IS* what it's all about?
-- 
_________________________________________________________________
Options: http://lists.thomasclausen.net/mailman/listinfo/olympus
Archives: http://lists.thomasclausen.net/mailman/private/olympus/
Themed Olympus Photo Exhibition: http://www.tope.nl/

<Prev in Thread] Current Thread [Next in Thread>
Sponsored by Tako
Impressum | Datenschutz