External Hard Drive for both projects and samples? Workflow Ideas?

[Darryl Ramm]

Originally Posted by JFreak

Swapping the superdrive for SSD is a good idea if opening the box anyway. Should you need DVD these days, external unit is dirt cheap and USB does not harm its performance. With that said, my DVD drive has been gathering dust for years already.

Might be if you need a third internal SSD. But if this is a mid-2011 the optical bay is only SATA II. With this iMac you can get two 2.5" SSD inside already, and they are SATA III. But pay attention to UEFI updates to get that SATA III support. So go after the optical drive only if you need three internal drives. For example I would put samples on a SATA III boot SSD vs. putting them on a dedicated SATA II SSD.

[JFreak]

SATA II is good for backups though

[Darryl Ramm]

And since you are maybe new to Macs... that era iMacs could pick up dust between the LCD screen and glass. Be sure to look for this and clean any dust our properly if it is opened up for other things. Lots of info online about this.

YMMV but I had iMacs of that era disassembled several times over a few years just to clean the display. Apple finally laminated the LCD and glass to stop this.

[Danielexists]

Thank you everyone for the useful input. Here are some answers and specs that may help make the right decisions.

The pc is a relic: Acer (Intel Core 2 Quad Q8300, 2.5 GHz 4MB Cache, 6 Gb Ram). Protools12 runs but it gets stuck -specially when processing incoming midi data-.
The 2011 iMac I plan on using has a 3.4 Ghz i7, 2TB Sata disk, 16 Gb of Ram 1333 Mhz and the High Sierra operating system. I use it to edit video (Premiere, After Effects, Final Cut). It does get warm at times -as you mentioned.

The external drive I own is a LaCie D2 TBT U3 -HDD, Thunderbolt-.

The external SSDs I was thinking about were along these lines:
1) https://www.amazon.com/LaCie-Rugged-.../dp/B071FWB8L2
2) https://www.google.com/shopping/prod...WkcAhEQ8wII-QE

However, I was gladly surprised by your info on internal SSD options for Mac. I looked into the OWC page and am now intrigued about the differences in the three options they offer:
a) HDD to SSD Upgrade Kit.
b) SSD Bay Add-In Kit.
c) Optical Drive Replacement Kit (Data Doubler).
This is the page: https://eshop.macsales.com/shop/ssd/...c-27-inch/2011

Could you be so kind as to explain the differences between the 3 and help me narrow the choices?
Would you keep the video software and instrument packs/samples on the system drive and then add an internal/external SSD for Protools? Would you just transfer everything in that Mac to an internal SSD?

Thank you again for the feedback. It is much appreciated.

[JFreak]

If I had 2011 iMac I would open it and install as much internal SSD as possible

[Darryl Ramm]

Originally Posted by Danielexists

Thank you everyone for the useful input. Here are some answers and specs that may help make the right decisions.

The pc is a relic: Acer (Intel Core 2 Quad Q8300, 2.5 GHz 4MB Cache, 6 Gb Ram). Protools12 runs but it gets stuck -specially when processing incoming midi data-.
The 2011 iMac I plan on using has a 3.4 Ghz i7, 16 Gb of Ram 1333 Mhz and the High Sierra operating system. I use it to edit video (Premiere, After Effects, Final Cut). It does get warm at times -as you mentioned.

OK glad it is an i7. You have enough RAM in it to do lots of playing/testing to see how things go.

Not sure how to understand what "get stuck" means with the PC, but you are very light in memory, and if trying to use VIs... that might be all the issue was.

Pay attention to what OS you will install on the iMac if you want to leave it at High Sierra understand what Pro Tools version will run: https://avid.secure.force.com/pkb/ar...tibility-Chart

The external drive I own is a LaCie D2 TBT U3 -HDD, Thunderbolt-.

The external SSDs I was thinking about were along these lines:
1) https://www.amazon.com/LaCie-Rugged-.../dp/B071FWB8L2

This is USB 3 SSD which will slow down to USB 2 on your computer and be very slow. Internally it's just a SATA SSD, so you are much better off installing SATA SSDs inside your. And there is no Thunderbolt here.

2) https://www.google.com/shopping/prod...WkcAhEQ8wII-QE

Nope that us a Thunderbolt 3 PCIe/NVMe drive, they are fantastic I use several of them... but they won't work with Thunderbolt 1 on your iMac, even running at slower speed, they just will not work.

However, I was gladly surprised by your info on internal SSD options for Mac. I looked into the OWC page and am now intrigued about the differences in the three options they offer:
a) HDD to SSD Upgrade Kit.
b) SSD Bay Add-In Kit.
c) Optical Drive Replacement Kit (Data Doubler).

I will explain in more detail if you give exact links to what you are looking at. And you can probably work it out... you have a 3.5" SATA HDD (current boot drive) that you need an adapter carrier to adapt down to a 2.5", you have another slot for a 2.5" drive.. that may need cables or mounting accessories, not sure from memory. And you have an optical drive that you can remove and install a 2.5" SSD but you need a carrier/adapter to do that. But give the links so we know you are looking at the right stuff. OWC adapters/carriers are great but I would use the Samsung SSDs I mentioned before. And if you want to replace the optical drive and use that externally you need a dock/case for that. That might come in the kit with a 2.5" to optical bay mount adapter.

And as I think we've already established there are not easy/great external SSD options so internal it should be.

[Danielexists]

Great feedback. Will Look into the OS and the Pro Tools versions.

The link below is where they sell the SSDs:
https://eshop.macsales.com/shop/ssd/...c-27-inch/2011

On that page, they offer 3 options that I am trying to discern:
1. HDD to SSD Upgrade Kit = a complete swap/overhaul?
2. SSD Bay Add-In Kit = an attachment/extension (while keeping whatever you already have)?
3. Optical Drive Replacement Kit = swap your CD for SSD?

This will be my first surgical procedure. Would my OS remain untouched by simply doing a hard drive data transfer to the SSD prior to install?

[JFreak]

Originally Posted by Danielexists

Would my OS remain untouched by simply doing a hard drive data transfer to the SSD prior to install?

You really want to do a clean install

[Darryl Ramm]

Originally Posted by Danielexists

Great feedback. Will Look into the OS and the Pro Tools versions.

The link below is where they sell the SSDs:
https://eshop.macsales.com/shop/ssd/...c-27-inch/2011

On that page, they offer 3 options that I am trying to discern:
1. HDD to SSD Upgrade Kit = a complete swap/overhaul?

Kits like this one https://eshop.macsales.com/item/OWC/KITIM11HP240 replaces your current 3.5" HDD with an 2.5" SSD. It includes the tools to open up and work on the iMac, a drive caddy to hold the 2.5" drive in the 3.5" space and a thermal sensor/cable assembly.

But I would *NOT* purchase that kit with the SSD, I would just buy this kit

https://eshop.macsales.com/item/OWC/DIYIMACHDD11

and

https://eshop.macsales.com/item/NewerTech/ADPTADRV

And whatever size Samsung 860 Evo SSD you want.

https://www.amazon.com/Samsung-Inch-.../dp/B078DPCY3T

Those drives might be cheaper though egghead or others. You are going to buy a total of two or three of those SSD drives in the sizes you work out you need/can afford.

The kit includes some basic tools, look all the similar kit contents and instruction videos and see what all the tools are you need.

You can also get the tools and a cable/temp sensor from iFixit. You probably can get everything you need from iFixit if you want.

2. SSD Bay Add-In Kit = an attachment/extension (while keeping whatever you already have)?

Your iMac has an unused internal SATA port that can connect to a 2.5" SSD, all you need is a cable and adhesive foam to mount the SSD drive inside the iMac. You don't need to keep repurchasing kits with SSDs and tools.

All you need to do is buy this,

https://eshop.macsales.com/item/OWC/DIDIM27SSD11

and a Samsung 860 Evo SSD

3. Optical Drive Replacement Kit = swap your CD for SSD?

Well more than a CD/CD-ROM, it's an optical drive aka superdrive in Apple parlance, it does DVD, DVD+R amongst other stuff. If you want to remove the optical you can replace it with a 2.5" SSD with these kits, And as already said you can buy an external dock or the optical drive and use it connected to USB if you want. Or just leave it in place, your call.

But if you want to do that just get the adapter/drive holder, not a full kit with tools and SSD.

https://eshop.macsales.com/item/OWC/DIDIMCL0GB

and again get a Samsung 860 Evo SSD.

But again this port will only give you SATA II performance not SATA III that you will get out of both of the above drive installs. If you want that additional SSD space and don't mind it being slow SATA II (I would not put sessions or samples on it) then do that, you will be pulling the optical drive out anyhow to get to the other drives.

This will be my first surgical procedure. Would my OS remain untouched by simply doing a hard drive data transfer to the SSD prior to install?

You don't have to do this yourself, if somebody is doing this for you talk to them ahead of time, they may want to buy the parts direct or may suggest different parts. If you are doing it, you can look at what tools are in those other full kits, and buy them separately if you don't have them. Or purchase those tools or larger toolkits from iFixit.

If doing this yourself you need to watch the instruction videos carefully, I'd watch the OWC *and* equivalent iFixit ones and you may pick up more info. A lot of people don't bother, but I would use a static wrist strap to ground yourself and the chassis of the Mac. Pay attention to firmware/EFI update instructions.

And look at instructions for cleaning dust off/out of the screens.

You absolutely should do a full clean reinstall of macOS and all your apps. To get set up to do this this while the Mac is still running get a USB memory stick and build a bootable macOS installer on it. Instructions to do that are all over the web. Then once your Mac has all the drives upgraded you follow the directions to boot off that USB stick and do a full install on the internal SSD (either one of the SATA III ones). Make sure all your work files are somewhere safe. And copy them back later.

And again you have to think about backups, bootable clones of the boot disk I would focus on making to an external HDD... like your Lacie which will run at SATA III speed over Thunderbolt. And remember to make separate backups/archives of your audio sessions (which would I assume be on the second dedicated Audio SSD), you need to work out how large your sample libraries are and if they can all fit on a boot SSD (up to 4GB today). But ultimately you need several backup drives for each drive you are backing up, and rotate though them, and you should probably be making session backups/archives to cloud storage.

[Danielexists]

Thank you, all. This info is invaluable. I will purchase all the parts this month.