003r + Command8 + 2011 iMac
 

Hi folks,
My system has been very stable for years, so I haven't had any real reason to frequent these parts for quite a while. It's still mostly stable, but I'm getting occasional crashes and notice that some VSTs e.g. Superior Drummer 3, Izotope Iris and Analog Lab 4 take a long time to load up (and are crashing more frequently these days).

My setup

• Pro Tools 2018.12.0
• Mid 2011 21.5" iMac running OSX 10.13.6 24Gb RAM
• Digi 003 rack + Command8

I use the iMac system drive for OSX and not much else.

I have a 750Gb 7200rpm Maxtor One Touch 4 Firewire external drive partitioned into a PT session drive + sample library. I have a separate USB external drive as backup (no probs there)

My problem
The setup has served me well over the years and I am very reluctant to start upgrading for the sake of it. That said, I am seeing some crashes, and my external drive is almost at capacity. So, what's my best option to shore up the system for another few years?

The simplest solution would be replacing the 7200rpm external drive with an SSD in the same Maxtor enclosure (not even sure if that's possible). Are there other options I haven't though of? I've looked to buy external drives that have FW+ SSD. There don't seem to be any (not surprising since FW is very old tech at this stage).

The extreme solution is to upgrade my hardware and software. Whatever about the cost, I'm happy with my setup and have no appetite to re-ignite my GAS addiction. Plus, I'd have to seriously consider switching to PC, since Macs are no longer user upgradable.

I'd really like to give my existing system a much-needed shot in the arm.

Any thoughts appreciated!

Re: 003r + Command8 + 2011 iMac
 

Sapping for an SSD is a good idea. Using the same drive for sessions AND samples is a bad idea. Samples would likely be better on the system drive if you can't put them on their own drive. Since it worked for you for a while, you could certainly try putting all on a new SSD, but that would not be my recommendation. The real question is; where can you get an SSD with firewire? You could buy an empty OWC Mercury firewire enclosure and use an adapter to mount an SSD inside(and if memory serves, they offer a small case that fits an SSD, but I don't know if that is available with firewire).

Re: 003r + Command8 + 2011 iMac
 

I would be thinking more, would it make sense to change the internal drive for an SSD. I've done that before, on a 2010 imac, and the difference was BIG; Short startup time, fast app launces, loading of sessions and snappy performance overall. The internal drive connects via PCIe and is fast enough to run your sessions AND system off most likely.

It's quite fiddly, but not too difficult. I had never opened an imac before, but with instruction videos on youtube and the right tools, I managed.

One snag I found, though, was that swapping the internal drive screws up the temp/fan system somehow, this is a known issue, and there migh be solutions. My solution was to install software that lets you set fan speed manually. That resulted in the imac fans running at the slowest speed, which gives a slight noise.

Added: I've also heard that people have taken out the superdrive and put a SSD there, that might be a solution. Perhaps talk to a mac service technician. Might not be all that expensive.

Re: 003r + Command8 + 2011 iMac
 

Thanks for the suggestions. I didn’t get a notification of the responses, so apologies for taking so long to respond.

A couple of interesting options there. Hadn’t thought about just putting a big SSD in the Mac. That could be a great solution.

Thanks!