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?
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