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External Hard Drive for Late 2012 iMac (SSD)

T

tears2040

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Aug 27, 2010
401
1
Currently using a Thunderbolt External 1TB in Raid 0 (Two 7200rpm HD)

I want to upgrade these mechanical drives to two 500-512GB SSD'S. Not sure about opening up the Lacie Little Big Disk I have or just finding another type of enclosure for the drives. My question is this to those who may know or are using a similar setup.

1) What is the Fastest SSD supported by this Computer
(late 2012 iMac 3.4GHZ i7)

2.) Can anyone recommend me an enclosure and SSD


Thank you very much
 
tears2040 said:
Currently using a Thunderbolt External 1TB in Raid 0 (Two 7200rpm HD)

I want to upgrade these mechanical drives to two 500-512GB SSD'S. Not sure about opening up the Lacie Little Big Disk I have or just finding another type of enclosure for the drives. My question is this to those who may know or are using a similar setup.

1) What is the Fastest SSD supported by this Computer
(late 2012 iMac 3.4GHZ i7)

2.) Can anyone recommend me an enclosure and SSD


Thank you very much
Click to expand...

The fastest SSD is the best you can afford.

You can just rip apart your iMac and stick an SSD in place of the HDD. The fastest consumer grade SSD you can buy is the Samsung 850 Pro.
 
As far as I know, as Lacie LBDs has power bricks, it probably would support any SSDs as they should easily power them. Even the 1TB ones. The downside is that your version has SATA2 not SATA3 and won't be able to fully use the max SSD speeds even with Raid 0.

What do you need the external for? So people can provide suitable solutions for you.

For internal SSD, fortunately 2012 Macs now have 3rd party SSDs easily available to them with reasonable prices also. These are probably the best for the iMac now. You can use any 2.5 SSD for the HDD partition.

http://www.amazon.com/Transcend-JetDrive-Upgrade-Macbook-display/dp/B00LJO86NE
 
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UniDoubleU said:
As far as I know, as Lacie LBDs has power bricks, it probably would support any SSDs as they should easily power them. Even the 1TB ones. The downside is that your version has SATA2 not SATA3 and won't be able to fully use the max SSD speeds even with Raid 0.

What do you need the external for? So people can provide suitable solutions for you.

For internal SSD, fortunately 2012 Macs now have 3rd party SSDs easily available to them with reasonable prices also. These are probably the best for the iMac now. You can use any 2.5 SSD for the HDD partition.

http://www.amazon.com/Transcend-JetDrive-Upgrade-Macbook-display/dp/B00LJO86NE
Click to expand...



Video Editing 4k, Don't really want to spend an arm and a leg here as most of my work is still Independent.

I was looking at something like this
http://www.amazon.com/Transcend-256...8&qid=1423006671&sr=8-2&keywords=external+ssd

http://www.amazon.com/Samsung-Porta...302011_1_2?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1423006765&sr=1-2

How would these Drives compare to something in a Thunderbolt enclosure?

I just ran a speed test on my current external drive (1TB Raid 0 Thunderbolt 7200 rpm Drives) and these are the read/write speeds. 167 MB/s Write and 194 MB/s Read

My internal HD which is a 1TB fusion is 315 MB/s Write and 410 MB/s Read.

If I can get similar external speeds to what my internal drive is, that would be excellent.

Thanks
 
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An external SSD connected via Thunderbolt should achieve speeds around 380MB/sec.
 
See my head to head of USB 3 v TB SSD performance here. If you're just video editing then USB 3 should be fine. However, if you're planning to boot off of the external I would definitely go TB for the ability to run TRIM alone. Then there is the bonus of being able to run SSD firmware updates, etc.
 
matreya said:
An external SSD connected via Thunderbolt should achieve speeds around 380MB/sec.
Click to expand...

Yep, that's what I get, read wise, with my Samsung Evo 1TB SSD in a Seagate Thunderbolt Backup Plus enclosure. Be nice to see some Thunderbolt 2 enclosures to up that speed a bit, but I'm certainly not complaining.
 
WilliamG said:
Yep, that's what I get, read wise, with my Samsung Evo 1TB SSD in a Seagate Thunderbolt Backup Plus enclosure. Be nice to see some Thunderbolt 2 enclosures to up that speed a bit, but I'm certainly not complaining.
Click to expand...

I've got a Transcend 960GB JetDrive connected over USB, and I get around 420MB/s writes and 450MB/s reads.

Meanwhile, a 256GB Samsung 840 Pro in my LaCie Rugged clocks in at around 400MB/s writes and 410MB/s reads.
 
yjchua95 said:
I've got a Transcend 960GB JetDrive connected over USB, and I get around 420MB/s writes and 450MB/s reads.

Meanwhile, a 256GB Samsung 840 Pro in my LaCie Rugged clocks in at around 400MB/s writes and 410MB/s reads.
Click to expand...

Those are good speeds - certainly little faster than I've seen with Thunderbolt. UASP USB 3.0 enclosures are faster, - as you saw, but they come at the expense of no TRIM, not really acceptable to me as a boot drive.

----------
tears2040 said:
Video Editing 4k, Don't really want to spend an arm and a leg here as most of my work is still Independent.

I was looking at something like this
http://www.amazon.com/Transcend-256...8&qid=1423006671&sr=8-2&keywords=external+ssd

http://www.amazon.com/Samsung-Porta...302011_1_2?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1423006765&sr=1-2

How would these Drives compare to something in a Thunderbolt enclosure?

I just ran a speed test on my current external drive (1TB Raid 0 Thunderbolt 7200 rpm Drives) and these are the read/write speeds. 167 MB/s Write and 194 MB/s Read

My internal HD which is a 1TB fusion is 315 MB/s Write and 410 MB/s Read.

If I can get similar external speeds to what my internal drive is, that would be excellent.

Thanks
Click to expand...

Bear in mind those benchmarks are just on the SSD portion, as Blackmagic Speed Test (I assume you used that) uses the SSD as the benchmark location, so it's not a real-world example of speed.
 
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WilliamG said:
Those are good speeds - certainly little faster than I've seen with Thunderbolt. UASP USB 3.0 enclosures are faster, - as you saw, but they come at the expense of no TRIM, not really acceptable to me as a boot drive.

----------



Bear in mind those benchmarks are just on the SSD portion, as Blackmagic Speed Test (I assume you used that) uses the SSD as the benchmark location, so it's not a real-world example of speed.
Click to expand...

I used Blackmagic, didn't know that's only testing the SSD on my internal, that doesn't even make sense, how would it know to only target that portion???

But to answer the other user this would only be for editing, not a boot drive so looks like an external in USB 3 would be fine then.
 
tears2040 said:
I used Blackmagic, didn't know that's only testing the SSD on my internal, that doesn't even make sense, how would it know to only target that portion???

But to answer the other user this would only be for editing, not a boot drive so looks like an external in USB 3 would be fine then.
Click to expand...

Because your HDD in no way hits 410MB/s a second. It goes all to the SSD.

You can read this to see WHY:

http://www.anandtech.com/show/6679/a-month-with-apples-fusion-drive/5

With over 300GB used on my 3TB Fusion disk in my 5K iMac, I still benchmark 315MB/s writes and 720MB/s reads on the disk. That's clearly the SSD's "free space" being used (a 1TB/3TB disk in these iMacs is in the 150-180MB/s for read and writes). The reason these SSD speeds are higher than yours is because the newer iMacs (2013 and onward) use PCIe storage vs SATA III, fyi. Real-world use - you won't notice the difference unless you spend all day copying huge files to external Thunderbolt 2 enclosures to take advantage of that read performance.

Anyway, just know that Blackmagic is only representative of the speed on the SSD, not fusion as a whole.
 
Last edited:
Stop Testing, Start Creating

WilliamG said:
Those are good speeds - certainly little faster than I've seen with Thunderbolt. UASP USB 3.0 enclosures are faster, - as you saw, but they come at the expense of no TRIM, not really acceptable to me as a boot drive.

----------



Bear in mind those benchmarks are just on the SSD portion, as Blackmagic Speed Test (I assume you used that) uses the SSD as the benchmark location, so it's not a real-world example of speed.
Click to expand...

:D Let's not wear-out the drive the same day you get it.

If you want A/V grade speed, then do this: Get the cheap portable, bus-powered G-Drive (the one with Thunderbolt): Take the sticky cushion pads off the bottom, open it up, and replace the drive with a Samsung 850 EVO or 840 EVO. Use care, pay attention and take photos if you don't trust your memory. It's a fiddly PITA install, but in the end you'll have an SSD media drive that supports TRIM. You can also do this with a bus-powered FW800 enclosure. This setup works well with Pro Tools 11 and FCPX. YMMV.

Just move current projects from your main media drives and work with the SSD. When the project is finished, backup, then move it to your long-term storage, like an NAS.
 
Just received my 500GB SSD Samsung 850 and connected it via a $20 USB 3 enclosure, this is the speed test I got, seems pretty good??


When I buy another matching SSD I will place it into my Thunderbolt enclosure I have for RAID. In the meantime this is fine and I also know no TRIM support via USB 3, but by next month I will buy another and have it connected via THUNDERBOLT
 

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driftless said:
You want a REALLY fast external SSD? Here you go:

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1041407-REG/lacie_9000477_little_big_disk_5tb.html

Average Transfer Rate Reads: 1,375 MB/s Writes: 1,180 MB/s

I just received one yesterday.
Click to expand...

Can't really see the point unless you read/write huge files to that all day long. Fun to benchmark, though... :)

----------
tears2040 said:
Just received my 500GB SSD Samsung 850 and connected it via a $20 USB 3 enclosure, this is the speed test I got, seems pretty good??


When I buy another matching SSD I will place it into my Thunderbolt enclosure I have for RAID. In the meantime this is fine and I also know no TRIM support via USB 3, but by next month I will buy another and have it connected via THUNDERBOLT
Click to expand...

Looks great. :) And yep, you're better off using Thunderbolt for TRIM support.
 
WilliamG said:
Can't really see the point unless you read/write huge files to that all day long. Fun to benchmark, though... :)
Click to expand...

Benchmarking is the new gaming. :eek: I think that this drive is only going to appeal to folks who do video and some still photographers until the price drops substantially. The reviews on B&H reflect that target consumer group.
 
tears2040 said:
Currently using a Thunderbolt External 1TB in Raid 0 (Two 7200rpm HD)

I want to upgrade these mechanical drives to two 500-512GB SSD'S. Not sure about opening up the Lacie Little Big Disk I have or just finding another type of enclosure for the drives. My question is this to those who may know or are using a similar setup.

1) What is the Fastest SSD supported by this Computer
(late 2012 iMac 3.4GHZ i7)

2.) Can anyone recommend me an enclosure and SSD


Thank you very much
Click to expand...

I have two of these Lacie Little Big Disk TB enclosures and pulled the 2x 500GB HDDs and promptly put a 500GB SSD and 1TB HDD in each. They are my primary boot devices until I can afford a 1TB SSD to put in my 2011 iMac.

I boot Windows 8 and OS X from the Lacie enclosures.

Cheers,
 
The LaCie "Little Big Disk" Thunderbolt enclosures (replace hard disks) work well with SSDs and are inexpensive if you find refurbished ones. However, they aren't the fastest with RAID-0 SSDs due to being optimized for hard disks.

If you only need a 2 drive enclosure, I have had good luck with the Akitio Thunder Duo in RAID-0 with SSDs. If you need 4 drives, try the OWC ThunderBay Mini.

http://www.akitio.com/portable-storage/neutrino-thunder-duo
 
hfg said:
The LaCie "Little Big Disk" Thunderbolt enclosures (replace hard disks) work well with SSDs and are inexpensive if you find refurbished ones. However, they aren't the fastest with RAID-0 SSDs due to being optimized for hard disks.

If you only need a 2 drive enclosure, I have had good luck with the Akitio Thunder Duo in RAID-0 with SSDs. If you need 4 drives, try the OWC ThunderBay Mini.

http://www.akitio.com/portable-storage/neutrino-thunder-duo
Click to expand...

The drive you linked says NOT Bootcamp compatible. That's a no go for me.

Cheers
 
panzer06 said:
The drive you linked says NOT Bootcamp compatible. That's a no go for me.

Cheers
Click to expand...

Ahhh yes ... you are correct. However, I thought the OP was looking for a RAID-0 OS X external SSD enclosure.

My experience has been that both the Little Big Disk and the Akitio will not boot Windows on a Mac. :( In fact, I have not found any dual drive enclosure so far which will. (I am not trying to boot Windows in RAID-0, just looking for a dual drive enclosure in which 1 of the disks would be Windows).

How did you get Windows to boot from a disk in the LaCie Little Big Disk?

I have not yet tried the OWC ThunderBay Mini ... however, I am currently booting Windows 8 from a 512GB Crucial M4 SSD in a OWC ThunderBay IV on my Retina iMac (also has a couple of OS X hard disks in there, my iMac has the 1TB SSD internally).
 
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hfg said:
Ahhh yes ... I missed that. I thought the OP was looking for a RAID-0 OS X external SSD enclosure.

My experience has been that both the Little Big Disk and the Akitio will not boot Windows on a Mac.
Click to expand...



panzer06 said:
I have two of these Lacie Little Big Disk TB enclosures and pulled the 2x 500GB HDDs and promptly put a 500GB SSD and 1TB HDD in each. They are my primary boot devices until I can afford a 1TB SSD to put in my 2011 iMac.

I boot Windows 8 and OS X from the Lacie enclosures.

Cheers,
Click to expand...


Conflicting indeed........

Hopefully someone can confirm if Lacie Little Big Disk can/cannot Boot, as I will be using it by next month.
 
tears2040 said:
Conflicting indeed........

Hopefully someone can confirm if Lacie Little Big Disk can/cannot Boot, as I will be using it by next month.
Click to expand...

Are you looking to boot OS X ... or Windows ... or both from the Little Big Disk?

There is no problem with OS X booting with single drive or dual drive RAID 0 / 1 setups with the Little Big Disk.
 
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