External SSD help for Final Cut

[JW5566]

Having started using Final Cut on my 2020 MacBook Air (not an M1 model) I'm impressed with the speed of it.

But, I am running out of hard disk space constantly, even 125GB free at the start of a project isn't enough for what I am doing.

My backup drives currently are old fashioned spinning WD drives and although cheap with lots of room, they're slow.

I'm a complete newbie at this - so hopefully this is not a silly question - is it possible to run a complete project from an external SSD? Is it quick enough? Do I need a specific type such as USB3 or Thunderbolt? Ideally I'd like to have the complete library externally, so including the transcoded files and rendered files. But I'm worried it just won't be quick enough, like the internal SSD is.

Then, when my project is complete and the final video rendered I can move the FCP library to the slower archive disk.

Or is there a different way I should be working in FCP when running out of space?

Thanks for any help.

 

[Boyd01]

You can certainly put your library on an external disk, or even boot your MBA from an external disk. I booted my 2012 quad-core Mini Server from a 1TB USB 3 Samsung T3 SSD for several years and worked extensively with Final Cut Pro and Logic Pro. No problems at all. In that case, the external SSD had a write speed of about 400MB/sec with USB 3.

However, with USB-C you can get twice that speed with a newer external SSD. For example, this is what I get from a 2TB Samsung T7 connected to my 2018 Mini via USB-C.

 

[dandeco]

However, with USB-C you can get twice that speed with a newer external SSD. For example, this is what I get from a 2TB Samsung T7 connected to my 2018 Mini via USB-C.

Heck, even spinning external hard drives that connect via USB-C work faster than they would on traditional USB 3.0! I got a LaCie rugged external 4 TB hard drive that has a direct USB-C connection to use with my M1 MacBook Air for extra storage and video work, and it does work faster than when I had a USB 3.0 drive hooked up to the M1 Air via my Falwedi USB-C hub, and while not as fast as an external SSD it satisfies me enough.

 

[JW5566]

Thank you, very helpful. It looks like a T7 is the way to go (and not as expensive as I thought for 1TB).

 

[JW5566]

Just following up on this one. I got a T7 and it's pretty amazing! The speed is unreal compared to my older drives and I can edit on a library fully on the T7 and it's no different to doing it on the internal drive, except for me not running out of space.

Thanks @Boyd01