HD Setup / Photoshop Scratch Disk

Having a smaller time machine backup disk than your data disk isn't a good practice. IMHO I'd switch HD2 for HD3.

 

Running a native Windows boot drive with three visible partitions is really pushy IMO. On top you make Windows real slow because it can only run in the lowest partition. You would have to do some real magic with disk utility to make this work with a proper GUID partition table.

Dedicating a drive to Windows only makes for a cleaner system and long term for a happier user. If you run out of SATA ports for drives just use an additional ODD SATA port and the 2nd ODD bay for scratch or OS X boot preferably.

 

More RAM will be a lot better choice than any scratch disk.

 

Would not a partitoin on SSD be a better option?

 

Yep.

Scratch space was created as a means to supplement memory when the physical chips were horrible in terms of cost. Few could afford the physical memory needed for some tasks, so a solution was created. It wasn't perfect (slower), but was much more affordable.

That's changed now, and actual memory is much less expensive, and the better way to go.

If you partition an SSD, make sure you plan for unused capacity for each partition (10 - 20%, depending on the maker of the drive; 10% for Intels, 20% for others). It's needed for wear leveling. If you don't, you'll have nothing to use when a cell dies, resulting in corrupted data.

 

Depends a bit.
Pity that most of the programs are capped memorywise (fcp,CS..).

PS can utilize itself 3Gbs, plugins & actions a extra 1Gb, and exxess memory (up to 2Gbs) will be used as scratch.
So,basically,PS can use about 6Gbs.
If you add LR (or Aperture) and OS X to that,they would need memory as well, 10-16Gbs would be nice.

But PS will use disk scratch a lot,regardless how much mem you have. Especially when working on layered,larger files (500meg+) or if jumping from program to program.
That´s when a fast disk comes handy.

I personally would use the setup like this :

1st:SSD : OS & Progs.
2nd: 640 : Media.
3rd: 1Tb :Scratch : Partitioned in 2 = HFS+ (800Gb) and windows (rest).
The HFS scratch part could easily hold you backups of you media and SSD and still have space to left (so it is not so full that the disk starts to slow down) to be an effective scratch disk.

 

If you build a RAID (stripe set), leave it all as a logical partition. The throughput will take care of the scratch for you. Partitioning it could place the scratch data on the inner tracks of the drives (slowest on mechanical drives).

You might want to think about adding HDD4 (same disk model as HDD2 & 3) to increase the throughput (the more members, the faster the throughputs). Then place a Time Machine drive in the empty optical bay, and attach it to the ODD_SATA port (will work with OS X HDD's). If the bay is occupied, then take it external (perhaps via an inexpensive eSATA card; ~$25USD).

 

Personally, I'd put it in the optical bay, along with a dedicated Windows disk. Use a metal plate of an old optical drive and use it as a mounting plate(ideally suspect/DOA unit). Then just drill some holes to mount the disks, and connect the cables. You will have to get readily available power cables and some SATA cables as well. A stable, inexpensive way to do it. Connect the SSD to one of the ODD_SATA ports, and the Windows disk to a SATA card so it can boot (example). The same card (solder mask is red) is available on newegg as well. Just set the jumper for at least one internal port, and you're good to go. The BIOS emulation built into the EFI firmware will take over, and allow it to boot.

That leaves all the HDD bays open. If you want to add a drive to the array at a later time, you can, but it's involved. You have to backup the data first, insert the drive, and create a new array out of the members you wish. This means the drives will be initiallized for the new configuration, and the existing data wiped (why you make the backup first ). Once it's complete, you restore the data off the backup.

So if you have 3x disks in the array (assuming its only for OS X, you can create it via Disk Util, so no card needed). That leaves one open HDD bay for a backup disk. The array would also be fast enough to allow the scratch data to use this disk without a dedicated partition (not an ideal thing to do, due to simultaneous access and inner tracks).

If you make the array a single partition, it will look like a single disk (logical disk).