Looking for guidance on storage needs/workflow

Apart from simple web browsing, etc. my big usage of my computer is 1. Lightroom; 2. Photoshop; 3. DaVinci Resolve (video editing) - in that order.

Right now I have:

- Desktop w/ Internal 4TB drive holding all my RAW
- LR catalog + most recent photos on 1TB Samsung T3 SSD
- Loaded Dell XPS 15 laptop with... nothing unique?

Although the desktop is older, it does outperform my laptop especially over time when my laptop eventually gets too hot/can't turbo, etc. On top of that, I have the current inability to access MOST of my photos from my laptop, since it's on an internal drive in my desktop.

I back up both my photo library + the external SSD to a NAS in my home. I then have nightly backups of that NAS to another NAS at my mom's house.

I'm moving and going to be getting rid of my desktop, with plans to eventually re-buy one in the future (so the 2-computer setup still comes into play).

Wondering if I should just go out and get an external 8/10TB drive and use that to hold my photos. Or a desktop RAID array? Or a portable (2.5") RAID array and throw in 2x5TB drives or something? Or some other solution? MOST of the time I only require access to the photos from my desktop, BUT there have definitely been more than a few occasions where not having access to the older photos within Lightroom/Photoshop was a bit troublesome.

In terms of video editing - I have primary SSDs so using that for optimized media/proxies, so I am not really sure drive speed matters too much (I can comfortably wait for proxies to generate) but storage space becomes far more of a concern as I shoot in both 1080p and 4K. Still figuring out how I "archive" some of my older source/rendered footage or if I even keep it around...

I'm also running low on space in my NAS, so that's going to need to increase in space as well... oh boy!

kaitlyn2004 wrote in post #18677101
Right now I have:

- Desktop w/ Internal 4TB drive holding all my RAW
- LR catalog + most recent photos on 1TB Samsung T3 SSD
- Loaded Dell XPS 15 laptop with... nothing unique?

Although the desktop is older, it does outperform my laptop especially over time when my laptop eventually gets too hot/can't turbo, etc. On top of that, I have the current inability to access MOST of my photos from my laptop, since it's on an internal drive in my desktop.

Have you considered a crossover cable between the two PC's? Depending on the hardware, it is possible to get up to 100 Megabits/sec. That won't win any races but it enables two way access between PC's at minimal cost. I think both PC's have to be running Win 7 or higher and the typical crossover cable is about US$10.

Some guidance can be found at https://helpdeskgeek.c​om …-using-a-crossover-cable/.

Some general tips on moving files between PC's are at https://www.online-tech-tips.com …folders-across-computers/.

John from PA wrote in post #18677116
Have you considered a crossover cable between the two PC's? Depending on the hardware, it is possible to get up to 100 Megabits/sec. That won't win any races but it enables two way access between PC's at minimal cost. I think both PC's have to be running Win 7 or higher and the typical crossover cable is about US$10.

Some guidance can be found at https://helpdeskgeek.c​om …-using-a-crossover-cable/.

I hadn't considered that, but it doesn't feel like the most elegant solution. Plus (i think?) each time I used this method and standard direct-access from my desktop, I would have to "relocate" my photos since the paths would always be changing.

It also doesn't really work if my laptop is going to be at a coffee shop or something

I work mainly with one laptop and have my main catalogue and raws on an external USB3 2.5" HD (that gets backed up). I only keep an active catalog of the raws that I am still working on on my built in SSD. I don't see the need for any RAID set-up as the USB3 speed is pretty good and I do have backups of this drive. The 2.5" form factor makes it very easy to bring HD to an other computer and just load the catalogue from there....

drmaxx wrote in post #18677221
I work mainly with one laptop and have my main catalogue and raws on an external USB3 2.5" HD (that gets backed up). I only keep an active catalog of the raws that I am still working on on my built in SSD. I don't see the need for any RAID set-up as the USB3 speed is pretty good and I do have backups of this drive. The 2.5" form factor makes it very easy to bring HD to an other computer and just load the catalogue from there....

What size 2.5" HD do you have? And how many RAWS?

I like the idea of a 2.5" for both size/weight and also no need for power outlet. But 5TB max size doesn't get me too far...

I have a 4 TB WD Passport and clearly less then 2 TB pictures - so that works for me. The WD passport (I believe it contains a WD blue drive) good enough in terms of quality and size for this purpose. It also has a fixed somewhat unusual drive letter assigned (A) to not confuse the backup service I have active.

kaitlyn2004 wrote in post #18677125
I hadn't considered that, but it doesn't feel like the most elegant solution. Plus (i think?) each time I used this method and standard direct-access from my desktop, I would have to "relocate" my photos since the paths would always be changing.

It also doesn't really work if my laptop is going to be at a coffee shop or something

I'm not sure why you think the paths would be changing. I've done this a few times in setting up a new computer when the desire was to do a full transfer of files, with the exception of the operating system files.

There is another alternative, that being a USB to USB connection. Note this method requires a special cable that will have roughly in the middle a "black box" that handles the electronics. Without that you can fry a USB port on one or both of the PC's. The method is very fast. Speaking just of USB 2.0 the speed is 480 Mbps, so compared to a standard Ethernet port of 100 Mpbs, the USB method is almost 5 times faster. If both machines have USB 3 the transfer rate is even higher.

See https://www.hardwarese​crets.com …cs-using-a-usb-usb-cable/ for the details.

The first thing I would address is redundancy, what happens if a drive fails or worse it's stolen or a fire and it's destroyed? I have RAW files, edited TIFF, JPEGS and business documents on duplicate drives with one going off site once it's been updated. In the twenty plus years I've done this, I have only had one drive fail and it was easily replaced and copied from the other drive. The 1TB GTechnology mini drives can be found for $125 each and they are easily stacked, stored in a lockbox or used on location.

tcphoto1 wrote in post #18684681
The 1TB GTechnology mini drives can be found for $125 each and they are easily stacked, stored in a lockbox or used on location.

Interesting. Are they worth the premium over more ordinary external drives, e.g. the WD MyBook?

I think that one failure in 20+ years makes it worth it to me. I'm strange when it comes to brands, I'd rather spend a little more for design, quality and functionality.

drmaxx wrote in post #18684683
Interesting. Are they worth the premium over more ordinary external drives, e.g. the WD MyBook?

From their web site: "G-Technology – a Western Digital Corporation brand – is the powerful, premium storage solutions company focused on meeting the demanding requirements of the media and entertainment industry".

Without knowing the specific model of harddrives internal to the enclosure, one would surmise that a 'premium storage solutions company' would use enterprise quality drives and not ordinary consumer grade drives.
Also, one would surmise that a 'premium storage solutions company' would use a higher quality circuit with higher quality electronic components, with perhaps better-cooling design for the enclosure and its electronics.

The web site states"G-Technology drives were designed specifically for your creative workflow, and offer bus power, massive capacity, Thunderbolt speed, RAID redundancy, extreme reliability, and of course, style." and goes on about

• "Stylish, aircraft-grade aluminum enclosures not only protect your precious data from knocks and bumps, but also keep them cool – acting as a heat sink for our fanless drives and ensuring they are ultra-quiet.
  
• "Not all hard drives are created equal. G-Technology drives go beyond the norm. G-RAID with Thunderbolt 3 is designed for the most demanding applications
  

tcphoto1 wrote in post #18684699
I think that one failure in 20+ years makes it worth it to me.

Same here - but that's not exactly surprising as all my external HD don't get a lot of use (compared to my server) and they usually got taken out of commission because they were too small (250 GB drives just don't cut it nowadays.....) and not because of overuse.