Jamiroqueezy

Q: iMac internal Fusion vs internal SSD Drive with Logic Pro X

Hi fellas,

 

Please help me out.

 

I use an extensive sample library through Kontakt and many EXS24 tracks for my Logic X projects, which has left my 8gb RAM Macbook Pro floundering in "system overload" and that's the way it shall stay, I realise that.

 

Therefore I'm looking to upgrade to the 27inch 5k iMac 4.0GHz quad-core Intel Core i7.

I'll buy stuff that baby full of RAM when I get it.

 

At the moment I run my sample libraries through an external SSD (500gb Lacie Thunderbolt 2 SATA) and have heard that Logic is best when you run it through an external SSD rather than the internal SSD. Would my external SSD function better than one purchased through Apple to be fitted internally within the iMac?

 

Should I get the 2TB Fusion Drive internally or the 500gb/1TB SSD internally? At the moment I can fit all my samples on my Lacie external SSD but it's almost full. Putting aside the option of another external SSD (as I need a free Thunderbolt port), would expanding my library mean I HAVE to purchase the internal SSD or would the Fusion Drive handle it fine? (it is £500 more to get a 1TB SSD and swap out the 2TB fusion drive)

 

For the sake of this question, please regard my iMac tasks as simply running heavy sessions of logic pro X. I don't particularly mind if performance elsewhere suffers slightly but Logic must be seamless.

 

Thanks fellas xxx

Posted on Sep 21, 2016 5:09 PM

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Q: iMac internal Fusion vs internal SSD Drive with Logic Pro X

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  • Helpful answers

  • by Jamiroqueezy,

    Jamiroqueezy Jamiroqueezy Sep 21, 2016 5:11 PM in response to Jamiroqueezy
    Level 1 (4 points)
    Desktops
    Sep 21, 2016 5:11 PM in response to Jamiroqueezy

    I constantly hear people say to upgrade the internal memory to the max SSD when you purchase it. This seems a common theme, if someone could explain why that would be much appreciated

  • by Loner T,

    Loner T Loner T Sep 21, 2016 5:27 PM in response to Jamiroqueezy
    Level 7 (24,007 points)
    Safari
    Sep 21, 2016 5:27 PM in response to Jamiroqueezy

    From iMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, Late 2015) - Technical Specifications, your storage options are

     

    Storage1

    • 3.2GHz
      1TB (7200-rpm) hard drive
      Configurable up to 3TB hard drive, 3TB Fusion Drive, or 256GB or 512GB of flash storage (SSD)
    • 3.2GHz
      1TB Fusion Drive
      Configurable up to 3TB Fusion Drive or 256GB, 512GB, or 1TB of flash storage (SSD)
    • 3.3GHz
      2TB Fusion Drive
      Configurable up to 3TB Fusion Drive or 256GB, 512GB, or 1TB of flash storage (SSD)

     

    A Fusion drive is a 120GB SSD + (1/2/3)TB HDD. You can build a custom Fusion drive with a larger SSD. SATA and PCIe flash drives have different performance characteristics.

     

    External storage using SATA connectors is limited by SATA 3 speeds at 6Gbps. TB connections to SATA drives defeat the purpose of a TB (10/20/40 Gbps) connection to a 6Gbps SATA3 device.

     

    You will be better off with a 1TB Flash SSD than any Fusion drive.