Mac Mini Questions (regarding photo storage etc)

mstphoto

mstphoto

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Name
Mike
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Hi Guys,
I recently jumped ship from PC to Mac Mini 4 PRO with 512Gb storage.
I have Photoshop, Lightroom and other software packages install in the Mac mini.
What I am thinking of doing is importing images onto an external drive - I have a Lacie 2Tb, and working from that.
Is this feasible?
How do others download images from card to Mac??

TIA
 
Yes that's feasible.

I import all my raw images to a NAS over Gigabit ethernet which is going to be a lot slower than a good USB drive as long as it's using one of the newer faster USB standards.

My catalog, along with 1:1 previews etc are all stored on my internal drive to ensure the editing and browsing process remains quick.
 
Get a Thunderbolt 4 or 40gb/s enclosure and put in a Gen 3 nvme TLC SSD inside. (you don't need faster than 3500mb/s really, even the fastest enclosure max out at around 3100-3200mb/s). so the Samsung 990 Pro is unnecessary but I have one lying around.

All the cool kids are getting one of these OWC Express 1 enclosure. The drive when in use runs hot, the enclosure, which is basically a giant heatsink does a good job in dissipating the heat.

mcOhAUv.jpg
 
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mstphoto said:
What I am thinking of doing is importing images onto an external drive - I have a Lacie 2Tb, and working from that.
Is this feasible?
Click to expand...
Very. All you need is a standard USB to USB-C adapter to plug the Lacie into the Mac Mini. The mini should be able to read from and write to the LaCie using its existing format. On the other hand, if the LaCie isn't currently holding data you need to keep, you can reformat it to one of the Apple preferred formats using the Disk Utility.
mstphoto said:
How do others download images from card to Mac??
Click to expand...

I use an ordinary £10 card reader with a USB-C adapter, as shown here...

Card reader and USB-C adapter FZ82 P1010679.jpg
 
Just posted this in another thread:

I have 2 Acasis enclosures, one with a WD Black and the other with a WD Blue SSD which I use for as my main storage for my Mac Mini M2 Pro. They are fine. I did try some cheaper enclosures but they were either temperamental or did not work at all.

I use a HDD for Time Machine backup as speed didn’t seem to be a main requirement. I also have Cloud backup.

I bought the Acasis enclosures direct from Acasis USA as they were in stock, were cheaper and were delivered very quickly.

The Acasis enclosures are similar to those used by Raymond above.
 
mstphoto said:
Is this just the enclosure or is it complete? ie is this all I would need or do I have to buy the enclosure and the 1, 2, or 4Tb insert separately?? :thinking:
I see that there are 1Tb, 2Tb and 4Tb

Click to expand...

You can do both. I buy it separate. Empty enclosure for £110. 2TB SSD for around £100.

£200 all in for 2tb.

If you buy it all made up then the 1TB version is £220.

Its not difficult to put together. Just 2 screws to open, 1 screws to keep the SSD in.
 
Raymond Lin said:
You can do both. I buy it separate. Empty enclosure for £110. 2TB SSD for around £100.

£200 all in for 2tb.

If you buy it all made up then the 1TB version is £220.

Its not difficult to put together. Just 2 screws to open, 1 screws to keep the SSD in.
Click to expand...
This sounds good (y)
Any suggestions on which SSD and enclosure to get?
Would this be faster than the Lacie?
 
mstphoto said:
This sounds good (y)
Any suggestions on which SSD and enclosure to get?
Would this be faster than the Lacie?
Click to expand...

This enclosure, Amazon used to stock it, but it is out of stock right now.

www.megamac.com

OWC Express 1M2 NVMe USB4 External SSD Enclosure | Megamac

Unlock Extreme Speed with OWC Express 1M2 Transform your digital environment with the OWC Express 1M2, the pinnacle of portable SSD technology. This enclosure offers you the freedom to create an ultra-fast drive tailored to your needs, whether you're upgrading an existing SSD or seeking the...
www.megamac.com www.megamac.com

I got this SSD on BlackFriday


I don't know lacie you have but I can't imagine this will be slower.
 
Raymond Lin said:
This enclosure, Amazon used to stock it, but it is out of stock right now.

www.megamac.com

OWC Express 1M2 NVMe USB4 External SSD Enclosure | Megamac

Unlock Extreme Speed with OWC Express 1M2 Transform your digital environment with the OWC Express 1M2, the pinnacle of portable SSD technology. This enclosure offers you the freedom to create an ultra-fast drive tailored to your needs, whether you're upgrading an existing SSD or seeking the...
www.megamac.com www.megamac.com

I got this SSD on BlackFriday


I don't know lacie you have but I can't imagine this will be slower.
Click to expand...
Much appreciated, Raymond.
I think this is the route I'll go down.
I'll start afresh in the New Year
 
mstphoto said:
Much appreciated, Raymond.
I think this is the route I'll go down.
I'll start afresh in the New Year
Click to expand...

FYI, the Western Digital SSD I linked to max out at around 4100mb/s. But since the enclosure max out at 3100mb/s, so the differences are close enough.

There are no thunderbolt 5 enclosures that is at a reasonable cost at the moment so there is no point in either getting those enclosures or a faster SSD.

The above combo is basically what most people on the Mac Mini SubReddit page are getting.
 
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Based on my daughter's smug attitude when discussing Christmas pressies, I believe the OWC caddy is getting here from the US in less than 10 days despite what they say on their website.

Hope that helps a bit.
 
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