Which SSD drive for 4K video editing?

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Which SSD drive for 4K video editing?

I know the Mac Studio internal drive is super fast, but it used to be that editing on the system drive was not recommended. Is that still the case today with the Mac Studio internal SSD, or is it okay?

For external drives, is editing 4K video via a USB-C external SSD (1050 MB/s) going to work fine, or do I need to go for Thunderbolt? I'm thinking as USB-C is so much faster than the RAID HD I used to have, it should be fine, but thought I would ask.

Thanks

Mac Studio (2022)

Posted on Nov 20, 2023 6:19 PM

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Answer 1

Top-ranking reply

Cartoonguy Author

Level 2

154 points

Nov 21, 2023 10:20 AM in response to Luis Sequeira1

You are confirming what I hoped on both matters, so thanks for that. USB-C SSD drives are so much cheaper than Thunderbolt, so I wondered why one would bother spending the extra $$. I guess for certain high end applications, it's necessary (or where someone else is paying for your gear!).

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Answer 2

terryb

Level 4

2,638 points

Nov 20, 2023 7:15 PM in response to Cartoonguy

I think having an external can be preferable since 4K footage file sizes can add up. There are many here editing from external SSDs. We use a 10GbE NAS with our Mac Studio but I've been testing out the Crucial 4TB X9 Pro with 4k multicams and it's been working great though I haven't really pushed it too hard. Others will likely chime in with their favorites. If you're in the US, you picked a good week to find deals (Black Friday).

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Answer 3

Nov 21, 2023 2:11 AM in response to Cartoonguy

As long as there is plenty of space, there is no problem with editing using the super fast internal drive. That old advice applied when macs came with slow hard drives.

For most people these external SSD drives with USB-C connection are more than fast enough. Others may say that you need Bluetooth but if in doubt I suggest you try. If you find a 1000MBps is not enough, you can always repurpose that drive for backup or something. I do all my editing from a Crucial X8 drive that does some 900MBps according to Blackmagic Disk Speed Test.

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Answer 4

Cartoonguy Author

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154 points

Nov 21, 2023 11:49 AM in response to terryb

In Canada, I'm seeing the 2TB X8 for $109 and the X9 for $150. If I understood why the X9 is better, I might go for it, but specs seem identical. Just a different case that has an activity light, as far as I can see.

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Answer 5

Cartoonguy Author

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154 points

Nov 20, 2023 7:55 PM in response to terryb

I just picked up a Crucial X8. Not sure what makes it a lesser drive than the X9 pro, because the X8 is quite a bit cheaper.

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Answer 6

terryb

Level 4

2,638 points

Nov 21, 2023 11:45 AM in response to Cartoonguy

I see the X9 Pro 4TB as only $23 more than the X8 4TB.

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Answer 7

terryb

Level 4

2,638 points

Nov 21, 2023 12:01 PM in response to Cartoonguy

They're both small but the X9 Pro is about half the size. 4TB for US$183

X8 4TB for US$160

Black Friday sales.

No difference in use or throughput. I think you'll be fine with the X8.

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Answer 8

Cartoonguy Author

Level 2

154 points

Nov 21, 2023 12:07 PM in response to terryb

Oh, I thought the X9 was actually bigger, but anyway, they are both small, so seems, as you say, the cheaper one is fine. That is, unless it's important to have the higher number!! 🙂

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Which SSD drive for 4K video editing?

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