I am looking to increase my photo file storage capacity as my current internal storage is getting full and can’t be upgraded.
I use a Mac Mini M1 running Tahoe.
I am assuming that I can buy a suitable device, connect it and then move the relevant folders over (within Lightroom…but should I also move the catalogs?). I am looking at a Samsung T9 2TB drive with USB 3.2
Surely it cant be that simple. Does anyone know of anything that I am missing in terms of compatibility, connection or process?
Hi Ryan! I’m not a Mac user but I don’t think that makes a difference in this case. I’ve been using and external drive for LR for years now, so I know it works well. The Samsung T9 is a highly rated drive so it should work well for you. However, I would not move LR and its catalogs. It will perform better leaving it on your internal drive. I keep the most recent photos on my internal drive as well for the same reason. All older folders, about 75%, are on the external. This way I reduce the storage use on the internal drive while maximizing LR performance. I hope this helps.
SSD’s are great for working drives but my understanding is that they are not good for archival storage as they need to be re-written or they will loose data. Maybe someone knows exactly how they work and will post a follow up.
Hi Ryan. I agree with @Steve_Kennedy. I use a PC and have two internal drives for archive storage. I use another app for my catalog and that is on my primary drive along with current ‘working’ images, ACR and PSCC.
I also have two external drives that are used strictly for backup of everything contained on the internal drives.
I am not up on the latest drives, but Samsung drives get excellent reviews.
It almost goes without saying that you must have a robust and reliable backup in place, so be sure that is in the mix.
-P
Thanks for your thoughts., these are very helpful.
Yes I do have a separate back-up process, (hard drives and on-line).
I have just been reading about USB 3.2 (2X2) and the Apple M1 chip, it seems that they are not entirely compatible for full speed transfers. I probably don’t need the full speed so why pay for it.
There is a cheaper (slower) Samsung T7 drive that looks okay. I will continue researching but it’s a tech-talk jungle out there!
Ryan, I’ve put all of my photos on an 4TB external SSD for 4 years. Definitely keep your Lightroom catalogs on the internal drive. That combo, photos on SSD and catalogs internal, gives quick start up and fast storage. After 2 years, when my SSD start to get full, I move the picture files from the SSD to two large external (spinning disk) drives. Those older files are notably slower on startup and the transfer takes hours, but it means I have two copies of all of my older photos. (MacBook Pro, M2, Sequoia). BTW SSDs don’t need to be rewritten to retain their data. However, they will build up charge with use to the point of charge saturation, that means that new data cannot be written, and what was written last becomes read only memory.