Just bought 2012 Mac Mini Server 2.3 i7 Quad 16GB 2-1TB 5400 Intel HD 4000

I had the 2014 Mac Mini and sent it back unopened and got this one.

I do Youtube only.

Final Cut X and Motion and Compressor and Logic X

Exclusively.

I know I got to fix my Hard Drive.

I would like to leave the two 1TB in there and go external with my 7200 or SSD.

But will the internal 5400's mess me up.

I can replace one or both of them if I have to.

Thanks, Tom

Should help to have an ext 7200rpm drive with all your media and project files on it, then leave the internals alone. You'd get better performance from upgrading them, but not sure how much. You don't want that stuff on your system drive, anyway.

I'm not sure either but I think FCX launches from my internal drive and then it runs the program after it's launched if I'm not mistaken. 5400 being the problem here.

I want to get as optimal as I can with this small system.

I was hoping I could switch all that over to an external and bypass the internal completely.

Otherwise it looks like I'll have to put a SSD in one of the internals for this to optimize.

240 or 480 SSD

Or two of them.

Then external 7200 or SSD for Storage.

I'm new at this so everything is confusing.

I don't want to bog myself down and inhibit my editing as it will be difficult enough as I learn without hardware hangups compounding everything.

Thanks

Media and large project databases benefit the most from faster drives. The OS and an app running won't eat up that much bandwidth. You would see the OS and app be a bit snappier, but you won't see a HUGE performance upgrading the internal OS drive. Not as much as you'd see getting fast media drives.

So start with the external then and see how things go.

That I would like.

My Thunderbolt 1 or USB 3 or 800 Firewire.

7200 or SSD

It sounds like a good investment but I wish I had Thunderbolt 2

I'll probably buy something used

Not sure what to get.

My filming is simple and basic right now but I want to grow into something better.

It will be interesting to see how far I can get with this.

It's a talent I think I have.

I always get the best prices and still get the same quality.

I genuinely don't know anything.

Yet.

I'm looking at this one.

store.apple.com/us/product/HGCQ2ZM/A/lac...aa%252B2a34%252B27fc

I had one of those. I do miss it for the size as far as a little editing machine.

I upgraded the two internal HDDs to SSDs. It made the machine boot up way fast, apps came up quickly, all the benefits of an SSD. But, I never was able to store a lot of files on the internals of the machine. So, if your okay keeping those 1TB drives I would say do that.
Just my .02.