Install capture progs on system drive or video storage drv?

[jorwex]

I finally set my system up with my slower, smaller capacity drive as the system drive and my larger, much faster harddrive as a storage drive.

Question is, when I install capturing or editting programs, which drive do I install them on?

If I put them on the system drive and merely save the outputted/captured file on the faster drive, is it not taking advantage of the hardware setup (which I've heard to be better than if the faster drive was the system and storage drive for video stuff)?

Or do if I install them on the video drive, will this be defeating the purpose? From what I've read and heard from others, the stuff programs and Windows run in the background impedes the editting and capturing process.

Any help would be greatly appreciated! Thanks

[BobK]

I'm far from an expert, but I think you'd be better to use the larger-faster drive for the captured files and put the programs on your system drive.

For most programs I think the vast majority of the program is in memory (unless you don't have much memory), so I don't think putting the program on a faster hard drive will speed the program up much except when first loading the program.

If you're capturing to the same hard drive that is using programs then you'll be more likely to drop frames because the hard drive has to constantly jump back and forth on the drive between storing the captured video and accessing any other data that it needs from that hard drive.

> From what I've read and heard from others, the stuff programs and Windows run in the background impedes the editting and capturing process.

True- Windows is constantly accessing data for programs running in the background and it can't store your video capture while it's doing that. That's why it's better to store the captured video to a separate HD.

[jorwex]

and it does hurt performance if that separate drive for capturing is a primary slave as opposed to master, right?

[lordsmurf]

and it does hurt performance if that separate drive for capturing is a primary slave as opposed to master, right?

No. I've used slave for capture too.

My primary system is as follows:

IDE0 Master - C: System 60GB/7200 (also has G: partition for documents)
IDE0 Slave - D: Encoded video files (used to use as capture drive) 100GB/7200
IDE1 Master - DVD-RW 4x
IDE1 Slave - CD-R 16x
IDE2 Master - E: Capture 200GB/7200
IDE2 Slave - DVD-ROM 16x
IDE3 Master - F: DVD projects 160GB/7200
IDE3 Slave - unused

My secondary system is as follows:

IDE0 Master - C: System 40GB/7200
IDE0 Slave - DVD-ROM 16x
IDE1 Master - DVD-RW 2x
IDE1 Slave - D: Capture/Video 80GB/7200

Slave versus master only matter on the same channel (and that's only for file copying and source->target burning). This has no effect on capturing. Capturing doesn't use both drives. The capture program loads into RAM for the most part. The SWAP usage, if any, would be negligible.

Keep the capture programs on you system drive.

[bottle-necked]

smurf

I don't understand this combo:

IDE2 Master - E: Capture 200GB/7200
IDE2 Slave - DVD-ROM 16x

7200RPM IDE drives are ATA66 compliant, where that DVD-ROM drive is probably not. It might not even be ATA33 compliant. It's it not 66 compliant... how is it not effecting the speed of that 200G?

Drive speed tests I've run have all showed lower performance when connecting a non-ATA66 compliant drive (of any type) to a compliant drive on the same cable. Even having the CD/DVD drives are enabled for autodetect in the BIOS can/will slow down a controller <by my experience>.

Just wondering...

[lordsmurf]

Zero effect.
That is running off a Promise UDMA 133 controller.

[bottle-necked]

* The TX2 has two ATA ports, which offer separate device timings that permit the use of different speed drives and/or devices to the same channel without adversely affecting the device speed. Each device will run at their highest-rated speed regardless. *


COOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Nelson37]

On most drive controllers, you can see huge performance losses whenever too non-identical drives are paired. It is not real common, and for the most part any two roughly similar drives on the same channel will be OK, BUT if you experience any frame-drop issues, try testing the capture drive alone on its channel.

The capture progs should definitely be on a different drive, and ideally a different channel, from the capture drive.

[bottle-necked]

Not with Smurf's controller.

READ THIS: http://www.littlewhitedog.com/reviews_hardware_00034.asp

[lordsmurf]

Not with Smurf's controller.

READ THIS: http://www.littlewhitedog.com/reviews_hardware_00034.asp

It's about 1/3rd down the page:

"The TX2 has two ATA ports, which offer separate device timings that permit the use of different speed drives and/or devices to the same channel without adversely affecting the device speed. Each device will run at their highest-rated speed regardless. "

[TBoneit]

FWIW if you only use the capture drive to capture...

Then when done with the current project you can format it and be back to a blank and defragmented drive very quickly.

Cheers