744t and SSD

G

ggrantly

Veteran
Hello Listers,

I asked Sound Devices tech support whether an SSD would work in a 744t. They said they didn't really recommend it, but it could be done. They didn't say it wouldn't work, or mention any particular issue, but said the results might be unpredictable. This sounded to me that they were hedging because they probably haven't tested it. So I'll pose the question here: Has anyone replaced the standard HDD with a SSD in a SD recorder. If so, did you have any problems? Seems to me, if it would work, I'd prefer to have the solid state over a mechanically spinning platter.

TIA,
Grant
 
I recall this being discussed over at the JW Audio group. Search or re-query the topic there... lots and lots of 744 users, past and present. That's a legitimate pro topic, so you should not get ridiculed. (tough room)
 
Definitely check out the JW Audio group. But my memory, as a 744T owner who'd like to add a SSD to my 744T, one issue is that the first 744Ts used PATA drives, not SATA. And some of the available PATA-to-SATA adapters don't always work. Sound Devices made their own adapter, which I presume works fine.

And you probably saw this note from SD:

====
Replacing the original drives in 722 and 744T with higher RPM hard drives or solid state drives (SSD) provides little or no performance improvement compared to 5400 RPM hard drives. The FireWire bus in these recorders is the limitation on transfer speed. Additionally, higher speed hard drives may reduce battery run-time while the SSD’s have little effect on battery run-time, compared to a 5400 RPM hard drive. NOTE: The 722 and 744T were designed specifically for use with mechanical hard drives. While solid-state drives can be used as replacements, Sound Devices does not guarantee that the unit will operate to specification with an SSD substituted for a mechanical drive. Results may vary.
====

Rest of that note:
https://www.sounddevices.com/tech-notes/replacing-the-internal-hard-drive-in-722-and-744t-recorders


So I personally figured why bother changing to a SSD?
 
Jim,

That seems to be the canned response from SD.

Though I haven't had any issues, it seems to me a SSD would be more reliable for the rigors of bag use in the field. That would be the only motivation. And that I will have a small capacity SSD available soon (replaced by a larger one) so I was considering how I might use it. Having the redundancy of a HDD and CF built in is a great feature so I might just let this idea die.

Grant
 
> Having the redundancy of a HDD and CF built in is a great feature so I might just let this idea die.

Ya, that's what I ended up doing. Looks like SSDs work OK for people on "newer" SATA-equipped 744Ts, and less great for people on "older" PATA 744Ts (like mine). And I realized my spinning disk was holding up pretty well despite my best efforts to abuse my equipment.
 
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