I want to run the unity save folder from an external drive so I can easily move it between computers. I have been using a memory stick but it is very slow.
I’ve done some speed checks and and it appears to be the 5000+ folders slowing it down. It takes 2m+ to copy the files but I can copy a single 700mb file in 20s. So the speed of the memory stick is good.
Anyway would an external SSD solve this? I want to make sure it works before spending $120 on one. If I get an external SSD connected with USB 3, would this fix the speed issues using unity with external saves.
Are you talking about moving your project between computers to work on it? If you’re doing it with external storage media, you’re living in the 90s my friend. Use version control! If you just work by yourself, you can try Unity Teams/Collaborate for free. I would personally recommend git but it has more of a learning curve. Dropbox or google drive are also options.
No, I want to run the save folder from some sort of external drive. I
Yes and no. I have Unity installed on two devices. I want to use some type of storage media to run the save files, so I can move between the two devices easily. I work away from home and have a lot of downtime I want to use Unity. However when Im at home I want to use my more powerful desktop. Im open to cloud storage but most places I stay at either dont have wifi or crappy wifi. I have a 20gb plan so as long as i doesn’t get hammered Im okay using my data. Memory Sticks are too slow, I was thinking about an external ssd.
@PraetorBlue 's comment is still accurate. Instead of carrying your project around on a glorified floppy disk, the go to way today is to use version control. You make your edits on one computer, save them to version control. On the other computer you update your project from the same version control. Typically changes to the project are infinitesimal in comparison to the size of the overall project, so the process takes just seconds, and you get the benefit of all computers using the project on their fast internal SSD instead of slower external storage.
There are free or low cost version control hosts on the interwebs, usually using Git. Personally I set up an SVN server on my home network and can access it from anywhere using a dynamic DNS service which I already have for a different reason.
Otherwise your best bet is probably an external enclosure for something like an 860 Evo or similarly performing SSD. But you’re probably going to be disappointed with the performance.
Well if you have USB3 or Thunderbolt, the copying is okay-ish. I have an external enclosure with USB3 (and type-c so no “you’re plugging in on the other way all the time”), it is okay.
When it is USB, the bottleneck isn’t the drive, although I dropped an nvme Samsung 970 Evo Plus 1TB into it.
For something like differential saving works just fine.
But honestly, version control offers the same speed after the initial commit/pull if you don’t poke the bigger files.
And with the version control you hit two flies with one jackhammer.