14 replies to this topic

[Guth]

Hey guys, I am thinking of getting an SSD drive to speed up my PC as the hardware in it is getting a little old now and I don't currently have the money to build a new one (which is my main goal) so I want to get an SSD just now to give a boost and when I do build a new machine, it will also be used in that.

The thing is, I just checked and my Program Files (x86) folder is 360GB and my Program Files folder is 15GB.
The SSD i am looking at is only 120GB so how do you go about that? Do you prioritise which programs are installed on the SSD. Can you even install programs to another drive from the main windows drive? I'd love a bigger one but they are just too expensive for me at the moment. 120 is about the biggest I can afford. I'm looking for under £100 on eBuyer, unless anyone else knows of anything bigger for that price.
edit - I have found a 256GB for £130 which I may be able to stretch to. Still won't hold all my programs though so still wondering all points asked here.

I currently run two 1TB drives (which are both 80% full) but I've only ever installed windows and all the programs on one, I thought installing programs on another drive would cause problems?

Also, my Mobo has Sata2 but my PSU only has 2 sata power connectors, it was built during the crossover time. My current HDD's both have 4 pin molex and sata power connectors but both use sata data cables.
Does the SSD need a mini sata (don't know the name, I'm new to SSD's so im just guessing here) connector as it says 7 pin and I thought sata was 15. If it does then can I get molex to mini sata and keep my two current HDD's as-is or do I get Sata to mini-Sata and use a molex in one of my current drives.

Also want to ask, can I migrate my current windows install to another HDD, is that easy or should I just start fresh? My current install is only 4 months old and I have ALOT of installed software and games, I'd hate to have to install everything again. If I could migrate, can I migrate only some software. This may be an issue but all my programs wouldn't fit lol.

Lastly my mobo has SATA2 3.0 Gb/s connectors, but the SSD I am looking at says "1 x Serial ATA-300 - 7 pin Serial ATA" and "SATA Revision 2.6" is that compatible? Is Sata-III backward compatible? If so, would I be better getting that so when I come to build my new pc, my SSD is of the newer standard and my new mobo will be able to benefit from the higher speed.

Sorry if this post is confusing, tried to fit a lot of questions in

[Jonny Wright]

Installing programs onto a non system drive is fine. I have done it in the past to keep my SSD free if its a program I don't use much / am not bothered about the speed of it.

The data cable is 7 pin, the power connector is 15 pin. So no, its a normal SATA connector. Don't really understand the last bit of that question but if your PSU has a SATA power connector and molex, you can either use the proper SATA power connector or use one of the molex connectors with a converter (drives / mobos often bundle these with them).

I wouldn't try to migrate to another drive. You would be best to reinstall onto your SSD when you get it.

Yes, SATA3 is backward compatible so yes I would get SATA3 now if you are intending on upgrading in the future.

[Guth]

Jonny Wright, on 26 January 2013 - 15:00, said:

Installing programs onto a non system drive is fine. I have done it in the past to keep my SSD free if its a program I don't use much / am not bothered about the speed of it.

The data cable is 7 pin, the power connector is 15 pin. So no, its a normal SATA connector. Don't really understand the last bit of that question but if your PSU has a SATA power connector and molex, you can either use the proper SATA power connector or use one of the molex connectors with a converter (drives / mobos often bundle these with them).

I wouldn't try to migrate to another drive. You would be best to reinstall onto your SSD when you get it.

Yes, SATA3 is backward compatible so yes I would get SATA3 now if you are intending on upgrading in the future.

the bit you didn't get was because I thought the SSD used mini sata, my PSU has only 2 sata power connectors, both are being used.
But I can use one for my SSD and then use a molex to power my other HDD since it has a molex plug too.
Thanks, answered all my questions

[primexx]

how did you amass 375 gigs of programs?!?!?

[compl3x]

primexx, on 27 January 2013 - 07:16, said:

how did you amass 375 gigs of programs?!?!?

Steam games perhaps? Mine is 400GBs

[Guth]

primexx, on 27 January 2013 - 07:16, said:

how did you amass 375 gigs of programs?!?!?

yeah I have like 50 games
pic related and thats not them all, I started doing them with oblytile but got bored so haven't finished them all yet. Plus i wanted them to be a square and not have unfinished columns

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[theyarecomingforyou]

I have a 120GB SSD for my system drive and I've never had a problem with size (though obviously I've love to have a bigger drive). Obviously if you can stretch for a 256GB drive - like the OCZ Vertex 4 - then go for it

You just have to be sensible. I install all my regular programs on the SSD but keep anything that is storage intensive on HDDs - for instance, my Steam folder is over 1.6TB (1,600GB) and I have over 300GB in sampled instruments. Even if I wanted to keep them those folders on SSD there isn't any drive big enough on the market and it would cost £1,600 to setup a four-drive SSD RAID array. You should keep all your documents and media files on regular HDDs, which is good practise anyway given the risk of boot-drive failure or corruption. Basically, use your SSD for installing regular programs (Office, Adobe Creative Suite, Cubase, iTunes, etc) - that way you get all the performance, without the huge expense.

[Guth]

theyarecomingforyou, on 27 January 2013 - 14:31, said:

I have a 120GB SSD for my system drive and I've never had a problem with size (though obviously I've love to have a bigger drive). Obviously if you can stretch for a 256GB drive - like the OCZ Vertex 4 - then go for it

You just have to be sensible. I install all my regular programs on the SSD but keep anything that is storage intensive on HDDs - for instance, my Steam folder is over 1.6TB (1,600GB) and I have over 300GB in sampled instruments. Even if I wanted to keep them those folders on SSD there isn't any drive big enough on the market and it would cost £1,600 to setup a four-drive SSD RAID array. You should keep all your documents and media files on regular HDDs, which is good practise anyway given the risk of boot-drive failure or corruption. Basically, use your SSD for installing regular programs (Office, Adobe Creative Suite, Cubase, iTunes, etc) - that way you get all the performance, without the huge expense.

thanks for the tips, holy crap I thought my game files were large! haha
So its not worth putting games on an SSD? Even if you could? Like just say a certain game you really liked, would it improve performance of the game at all?

[Astra.Xtreme]

Guth, on 27 January 2013 - 15:09, said:

thanks for the tips, holy crap I thought my game files were large! haha
So its not worth putting games on an SSD? Even if you could? Like just say a certain game you really liked, would it improve performance of the game at all?

The games you put on the SSD will load a lot faster, so put your most played ones on there. Any music or videos won't get a performance boost on a SSD, so keep those on your other HDDs.

And if you need another SATA power connector, there are lots of adapters out there to choose from:

[Javik]

I keep all of my data... Games, music, video files, ETC on my data drives. I have a 60GB SSD and all that I install onto it is Windows, Office, web browsers, and other basic apps like CD burning and my system utilities.

[Guth]

Astra.Xtreme, on 27 January 2013 - 15:18, said:

[snip]
And if you need another SATA power connector, there are lots of adapters out there to choose from:
[snip pic]http://www.xpcompute...75f2f910318.jpg

Thanks yeah those were the connectors I was talking about. Guessing they are just as good as a normal connector?
By that I mean that the power throughput is the same and is sufficient enough?

If so, why do they always change adapters, if it does the same thing whats the point? other than being slightly smaller

[theyarecomingforyou]

Guth, on 27 January 2013 - 15:09, said:

thanks for the tips, holy crap I thought my game files were large! haha
So its not worth putting games on an SSD? Even if you could? Like just say a certain game you really liked, would it improve performance of the game at all?

Now that Steam has the option to install individual games to different locations it's possible to do that, though it's too much hassle for me. But yes, it would improve loading times significantly - it might also reduce framerate dips but generally it won't have much—if any—impact upon your framerate.

Guth, on 27 January 2013 - 15:22, said:

If so, why do they always change adapters, if it does the same thing whats the point? other than being slightly smaller

To make them smaller and easier to use - it's progress. All modern PSUs have had plenty of SATA power connectors for years and it's easy to get adaptors if you need them.

[Astra.Xtreme]

Guth, on 27 January 2013 - 15:22, said:

Thanks yeah those were the connectors I was talking about. Guessing they are just as good as a normal connector?
By that I mean that the power throughput is the same and is sufficient enough?

If so, why do they always change adapters, if it does the same thing whats the point? other than being slightly smaller

Yeah those molex connectors are harder to connect and the pins tend to fall out when they get used enough. I was never a fan of them.
The power throughput is the same. It's just a different form factor.

[Javik]

The downside, however, is that a lot of SATA cables still don't have clips on them which makes them annoyingly easy to knock loose.

[Guth]

Javik, on 27 January 2013 - 20:48, said:

The downside, however, is that a lot of SATA cables still don't have clips on them which makes them annoyingly easy to knock loose.

Yeah I was thinking exactly that, my Molex connectors feel better when they are plugged in and don't come out nearly so easy. Its why I asked the reason for SATA ones if they do the same job then apart from being bigger the molex one seems better to me.
If I just more the sata one ever so slightly it will fall out of my HDD. I actually used a cable tie to make sure it won't come out if my computer gets a knock