Small SSD dedicated for the OS?

[Dave3000]

I right now have one 512 GB SSD with 2 partitions. Partition C is for the OS/apps and it's 80 GB and partition D is for Games only and it's 432 GB. I've been considering buying a 128 GB Samsung 840 Pro or 850 Pro for the OS/apps and using my 512 GB SSD just for games. Keeping games (Steam and Origin games and X-Plane 10) on a different drive or partition than the OS is a time saver for me when it comes time to wipe the OS partition and reinstall Windows and that why I rather keep it that way. So would it be worth buying a 128 GB Samsung 840 Pro or 850 Pro just for the OS or should I just continue keep my 512 GB SSD partitioned like it is?

 

[Burpo]

Not a bad idea to have a separate SSD for OS.. Can never have too many drives 🙂

 

[Charlie98]

If you anticipate having to wipe and reinstall the OS, you would be better with a separate drive. That begs the question why you think you have to wipe and reload so often you need a separate drive...

Also, I wouldn't waste my money on a 'Pro' drive... just get a reasonable drive like a 128GB Crucial MX100.

 

[Dave3000]

Would I be better of selling my 512 GB Samsung 840 Pro and buying a 1 TB Samsung 850 Pro and setting up a 80 GB Windows 8.1 partition and a 920 GB Games partition?

 

[dave_the_nerd]

Better off how? It will be faster, but not noticeably so. You'll have more space, but if you're not running out of space now, it's a moot point.

What do you hope to accomplish?

 

[Dave3000]

Well wouldn't it create more overhead having games sharing the same SSD with the OS, like if there is a background process of Windows accessing the SSD while a game installed on the same SSD is loading stuff? I'm getting low on space on my 512 GB SSD because I was installing games I"m going to play in the future along with currently played games and ended up having to move some of them to my 1 TB HDD. With games getting bigger and bigger I don't think 512 GB is going to be enough if I keep the OS on the same drive. Going with a separate SSD for the OS will give me more space for games on my 512 GB SSD. Also I prefer to have all my currently played and future played games on one drive rather than spread out over two drive just for the simplicity.

 

[Puffnstuff]

I learned a long time ago to keep my programs and files on a separate drive from the os. If I were you I'd get a 120gb boot drive and keep it at 50% capacity or less so it doesn't lose any performance. SSD's take a hit when you begin to fill them up especially those with a sandforce controller.

 

[DigDog]

my PC has a grand total of 35Gb of data on it, including the OS.

😛

i have been lazy lately and not kept it clean; i normally have 26GB.

 

[Charlie98]

I learned a long time ago to keep my programs and files on a separate drive from the os.

If I were you I'd get a 120gb boot drive and keep it at 50% capacity or less so it doesn't lose any performance. SSD's take a hit when you begin to fill them up especially those with a sandforce controller.

I would agree, I have the same setup and it simplifies backup images.

Following that logic, you take a performance hit at 120GB vs 250GB on a typical SSD, sometimes a considerable hit.

 

[dave_the_nerd]

Well wouldn't it create more overhead having games sharing the same SSD with the OS, like if there is a background process of Windows accessing the SSD while a game installed on the same SSD is loading stuff?

Theoretically, yes. However, it is unlikely you would notice it. Because SSDs are awesome.

I'm getting low on space on my 512 GB SSD because I was installing games I"m going to play in the future along with currently played games and ended up having to move some of them to my 1 TB HDD. With games getting bigger and bigger I don't think 512 GB is going to be enough if I keep the OS on the same drive. Going with a separate SSD for the OS will give me more space for games on my 512 GB SSD. Also I prefer to have all my currently played and future played games on one drive rather than spread out over two drive just for the simplicity.

*shrug*

"Running out of space on my SSD" is a pretty good reason to get a bigger SSD.

 

[GlacierFreeze]

Well wouldn't it create more overhead having games sharing the same SSD with the OS, like if there is a background process of Windows accessing the SSD while a game installed on the same SSD is loading stuff?

Any processes that effects your computer enough to be noticeable would be pegging out the processor.

Storage wise, you won't notice a difference dividing OS and games. No big reason to split them in your usage.