SSD Choice

[Haider]

Hi,

My motherboard MSI B550 Tomahawk has two NVMe slot a PCIe-4 4X & a PCIe-3 4X slot. I currently have a Kingston KC3000 1TB SSD in the PCIe-4 slot. It's a bit small in size and I only really have the OS and a couple of apps on there. I use a 2TB HDD on SATA 3 (6Gb/s). Games seem to need a fast SSD. I'm thinking of getting a 4TB SDD and using that in the PCI-e 4 slot and moving the 1TB into the PCI-e 3 slot. I'll use the 4TB drives as my main OS, profiles, app drive and the 1TB as a secondary drive and virtual memory.

I'm looking at these drives: -

Kingston FURY Renegade – High-performance PCIe 4.0 NVMe M.2 gaming SSD - Kingston Technology

The Kingston FURY Renegade PCIe 4.0 NVMe M.2 SSD delivers cutting-edge performance in high capacities for gaming and hardware enthusiasts seeking intense performance for PC builds and upgrades. By leveraging the latest Gen 4x4 NVMe controller and 3D TLC NAND, the Kingston FURY Renegade improves...

www.kingston.com

The Kingston has TBW of 4.0 PBW

Next Level Gaming Storage with WD_BLACK SN850X NVMe SSD | Western Digital

Strap in for breakneck gaming speeds with the WD_BLACK SN850X NVMe™ SSD. Crush load times and slash throttling, lagging, and texture pop-ins for a smooth, fast experience that lets you compete at your absolute peak. This purpose-built gaming drive comes in capacities of 1TB to 4TB2, with an...

www.westerndigital.com

WD has a TBW of 2.4 PBW

What do you think of my idea and the drives? How could I clone my current OS drive? Last time I had to create my system from scratch...


Thanks
Haider

 

[EarthDog]

I'd flip it around. Use the small drive for your OS and apps, use the 4TB for games. This way if you need to blow your OS up, you don't have to download and reinstall games. Just be sure to put the fastest drive in the pcie 4.0 socket on your board. I have a 2TB nvme partitioned... ~350GB to OS and the rest to games. You can do the same, you don't need the other drive. Partition the 4TB and do the same thing. My OS drive and apps (no games) use 120GB with 230GB free.

Clone it with software. Macrium free or easeus. I thought the last time you did this was for your PC upgrade.... you should absolutely do a fresh OS install when switching hardware as you did. No gremlins!

As far as TB/PBW, I wouldn't worry about it, you'll never come close to those thresholds in your lifetime. Focus on the length of the warranty.

There's also ZERO point in moving your virtual memory to a different drive than your OS with SSDs...these aren't slow spinners where it actually mattered, bud! That move makes zero difference... and you're moving it to what will presumably be the slower drive anyway... doesn't make sense. Leave virtual memory on the OS drive/untouched.

 

[mackerel]

IMO more than one user partition on a drive only adds maintenance overhead. It is easier to manage one big drive than multiple logical ones. If you're lazy you can just leave the OS SSD as it is, and put/move games to the bigger one. If you think the load time will help you can put the game drive on the PCIe 4.0 slot but we're still not quite there yet.

I have done a drive clone many a time before to upgrade the OS SSD. I used Macrium Reflect which is a time limited free trial. For example, on my current system I replaced a 960 Evo 512GB with a 980 Pro 2TB. On my laptop I replaced the included 512GB SK Hynix OEM drive with a 1TB Kingston Fury Renegade.

I don't know exactly how all performance compares, but I did go for the Kingston in my laptop as it was close to 980 Pro class, but much cheaper. I was about to order another for my main system before I realised I could move data around and free up an existing 980 Pro for that use. I don't have a SN850X but I have the non-X in my PS5, as the cheapest branded drive I could get that was PS5 compatible. Never benched it on PC but on paper it was a lower tier than the others mention. Don't know if the X is enough to compete on performance and price.

 

[EarthDog]

IMO more than one user partition on a drive only adds maintenance overhead. It is easier to manage one big drive than multiple logical ones.

What do you mean by adding maintenance overhead? I do have to add a partition to the drive initially, but otherwise, I'm at a loss as to what that actually entails besides pointing an app to install X on that drive instead of C:\??

For the way I use my system, partitioning a large drive for OS/storage seems to be the best way. I can easily take a borked OS and be up and running again in 10 mins restoring from a small(er) image and just spend time re-associating my games on the back of the drive while any other data storage is already there. If it's one big drive, doing anything with your OS (recovering from a bork or a fresh reinstall) without losing applications, games, and data, feels like more effort (DL games again, for example, data loss), or you need a duplicate massive drive to support image of the whole drive to clone it ALL back.

There are many ways to skin this cat, lol... I just never heard (or felt) like the partitioning added any significant steps/maintenance...enough to say something and do it a different way, significant, lol.

 

[mackerel]

I'm at a loss as to what that actually entails besides pointing an app to install X on that drive instead of C:\??

Exactly that. You have the space, but where? You might need to juggle stuff to have the right space in the right place. With one big drive, you never have to worry about that. Of course, if you go multiple drives, you re-introduce this potential problem. If how you use the system means that is not a problem, great. For most, it adds no value, only complication.

For the way I use my system, partitioning a large drive for OS/storage seems to be the best way. I can easily take a borked OS and be up and running again in 10 mins restoring from a small(er) image and just spend time re-associating my games on the back of the drive while any other data storage is already there. If it's one big drive, doing anything with your OS (recovering from a bork or a fresh reinstall) without losing applications, games, and data, feels like more effort (DL games again, for example, data loss), or you need a duplicate massive drive to support image of the whole drive to clone it ALL back.

Maybe I'm fortunate but I've never had to reinstall an OS on a main system because it broke (suicide bench systems are another story). If I wanted to separate OS from data/games, then I'd go multiple drive before I go multiple-partition as that is still easier to manage. Indirectly this is what I had in the past, since my remaining systems are quite old and built when SSDs were expensive, so they're lower capacity like 256GB or 512GB. Tiny by current standards, and expanded by adding more bigger SSDs later on.

 

[EarthDog]

Exactly that. You have the space, but where? You might need to juggle stuff to have the right space in the right place.

So, setting your default installation location (or selecting it from a dropdown) is complicated? Saving tons of time when in a reinstall situation doesn't add value to the method? That's more effort than getting up on your feet in a timely manner in the case of failure (or to freshen an OS) or ease of data retention (No!)??? I guess it just depends on how you mitigate risk, how much time you want to spend on restoration in there case of failure or volunteer 'redo', and your tolerance for potential data loss.

...multiple drive before I go multiple-partition as that is still easier to manage.

How is that easier outside of skipping the step to partition? You wouldn't have to point the apps to this drive too?




.....we all have our ways. Thanks for sharing details.

 

[Haider]

I'd flip it around. Use the small drive for your OS and apps, use the 4TB for games. This way if you need to blow your OS up, you don't have to download and reinstall games. Just be sure to put the fastest drive in the pcie 4.0 socket on your board. I have a 2TB nvme partitioned... ~350GB to OS and the rest to games. You can do the same, you don't need the other drive. Partition the 4TB and do the same thing. My OS drive and apps (no games) use 120GB with 230GB free.

Clone it with software. Macrium free or easeus. I thought the last time you did this was for your PC upgrade.... you should absolutely do a fresh OS install when switching hardware as you did. No gremlins!

As far as TB/PBW, I wouldn't worry about it, you'll never come close to those thresholds in your lifetime. Focus on the length of the warranty.

There's also ZERO point in moving your virtual memory to a different drive than your OS with SSDs...these aren't slow spinners where it actually mattered, bud! That move makes zero difference... and you're moving it to what will presumably be the slower drive anyway... doesn't make sense. Leave virtual memory on the OS drive/untouched.

That was my daughters PC - ROG Rampage IV Formula + Samsung 870 Evo.

I might just get a PCIe-3 4X SSD 4TB and keep the 1TB as an OS drive...

 

[mackerel]

So, setting your default installation location (or selecting it from a dropdown) is complicated? Saving tons of time when in a reinstall situation doesn't add value to the method? That's more effort than getting up on your feet in a timely manner in the case of failure (or to freshen an OS) or ease of data retention (No!)??? I guess it just depends on how you mitigate risk, how much time you want to spend on restoration in there case of failure or volunteer 'redo', and your tolerance for potential data loss.

Do whatever works for you.

I'm just saying in my case, having more than one user partition per drive is negative value for my uses, because I have increased the effort required to determine where spare capacity is whenever I do a big save. Personally I do not ever do an OS reinstall on a main system so that potential is not a selling point for me.

How is that easier outside of skipping the step to partition? You wouldn't have to point the apps to this drive too?

Making a drive smaller is increasing complexity, to me unnecessarily. Adding a new drive with more capacity is less bad in that sense as the capacity is incremental. If Windows had a really good and safe way to merge pools of capacity I'd even use that.



Edit:

I think I have an example. Say you want 2TB total storage. In my ideal scenario, I'd have a single 2TB SSD and I'm done. In reality, I've often ended up with systems that now have 1TB+1TB. This is my 2nd preference. It could have a small benefit in that you could have one high performance one, one lower priced one. My personal least preferred scenario is having that 2TB drive and splitting it into two user partitions.

 

[MisterEd]

For may main desktop I started with
C: 500GB M.2 NVME SSD (Windows & programs)
D: 2TB 3.5" SATA HDD (user data)
I ran out of space on C: so I now have:
C: 2TB M.2 NVME SSD (Windows & programs)
D: 2TB M.2 NVME SSD* (user data)
* SSD mounted on PCIe card

For may main laptop I started with:
C: 500GB M.2 NVME SSD (Windows, programs & user data)
I ran out of space on C: so I now have:
C: 1TB M.2 NVME SSD (Windows & programs)
D: 1TB M.2 NVME SSD (user data)

These new configurations have worked out quite well. Note all drives on these two computers only have 1 non-system partition.

I back up 4 of my computers with Acronis True Image. I do daily backups of important data. I do whole drive backups once a week. Note Acronis True Image on my main desktop also backs up my Android phone.

People used to recommend a small SSD for system and large HDD for data. I now recommend a large SSD for both Windows and programs. A second SSD is for user data. The size of each depends upon the user needs. Note no matter how large a drive you buy you will probably eventually fill it up. Rememember the larger the drives you buy the larger the backup drives you need.

I also have other computers that used to have multiple partitions per drive. I have gone back and merged all these into single partitions per drive.

For the computers that work with them I have replaced most of the 3.5" SATA HDDs with 2.5" SATA SSDs.

 

[EarthDog]

Just noticed, Steam now asks you which drive to put things in when installing games. It's even easier.