Adding an SSD - how to rearrange things with Windows 10 the RIGHT way before installing?

[King_V]

(Apologies if this is the wrong category, wasn't sure if this was a Storage thing, or a Windows 10 thing - kind of fits into both categories)

So, my current system is Windows 10 Pro, and I've been running along just fine on a 1TB hard drive. I'd partitioned it into 3 drives, and, as I'm not home, I'm trying to recall exactly how I divided it:
C: about 450 GB
D: about 450 GB
E: about 100 GB

My goal is to use the SSD for the OS, for drivers, and for all the things that don't change or update very frequently, if at all (Office 2013, for example, maybe some other software), and keep (most of the) things that update a lot, may get installed/removed, etc., on the HDD.

In effect, keeping things that are predominantly or exclusively read rather than written on the SSD, and others off of it, in an effort to minimize writes to the SSD as much as possible, thus prolonging its life as long as possible. (hey, I've got two PCs that are around 15 years old, and I'm proud of that fact, and still running their original hard drives!)


Now, at some point in the past, I started trying to configure things with this setup in order to simulate how I would want things to be laid out if the C partition were, in fact, an SSD. Once that's done, then I would simply:
1 - Clone the existing C drive to the SSD
2 - "Delete" the C partition on the HDD
3 - Test to see if everything works
3a - If so, merge the old C partition with the D partition, making the D drive now 900 GB.
3b - If not, re-create the old C partition again without reformatting, etc., so that what I had before still works.

Now, my initial steps were to create the following folders:
D:\Program Files
D:\Program Files(x86)
D:\Users\my-username

Then, I uninstalled most programs, and reinstalled them in the D drive into the appropriate Program Files subfolders (I don't have Java's JDK or JRE installed currently, but I will likely put those under Program Files on the D drive)
I moved my Steam library to the D drive
I reinstalled Steam to the D drive
I (think) I configured the swap-space to use the D drive, though I don't recall if I set any size for it (I don't think I did).
I configured and moved all of the various user-based locations, such as Documents, Pictures, Videos, Music, etc, the folders and pseudo-folders that had a Location tab in the Properties, to be in D:\Users\my-username rather than in C:\Users\my-username


Does this sound about right or like a good plan, if, perhaps, hyper-obsessive? Are there things I'm keeping off the SSD that I should keep ON there?

Thoughts, suggestions, etc., all appreciated.

 

[geofelt]

When the ssd was first released, they were small, like 40gb and they did not have trim capability.
One rightly worried about endurance.
Today, with larger SSD devices and with trim, there is no need to micromanage to avoid writes.
a 250gb ssd will have sufficient endurance to be essentially unlimited life.
Even with very heavy updates continuously.

If you have a ssd, use it.
If you can, buy a 1tb Samsung ssd and use their ssd migration aid to move all to your new ssd.
The PRO versions will have longer endurance, but are not much worth it.
It is not clear to me if the tool will move only your c partition or the whole hdd.
The tool is a Windows mover, not a true bit for bit clone.
You might want to download the program guide for the tool first and read it.

Keep the hard drive for what it is best used for, namely large sequential filesuch as videos and backups.

 

[ArtPog]

geofelt has actually raised the crucial question re your "plan". What is the size of the SSD you're planning to purchase?

All things considered, as he points out, if you could swing $-wise for a 1 TB SSD that would undoubtedly be the most desirable way to go. The overall speed (responsiveness) of your entire system on a single reasonably large-capacity SSD would be most desirable.

On the other hand if purchasing that rather large-capacity SSD is out-of-the-question and you opt for say, a 500 GB - 525 GB SSD then your basic drives' configuration plan seems reasonable.

 

[King_V]

Ah, yes, it's 500GB, specifically a Samsung 850 EVO SATA, and I've already gotten it.

I was going to say that I didn't opt for the (slightly more than) double price for the 1GB because I'm socking money away for a high-end video card, but, circumstances have now changed that to "have to buy a new hot water heater ASAP"