Best use of ssd to optimize performance

[jzzcutler]

My SSD is not big enough to hold the OS, the paging file, all my applications/programs, and their data. When I test with a VM, the OS alone has the SSD at 1% busy. Would it maximize performance to put the paging file, the most important programs and their data on the SSD and the OS and,other programs and their data on the HDD?

 

[jty0yt]

I'd just put your OS on your SSD and maybe some important apps but not all apps benefit from being placed on an SSD.
You will notice significant decreases in boot times etc with your OS on a 7200 RPM standard HDD.

Check this out if you are wondering about your page file.
http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/forum/286922-32-page-file-shorter-life-matter

 

[martinch]

Ideally you want your OS, programs and paging file on the SSD, and your document libraries on the HDD. If you run out of space, put smaller/less used programs on the HDD, along with the paging file (assuming you have enough RAM, it shouldn't make much difference, although some programs are written to use the paging file ...).

 

[jzzcutler]

Thanks, Martinch. I haven't installed all the programs I need and C:\Windows is almost 100GB (mainly \Installer and \WinSxS). Do I really get that much benefit from having the OS on the SSD?

 

[JackNaylorPE]

Hi end SSD Boot Time = 15.6 seconds
7200 rpm Boot Time = 16.5 seconds
Decent 7200 rpm HD Boot Time = 21.2 seconds

The paging file and temp files get written to very frequently and many users choose to put them on the HD and thereby save the SSD writes.... ofc, those are the most frequently used files once booted.

The most beneficial combination I have found is the SSD with OS and frequently used programs on SSD and the data on the SSD. Since you tend to use the same files over and over again day to day.... the firmware of the SSD continually, and in the background, moves the most frequently used files to the SSD portion of the drive. So as you start working on a new project / file...after accessing the file a few times, it says Jzz has been working on this this monthly report lately, it will move that file to the SSD portion of the SSD and the monthly report that ya haven't accessed since November will get moved off.

Do I really get that much benefit from having the OS on the SSD?

You can see the boot time numbers above ....When you look at benchmarks, the numbers are ginormous between the SSD and HD. When you sit down .... well on our test system, I had it set up to boot it off the HD, off the SSD or the SSD (2 SSDs, 2 SSHDs and 1 five year old HD) ... again...see boot times above ... but the fun thing was, had several different peeps using the box and when I'd move a program or game from thr SSD to the HD, most didn't notice.... my 26 year old son did. But no one noticed the difference between the SSD and SSHD.

 

[jsmithepa]

Do I really get that much benefit from having the OS on the SSD?

Personally I could care less about boot time as I keep my machine asleep and rarely shut it down. But I do want my OS on the fastest access storage because when I move about the desktop, when I jump from place to place, I want snappy response, and OS on SSD does that.

Ur plan moving less-used Apps to HD sounds good.

 

[jzzcutler]

Thanks, JackNaylorPE. Your "Husband's Anonymous" tag is hilarious. Anyway, your paragraph that begins "The most beneficial": is that talking about a hybrid SSD/HDD? Mine is a pure SSD: Samsung 850 Pro. Also, your numbers say 15.6 vs. 16.5 seconds for the difference between SSD and 7200 HDD (which I have: WD Black). Unless a decimal place slipped, we're talking 1 second for boot. If I can get the run time on my app (which I do many hundreds of times per boot) from 1 minute to 30 seconds I wouldn't mind waiting 10 minutes for my boot up. I also bought a 10 year SSD so I couldn't care less about shortening its life with I/O. I'll just use the warranty. Won't the OS files for my app get loaded from the HDD when it starts and stay in RAM from then on? The app uses dynamically loaded code so I suspect it is constantly going to disk even if it uses the same code in each run.

 

[Kurdain1]

BEST solution:

Tell your wife that SSD's ONLY WORK IN PAIRS! Then you get 2.

Worked for me (don't tell!)