Fresh OS Install Advice

[driverofLYN274]

Hello,

I am looking for some advice on what my next steps should be with my system. I currently have a 20gb ssd and a 500gb HDD running the show on my desktop. Currently I have Windows 7 64-bit installed on my HDD and the SSD (I would imagine) is set up as a cache. However, I do not have access to any of the performance options when using Intel RST software.

What I am wondering is this: when I upgrade to Windows 10, should I a) try to install the OS onto the SSD and have other files live on the HDD, b) continue to use the SSD as it is configured now, or c) something else.

The goal is to maximize the hardware I have as I am on a tight budget. Upgrading the SSD could be an option, but I would rather work with what I have.

Thank you in advance for your help.

 

[Boogieman_WD]

Hey there, driverofLYN274.

Basically there are 2 options here, since you've mentioned that upgrading the SSD is an option after all:

1. You keep the same setup - the SSD as a cache drive for the HDD. This way you'll get a better performance for your system. There's no way that a 20GB SSD will be sufficient enough to be an OS drive. This is the budget friendly option.

2. You get a 120GB SSD for your OS drive and programs/apps. It will definitely speed things up and it should be quite noticeable. However this would require you to get a new drive.

Basically the bottom line is this - if you're OK with getting an SSD - do it, if not - you should be OK with the current setup. And don't forget to backup all of your important data before the upgrade, just to be on the safe side.

Hope that helps.
Boogieman_WD

 

[driverofLYN274]

Boogieman,

Based on my budget, for the time being I will work with my current setup. Reading articles about Intel's RST, I should change my SATA settings in the BIOS from AHCI to RAID and create RAID0 and RAID1 partitions to take advantage of the RST software and caching. Am I understanding this process right? Or would I not see any performance changes in switching from AHCI to RAID?

Hey there, driverofLYN274.

Basically there are 2 options here, since you've mentioned that upgrading the SSD is an option after all:

1. You keep the same setup - the SSD as a cache drive for the HDD. This way you'll get a better performance for your system. There's no way that a 20GB SSD will be sufficient enough to be an OS drive. This is the budget friendly option.

2. You get a 120GB SSD for your OS drive and programs/apps. It will definitely speed things up and it should be quite noticeable. However this would require you to get a new drive.

Basically the bottom line is this - if you're OK with getting an SSD - do it, if not - you should be OK with the current setup. And don't forget to backup all of your important data before the upgrade, just to be on the safe side.

Hope that helps.
Boogieman_WD

 

[Boogieman_WD]

Well, you are about having to use Rapid Storage Technology in order to setup the SSD's capacity to be used for caching by the HDD. Unfortunately as an official WD representative I can't really guide through that process as this is not a product under the WD brand.

You'd have to either read through the tutorials on how to do that or contact the developer's customer support for more info. Perhaps this might be of help: http://www.pcworld.com/article/248828/how_to_setup_intel_smart_response_ssd_caching_technology.html

And yes you should set the SATA mode to RAID, but just read through the manual and the tutorials first.

Please keep me posted.