[SOLVED] New gaming pc, 1 SSD, how do I organize?

[L Mel]

I bought a new gaming desktop which includes a single 1TB SSD. I recently read that the computer will slow down as more and more space is taken up and I'm attempting to avoid that.

How should I organize my files? Apparently separating the OS from all other files is the way to go. Should I partition the SSD into two separate drives, one for the OS and one for everything else? Or does partitioning not make a difference because it's the same physical component?

Do I need a separate SSD for the OS or is partitioning okay? Are there other options I'm not aware of?

 

[USAFRet]

I bought a new gaming desktop which includes a single 1TB SSD. I recently read that the computer will slow down as more and more space is taken up and I'm attempting to avoid that.

How should I organize my files? Apparently separating the OS from all other files is the way to go. Should I partition the SSD into two separate drives, one for the OS and one for everything else? Or does partitioning not make a difference because it's the same physical component?

Do I need a separate SSD for the OS or is partitioning okay? Are there other options I'm not aware of?

Don't partition. That gives no benefit for speed.

For a 1TB, just don't fill it up past 800GB.
Keep good backups on some other drive.

 

[L Mel]

Don't partition. That gives no benefit for speed.

For a 1TB, just don't fill it up past 800GB.
Keep good backups on some other drive.

Hey, thanks for the quick response. I was planning on creating a recovery drive with a USB stick. Your tip got me thinking. Should I perhaps invest in an external HDD for weekly backups or something like that?

 

[USAFRet]

Hey, thanks for the quick response. I was planning on creating a recovery drive with a USB stick. Your tip got me thinking. Should I perhaps invest in an external HDD for weekly backups or something like that?

I would.
The built in 'windows recovery' is sub par.

I use Macrium Reflect....full drive backups.

 

[Lafong]

Hey, thanks for the quick response. I was planning on creating a recovery drive with a USB stick. Your tip got me thinking. Should I perhaps invest in an external HDD for weekly backups or something like that?

That sounds like a good idea.

It might help you to think of the backup as having 2 categories:

A: Second copies of all personal data files (documents, pictures, video, mp3, etc). You'd probably do this daily, maybe multiple times a day.

B: A backup of Windows and installed applications in the form of an image file made by an application like Macrium. You might do this less often (weekly or monthly), depending on how quickly your Windows installation changes over time.

A Macrium image could contain both A and B. It's the best tool for B. You may decide to use something else for A.

 

[hotaru.hino]

Hey, thanks for the quick response. I was planning on creating a recovery drive with a USB stick. Your tip got me thinking. Should I perhaps invest in an external HDD for weekly backups or something like that?

As a rule of thumb for a baseline back-up strategy, follow the 3-2-1 rule:

• At least 3 copies of the data
• At least 2 copies on physically separate hardware
• At least 1 copy off-site

Start with your personal data, since that's more likely the thing you cannot replace and will help trim down what you need to look for. Applications and whatnot are for the most part, easily replaceable.

 

[Pextaxmx]

Don't partition. That gives no benefit for speed.

isn't "C:" partition often slower than non-OS partition?

 

[USAFRet]

isn't "C:" partition often slower than non-OS partition?

On an SSD, no.

With a solid state drive, the "partitions" you see are merely visual representations. There is no real separation of where the data is.