[SOLVED] New PC.. best way to organize apps/games etc

[jaged]

Built new PC and have 1tb NVMe that I installed Windows 10 on. Nothing else as of yet.

I have multiple drives in my old PC including HDD and SSD’s that I can move over if I want. The new drives both have downloads. Apps & picture/document backups from old c: drive.

should I do anything special with the 1tb drive? Partitioning etc or should I get a smaller nvme for the OS like the following:

Samsung 860 EVO M.2 250GB SATA M.2 Internal SSD (MZ-N6E250BW) [Canada Version] https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B07864V6CK/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_AM45G5ZCP416074J3N0J

 

[Lutfij]

If you have SSD's, I'd advise to not partition them any further. If you're asking about the SSD listed above, use it for the OS and app's. For game library, use another drive altogether...and leave said drives as a single complete partition. Mind sharing all the drives you have access to and their age?

 

[jaged]

If you have SSD's, I'd advise to not partition them any further. If you're asking about the SSD listed above, use it for the OS and app's. For game library, use another drive altogether...and leave said drives as a single complete partition. Mind sharing all the drives you have access to and their age?

In the old PC I have a Samsung 860 EVO 1TB as C:. a Seagate ST1000D as E: & a WD Blue 1 TB HDD

For the new PC I only bought a WD Blue SN570 SNMe. I've only installed Windows 10 and my password manager on it so far.
My intention was to move some or all of the old drives over to the new PC. I just didn't know where to start in where I should put what. The WD Blue HDD on the old PC is mostly Downloads and backups. The Seagate HDD is Steam, Origin, Mod Manager, Documents backup. SSD on C: has everything else. All main programs etc.

Clear as mud.

 

[Bob.B]

Built new PC and have 1tb NVMe that I installed Windows 10 on. Nothing else as of yet.

I have multiple drives in my old PC including HDD and SSD’s that I can move over if I want. The new drives both have downloads. Apps & picture/document backups from old c: drive.

should I do anything special with the 1tb drive? Partitioning etc or should I get a smaller nvme for the OS like the following:

Samsung 860 EVO M.2 250GB SATA M.2 Internal SSD (MZ-N6E250BW) [Canada Version] https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B07864V6CK/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_AM45G5ZCP416074J3N0J

My pref would be to get the 250GB ssd for the OS and apps.
Then start adding in disk for storage.
Only you know what you want to store so figure out what storage mix you will need.

 

[USAFRet]

should I do anything special with the 1tb drive? Partitioning etc or should I get a smaller nvme for the OS like the following:

Samsung 860 EVO M.2 250GB SATA M.2 Internal SSD (MZ-N6E250BW) [Canada Version] https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B07864V6CK/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_AM45G5ZCP416074J3N0J

The 860 EVO is a SATA III drive. Just happens to be in the M.2 config.

But I recommend a 500GB SSD for the OS and aplications.
Add other drives for other things.

Other people recommend one large single drive for everything.

 

[Lafong]

First: get a grip on the growth rates of your storage requirements.....going up 50 gb a year? 200? 500? Separately for both OS/applications and data.

Ideal:

1 fast-ish SSD for OS and all installed applications; using whatever default partitions Windows makes. Sized so you don't anticipate it being over say 75% full over the next few years if ever.

2: another SSD, presumably a lot larger, for ALL data with a single partition, subdivided by a folder structure that makes sense to you. (MP3, video, pictures, image files, downloads, etc).

Anything other than that is certainly doable, but less than ideal to my way of thinking....mostly because it would complicate your backup plans. Also, if you start chopping drives into more partitions than necessary, you run the risk of running out of space in one of them.....although this is less of an issue nowadays when storage is relatively cheap.

Optional: a third internal hard drive (not necessarily SSD if budget prevents) that is a replica of the internal data SSD. This would NOT be your only backup location, but it can be very handy if you find yourself rooting through backups with any regularity.....rather than relying solely on an external.

 

[jaged]

The 860 EVO is a SATA III drive. Just happens to be in the M.2 config.

But I recommend a 500GB SSD for the OS and aplications.
Add other drives for other things.

Other people recommend one large single drive for everything.

First of all, thank you for the answer. You've answered questions from me in the past. It's always appreciated.

On my C: drive currently(old PC) I have Win10 OS, Documents(13.5 GB) & Pictures(141GB).
The Documents & Pictures folders are very important.
Should I put them on the new C: and back them up to another OR should I put them on another drive and then back them up to yet a 3rd drive?

Also, I'm a big gamer so I have Steam, Origin, Epic, Amazon, GOG Galaxy platforms etc and all of their associated games to think about. I'm assuming I should put those on a drive other than the new C: thoughts?

I know it's a lot of asking on my part. This is what I find overwhelming to organize.

On top of organization of drives, programs, games onto what drive, I also want to consider once I get the system set up just right, what can I do to make it very easy to put the PC back to that perfect state if something bad happens. gah!

 

[Lafong]

First of all, thank you for the answer. You've answered questions from me in the past. It's always appreciated.

On my C: drive currently(old PC) I have Win10 OS, Documents(13.5 GB) & Pictures(141GB).
The Documents & Pictures folders are very important.
Should I put them on the new C: and back them up to another OR should I put them on another drive and then back them up to yet a 3rd drive?

Also, I'm a big gamer so I have Steam, Origin, Epic, Amazon, GOG Galaxy platforms etc and all of their associated games to think about. I'm assuming I should put those on a drive other than the new C: thoughts?

I know it's a lot of asking on my part. This is what I find overwhelming to organize.

On top of organization of drives, programs, games onto what drive, I also want to consider once I get the system set up just right, what can I do to make it very easy to put the PC back to that perfect state if something bad happens. gah!

Re your last paragraph; the standard method would be "imaging"....it's a large subject, but most here would tell you to use Macrium Reflect. It creates image files that represent whatever partitions you want to include. The entire partition....everything on it. The image file is later "restored" in the event of a drive failure or bad situation of any kind. Run this anywhere from daily to monthly, depending on how rapidly your system changes. Save the image file on a totally different drive; probably external.

You could also back up your 155 GB of pictures and documents through an ordinary "file by file" program that would work like a drag and drop....without imaging. Probably run that backup at least once a day.

Whether or not to put pictures and documents on the same drive as the C partition is mostly a matter of choice. I don't do that. Many do.

 

[USAFRet]

First of all, thank you for the answer. You've answered questions from me in the past. It's always appreciated.

On my C: drive currently(old PC) I have Win10 OS, Documents(13.5 GB) & Pictures(141GB).
The Documents & Pictures folders are very important.
Should I put them on the new C: and back them up to another OR should I put them on another drive and then back them up to yet a 3rd drive?

Also, I'm a big gamer so I have Steam, Origin, Epic, Amazon, GOG Galaxy platforms etc and all of their associated games to think about. I'm assuming I should put those on a drive other than the new C: thoughts?

I know it's a lot of asking on my part. This is what I find overwhelming to organize.

On top of organization of drives, programs, games onto what drive, I also want to consider once I get the system set up just right, what can I do to make it very easy to put the PC back to that perfect state if something bad happens. gah!

Don't relocate the Libraries (Documents/Pictures/etc) to some other drive.
It just makes a mess.

You CAN use other drives and folders for those files, but don't move the libs.
I do this. The H drive is for all photo work
The E for CAD
The I for games and random junk.
etc...

For backup and imaging, I use Macrium Reflect.
You can set up a schedule and procedure as simple or as complex as you want.

What is your backup situation at home?

What is your backup situation at home? And if you don't do that, why not? Every single day, I read multiple threads here of "How do I get my stuff back?" or "That drive had 5 years of photos of my kids!!" Be it a dead drive, dropped phone, virus, accidental deletion, formatting the wrong...

forums.tomshardware.com

With that, I can recover any individual drive, or the whole system, to any state it was in the last 30 days.
Or even retrieve a single file as needed. "The copy of my resume from last Tuesday".