Reinstalling W7 on a SSD

[wrenaudrey]

I have a Samsung 830 128GB with a W7 on it. Ive recently bought a motherboard and cpu upgrade and want to use this SSD as the boot drive.

Should i just insert the W7 disc and get to the bit where you choose what drive to put the OS on and format it there?
OR
Shall i quick-format it using another computer?- you know, right click, format, quick format...
OR
Shall i use the Erase Disc that is included in the Magic Tools that this SSD came with? If you do recommend me using this method then would i need to plug the SSD into another computer, install magic tools on it and erase the disc from this computer or what?

Hoping you could help me ASAP, wanna finish this build and get back to gaming
Thanks in advanced.

 

[geofelt]

Plan A) Install the SSD in the pc with the new motherboard and cpu. Try to boot from it. Odds are good that you will boot successfully. Then use the cd that came with the motherboard and update the chipset drivers. ... done!

Plan B) Boot from the dvd, and try to do a repair install.

Plan C) Do a clean install. Boot from the dvd and tell it to erase and reuse the ssd.

 

[Dereck47]

Should i just insert the W7 disc and get to the bit where you choose what drive to put the OS on and format it there?

Yes, that will work.

OR
Shall i quick-format it using another computer?- you know, right click, format, quick format...

Yes, that will work.

OR
Shall i use the Erase Disc that is included in the Magic Tools that this SSD came with? If you do recommend me using this method then would i need to plug the SSD into another computer, install magic tools on it and erase the disc from this computer or what?

Yes, that will work.

All 3 methods are ok. The 1st method is the fastest. Just select your current partition and Windows will delete it (and all data) and begin installation.

The last method will restore your drive to fresh-out-of-the-box condition.

 

[wrenaudrey]

By just quick formatting or letting W7 format the drive, will there be a performance drop?
And am i right to say that using the Erase Disc from Samsung Magic Tool will bring it back to its previous performance, when it was just freshly opened?

 

[Dereck47]

Let Windows automatically format the drive during installation. You should never have to format a drive unless you're using it as a secondary drive. And if you forma a SSD it should be a Quick format, not a Full format.

Yes, when you Secure Erase any SSD it restores its performance to freshly opened.

 

[wrenaudrey]

but if i dont Secure Erase the drive, and do a quick-format instead, will it restore its performance to a freshly opened one?

 

[Dereck47]

No, it won't. How long have you had your drive? If you've only had it a few months then just install Windows without manually formatting or secure erasing the drive.

 

[wrenaudrey]

ive had it for 2months. just recently bought the new components as i was bottlenecking my graphics card.

is it good to periodically secure erase a ssd or totally bad idea? if it is good, at like what intervals?

 

[Dereck47]

Once or twice a year is ok. You haven't used your drive enough to need to Secure Erase it.

Samsung 830s are good drives and don't lose Read/Write performance that easily.

 

[geofelt]

ive had it for 2months. just recently bought the new components as i was bottlenecking my graphics card.

is it good to periodically secure erase a ssd or totally bad idea? if it is good, at like what intervals?

I am in the totally bad camp. If a drive has sufficient free space(15%?), it will reclaim and balance the writes without needing your intervention. Just use it and enjoy the speed.

 

[wrenaudrey]

Best answer selected by wrenaudrey.