single SSD or SSD & HDD for new build

[salforal]

Good day, all.

I am looking to buy a new PC which will only be used for browsing, simple documents, music download/playback and occasional video streaming, all under Windows 10.

I'm uncertain what storage configuration to use. My two trains of thought are 1) a small SSD (128/256gb) for the OS with an HDD for storage and 2) a single, suitably sized SSD for OS & data.

For reference my current set up is 5-6 years old under Windows 7 and I have a single 512Gb HDD (OS & data) that still has 200Gb free.

Thanks in advance.

 

[Boogieman_WD]

Hey there, salforal. Welcome to the community! 😀

Basically the SSD + HDD combo is one of the best storage setups for new builds. On the other hand, the intended use doesn't seem to require quite a lot of storage capacity, so in your case both options are viable.
In my opinion 2 drives are always better than one. This way if you have an issue with either of them (God forbid), you'd still have another one available (so you'll either get to keep your data intact or be able to boot to Windows without a hitch, depending on the problematic drive). I know that those are a bit gruesome thoughts, but you know how it is - "prepare for the worst and hope for the best". Speaking of which - always backup your most important data, which you can't afford to lose.

So the bottom line is this - I'd recommend a small SSD + a larger HDD, but in the end it all comes down to personal preference and budget.

Hope that helps. Please let me know if you have any questions.
Boogieman_WD

 

[salforal]

Thank you, Boogieman_WD, much appreciated. If I go for #2 (single, suitably sized SDD), given the type of simple usage I undertake, are there any potential caveats, e.g. SSDs maybe not best-suited for infrequent, relatively small writes (once I have all my existing data loaded) and frequent small reads such as playing music?

 

[Boogieman_WD]

Well, you should be OK, but I really don't think there is a need for a second SSD if you're going to use it mostly for media files. You won't benefit much from its speed and thus I'd suggest an HDD if you're going for a secondary drive. Other than that, you should have no problem with using an SSD a secondary drive (as you've described above) if you decide to go with that option.

 

[salforal]

Thanks again but apologies if I didn't make myself clear and it will be my fault! My question re caveats for using SSDs re infrequent writes and regular reads of small media files concerned the option of having one SSD only, i.e. OS and data on the same drive.

 

[Boogieman_WD]

No worries mate, it's not your fault at all. Perhaps we both misunderstood each-other. Either way, I'd say, no, there shouldn't be any issues by using a single SSD for that purpose. The reads won't bother it at all and the same goes for the infrequent writes. People tend to scare a little bit when they hear that SSDs have a limit on how much data can be written on them, but that's actually quite a lot and you should use it for years with loads of data which you write each day in order for you to reach that limit. Basically you should be able to use that SSD with that type of usage for a long long time if it's healthy.
You might want to check out those tips on maintaining an SSD: https://www.maketecheasier.com/12-things-you-must-do-when-running-a-solid-state-drive-in-windows-7/. Even though it says Win 7, those suggestions are still viable for the newer versions of Windows as well. If you don't want to do all of them, just make sure that you enable TRIM and set the sata mode to AHCI. And no defragmentation for the SSD.

Cheers!

 

[salforal]

Many thanks, BM. Much obliged.

 

[Boogieman_WD]

Sure thing! Don't hesitate to ask if anything else comes up! 😉