Some beginner questions for new SSD (Samsung 840 Pro 256 GB)

[edne]

Hey,

I bought an internal SSD (Samsung 840 Pro 256 GB) for my Desktop PC and plan on using it as my primary drive, and my old internal HDD for storage purposes (videos, etc.). I have a few questions before I do that.

I am using Win 7 Pro 64 bit and have an Asrock Z77 Pro3 Sockel 1155 (ATX, 4x DDR3, HDMI, 2x SATA III, 4x USB 3.0) mainboard in case that's relevant.

1.) Do I need to do any form of error checking before I use the SSD?

2.) Is this procedure correct: After backing up my data from the HDD, I format it and unplug it. Then I plug in the SSD and install Win 7 from the recovery disc. Before I install it though, I have to go in the BIOS and activate AHCI. I'm not sure if that's all correct. Note: I don't want to migrate my current data because there's so much garbage on the disc.

3.) Will Windows automatically optimise itself for SSD use, or do I have to turn off indexing, defragmentation etc. manually?

4.) I plan on installing all my programs and games to the SSD. Should I be worried about that? Will for example installing Dota 2 and frequently playing it, or the browser cache or something wear out the disc / use too many read/write cycles?

5.) What, if anything, should I avoid doing in order to not use too many cycles, causing the drive to die sooner? Is that a real concern?

6.) What do you reckon will be the lifespan of the SSD? I read Samsung SSDs are of quite high quality, so... 2-4 years?

I hope you can answer my questions. Thank you so much!

 

[2x4b]

1) No, you do not need to do any sort of error checking.
2) a) the BIOS may automatically change. b) If you are going to install Win7, then you will need the Win 7 Install disk. The recovery disk will only work if you have recovery points to work from.
3) Yes, Windows will automatically adjust itself for a SSD optimization.
4) The SSD's firmware will automatically distribute the data so as to maximize the life of the device. You don't need to worry about it.
5) Just use the system as you want and need to. There is nothing that you need to do sustain the SSD's life. It will likely that the system as a whole will be obsolete long before the drive approaches the end of its life-cycle.
6) See 5

 

[thx1138v2]

Take a look at these articles on SSD's.

http://www.extremetech.com/computing/173887-ssd-stress-testing-finds-intel-might-be-the-only-reliable-drive-manufacturer

http://www.extremetech.com/computing/169124-the-mysteriously-disappearing-drive-are-power-outages-killing-your-ssds

 

[edne]

Thank you! It really reassured me!

 

[JohnnyLucky]

I have a suggestion. Just unplug your hard disk drive. Do not do anything to it. Temporarily leave it alone in case something goes wrong with the installation process. Once you are satisfied that your new ssd is working you can make changes to the old hard disk drive.