Thinking about moving Windows to a new SSD/grabbing a new HDD?

[Verodoxys]

Currently, I'm using a WD Caviar Black 500GB HDD. I'd love to have more space for my programs what-not, but I'm not sure what the best way to go would be.

Right now, I'm thinking about taking the opportunity Cyber Monday gives me and grabbing a new SSD to put Windows 8.1 and a few other frequently used programs onto, while also getting a 1TB HDD for mass storage of things I use less often. Would this be possible/a good idea?

Also, if anyone could recommend either an SSD or a new 1TB HDD for me, that would be awesome!

 

[someone755]

Know what you want from your system.
If you want speed, go for an SSD. If you want more storage space (100s of GBs), get an HDD.
If you want both, get both. Whatever fits your needs and your budget.

If you opt for an SSD, I'd highly recommend you do a fresh OS install. It's not a must, but you may introduce new problems or system slowdowns with just copying it all over. If you don't opt for a fresh install, make sure you're using software capable of doing all the backup.

As far as I'm aware, Samsung's SSDs have the best bang-for-buck ratio, but you may want to go for something else -- perhaps you're on a tight budget or you have all the money in the world and just want to get the best performance possible. Intel's gaming SSDs, for example, are very good performers. If you want to get something cheap, look at older models -- Kingston has them in all sizes and their old lines are getting discounts everywhere, and when Crucial introduced their newest line of SSDs, the "old" models' price plummeted (halved, even, in some cases!).

As for the HDD, pick whatever brand you trust. For most people, that'd be a WD Black. Though again, if you're not on a budget, there are SSD/HDD hybrids you might want to look into.

If on a budget and if you have a motherboard that supports Intel's caching technology, get a cheap 1TB HDD and a small (max. 60GB) SSD, then run them together -- almost all the speed of an SSD with all the capacity of an HDD.