Transferring partly to a new SSD

[kajabla]

Hey all,
I'm thinking of getting hold of a ~64gb SSD this winter and using it as a boot/program drive. I have two questions:
1. How do I choose? I've heard good things about the Crucial M4, but I don't really know the competition.

2.More importantly: How can I do a neat, selective transfer from my HDD? I'd like to move my OS and everything that it needs over.
If there's no particularly easy way to do this, I could probably pick out the things I *don't* plan to transfer and get down to a small enough chunk of everything else to fit on the SSD.
Can I just copy everything on the HDD, minus stuff like music, over to the SSD without doing a clean install? I'd like to avoid that, just to save time building up a personalized system again and installing apps and such.

 

[JohnnyLucky]

Right now the Crucial M4 is a very popular ssd. The firmware has been updated and the ssd performs well.

A fresh install of Windows 7 and software applications is preferred. Over time Windows accumulates a lot of extra items. Sometimes the extra items become obsolete and are no longer necessary. You wind up with what we used to call a "bloated pig".

There are software utilities which can be used to clone data from a hard disk to an ssd. However, results are sometimes a little bit off. Acronis is one of several companies that makes cloning software. Some retail versions of ssd's come with their own cloning software. For example, Samsung ssd's now come with Norton Ghost.

What brand and model motherboard do you have? Does it support SATA 3 6Gb/s ssd's?

 

[kajabla]

Bloat is the opposite of my issue in this instance. This build is only a few months old, and I've accumulated my settings and the programs I want without building up that much extra junk.
I've got a Gigabyte GA-880GMA-UD2H (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128445), and it does have SATA III.
That cloning software is what I'm interested in. I currently have around 190gb on the HDD, and I'd like to clone either selectively or exclusively, either getting only what I want or excluding significant non-SSD-suitable data hogs.
Do you think Photoshop will benefit from being on the SSD?

 

[ras49]

Any program will benefit from moving from an hdd to an ssd, it's just what programs you prefer and which programs work well enough on the hdd to not waste ssd storage.

 

[kajabla]

It seems that the software that Crucial includes with their transfer kit drives can deselect, actually. Nice.
Yes, everything will benefit. I'm wondering if it's one of those that won't be a waste, as you say.

 

[JackNaylorPE]

Over the last cupla years I prolly built 40 machines with a 64 GB C:\ Drive ..... well over half have come back asking me to repartition. Unless you are adept at removing Patch Tuesday undo files, moving default file locations and user data, locating your mail folder on other drives, don't use large programs (i.e Adobe, AutoCAD, etc) that insist on putting a "common files" directory on C:\ no matter where ya put the program, ya may find yaself short on space.

I'd suggest a fresh install and I'd also suggest a 120 Gigger

 

[kajabla]

I'm certainly no SSD expert.
128gb is probably doable.
Wait, won't the SSD be C: if it's my new boot drive? (I've picked up a lot of Windows in the last few months, but I still know a lot more about hardware and Macs than I do about it.) Why would Photoshop be a problem?
I know a fresh install would be nice, but I'd like to get away without one.

 

[kajabla]

Best answer selected by kajabla.