Using 2 drives like an SSHD

[anthonymcgivern529]

I am building a gaming PC and am going to get an 2tb Firecuda SSHD and a 960 evo 250gb m.2. However, i realise I cannot store all of my games on the m.2 as it isn't enough space and atm I don't want to buy a 500gb m.2. So I was wondering if i could use them like an SSHD, where the main storage of the game is on the hard drive but the .exes are on the m.2. Assuming I change the game shortcuts to say the .exe is on the m.2, will it increase the loading speed or will it not work at all?

Note: Only getting the SSHD for faster times on things such as Google Chrome, Word etc.

 

[TheDuckMan343]

I dont think it works like that. Use the M.2 to put your OS on for almost instantaneous boot times and use the 2TB for a Steam Library. Shortcuts only work as they say they are, its tells the computer that you are trying to boot this executable by using saying 'where' it is, a shortcut.

Another option if you have an Intel chipset, with at least a Kaby Lake CPU (7th gen) and a Z270 I believe is an Intel Optane module. Which will remember what you use the most and store it permanently on it. It works similarly to RAM, but is Non-volatile; wont lose its files when power is lost. Im thinking of buying one since Im still booting off a HDD (These 30sec boot times make me sad)

 

[anthonymcgivern529]

I dont think it works like that. Use the M.2 to put your OS on for almost instantaneous boot times and use the 2TB for a Steam Library. Shortcuts only work as they say they are, its tells the computer that you are trying to boot this executable by using saying 'where' it is, a shortcut.

Another option if you have an Intel chipset, with at least a Kaby Lake CPU (7th gen) and a Z270 I believe is an Intel Optane module. Which will remember what you use the most and store it permanently on it. It works similarly to RAM, but is Non-volatile; wont lose its files when power is lost. Im thinking of buying one since Im still booting off a HDD (These 30sec boot times make me sad)

Ah so thats what the Optane is for. Well would you say its better to get a normal 2tb hard drive with optane memory and then use an m.2 for OS and if I want some games or frequently used apps ie Chrome. Or just get the SSHD and m.2 as well as optane memory?

UPDATE: My board is a z270e which has two m.2 2280 slots, one can support sata and PCIe while one supports only PCie mode

 

[TheDuckMan343]

I dont think it works like that. Use the M.2 to put your OS on for almost instantaneous boot times and use the 2TB for a Steam Library. Shortcuts only work as they say they are, its tells the computer that you are trying to boot this executable by using saying 'where' it is, a shortcut.

Another option if you have an Intel chipset, with at least a Kaby Lake CPU (7th gen) and a Z270 I believe is an Intel Optane module. Which will remember what you use the most and store it permanently on it. It works similarly to RAM, but is Non-volatile; wont lose its files when power is lost. Im thinking of buying one since Im still booting off a HDD (These 30sec boot times make me sad)

Ah so thats what the Optane is for. Well would you say its better to get a normal 2tb hard drive with optane memory and then use an m.2 for OS and if I want some games or frequently used apps ie Chrome. Or just get the SSHD and m.2 as well as optane memory?

UPDATE: My board is a z270e which has two m.2 2280 slots, one can support sata and PCIe while one supports only PCie mode

For now, get a smaller M.2 SSD for OS, and maybe a smallish SSD and a 1TB HDD for your steam library IF you can afford it

 

[anthonymcgivern529]

For now, get a smaller M.2 SSD for OS, and maybe a smallish SSD and a 1TB HDD for your steam library IF you can afford it

Yes but then I would run out of space on the SSD meaning some of the games would have to be on the HDD. Can I just get an m.2 for OS. Then get like a 2tb HDD and optane memory to make it like an SSHD. Cause I could afford to do that and I'd have more space.

 

[USAFRet]

For now, get a smaller M.2 SSD for OS, and maybe a smallish SSD and a 1TB HDD for your steam library IF you can afford it

Yes but then I would run out of space on the SSD meaning some of the games would have to be on the HDD. Can I just get an m.2 for OS. Then get like a 2tb HDD and optane memory to make it like an SSHD. Cause I could afford to do that and I'd have more space.

For the game drive, Optane is useless.

 

[anthonymcgivern529]

For now, get a smaller M.2 SSD for OS, and maybe a smallish SSD and a 1TB HDD for your steam library IF you can afford it

Yes but then I would run out of space on the SSD meaning some of the games would have to be on the HDD. Can I just get an m.2 for OS. Then get like a 2tb HDD and optane memory to make it like an SSHD. Cause I could afford to do that and I'd have more space.

For the game drive, Optane is useless.

why is it useless? surely having something like a 4tb hard drive with games and say 16gb of optane memory would make games or apps load faster. Then I just have an m.2 for OS.

I dont want to buy a large ssd and hdd, cause games on the hdd would load slower and i cant fit all the games on an ssd without getting a more expensive one.

 

[USAFRet]

why is it useless? surely having something like a 4tb hard drive with games and say 16gb of optane memory would make games or apps load faster. Then I just have an m.2 for OS.

I dont want to buy a large ssd and hdd, cause games on the hdd would load slower and i cant fit all the games on an ssd without getting a more expensive one.

Because the faster Optane space is small. It acts exactly like an SSHD, but a little bit faster.
Not ALL of the contents of the HDD are speeded up. Only that when eventually resides in the Optane space.
Play a different game, or go to a new level, that Optane cache space knows nothing about it yet. It reads off the HDD just as if the Optane did not exist.

Obviously, not everything can reside in that 16 or 32GB Optane space. So it must be read off the HDD.
Even a single game can consume up to 70GB.

If this were a database server, with a lot of I/O ops, and the main database engine residing in the Optane space...sure.
But different use cases and data use that drive space or SSD space or Optane space differently.

Because a thing exists does not mean it is good or effective for all applications.

Optane is where the SSD and SSHD concept was many years ago.
Small, expensive, and pushed out as a magical speed up for your HDD. Regular SSD price and size overtook that.

 

[anthonymcgivern529]

why is it useless? surely having something like a 4tb hard drive with games and say 16gb of optane memory would make games or apps load faster. Then I just have an m.2 for OS.

I dont want to buy a large ssd and hdd, cause games on the hdd would load slower and i cant fit all the games on an ssd without getting a more expensive one.

Because the faster Optane space is small. It acts exactly like an SSHD, but a little bit faster.
Not ALL of the contents of the HDD are speeded up. Only that when eventually resides in the Optane space.
Play a different game, or go to a new level, that Optane cache space knows nothing about it yet. It reads off the HDD just as if the Optane did not exist.

Obviously, not everything can reside in that 16 or 32GB Optane space. So it must be read off the HDD.
Even a single game can consume up to 70GB.

If this were a database server, with a lot of I/O ops, and the main database engine residing in the Optane space...sure.
But different use cases and data use that drive space or SSD space or Optane space differently.

Because a thing exists does not mean it is good or effective for all applications.

Optane is where the SSD and SSHD concept was many years ago.
Small, expensive, and pushed out as a magical speed up for your HDD. Regular SSD price and size overtook that.

I get that but you'd have to get an expensive ssd to store games that take up like you said, 70gb of space so most would just be going on the hdd where they load slower.

Would it just be best to get a 2tb or 4tb firecuda sshd with a 240gb m.2 for OS and some games? That way some apps load faster like chrome and after a while, frequently played games. Then less space requiring games can go on the m.2 and load fast?