VMs -- on SSD with OS, or on separate drive (HDD)?

[shmu26]

host: windows 10 pro x64, on SSD
i-5 6500
8 gb ram

guests:
windows xp x86
windows 7 x86
xubuntu x86

I use VMs mainly for light apps, with an occasional burst of CPU activity when I am using a search tool.
Is it better to keep the VMs on my SSD in a separate partition, or should I put them on a separate disk, which in my case would be a HDD?

 

[shmu26]

thanks.
I use a separate partition because of my backup program (Macrium reflect).
I make system images in incremental backups, and every time there is a little change in a VM, it is a big change in the backup. So I keep them out of the way on a separate partition.

 

[USAFRet]

I have mine on another drive, but that is also an SSD.

How large is your SSD, and how full is it without the VM's?

 

[shmu26]

I have 250 gb.
without the VMs it is well less than half full

 

[USAFRet]

I have 250 gb.
without the VMs it is well less than half full

Depending on what space you designate for each, that leftover ~120GB may not be enough. Or it might be.
But having it on the other SSD is pretty good. My LinuxMint VM goes from OFF to fully usable in about 11 secs.

 

[shmu26]

my VMs are small, I have plenty of space on the SSD even with them.

but I only have 1 SSD.

the choice is whether to ship them out to a separate HDD, or let them share the SSD with the OS.

 

[USAFRet]

my VMs are small, I have plenty of space on the SSD even with them.

but I only have 1 SSD.

the choice is whether to ship them out to a separate HDD, or let them share the SSD with the OS.

Either works. Just remember to leave sufficient free space on that SSD.
And I wouldn't bother with a whole other partition.
Just put them in one top level folder.

Except for a different drive letter, partitions are kind of useless on an SSD. Unlike a spinning drive, there is no real physical division with different partitions. It is just a logical division, that it shows to you, the user.
The SSD firmware puts the bits where it pleases.