SSD size for OS and more?

Discussion in 'Hardware Building/Buying/Usage Advice' started by Alex72, Nov 20, 2018.

  1. Alex72

    Alex72 Registered

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    Hi guys,

    I am waiting to get one part and about to put my new PC together next week, but i am wondering about my Win OS drive if 120GB is enough? The reason i wonder is because i can see on my current old PC that Windows + USERS folder (documents & settings etc) takes up about 30-40GB but i dont know where Nvidia put their shader cache? I would expect its in the USERS folder somewhere? I remember these shaders going up to 10's of GB's at times depending on the game which is why i worry. Not to talk about that Windows is being updated all the time along with Nvidia drivers and everything else that is always placed in the USERS drive.

    Is 120GB really enough as a OS drive?

    Cheers.
     
  2. Rastas

    Rastas Registered

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    I have it,Windows 10 Pro full updated,still 57,1G free,around 30€ here in Portugal,its a Kingston :),but bigger is better :D
     
  3. mesfigas

    mesfigas Registered

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    52 euros for a samsung evo 250 giga mate
    why ask for 120 giga when 500 cost like 80 euros ?
    most of ppl have like 20 steam games
    you can put some of them on ssd and increase loading times
     
  4. SmellySkidmark

    SmellySkidmark Registered

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    IF and that's a big if you can afford it, get a NVME ssd.
    I just got a 512gig Samsung 970 pro, wow it's fast. ($240au)
    Do your research before you buy, it really does pay off in the long run.

    SS
     
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  5. Mark Fuller

    Mark Fuller Registered

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    I use two SSD's. One for the OS and the other for Steam [have 'moved' the location of the Steam folder to the separate SSD]. Fast and works well.
     
  6. Lazza

    Lazza Registered

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    240 minimum for a single drive. Don't go 120. Just don't do it to yourself.

    480 is a nice buffer, but not essential.
     
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  7. Alex72

    Alex72 Registered

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    My budget is tight now and my main ssd is a 500GB stick. Fast one. The other 120gb is slower but very cheap and around 600mb/s read/write. I hoped that would be an ok OS drive but i got second thoughts on the cache nvidia creates for games. If i had tons of cash then i would buy biggee and faster. Going from 1xhdd with everything on it to 1x120gb 600mb/s for OS and 1x500gb ~3200mb/s for programs i thought could be nice. I had a similar rig before but i think that ssd was bigger for the OS so thats why i got a little worried.

    Btw then there is the page file and stuff... damn it. Might have to squeeze the cash real tight lol.
     
  8. Alex72

    Alex72 Registered

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    Because every penny was squeezed to get all parts at once. The 120 waz ONLY for Windows. The other ssd is expensive 500GB and much faster. I will get a third ssd later to fit more stuff but right now to get it up and running this is what i could do. I will check if there is a 250gb that isnt too expensive. The 120gb is good and i thought better maybe to have smaller size for win but fast and good qual instead of bigger slower cheap drive. That was my reasoning. If i had more cash i would not even ask this question obviously, lol. :D
     
  9. Lazza

    Lazza Registered

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    @Alex72 I don't know how many games you have and how big they are, but you're spreading yourself very thin if you often play games you need 500 gigs to fit. Even a large chunk of many game files don't need to be on SSD, a HDD does just as good as job and is much cheaper.

    The nVidia shader cache is in ProgramData\NVidia Corporate\NV_Cache. From what I'm reading it's quite limited - some people even want an option to disable its limit because it causes stutters when they change games and it recompiles them...
     
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  10. mesfigas

    mesfigas Registered

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    @Alex72 if money is issue the yes go for 120 but remember you ll need 30 giga of 120 that you are not gonna use because the ssd need to use them to go fast that mean from 120 giga only 90 giga left for operating system and programs
    i suggest try find 52 euros and ONLY then buy the ssd or else you probably regret buying it at the future.
     
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  11. Lazza

    Lazza Registered

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    @Alex72 Reading all that again, just use the 500. Don't bother with the one just for windows. You want it on a fast drive anyway.
     
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  12. patchedupdemon

    patchedupdemon Registered

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    I have a 256 gb ssd, and a 1tb hdd, ssd has os and a few drivers on there, while all my games are on hdd, I currently have over 150gb free on the ssd.

    I only really play rf2, warthunder, and squad, I could probably fit those on my ssd but honestly I’m not fussed about game loading times, I much rather windows boots and performs as fast as it can.
    I’m probably doing t backwards regarding the games on my hdd, and could have got away with a 120gb ssd but hey, why break a trend lol
     
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  13. mesfigas

    mesfigas Registered

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    i do exact the same as patchedupdemon and i found out that from a 250 giga ssd i have 140 giga free
    only no mans sky is installed on ssd (15 giga installation)
    all rest of the games are on HDD
     
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  14. Alex72

    Alex72 Registered

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    Just thought win operating freely at the same time is nice. My last pc i had that and it was so fast it behaved like a console lol. Press button, bam, windows loaded. :D I do have my hdd 1tb as well but was gonna use it for everything else like fast loading games, progs, movies etc. 500gb is gonna be filled very fast. Rf2 is like 40-50gb. AMS almost same. New dirt rally (if good) another 40gb. Progs, arma 3... i guess i will have to put more stuff on my hdd until i can buy another 500gb ssd and move stuff over and eventually have a 500gb for os and drivers. Cheers mate, ill do that. :)
     
  15. DrivingFast

    DrivingFast Registered

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    I recommend a 500 GB SSD for a PC dedicated to rF2, and for people using multiple sim, 750 GB.

    My PC only has rF2 installed (a lot of content), automobilista and Assetto Corsa (which I will hasten to delete), and I only have 140 GO out of a total of 500. So I suggest a SSD of 500 GB for a PC dedicated to rF2.
     
  16. ADSTA

    ADSTA Registered

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    @Alex72 Anyone correct me if I'm wrong but if you're tight for ssd space then movies, music and pictures would be fine on a hdd.
     
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  17. Alex72

    Alex72 Registered

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    Yes i will have all that on my 1TB HDD. :)

    Something wonderful JUST happened, LOL! The 500GB SSD just now a minute ago went on a price cut drive because they are selling so many of them and they cut them almost half price which means i just ordered 2 of them. :D

    Now i need the best cooling paste. Looking at Grizzly liquid metal but i think i'll go with the mid version that is a little bit more pastey. Liquid metal can become messy and im not gonna OC like mad. At least not now.

    Thermal Grizzly Kryonaut, Hydronaut or Aeronaut. The first two are more for overclocking. Not sure if the natural turbo that kicks in counts as OC at all?
     
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  18. mesfigas

    mesfigas Registered

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    @Alex72 always remember to unload the static electricity from you "before" placing parts inside tower.
     
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  19. Alex72

    Alex72 Registered

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    Yep. Built PC's since the 90's and im even educated on matter. :) Never had a static issue through hundreds of builds. Just touch the radiator (heater thingy) in the home since its connected to the grounding/anti-lightning system through the house and it remove any charge from you hehe.
     
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  20. Lazza

    Lazza Registered

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    You just need to touch the PC, at first and then occasionally. You don't need to be properly earthed at any time, just not holding any excess static charge. (I have a mental image of you going across to touch the radiator, then walking back across carpet in your socks to do your PC build - which obviously you don't do or you would have killed something by now, but still...)

    Don't fret about thermal paste. Decent paste is decent enough. Unless there's some unbiased testing that shows a marked difference, but any tests I've seen of the usual ones has barely a degree or two of difference.
     
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