Complete SSD newbie here - can you answer my questions?

Agonyworm

Honorable
Feb 21, 2013
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0
10,630
I'm building a brand new PC, which goes something like this:

PCPartPicker part list: http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/p/SOkN
Price breakdown by merchant: http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/p/SOkN/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/p/SOkN/benchmarks/

CPU: AMD FX-6300 3.5GHz 6-Core Processor (£84.95 @ Aria PC)
Motherboard: Asus M5A97 R2.0 ATX AM3+ Motherboard (£71.98 @ Dabs)
Memory: Patriot Intel Extreme Master, Limited Ed 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory (£36.23 @ Amazon UK)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 500GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (£37.56 @ Aria PC)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 650 Ti Boost 2GB Video Card (£141.78 @ Dabs)
Case: Zalman Z9 Plus ATX Mid Tower Case (£43.49 @ CCL Computers)
Power Supply: XFX ProSeries 450W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply (£36.18 @ Aria PC)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer (£11.66 @ Amazon UK)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) (£68.39 @ Aria PC)
Total: £532.22
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-04-28 12:53 BST+0100)


and I'm considering purchasing an SSD to stick my OS on and a few games. Can you guys answer my questions? I have no idea what I'm doing XD

1) Can I buy the above system now, and then purchase an SSD in a few months and transfer my OS over to the SSD? How easy is this?


2) Will a 60GB SSD hold Windows 7, Skyrim and Planetside 2 comfortably?


3) How do you go about setting up a system with an SSD?


4) Do motherboards affect SSD performance in any way?


5) What SSD would you recommend for me? I'm on a bit of a tight budget but don't want to skimp out



Thank you very much :)
 
Solution
1. Yes; very easy. That's not to say that it's a push of a button easy.

2. I would get at least 120GB. Windows 7 takes up about 20GB by itself. Then with upgrades + programs you want + games, it'll take up a lot of space. And you want to have at least 15% free space on the SSD at all times.

3. I don't understand.

4. It can.

5. Samsung 840 120GB.
1. Yes; very easy. That's not to say that it's a push of a button easy.

2. I would get at least 120GB. Windows 7 takes up about 20GB by itself. Then with upgrades + programs you want + games, it'll take up a lot of space. And you want to have at least 15% free space on the SSD at all times.

3. I don't understand.

4. It can.

5. Samsung 840 120GB.
 
Solution

landerx74

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Sep 7, 2008
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18,530




1) Can I buy the above system now, and then purchase an SSD in a few months and transfer my OS over to the SSD? How easy is this?

Hi!. Well you can surely transfer your OS over to an SSD and that is if your SSD manufacturer will provide you with migration software. For example, if you buy an Intel SSD they will let you download it from their website and give you detailed instructions. Now personally I would want to just have a fresh installation of Windows but if you don't want to go through the hassle of re-installing your software than you can definitely transfer your OS over if you have the software or if it will be supplied to you.

2) Will a 60GB SSD hold Windows 7, Skyrim and Planetside 2 comfortably?

The basic answer is NO. After you install Windows 7 and the above mentioned programs you will have like 5 gigs left. You should get at minimum a 128 Gig SSD.

3) How do you go about setting up a system with an SSD?

This is VERY SIMPLE. You can install an SSD really anywhere your connections can reach. It does not vibrate and it does not make any noise and it does not get hot.


4) Do motherboards affect SSD performance in any way?

To get the most benefit just be sure you get an SSD that supports a SATA III connection and that your motherboard has that connection as well. Also check your motherboard's BIOS and see if it supports AHCI mode. That mode will ensure all the TRIM functionality of the SSD will run smooth and that the SSD will run at it's peak efficiency. You will have to make sure AHCI is enabled before you install the OS.

5) What SSD would you recommend for me? I'm on a bit of a tight budget but don't want to skimp out

I prefer stability over anything else so I have always chosen Intel SSD's.



Good questions! Feel free to ask anything else!
 
1. There is cloning software bundled with some drives that makes moving an OS to a different drive fairly easy, but IMO its always best to go with a fresh install.
2. Nope, after formatting you will be left with ~52GB, then Windows will take another 20GB of that. You want a 120GB or larger SSD to comfortably fit Windows, programs and a few games and still have some capacity left over (SSD's perform best when they have some room left over).
3. Like you would with any HDD. Just once your in the OS make sure TRIM is enabled, tutorials on how to do this are common.
4. If the motherboard only has SATAII ports, yes it will limit the drives performance. However that board uses all SATAIII's, so your fine.
5. Samsung 840 120GB can be found for ~$100, which is pretty good value on a higher end drive.