I currently have a computer that I use primarily for online gaming and storing personal data. After installing a new motherboard and not appreciating that with Vista I was going to need to format my HDD, I'm looking forward to a lengthy data transfer after work today. Since I upgrade my computers relatively often and since I don't want to go through this again, I'm thinking about installing a second HDD into both of my desktops.
I'm curious if it would be possible and in my interest to set my computers up like so:
Drive 1 (HDD 1 - Master drive): C:\ <--- Operating system, drivers, programs that require OS drive for install
Drive 2 (HDD 2 - Slave drive): E:\ <--- All data, programs that don't require OS drive for install
Drive 3 : D:\ <--- DVD-R drive
Drive 4 (USB attached drive): F:\ <--- Portable drive
My thinking is that if I did this then if I ever have an OS issue again the wipe and repair should be relatively fast since all data will be on E.
If I were to do this though, in order to keep my computer running smoothly (especially when running games) how fast of a hard-drive would I want for the OS drive? Would a 7200 RPM drive work or do I need to move up to a 10000 or 15000 RPM drive? What sort of cache size would I want? Also, while the Vista OS isn't a very large package, I imagine the data begins to add up with drivers and other necessary system files, so, how much storage space would I need?
Thanks for any assistance. =)
I'm curious if it would be possible and in my interest to set my computers up like so:
Drive 1 (HDD 1 - Master drive): C:\ <--- Operating system, drivers, programs that require OS drive for install
Drive 2 (HDD 2 - Slave drive): E:\ <--- All data, programs that don't require OS drive for install
Drive 3 : D:\ <--- DVD-R drive
Drive 4 (USB attached drive): F:\ <--- Portable drive
My thinking is that if I did this then if I ever have an OS issue again the wipe and repair should be relatively fast since all data will be on E.
If I were to do this though, in order to keep my computer running smoothly (especially when running games) how fast of a hard-drive would I want for the OS drive? Would a 7200 RPM drive work or do I need to move up to a 10000 or 15000 RPM drive? What sort of cache size would I want? Also, while the Vista OS isn't a very large package, I imagine the data begins to add up with drivers and other necessary system files, so, how much storage space would I need?
Thanks for any assistance. =)