Installing a SSD ?

tinsley6512

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Nov 26, 2009
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Hi guys, I changed out my motherboard , CPU. and memory over the weekend and
did a fresh install of Windows 7 and everything went well but my old Sata 1 HDD is
showing up in benchmarks as the weak link in my mostly new system. At first I ordered a new
2 TB HDD with good specs but after doing some more research I decided to cancel that order
and try installing my first SSD, so Ive ordered the Samsung 830 series 256 GB model. Ive watched a few install
videos but Im curious as to what I might need to do Now to help with adding a standard drive Later
for storage. I think I read that I need to make sure that my Sata controller is set to AHCI or something
but Im not clear on some other things. With only 50 GBs on my reformatted old HDD would I still be better off
doing a fresh install on the SSD ? Or would you just move the entire drive data over to the SSD. Also with a 256 GB
SSD would you still consider Intel SRT an option or just go with the SSD + HDD for storage only option.
I have most of my important stuff already Moved over to a 2 TB external Im running on my Home network
so Im not even sure I need to add more internal storage just yet but I hear these SSDs fill up pretty fast
with windows file Indexing and other stuff. Also will my older Slower HDD still hinder my system if I only you it
as a secondary drive. I want to get the best performance I can from my Upgrade/ hardware.

Im running a Gigabyte Z68 board a I5 2500K CPU and 8gigs of DDR3 1600 RAM. Case, PS, and Optical are left over from my
2008-2009 machine.

Also I do need to set my Clock speeds back to default right ? before I install the SSD.
 
Solution


Nothing, just plug them in.



Right. The recommended method is to set SATA to AHCI in bios, then do a fresh install of Win7 on the SSD.



SRT is aimed towards running the OS off a standard HDD and using a smaller-capacity (64GB or less, if I'm not mistaken) SSD as cache. You're better off running the SSD for your OS + software with plenty of overhead to spare. Just use...

pdxalex

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Apr 25, 2012
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Nothing, just plug them in.



Right. The recommended method is to set SATA to AHCI in bios, then do a fresh install of Win7 on the SSD.



SRT is aimed towards running the OS off a standard HDD and using a smaller-capacity (64GB or less, if I'm not mistaken) SSD as cache. You're better off running the SSD for your OS + software with plenty of overhead to spare. Just use your HDD as storage.



The SSDs don't fill up any quicker than HDDs. It's just that the larger SSDs are still somewhat cost-prohibitive for many users and most people opt for a 128GB model. In other words, many users may be moving from, say, a 500GB primary HDD to a 128GB SSD. As such, with "only" 128GB at your disposal you'll run out of space more quickly.

Indexing or the like isn't an issue, it's suggested to turn it off for the SSD anyway (there's a sticky around here somewhere with links on optimizing SSDs).



Nope.



I'm by no means expert on the matter, but that's the first I've heard of resetting the clock speeds. I don't overclock but don't see how they would have any adverse affect on SSD installation.
 
Solution
OK, that's a lot of questions, but here goes :)
- plug new ssd into existing system
- download ssd manufacturer's firmware updater and make sure you have latest (can't do it once OS is loaded)
- shut down, unplug hdd
- go into bios and set to AHCI
- install fresh OS on ssd
- run manufacturer's toolkit to optimize drive (if there is one for Samsung)
- run WEI in windows (further optimizes)
- if you turn off or sleep instead of hibernate, disable the hibernate function to save space
- no need to use indexing on the SSD - you are already at ludicrous speed
- run CrystalDiskMark to make sure your sequential read/write speeds are close to what is advertised for that ssd

If you're not using a lot of drive space I'd pass on the hdd and run pure ssd until you start running low.
 

tinsley6512

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Sorry about the 20 questions, Im at work and dont have alot of time to fire off my questions more logically, I appreciate your response.
One thing I saw about the samsung 830 series is it has some software wich helps you update the firmware from inside windows or the
program (Magician) helps you create the USB for that by automatically checking and downloading it for you. But I have no experience
with the program wich I think also has those (toolkit features) to optimize windows for the SSD.

I generally have my system running 24/7 with no shutdowns or sleep modes enabled, up until now I used my machine as a media
server and had my 750 GB drive full of those. I sent those to a 2 TB WD Element drive and have it hooked to my router wich has
USB storage support, I can send all my media and data files there but the process is a bit slower than Im used to. I think I was getting about
10MBs on it over my wireless home network when I moved some game files back to my system.

So Im good to go and dont have to change anything in windows other than Sleep/Hibernate ? (wich I dont use.)

Does the trim function work automatically or even apply in my case ?
Thanks.
 

rdzona

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great reply by pdxalex

Here's a guide, it's a little old, but still very relevant. You don't have to do them all, actually you don't "have to" do any of them.

http://thessdreview.com/ssd-guides/optimization-guides/the-ssd-optimization-guide-2/

 

tinsley6512

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Thanks for the Link !
 

X79 Rocks

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hi, you made a great choice with the Samsung 830 series SSD. They have excellent wear-leveling and garbage collection algorithms, along with great performance & reliability. Since you have 8gb of Ram, you may want to disable hibernation, which will free up 8gb on your SSD.

Just type cmd in search, open the command prompt (cmd.exe) and type: powercfg -H off

In standby mode, my PC draws 2 watts, so there is really no need for hibernation.

Also, disable , move, or reduce the size of your page file. (see advanced system settings)
That will free up more space and reduce wear.

You can get great performance from the I5 2500K. If you have not been there already,
you may wish to check out overclockers.com, lots of really good info there.