SSD for OS

[SirChick]

Hey

I want to have a SSD drive for my operating system most likely windows 8 as i'm told it has options specifically for SSD. I wondering is it as simple as selecting the drive to install it on like with HDD.

Also does the OS do alot of read/writes to the SSD effectively giving it a short lifespan ? I don't really know what the OS does alot of the time, but i imagine it does alot logs which SSDs have a limited amount of read/writes before they expire.

Also what capacity is going to be ideal taking into account future updates that windows tends to have in future.

[AETAaAS]

The read/writes to the primary drive can be greater than your storage drive but with most SSDs these days, you will happily outlive the warranty with normal usage, which in most cases is 3 years but can be 5 years with the higher grade drives like the Samsung 840 Pro.

Capacity is highly dependant on your use, for just Windows and basic programs, a 60GB SSD will do (I've used a 60GB Vertex 2 on my small laptop for a few years now with no problem). I also use a 128GB SSD on my larger laptop for Windows, programs and games and still have space to spare. The entry cost to SSD performance has dropped so much in recent years, it's almost a must-have for enthusiasts. And yes, installing Windows on a SSD is no different from mechanicals.

[SirChick]

Hmm 3 years isn't very long =/ if it inolves replacing it in 3 years i think i might wait a few years before i join the SSD world.

[AETAaAS]

I don't mean it will die just when 3 years are up, I meant the warranties are 3 or 5 years. It is extremely unlikely that something will go wrong during this period. Even when the warranty is up, in all probability you will have quite a while to go on your SSD.

Like your mechanical drives, which in the vast majority of cases long outlive their warranties. Like only last year when I finally retired a 40GB Fireball hard drive after god knows how long.

[SirChick]

How long do you think the average SSD lasts as the OS drive ?

[stevie lee]

SSDs can do 30GB per day for 10 years, so don't worry about that read/write for home use whatsoever.

you also need to turn ACHI mode on in the bios before installing, so the drive can be detected.

then just install windows normally.

theres firmware updates, TRIM software and other things that also need to be installed (I think they come on a disc with retail SSDs, or you download them from the manufacturer website)

they also don't like being nearly full, I think its within 20% of maximum, so with a 120gb don't go above 96gb, makes them wear out quicker due to the sector allocation/TRIM/speedy whizzy gubbins.

that's as much as I know. (from what i've read on hexus anyhow)

[SirChick]

SSDs can do 30GB per day for 10 years, so don't worry about that read/write for home use whatsoever.

you also need to turn ACHI mode on in the bios before installing, so the drive can be detected.

then just install windows normally.

theres firmware updates, TRIM software and other things that also need to be installed (I think they come on a disc with retail SSDs, or you download them from the manufacturer website)

they also don't like being nearly full, I think its within 20% of maximum, so with a 120gb don't go above 96gb, makes them wear out quicker due to the sector allocation/TRIM/speedy whizzy gubbins.

that's as much as I know. (from what i've read on hexus anyhow)

Okay thanks for the info

[TheDutyPaid]

I was reading up on this today. Just having the OS on a SSD will sure give you a faster boot time (tests I have seen 20 seconds faster) but if all the rest is on HDD then is there much point?

[tonkins]

Unless you have a lot of programs its pretty easy to put all programs/games on a 240/256gb ssd and all the films/music etc on a HDD. That speeds up program & level loading and boot times quite nicely. Even just putting the OS on an SSD speeds up program loading and makes the whole system more responsive as every program that loads makes a whole load of reads to the OS drive(registry,dlls etc I guess). Plus the boot time speed up thing is nice, gives me a happy feeling not to have to wait 30 seconds for the pc to be ready to do anything

[Reckonist]

PCIE SSD's are seem to be a lot faster than standard SATA SSD's. However I don't know if you can run an OS off a PCIE SSD.

[simonpreston]

I was reading up on this today. Just having the OS on a SSD will sure give you a faster boot time (tests I have seen 20 seconds faster) but if all the rest is on HDD then is there much point?

Of course there is. Overall system responsiveness is massively improved. And for me, that is SSD's main selling point than pure MB/s. Even an SSD with a mere 80MB/s throughput will feel like a breath of fresh air compared to a mechanical drive.

I hate using HDD based systems now. They feel so sluggish and having to wait around for the thing to be ready just so you can open a browser is a right pain.

[herulach]

SSDs can do 30GB per day for 10 years, so don't worry about that read/write for home use whatsoever.

you also need to turn ACHI mode on in the bios before installing, so the drive can be detected.

then just install windows normally.

theres firmware updates, TRIM software and other things that also need to be installed (I think they come on a disc with retail SSDs, or you download them from the manufacturer website)

they also don't like being nearly full, I think its within 20% of maximum, so with a 120gb don't go above 96gb, makes them wear out quicker due to the sector allocation/TRIM/speedy whizzy gubbins.

that's as much as I know. (from what i've read on hexus anyhow)

Assuming you are using windows 8 then you want to make sure its installed from a GPT disk so it does so in full UEFI mode, otherwise you don't get the full advantage of the windows 8 fastboot tech. You'll need a compatible video bios as well.