Can someone explain how having two SSD’s works ?
Posted by Full-Local2933@reddit | buildapc | View on Reddit | 15 comments
I bought a wrong SSD for my new pc build so i ordered the correct one as well , but i read online that you can have two SSD’s , so im not sure yet if i should return it.
I will use the new PC for gaming and for work so having two SSD’s could come in handy.
So the SSD’s are : Samsung 990 evo 2TB and the other one is samsung 990 PRO 1TB.
The motherboard i have is : Asus rog strix x870-F gaming
Which one should i use for gaming / work stuff ( photoshop , premiere pro ), and how does it work regarding booting up to the correct one ?
abalrogsbutthole@reddit
when you install the drives and boot your PC you’ll get the option to choose which drive you want to load your operating system to, I would recommend the 1TB for the boot drive (you will still be able to use the unused space in this drive after). Your PC will name the first drive C: the second D: (third would be E:). After the install of the operating system and you boot up to your home screen you can see these drives under your file explorer as well as how much remaining space is left on each drive. Just like when you loaded your operating system, when you go to install any software like your adobe and games you’ll be given the option to choose which drive you want to install too. I would recommend the 2TB drive as these installs will take the largest amount of space. hope it helps!
BigMateyClaws@reddit
Hello 👋 I threw a second ssd into my pc but it didn’t give me an option for where to download things. I moved my downloads folder folder and location to the new drive but it never gives me options and I physically can’t move the download folder back to the first drive, it won’t let me.
Would you recommend clearing both drives and starting fresh?
abalrogsbutthole@reddit
Good work on installing the second drive. You will need to go into your bios to make sure the drive is recognized by your computer. You can get into your bios when you restart your computer by hitting F4 or delete. You should watch a video or two on youtube on how to install and format a drive. It’s not hard at all, just take about 15-20 minutes to do then you are good to go! Keep in mind when you format a drive it will wipe everything on that drive. I will say it again. When you format a drive, it will erase everything on that drive. It’s not a problem since it’s new, but if you say your downloads folder won’t go back it’s possible that will get deleted. not a problem, you can always make a new downloads folder. good luck!
also… make a new thread so ppl can see your post. this post is quite old so most people will miss it
Full-Local2933@reddit (OP)
Ohh so i just put the OS on the faster one and then download stuff on the other SSD ?
So if i download games on the 2TB SSD how does it work regarding the read/write speeds , does the PC always use the SSD speeds where the operating system is installed or does it use the speed of the SSD which the program is installed on ?
DigitalDecades@reddit
They're two separate devices. Whatever you put on one SSD will be physically read/written to that drive at the speeds it's capable of, the stuff on the other drive will be read/written at the speeds that one is capable of.
That said in practice you wouldn't really notice the difference between the 990 Pro and 990 Evo. The SSD speed is rarely the bottleneck unless you use them for some particularly I/O heavy workload.
Full-Local2933@reddit (OP)
Okay i understand now , guess i will just keep both of the SSD’s . I will install COD on the 990 pro as i read that it can increase gaming performance , and use the 990 evo for work stuff.
Thanks to everyone for the help !
dj-soandso@reddit
Add a second SSD , create partition
sharia1919@reddit
So as I understand the 2 storage device advocates always say that one of the main points of having 2 devices is that you can perform easier clean-up on the system drive.
So if you need to, you can Uninstall and reinstall windows and the machine will be faster.
Personally, I am simply too lazy to do this. My last machine was around 10 years without a reinstall, and the windows part was not the reason for my upgrading to a new machine. But obviously YMMV.
Back in the day, when there was a very big difference in the price on fast HDDs and slow HDDs, it was also advised to have 2 HDDs. That way you could have a smaller main drive that was fast. Then you would have a faster boot time, and all system buffering and swap files (and so on) could be located on the fast main drive. Then you would have a larger and slower secondary storage that was significantly cheaper pr Gb. You could also simply upgrade your total storage by putting in a third or fourth drive.
But recently, the way games are working, you don't really use those swap files as much. Most games load assets directly from the storage and so on. So you see the newer games requiring you to have SSD storage in order to run the games (starfiels and BG3 and so on).
So to be honest I don't see the big idea in having 2 different drives. You need a fast main drive for your OS, but you ALSO need a fast drive for the games.
failaip13@reddit
990 PRO is faster so I'd use that one for windows and work apps, and other one for games and all other stuff.
You just have to install windows to the correct one.
Full-Local2933@reddit (OP)
Do i have to install windows on both SSD’s ?
If not , how and where do i choose which SSD is for what
DigitalDecades@reddit
You can choose which drive to install Windows on during setup.
If you're unsure, you have only the 990 Pro connected while you install Windows, and then switch the system off and install the Evo alongside it when you're done. That way you'll be 100% sure the OS, bootloader etc. are on the correct drive.
DarkFather24601@reddit
No mate. You just need one SSD that has the Operating System on and then you utilize whichever driver you prefer most for specific things when you install your games or utility programs location to operate from.
MrKrueger666@reddit
No, you only need to install windows on the SSD where you want it.
The second SSD can be given a partition through the drive mamagement in Windows. The partition gets a letter (just like Windows is usually installed on C: ), and when installing software, you usually get the question where to install. Just change the letter to the one of the second SSD, and it will install there.
failaip13@reddit
You install windows on only 1 SSD, you chose which one at the start of windows installation.
Most programs have installers and in installers you can choose where they will install, by default it will almost always be set to the SSD with windows installed.
For games you choose where to install them when you choose to start downloading the game.
Searexpro@reddit
The 990 Pro has faster read/write speeds, so I would use that one for your operating system (using the m.2_1 slot) and use the other one for playing games off of.
If you use the m.2_1 slot for the 990 Pro and have windows installed there, then I assume it will just automatically choose that as your boot drive. If not, go into your bios and choose that drive in your boot order.