New NVMe M.2 SSD for gaming, but i'm a noob.

[Squirrel442]

I was gifted a laptop. I got a brand new free battery from Dell & bought a WD_Black SN770 1TB Gaming SSD.

 

Now I want to leave Windows on the HDD but play all games from the SSD.

A game I play is 'Football Manager 24' which pulls graphic data from the documents folder like player faces, team kits & club badges.

 

My question is - How do I keep Windows on the HDD but move all other folders like documents, to the SSD?

I know how to move/install Steam games to SSD just the folders.

 

Will I need to move Windows via a clone?

Clean install windows?

Or is there a way to move folders?

[C2dan88]

4 minutes ago, Squirrel442 said:

Or is there a way to move folders?

You can choose a different location to store My Documents folder. Right click the folder and choose properties  and change location

https://www.windowscentral.com/how-move-default-user-folders-new-drive-windows-10

 

Me personally I would clone windows to the ssd, and use the hdd as mass storage.

 

 

[leclod]

Keeping windows on the HDD is a sin.

I'd clean install windows because I'm not sure cloning from HDD to SSD is flawless.

Edited January 22 by leclod

[Tegneren]

Keeping Windows on the HDD is a bad Idea other than its more work to move it. 

Moving it to the SSD will make the entire system much more snappy as its the OS that does most the reading and writing to the disk.

If you want to keep the HDD at all, use it only for mass storage.

[starsmine]

your games will benefit far more from the OS being on the SSD then the games being on the SSD. The games spend most of their time making API calls to windows in some form or another. 

Its a 1tb drive, it has more then enough space for windows and a small handful of games, like football manager that can utalize it. 

[Lunar River]

Should be the other way around. OS on the SSD.

My documents, pictures, downloads etc on the HDD

Then install games on SSD

[Squirrel442]

7 hours ago, C2dan88 said:

You can choose a different location to store My Documents folder. Right click the folder and choose properties  and change location

https://www.windowscentral.com/how-move-default-user-folders-new-drive-windows-10

 

Me personally I would clone windows to the ssd, and use the hdd as mass storage.

 

 

Do you know which SSD below would be the best?

MSI Spatium M371 PCIe 3.0 NVMe M.2

WD_Black SN770 NVMe Gaming SSD

Western Digital Blue SN570 NVMe

 

Or could you recommend 1 around the price of £63 ($85)

 

[Squirrel442]

6 hours ago, leclod said:

Keeping windows on the HDD is a sin.

I'd clean install windows because I'm not sure cloning from HDD to SSD is flawless.

Do you know which SSD below would be the best?

MSI Spatium M371 PCIe 3.0 NVMe M.2

WD_Black SN770 NVMe Gaming SSD

Western Digital Blue SN570 NVMe

 

Or could you recommend 1 around the price of £63 ($85)

[Squirrel442]

6 hours ago, Tegneren said:

Keeping Windows on the HDD is a bad Idea other than its more work to move it. 

Moving it to the SSD will make the entire system much more snappy as its the OS that does most the reading and writing to the disk.

If you want to keep the HDD at all, use it only for mass storage.

Do you know which SSD below would be the best?

MSI Spatium M371 PCIe 3.0 NVMe M.2

WD_Black SN770 NVMe Gaming SSD

Western Digital Blue SN570 NVMe

 

Or could you recommend 1 around the price of £63 ($85)

[Squirrel442]

6 hours ago, starsmine said:

your games will benefit far more from the OS being on the SSD then the games being on the SSD. The games spend most of their time making API calls to windows in some form or another. 

Its a 1tb drive, it has more then enough space for windows and a small handful of games, like football manager that can utalize it. 

Do you know which SSD below would be the best?

MSI Spatium M371 PCIe 3.0 NVMe M.2

WD_Black SN770 NVMe Gaming SSD

Western Digital Blue SN570 NVMe

 

Or could you recommend 1 around the price of £63 ($85)

[Squirrel442]

5 hours ago, Lunar River said:

Should be the other way around. OS on the SSD.

My documents, pictures, downloads etc on the HDD

Then install games on SSD

Do you know which SSD below would be the best?

MSI Spatium M371 PCIe 3.0 NVMe M.2

WD_Black SN770 NVMe Gaming SSD

Western Digital Blue SN570 NVMe

 

Or could you recommend 1 around the price of £63 ($85)

[Lunar River]

3 hours ago, Squirrel442 said:

Do you know which SSD below would be the best?

MSI Spatium M371 PCIe 3.0 NVMe M.2

WD_Black SN770 NVMe Gaming SSD

Western Digital Blue SN570 NVMe

 

Or could you recommend 1 around the price of £63 ($85)

Out if those? Honestly just get the cheapest one. Can't really go wrong with any of them.