Help with SSD questions

ZoLq · November 17, 2018

Hi, im planning on buying my first SSD for budger rig

its rocking

asus h81-m

gtx 750ti

i3 4160

currently 1tb wd purple

i will pick up adata su650 240gb drive soon , to instal my os , and few of my favorie games. But i have few questions ;D

Will it last long? Linus keeps telling in his videos , that they cant be overwritten many times , others say they fail really often...

And is it possible to migrate my os only to the ssd? without the games and stuff?

dizmo · November 17, 2018

It's usually best to do a completely fresh install, rather than trying to migrate data.

You're fine for drive use. I've used the same 128GB (smaller drives wear faster) SSD for the last 7 years. Chances are you'll upgrade and replace it before it ever runs out of usable life.

Welcome to the forum!

Lady Fitzgerald · November 17, 2018

8 minutes ago, dizmo said:

It's usually best to do a completely fresh install, rather than trying to migrate data.

You're fine for drive use. I've used the same 128GB (smaller drives wear faster) SSD for the last 7 years. Chances are you'll upgrade and replace it before it ever runs out of usable life.

Welcome to the forum!

Horsefeathers! If the HDD with the OS is working just fine, it's far easier and faster to just clone the contents to an SSD. As long as the total amount of occupied space on the HDD is less than than the available space on the SSD. I've done it several times and never had a problem. Why do a lot of unnecessary work?

On the topic of available space... An SSD will format to approximately 90% of the rated capacity. For best speed and length of life, at least 20-25% of the formatted capacity should be be kept empty. For a 240GB SSD, you will have a usable capacity of only 162GB.

Frankly, I do not recommend any SSD that rated at 240GB or 480GB. Normally, a TLC SSD in that range will be 250GB or 500GB. The reduced capacity is due to the manufacturer adding extra overprovisioning to compensate for lower quality.

I would recommend a 500GB Samung 860 EVO. The chances are you will need more than 162GB before long and there is no point wasting money on what will be a too small drive of inferior quality. Your money will be better spent on a larger, better quality drive.

dizmo · November 17, 2018

17 minutes ago, Lady Fitzgerald said:

Horsefeathers! If the HDD with the OS is working just fine, it's far easier and faster to just clone the contents to an SSD. As long as the total amount of occupied space on the HDD is less than than the available space on the SSD. I've done it several times and never had a problem. Why do a lot of unnecessary work?

On the topic of available space... An SSD will format to approximately 90% of the rated capacity. For best speed and length of life, at least 20-25% of the formatted capacity should be be kept empty. For a 240GB SSD, you will have a usable capacity of only 162GB.

Frankly, I do not recommend any SSD that rated at 240GB or 480GB. Normally, a TLC SSD in that range will be 250GB or 500GB. The reduced capacity is due to the manufacturer adding extra overprovisioning to compensate for lower quality.

I would recommend a 500GB Samung 860 EVO. The chances are you will need more than 162GB before long and there is no point wasting money on what will be a too small drive of inferior quality. Your money will be better spent on a larger, better quality drive.

Depends how your data is set up. If you can transfer everything from the HDD over, sure that's a great plan. Some people find when they use a migration tool, it's not the smoothest experience.

Your usable capacity isn't really accurate. Most drives will have over-provisioning already incorporated. Usable capacity via Windows will be around 220-something GB, and if you're nervous, you can limit it to a little less. For example, the 240GB drive he's looking at likely has 256GB worth of storage, with that hidden percentage used for over-provisioning. My 800GB SSD shows 744GB of usable space.

I'd recommend the 1TB EVO drive. At $129, it's really the best value.

ZoLq · November 17, 2018

24 minutes ago, Lady Fitzgerald said:

Horsefeathers! If the HDD with the OS is working just fine, it's far easier and faster to just clone the contents to an SSD. As long as the total amount of occupied space on the HDD is less than than the available space on the SSD. I've done it several times and never had a problem. Why do a lot of unnecessary work?

On the topic of available space... An SSD will format to approximately 90% of the rated capacity. For best speed and length of life, at least 20-25% of the formatted capacity should be be kept empty. For a 240GB SSD, you will have a usable capacity of only 162GB.

Frankly, I do not recommend any SSD that rated at 240GB or 480GB. Normally, a TLC SSD in that range will be 250GB or 500GB. The reduced capacity is due to the manufacturer adding extra overprovisioning to compensate for lower quality.

I would recommend a 500GB Samung 860 EVO. The chances are you will need more than 162GB before long and there is no point wasting money on what will be a too small drive of inferior quality. Your money will be better spent on a larger, better quality drive.

i can't afford it right know... ssd's are so bad... 162gb is like 130-140gb after os installation... might as well just pick up another wd hdd

Lady Fitzgerald · November 17, 2018

1 hour ago, dizmo said:

Depends how your data is set up. If you can transfer everything from the HDD over, sure that's a great plan. Some people find when they use a migration tool, it's not the smoothest experience.

Your usable capacity isn't really accurate. Most drives will have over-provisioning already incorporated. Usable capacity via Windows will be around 220-something GB, and if you're nervous, you can limit it to a little less. For example, the 240GB drive he's looking at likely has 256GB worth of storage, with that hidden percentage used for over-provisioning. My 800GB SSD shows 744GB of usable space.

I'd recommend the 1TB EVO drive. At $129, it's really the best value.

I use Macrium Reflect for migrating from one drive to another and never had a problem with it. I've had problems with factory migration tools, including Samsung's Magician. Macrium Reflect Free will work fine for this.

You're confusing free space with overprovisioning. You still need need 20-25% free space in addition to the factory overprovisioning which should never be reduced or eliminated. Overprovisioning is needed for some TRIM operations and to provide replacement cells for depleted cells. Free space is needed for wear leveling, soem TRIM operations, and to prevent excessive write amplification. Excessive write amplification will dramatically increase the rate remaining write life will be consumed and reduce speed of the SSD.

I agree that the 1TB Samsung EVO is probably the best buy for the money but I got the opinion the OP was on a tight budget. 500GB is the smallest drive one should get if one is going to be installing games on it as well as data.