New
#1
New PC Planning: Storage Options
Current configuration:
Internal:
1x 2TB WD Black HDD: OS/Programs/Games/User Data (1.02TB Free)
1x 2TB WD Black HDD: iTunes Library/Backup (1.33TB Free)
External:
1x 6TB WD Blue: Media (3.12TB Free)
1x 6TB WD Blue: Media (3.04TB Free)
iTunes Library is currently 330GB, User Data appx ~500GB
The new Motherboard I am currently looking at has 1 M.2 2280 Slot and 4 6Gbps SATA ports.
MY options are;
Configuration 1:
1x M.2 1TB - 2TB: OS/Programs/Games, 1x 4TB - 6TB HDD: User Data/iTunes/Backup/Misc
Configuration 2:
1x M.2 1TB - 2TB: OS/Programs/Games, 1x 2TB HDD: User Data/iTunes, 1x 2TB HDD: Backup/Misc
Configuration 3:
1x 2TB SSD: OS/Programs/Games, 1x 2TB SSD: User Data/iTunes/Backup/Misc
The externals will remain as is and will probably be upgraded to 8TB or 10TB in the next 2-4yrs as they're only half full and are only 2-3 years old.
One bonus to Configuration 2 is, once Windows is installed on the M.2, I can wipe my current 2TB HDD's and repurpose them, thus saving the $100 or so each for new drives.
What Im looking for is a speed increase, in boot time and program/game loading times, balanced against lifespan. I know SSD's used to be somewhat less long lived than HDD's. I know also that that has improved drastically in teh last few years. Never having had an SSD before I have no experience with them and it is still of some concern until I have used one and have some first hand knowledge.
I normally swap my HDD's out at 3-5yr intervals. I don't do a bunch of writing to disk/data shuffling regularly. I would estimate I create/Writeto external/Remove maybe 25-50GB a month and thats a bit on the heavy side. Not counting the usual writes from Game patches, updates to windows, installing a new program etc,...
I basically want to know if SSD's would good with the minimum of 3-5yrs of use before I have to satrt worrying about swapping it, assuming no catistrophic failures. I know how to partition and divide up disks, but I would like to keep this as simple as possible since my current case has 2 hot swap bays at the front, and the new MB has an M.2 slot.
The M.2 and SSD's I'm looking at curently are all Crucial MX500's or variations thereof.
TIA for any advice or suggestions.
Last edited by Corelogik; 23 Aug 2020 at 12:23. Reason: Formatting