First Time SSD User

[Skywalker12345]

Hello Everyone,

First time i have purchased a SSD for my PC and was wondering if there is any tips/tricks i should know before cloning my current WD SATA drive to it. Obviously im using the SSD for Windows/Apps and the SATA drive for games, movies, music, etc...


Here is the drive:
Crucial M4 CT128M4SSD2 2.5" 128GB SATA III MLC


Thanks!

 

[JrRacinFan]

Move your pagefile to a mechanical hdd. Essentially shouldn't really need to do anything else.

 

[Skywalker12345]

Ok sounds easy enough, i cant wait to get this SSD ive been stuck with this old WD drive that is slowwwwww as a snail.

thanks

 

[manofthem]

Congrats on your first ssd, you're really in for a treat!

Turning off hibernate saves you some good space, I'd recommend that if you dont need hibernation. I left my pagefile on my ssd but shrunk it down, just another thought.

 

[TheMailMan78]

Move your pagefile to a mechanical hdd. Essentially shouldn't really need to do anything else.

You don't even need to do that. Just turn off the scheduled defrag and that's it.

 

[Skywalker12345]

thessdreview.com/ssd-guides/optimization-guides/the-ssd-optimization-guide-2/

I read this and it has quite a few good points but thanks for the tips!!

 

[Wrigleyvillain]

Move your pagefile to a mechanical hdd. Essentially shouldn't really need to do anything else.

No offense dude but this is pretty bad advice even though it could help "minimize writes" and certainly not even close to the most important tweak(s). Firstly, unless you really know what you are doing and what all your apps require then just let Windows manage the damn page file. I think the engineers in Redmond know a bit more about this stuff then we do even given the fact that a TPU'er is going to have more RAM than Joe Average. And with enough RAM it should not be paging all that much in the first place and, when it does, I know I would prefer it to do so to the fast SSD.

There are a few things you do want to disable like the defrag as MM said. Also I turn off indexing plus System Restore and disable hibernation as it makes a big file of RAM contents.

Most stuff can be done easily with this:

http://www.elpamsoft.com/?p=SSD-Tweaker

For hibernation (not part of the free version) go to Run -> type cmd then right click on "command" and Run as Administrator. Then type powercfg -h off and hit enter.

 

[TheMailMan78]

No offense dude but this is pretty bad advice even though it could help "minimize writes" and certainly not even close to the most important tweak(s). Firstly, unless you really know what you are doing and what all your apps require then just let Windows manage the damn page file. I think the engineers in Redmond know a bit more about this stuff then we do even given the fact that a TPU'er is going to have more RAM than Joe Average. And with enough RAM it should not be paging all that much in the first place and, when it does, I know I would prefer it to do so to the fast SSD.

There are a few things you do want to disable like the defrag as MM said. Also I turn off indexing plus System Restore and disable hibernation as it makes a big file of RAM contents.

Most stuff can be done easily with this:

http://www.elpamsoft.com/?p=SSD-Tweaker

For hibernation (not part of the free version) go to Run -> type cmd then right click on "command" and Run as Administrator. Then type powercfg -h off and hit enter.

Don't turn off indexing. No need. As a matter of fact that causes more reads then necessary and is bad advice. Just turn off the defrag and leave the damn thing alone. As for hibernation just turn that off via the power management control panel.

 

[Wrigleyvillain]

Reads don't cause wear though. However, people overreact to write amounts too though. Nobody is going to own their SSD that long.

 

[TheMailMan78]

Reads don't cause wear though.

Doesnt matter. Indexing on makes the SSD faster then with it off. No need to turn it off.

 

[Wrigleyvillain]

Sure...if you search for files often. You would; I do not as my Windows box is mainly for gaming.

 

[TheMailMan78]

Sure...if you search for files often. You would; I do not as my Windows box is mainly for gaming.

My point is there is no reason AT ALL to turn it off. The less you mess with windows, the more stable it is. Start tweaking services and such and you create your own problems. Install the SSD. Turn Defrag off in Windows 7 and enjoy. /Thread.

 

[DayKnight]

The default Windows behavior is to switch off Hibernation if RAM is greater than 4gB. You have to manually enable it through dos.

Anyways, Just get the Intel Toolbox.

 

[manofthem]

Ok sounds easy enough, i cant wait to get this SSD ive been stuck with this old WD drive that is slowwwwww as a snail.

thanks

I would say go for a clean install instead of cloning though, it'll feel nice and fresh

 

[Wrigleyvillain]

The default Windows behavior is to switch off Hibernation if RAM is greater than 4gB. You have to manually enable it through dos.

Really? Today I Learned...

As for disabling indexing I guess that's an old habit that could probably stand to be put to rest.

Oh and I missed that--yes definitely do a clean install unless you just can't for some very important reason. Not wanting to spend the time does not suffice as one.

 

[Frag_Maniac]

There's quite a few steps you need to take to get best performance and most lifespan out of your SSD. This is the guide I followed, it's pretty comprehensive. Note that it's best to set your SATA config to AHCI before you install the OS.

http://maketecheasier.com/12-things...g-a-solid-state-drive-in-windows-7/2012/05/11

 

[Wrigleyvillain]

Oh yeah derp AHCI is like number 1.

 

[lemonadesoda]

Why do people say to "Turn off" stuff? Isn't reading free of problems associated with SSD wear? No. If you have indexing on, then the PC is constantly indexing stuff in the background, and writing those results somewhere. MOREOVER, "filestamping" in NTFS updates the last date/time the file was accessed.

If you are concerned about SSD wear, then turn those off.

A RAMDISK will mean you can put your thousands of internet temps in a place that causes no wear on your SSD. I would definitely recommend that. See here: http://www.techpowerup.com/forums/showthread.php?t=107670

That's quite an old thread now, but still very useful. There is a new ramdisk utility out there that I would recommend: http://www.softperfect.com/products/ramdisk/

 

[TheMailMan78]

Why do people say to "Turn off" stuff? Isn't reading free of problems associated with SSD wear? No. If you have indexing on, then the PC is constantly indexing stuff in the background, and writing those results somewhere. MOREOVER, "filestamping" in NTFS updates the last date/time the file was accessed.

If you are concerned about SSD wear, then turn those off.

A RAMDISK will mean you can put your thousands of internet temps in a place that causes no wear on your SSD. I would definitely recommend that. See here: http://www.techpowerup.com/forums/showthread.php?t=107670

That's quite an old thread now, but still very useful. There is a new ramdisk utility out there that I would recommend: http://www.softperfect.com/products/ramdisk/

Waste of time. I had more writes then most people on a SATA II I just sold and it was stated to have 8+ years left on it at 100%. Turning things off and messing with windows is just a BIG waste of time and could cause way more issues then anything.

Also most boards default at AHCI. However YES if yours does not then it should be turned on BEFORE you install windows.

OMG its almost dead!

And here is one with almost DOUBLE mine.

View attachment 47675

So as you can see turning off all that stuff on a modern day SSD is a COMPLETE WASTE OF TIME.

 

[Xenturion]

I follow a lot of what is recommended in the SSD Optimization guide posted previously. I move my Pagefile to a mechanical disk, disable sleeping the drive in Advanced Power Options, and disable hibernate. I also verify that Scheduled Defrag is off and verify that TRIM is working/on in the case of a single SSD. Realistically, most of these aren't strictly speaking "necessary". Neither are the Search Indexing changes, Disabling System Restore (a feature I never use anyway), and disabling Superfetch/Prefetch, all of which I perform anyway. I like to know that I'm taking the utmost care of my device. Saying I'd notice the changes compared to if I hadn't performed them would be a blatant lie, but I like to know I'm minimizing the number of read/writes being performed by processes not under my control. Am I expecting it to equate to a tangible difference in longevity? No, but we all do things to optimize our systems and pursue the theoretical. Users of Speedfan and other fan control software often times don't NEED to run those programs, come up with fan curves, and keep a watchful eye on their temperatures, but they do because they like their system running as well as possible and to their specifications. It's a similar concept to Z77 boards with PLX chips to enable 2 16 Lane PCIe 3.0 cards. Editorials and reviews have shown again and again that there is little if any difference in the performance of an 8x/8x PCIe 3.0 setup versus a 16X/16X PCIe 3.0 setup, and yet, a market exists for it.

 

[Frick]

Saying I'd notice the changes compared to if I hadn't performed them would be a blatant lie, but I like to know I'm minimizing the number of read/writes being performed by processes not under my control. Am I expecting it to equate to a tangible difference in longevity? No, but we all do things to optimize our systems and pursue the theoretical.

A lot of things is going on in your computer, you can't keep tabs on all of it. And if you're a tweaker etc, sure go ahead, but for most people it is, as mailman says, quite useless.

So I agree with him, just install it, turn off defrag and just go with it. They are not made of glass or sugar.

 

[MxPhenom 216]

Doesnt matter. Indexing on makes the SSD faster then with it off. No need to turn it off.

Sure...if you search for files often. You would; I do not as my Windows box is mainly for gaming.

Mailman is right. No need to disable indexing with current SSDs. If you do, it makes it slower so whats the point. Just disable defrag, and hibernation if you want to and it will be good to go. And Obviously set SATA to AHCI in the BIOS. Nothing else really needs to be done.

 

[Xenturion]

A lot of things is going on in your computer, you can't keep tabs on all of it.

Read: minimizing the number of read/writes. Clearly, there will be Services and Processes that can't be disabled without disastrous results or dramatically affecting usability.

Bear in mind, that if you're going to clone from a HDD to a SSD, I'd have a copy of the Windows System Recovery Disc made or your OS disc. It may be necessary to "repair" or "startup repair" the install that's cloned onto the SSD to get it to boot. There's also Partition Alignment issues that can arise which definitely can affect performance when migrating from a HDD to SDD. A quick google of "SSD Partition Alignment" will explain in better detail.

 

[ChristTheGreat]

You don't even need to do that. Just turn off the scheduled defrag and that's it.

I wouldn't turn it off.. I would only Uncheck the SSD as HDD can still get defrag

 

[Skywalker12345]

thanks everyone ill let you know how it goes! damn weather is slowing my newegg shipment