Win 10 install to dedicated drive?

[GeezerGamer]

https://www.bestbuy.ca/en-ca/product/wdblack-1tb-pcie-gen4-x4-internal-solid-state-drive-wdbauy0010bnc-wrsn/14969408

You're welcome

Thank you?

 

[GeezerGamer]

Hi again, later today I'll receive the 2Tb WD Black to go along with my 1Tb Black.
Where would you recommend I place them and which one should I put Win 10 on? Top position CPU or middle position chipset? Regardless, games on CPU SSD??

 

[Sagath]

Games arnt really M2 limited. SATA SSD's work pritty well with the speeds they need, so it probably doesnt matter.

As for slots, that would depend on if your motherboard is limiting their PCIE lanes. I think most newer boards are both dedicated 4 lanes to each.

 

[sswilson]

Regardless of what slot ends up being better for your OS drive. Don't forget to do the initial install with only one drive hooked up.

 

[GeezerGamer]

Yep, lanes are good and I was going to install Windows 10 with just the one M.2 drive in.

 

[Sagath]

Only because the apps, appdata, and index are on the OS drive. After moving all of them to a 2nd drive, IO is almost nil.

So I have my SN850 in hand and I need to do some...creative transferring...between my 2x NVME drives. Looking for suggestions on how best to manage this;

Current setup;

960 Pro w/Windows
970 Evo everything else

(spare SATA SSD I can copy a drive on to)

I need to somehow make this work with only 2 NVME slots on the mobo, and remove the 960 pro. Id rather not reformat, as I just did it like a month ago maybe.

I was thinking;
1) clone the OS drive from the 960 Pro on to the spare SATA
2) remove the 960, replace with the SN850
3) Boot off the SATA, clone the 970 Evo on to the SN850
4) clone the SATA on to the 970 Evo
5) Boot off the 970 Evo, have the SN850 for everything else

 

[lowfat]

How much data do you need to copy? You have a backup of anything important if something goes wrong?

IMHO download Clonezilla if you dont have it. Boot to it. Create images of both drives. Pull 970. Boot to Clonezilla and restore image to 850. Verify its all good. Pull 960 and install 970. Restore boot image to 970. It is what I'd do.

Actually what I'd do is just leave the the 960 Pro as a boot drive.

 

[Bond007]

Get an nvme enclosure, clone, swap drives.

 

[Sagath]

Actually what I'd do is just leave the the 960 Pro as a boot drive.

I thought about that, but it is the slowest of all the drives, and I cant keep all three installed. In addition, I dont have a way to clone the 970 Evo to the SN850 without removing the 960 anyways due to the size of my spare drive (500gb)...unless I delete and redownload some games.

Get an nvme enclosure, clone, swap drives.

@JD recommended that as well. But they're 50 bucks. Seems steep for a single shot use.

 

[JD]

@JD recommended that as well. But they're 50 bucks. Seems steep for a single shot use.

Seems like something good to have in the "toolbox" now that NVMe is becoming popular. I'm sure I'll need it again!