My Linux partition is running low on storage, and it's installed on a DRAM-equipped SATA SSD. I also have a Seagate BarraCuda Q5 holding my Windows installation, but I rarely use Windows anymore. Since SATA SSDs seem relatively expensive right now, I'm considering replacing or repurposing that drive. Would it make more sense to shrink the Windows partition, move files there, add another drive, or replace the existing M.2 SSD altogether?
1 Answer
If you only need more capacity, replacing the drive isn’t automatically necessary. You could shrink the Windows partition and create a Linux data partition, or simply store less frequently used files there. If you want a completely separate drive, check whether your motherboard has another M.2 slot. If it doesn’t, an NVMe adapter card can work in an available PCIe slot, although the slot’s lane configuration matters. Since SSD prices are not especially attractive right now, postponing the upgrade may be worthwhile unless you’re urgently out of space.
I could move the Windows boot drive to a PCIe 3.0 x1 slot, so that might let me free up the main storage slot without replacing everything.