Do I Need Separate Drives for Windows and Games?
Asked by
MellowPine47
I've heard that it's better to use one storage drive for Windows and updates, and a separate drive for games. Is this actually necessary, or can I install everything on one SSD without causing problems? I'm also a little confused about the difference between system memory (RAM) and storage drives.
Answers
One terminology note: RAM is your system memory, while an SSD or hard drive is storage. You don’t need separate storage drives for Windows and games, though separating important personal data from the operating system—or keeping a backup—can protect it if Windows becomes corrupted.
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A separate game drive won’t automatically make the computer faster. It can be convenient if you ever need to reinstall Windows, since you may be able to leave the games on the other drive, but you should still keep backups of important files. If you have one sufficiently large SSD, using it for everything is perfectly fine.
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Drive size is the main practical consideration. A smaller 500 GB system drive can fill up quickly, so adding another drive for games makes sense. With a 1 TB or larger SSD, many people simply keep Windows and their games together.
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No, it isn’t necessary. Windows, updates, applications, and games can all run from the same drive without any issue. A second drive is mainly useful if you need more capacity or prefer to keep things organized.
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LumenPanda6: Keeping important documents on a separate drive or backed up elsewhere is a good idea, but games can usually be downloaded again if the system drive fails.