I've got a fresh installation of Windows 11 on a 250GB SATA drive (Kingston A400), and I'm running into space issues with my games. It's becoming tedious to constantly reinstall everything since games are getting larger these days. I'm contemplating whether I should move Windows and my daily files to a faster M.2 NVMe drive. Is there any real advantage to making this switch? If I keep both drives, are there specific programs that would perform better on one drive compared to the other? Just to give you some context, I use my PC for gaming (like Path of Exile and Total War), streaming services (YouTube, Disney+, Netflix), office work, and I plan on doing some photo editing in the future. Any suggestions would be appreciated!
5 Answers
Even with the fastest NVMe SSD, you might not notice a huge difference for everyday use like gaming or streaming. If you're content with your setup, keeping Windows on the SATA and using the NVMe for larger games could work fine.
You could just use the NVMe as additional storage instead of moving Windows. Format it using disk management, and you should be able to install games there without any issues.
That's great to hear! I was wondering if some programs or games would benefit more from being on the SSD.
I had a similar setup with a 256GB for Windows and added a 500GB NVMe for bigger games. I also keep all my downloads on a mechanical drive. It works well for me!
Thanks for sharing your experience!
I'd recommend using software like Clonezilla for cloning your drives. It makes everything easier! Just remember to set the boot order in the BIOS afterward.
I appreciate your guidance! I didn't initially consider how to change the boot order.
Moving to a larger SSD isn't as complicated as it sounds. The cloning process is pretty straightforward, and you'd probably find it worth the effort, especially if you want faster loading times for games.
Thanks for the tip! Just trying to weigh if the hassle is worth it.
Good to know! I guess I can save myself the trouble for now.