Is 60GB enough? -What will fit (analysis)

[Nightcover]

Hey all..

I'm planing on buying "Corsair Force Series F60" as my very first SSD experience.. but I need to be 'convinced' that 60GB is enough for OS, Games and apps.. So I'm using my own HDD and looking into my own habit of installing everything and never uninstall. That means I'm using 3 times more space than available on the Corsair SSD..

Only including bigger programs (and only steam games I play)

Windows 7: 10GB
Adobe : 5GB
.Windows : 1.5GB
Vegas Pro : 0.3GB
C IV : 4GB
COD4 : 6GB
RCT3 : 1.4GB
ARMA2 : 7GB
GRID : 10GB
C&C ZH : 2GB
BC2 :7GB
PCmark vantage: 0.8GB
Firefox+ :0.3GB
MW2 :10GB
CSSource :1GB
Trackmania: 1.5GB
Additional* : 5GB
*Small programs like Xfire, Teamspeak, Hamachi, Dropbox, IDM.

I may have exaggerated in some cases

Total:10+5+1.5+0.3+4+6+1.4+7+10+2+7+0.8+0.3+10+1+1 .5+5=72.8GB

Which means I am using 12.8GB too much.

Which programs/games can I remove?

Adobe can be cut down to 2GB, removing unnecessary programs from suite. Gain: 3GB
Left: 9.8GB

Vegas Pro can be removed since I almost never use it:
Gain: 0.3GB
Left: 9.5GB

PCMark Vantage is most likely a single run for me, after that, it can be uninstalled.
Gain: 0.8GB
Left: 8.7GB

GRID I no longer play, which means it can be removed.
Gain: 10GB
Left: -1.3GB

What I may do:

I probably will create a partition with my current 500GB boot drive. making it 250GB/250GB, using one for storage and the second for programs I don't find nessesary on SSD.

Programs that can be installed on HDD with satisfactory performance:
Soluto
Dropbox
Disk Burning apps

Any other? -Please recommend apps on HDD

Sorry for bad English.

[F@32]

60Gb is tight these days. SSDs also like some spare space for wear leveling. Can you afford one of the 100/128 SSDs?

[Nightcover]

I believe the 60GB in reality is 64GB drive with 4GB overprovising (correct me if I'm wrong)

The Corsair Force F120 cost nearly twice as much and has 8GB overprovising (twice storage so it's fair)

You are correct that 60GB is really tight but the F120 would really give my wallet an echo.

I am considering the F120 instead.. Do you have recommendations on other SSD's that might be cheaper, but just as fast?

Corsair Performance Series P128 128 GB?
Corsair Nova Series Solid State Disk 128 GB?


Thanks!

Note: I cannot afford any 160GB SSD's Those I've listed here are absolute max.

[Ket]

Personally right now I feel while the performance SSDs offer are nice, the technology still needs work so I won't be getting a SSD for at least another year. Give me a Western Digital Caviar Black high capacity drive anyday.

[bot@xs]

i would look at the vertex 2 60gb or le 50gb and the c300 64gb.
they are all around $150

everything you don't use on a daily basis can go on a storage hdd.

[mbreslin]

@ket: Another year of mechanical drive for os? Yikes.

Even a cheap x25v at ~100$ would be a huge improvement.

You know how your system performs just after installing windows before installing all your apps? ~100$ for a single x25v+trim gets you that feeling 24/7.

[Ket]

I get that 24/7 anyway because (shock horror) I run regular maintinence on Windows and use a good defrag program, namely, diskeeper. Reliability takes top priority for me, and SSDs just aren't there yet.

[mbreslin]

I don't believe there is any maintenance task that will change the fact that mechanical drives access time is orders of magnitude slower than any ssd, hence while the arm in your drive is moving (or even thinking about moving) the ssd is done (probably several times).

As to "new install feeling" it doesn't really do ssds justice, I was only trying to give you some idea of the feeling/performance, 'snappyness' isn't easily explained in text.

Best of luck with your setup.

[scottc19]

I do 30gb ssd just for opperating system, but it is tight so I would recomend getting a 60gb ssd for your opperating system and then get a bigger drive for apps + games

[SoulsCollective]

I'm running a 60GB OCZ Vertex Turbo for an OS+Apps drive - couldn't be happier, still got about 30GB free space left. Basically, everything that runs on startup or that I run often and is still reasonably small - so Windows, driver apps, web browser, e-mail client, etc - is on the SSD, and things that don't need the performance boost are on the RAID-0 array or the RAID-6 array. I've moved the larger and more frequently used "User" folders to the RAID-6 array (except My Docs, because some games freak out if their settings path isn't C:\etc etc), so Downloads, My Pictures, My Videos etc aren't taking up space on the SSD, and don't have any games installed - as once a game is loaded, an SSD won't make any performance difference, and loading times off the RAID-0 array are fast enough as it is for me.

[Nightcover]

When you're looking at my specs... do you think there would be a smarter component to upgrade than getting a SSD?

CPU:Core i7 920|RAM:3*2GB OCZ Gold|HHD: 7200.11 500GB|GFX:8800GT SLI|Monitor:Viewsonic G90fB|MB:Rampage II Gene|Case:Antec P182

[SoulsCollective]

Those 8800GTs are getting a little long in the tooth - the HD5770 is excellent value and a great performer, and two in Crossfire will generally cost you significantly less than a GTX480 while performing better (and using about half the power). An SSD makes a big difference to general usage though, and it really does add a lot to the experience of using your machine - to be honest, I'd still go with the SSD: install Windows and key apps on it and leave your game installs on your 500GB mechanical, then start saving for a GPU upgrade further down the track.

[Nightcover]

Thanks for your help. I really appreciate it.

[Computurd]

dude ssd is the best upgrade anyone can make to their system right now, period. yeaht the 8800 are getting older, but they are still great drives. once you install an ssd you will understand. i would rather be on a dual core 775 with an ssd, than a 1366 without one. anyday.

[F@32]

When you're looking at my specs... do you think there would be a smarter component to upgrade than getting a SSD?

CPU:Core i7 920|RAM:3*2GB OCZ Gold|HHD: 7200.11 500GB|GFX:8800GT SLI|Monitor:Viewsonic G90fB|MB:Rampage II Gene|Case:Antec P182

While I agree with Computurd regarding SSD, if you're gaming a lot here the list of what's most important: 1. GPU, 2. CPU to feed it fast enough, 3. RAM, 4. HDD. Your rig is not very balanced with top notch CPU and RAM, but oldish GPU. 8800gt will be lagging in modern games. HD5850 offers nice $/fps imho. You can short stroke your HDD, by creating primary 100Gb partition and putting OS/Apps and you will be fine. The rest 400Gb you can fill in with data.

[Nightcover]

While I agree with Computurd regarding SSD, if you're gaming a lot here the list of what's most important: 1. GPU, 2. CPU to feed it fast enough, 3. RAM, 4. HDD. Your rig is not very balanced with top notch CPU and RAM, but oldish GPU. 8800gt will be lagging in modern games. HD5850 offers nice $/fps imho. You can short stroke your HDD, by creating primary 100Gb partition and putting OS/Apps and you will be fine. The rest 400Gb you can fill in with data.

Thanks for your respond (also the one over you)

I just ordered a SSD and while I agree with everything you say, I really don't feel troubled with my 8800GT cards yet. I can play BC2 with 1600*1200 on all High (2xAA 16xAF Ambient occlusion OFF) with no lag which for me is 40+ FPS

Thanks for your insight!

I'm sure I'm going to enjoy SSD awesomeness.

Next upgrades most likely are:
new display and new gfx.

[S3RV0]

Agreed, 8800 is old hat by now.

I went the opposite route last year, I kept my Q6600 @ 3.8GHZ and replaced my 8800GTX with a GTX295.

Hell, I'm still using it and have had no real need to replace my Q6600. I want to replace my velociraptor with a SSD, but I'm trying to hold out for the Intel G3 drives that drop later this year.

IMO, ditch the the 8800s and pickup a Radeon 5870 or 5850 and get a new SSD when G3 drives starts pushing down the price of G2 drives.

[F@32]

Thanks for your respond (also the one over you)

I just ordered a SSD and while I agree with everything you say, I really don't feel troubled with my 8800GT cards yet. I can play BC2 with 1600*1200 on all High (2xAA 16xAF Ambient occlusion OFF) with no lag which for me is 40+ FPS

Thanks for your insight!

I'm sure I'm going to enjoy SSD awesomeness.

Next upgrades most likely are:
new display and new gfx.

That's cool if it works for you. I mostly play Empire Total War with Darth Mod and there is no way in heck 8800gt could maintain decent enough FPS on Ultra setting for thousands of units firing muskets

Agreed, 8800 is old hat by now.

I went the opposite route last year, I kept my Q6600 @ 3.8GHZ and replaced my 8800GTX with a GTX295.

Hell, I'm still using it and have had no real need to replace my Q6600. I want to replace my velociraptor with a SSD, but I'm trying to hold out for the Intel G3 drives that drop later this year.

IMO, ditch the the 8800s and pickup a Radeon 5870 or 5850 and get a new SSD when G3 drives starts pushing down the price of G2 drives.

Yep, smart choice. Q6600 is not a slouch especially at 3.8. I've been building/OCing PCs for over decade and SSD was the most impressive upgrade I could recall. Prior to SSD I used to ran 15K rpm drives on RAID controller and even then SSD just blew me away...

[Nightcover]

I went from a dualcore 939socket 2.2ghz amd processor with 2GB DDR1 RAM and a 7900GT to what I have now..(the 7900GT started failing so I thought it was time I did a complete new system) I got these 8800GT's very cheap, that's why I chose them.

My SSD should arrive in two-three days..

[F@32]

I went from a dualcore 939socket 2.2ghz amd processor with 2GB DDR1 RAM and a 7900GT to what I have now..(the 7900GT started failing so I thought it was time I did a complete new system) I got these 8800GT's very cheap, that's why I chose them.

My SSD should arrive in two-three days..

Oops, missed the little detail about SLI Yep, that setup is still sweet.