Moving Game files to SSD?
I recently got an SSD just for my games, but I'm not sure if I am using it properly. I copied all of my Sims games files from C:/ProgramFiles(X86)/Electronic Arts onto the SSD drive. I loaded the game...
Forum Discussion
Which version of Windows are you running? Also are you adding to or just replacing an existing drive? If it's the latter, I'm wondering if you may be better off just cloning the drive?
Also, if you're just looking to get the drive set up for now (and may be removing a drive later) and are out of SATA cables, you can try and get a USB->SATA adapter and hook the SSD up to it temporarily if you plan on removing a drive or may be looking to clone an existing drive (if you have USB3, the adapter only needs the one USB3 port; if you're running USB2, you'd need to look for an adapter that has a separate AC adapter attached that hooks up to the drive, itself, via a separate power cable (a USB2 port on its own can't provide enough power to the device, hence the need for an additional power adapter) in addition to the SATA->USB cable (there's one brand out there that comes as a sort of "kit" where it contains both of these items). The downside to this is that as it would be running as USB, it may appear slower in that setup than it might normally in a SATA environment, but it's useful if you're out of cables and looking to setup or clone a new drive or for backups and provided that it's temporary (it would revert to "normal" and run faster once it's hooked up to the SATA cable--again, the speed difference initially is more a USB versus SATA thing).
Also, regarding TRIM (which is not limited to Samsung SSDs nor exclusive to them), it doesn't matter if the OS is installed onto the drive, itself, as to how it functions nor its purpose given that it's usually managed via the OS and treated more like any other tool might be, except in relation to a SSD versus a mechanical (think of it like chkdsk or defrag or any other Windows tool out there where you don't need the OS actually installed onto the specific drive to run those tools on that drive, if that makes any sense?). Also, while in theory it can make a SSD run more efficiently, it's also been said that it can lead to the possibility of permanently eliminating any hope of data recovery of the drive if something goes awry with it (which is among the reasons why some people might choose to disable it).
In terms of the data writes/reads of a SSD, one tends to see it being more of a problem in certain usages due to the Flash-based nature of the technology (for example, many engineers and some developers who work with constant compiling of code tend to steer clear of SSDs for that purpose for that reason). As igazor pointed out, however, it's really not an issue with consumer usages of SSDs these days.
Also, while most of my systems are running nVidia cards in them, I can't really comment on nVidia Experience in terms of personal use as I don't really use it nor even have it installed (as igazor pointed out, it's not a requirement and many of the features it contains that some feel make it worthwhile some might feel are not necessary or may not be worth it). As with many things in life, it has its pros and cons to it and while I'm well aware that many users have complained of issues with it (including with performance), I also know there are some who have felt it was worth using. Again, it really depends upon personal preferences and what you intend to do or even what you play.
Also, if you're just looking to get the drive set up for now (and may be removing a drive later) and are out of SATA cables, you can try and get a USB->SATA adapter and hook the SSD up to it temporarily if you plan on removing a drive or may be looking to clone an existing drive (if you have USB3, the adapter only needs the one USB3 port; if you're running USB2, you'd need to look for an adapter that has a separate AC adapter attached that hooks up to the drive, itself, via a separate power cable (a USB2 port on its own can't provide enough power to the device, hence the need for an additional power adapter) in addition to the SATA->USB cable (there's one brand out there that comes as a sort of "kit" where it contains both of these items). The downside to this is that as it would be running as USB, it may appear slower in that setup than it might normally in a SATA environment, but it's useful if you're out of cables and looking to setup or clone a new drive or for backups and provided that it's temporary (it would revert to "normal" and run faster once it's hooked up to the SATA cable--again, the speed difference initially is more a USB versus SATA thing).
Also, regarding TRIM (which is not limited to Samsung SSDs nor exclusive to them), it doesn't matter if the OS is installed onto the drive, itself, as to how it functions nor its purpose given that it's usually managed via the OS and treated more like any other tool might be, except in relation to a SSD versus a mechanical (think of it like chkdsk or defrag or any other Windows tool out there where you don't need the OS actually installed onto the specific drive to run those tools on that drive, if that makes any sense?). Also, while in theory it can make a SSD run more efficiently, it's also been said that it can lead to the possibility of permanently eliminating any hope of data recovery of the drive if something goes awry with it (which is among the reasons why some people might choose to disable it).
In terms of the data writes/reads of a SSD, one tends to see it being more of a problem in certain usages due to the Flash-based nature of the technology (for example, many engineers and some developers who work with constant compiling of code tend to steer clear of SSDs for that purpose for that reason). As igazor pointed out, however, it's really not an issue with consumer usages of SSDs these days.
Also, while most of my systems are running nVidia cards in them, I can't really comment on nVidia Experience in terms of personal use as I don't really use it nor even have it installed (as igazor pointed out, it's not a requirement and many of the features it contains that some feel make it worthwhile some might feel are not necessary or may not be worth it). As with many things in life, it has its pros and cons to it and while I'm well aware that many users have complained of issues with it (including with performance), I also know there are some who have felt it was worth using. Again, it really depends upon personal preferences and what you intend to do or even what you play.
