Can an SSD simultaneously function as both an OS drive and storage drive?

I'll be ordering a Sager NP9377 soon and I want to know if I can still install programs on an SSD that has been configured as an OS drive. If I order the laptop with one SSD configured as an OS drive will I need a second SSD for programs and games or can I have the laptop preconfigured with only one SSD for the OS and also install more programs and games on it?

Also, just curious, how much storage space does an OS use on an SSD? I'm considering getting the 256GB Micron M600 SSD with a 1TB HDD for my Sager NP9377. This is my first experience with an SSD so I'll be putting the OS on it and maybe some apps and a few games that I use frequently if possible. From my understanding you're supposed to leave at least 20% of SSD storage unused to keep the SSD from losing performance.

 

A solid state drive can be used exactly the same as a standard hard drive. There's nothing fundamentally different about how programs occupy such drives.

 

@saturnotaku has it right.

As for the size of a (presumably) windows OS I believe a default install take approximately ~60GB w/ hibernate file. I have windows 8.1 installed on a 32GB partition on a 60GB msata SSD. With a 256GB SSD I think you could reasonable expect 200GB of free space.

I would suggest going with the additional 1TB HDD as from my experience you can never have enough storage space . I would recommend keeping the games you frequently play on the SSD and (should you get a HDD) store backups on the other drive.

 

http://forum.notebookreview.com/thr...ews-and-advice.429972/page-1087#post-10033294

 

Yes, I'm planning on putting the OS and apps/programs, like Firefox, and a few games that I frequently play on the SSD; and using the HDD for images, videos, music, apps, programs and games I access less often. I also have two external HDD that I'll be taking advantage of. Now I'm trying to figure out whether or not I want to use Windows 7 again like my old laptop or upgrade to Windows 8.1.

 

Keep all of the programs on the SSD. One it is much faster, and two recommended by MS.

 

Not only 20% (actually; 25GB to 50GB+, depending on the workloads - percentage doesn't matter, actual free space does), but also an additional 25% 'unallocated' capacity too as per Anand Lal Shimpi (I recommend 30% or more though).

Use partitions for your O/S + Programs and your Data, even on a single drive (SSD or HDD) it can be a life saver if your O/S gets hosed. Or simply makes re-installing the O/S easier (without needing to worry about backing data up first).

I would suggest you order the minimum possible with your Sager. When you receive it and verify that all hardware is working to order, I would then do a clean install of Win8.1x64Pro with the recommended 30% OP'ing.

There is nothing in the smaller than ~480GB capacity that is worth buying today in an SSD. Keep in mind that those advertised values are 'nominal' capacity. That 480GB drive is actually ~447GB in a Windows platform and after OP'ing; ~313GB is left. Take into account a minimum of 25GB free space at any time (after all programs and updates have been installed) and we've dipped to less than 288GB of user addressable capacity (including the O/S, Programs, Pagefile, Scratch Disks and any user Data needed to be stored on the drive).

The 480GB+ capacity is needed not just from the points above. It is required if you want the fastest version of an SSD available today. Maximizing and optimizing the nand chips to the controller channels and further optimizing the interleaving of those chips within each controller channel is what allows an SSD to give us good performance. Smaller SSD's are crippled by the fact that the controller channels are not fully and optimally utilized - and the performance goes down substantially (especially in real world use; aka - steady state).

A clean install on a common mobile platform I use is an Intel Quad Core i7, 16GB+RAM and a 960GB SSD setup like so:

C:\Drive is 150GB and hold the O/S + Programs.
Z:\Drive is 475GB and holds my DATA.

With a full Office install and a few utilities (and very few O/S tweaks), I use less than ~15GB on C:\Drive.

With this setup, I could shrink the C:\Drive to ~40GB and still have my minimum 25GB free space (while also increasing the OP'ing percentage).

If I have any photo/video editing programs installed, that free space will need to increase by at least double to 50GB or more (while also making the capacity used higher too, of course).

The points to take away are:
- free space is a hard value, not a percentage.
- small SSD's are throw away SSD's if you want to just install/configure once and use for the next few years (5+).
- OP'ing is more/just as important as free space if you want the maximum sustained performance over time the SSD you choose can give.
- partitioning an SSD/HDD optimally for your workflows is the best way to use any storage subsystem.

Hope some of this helps.

Good luck.

 

SSDs are similar to hard drives in the sense that filling them with too much data will negatively impact performance. There are differing suggestions regarding exactly how much space should be left, but typically you want to leave between 10-30% of your SSD empty for best performance.

The operating system takes up roughly 45GB on my system (running Windows 7 Enterprise), and according to noteless, that total can go as high as 60GB with Windows 8.1 and hibernate enabled. Personally, I never use hibetnate and make sure to disable it to save a lot of space. But that's up to you. You've still got lots of room with a 256GB SSD for programs in addition to Windows, although as tiller noted, you'll get better performance from a current SSD by purchasing one with higher capacity (480GB or higher), which would allow for more storage as well.

 

Wow, that is a lot of space for an OS, on average for me it's ~15-20 GB including page file for Windows 8.1.

 

Just double checked, and it's 37GB for the Windows folder. Not as high as I'd previously thought, but not nearly as low as yours either.

 

Windows folder (7 Pro): 25.7GB, 30.1GB on disk (64KB stripe).

Removed SP backup files and Update rollback already, saved a few GB, yet system32 and winsxs take the bulk ... file compression is off though, so that'd inflate size a bit.

 

Win 8.1 Pro - 17 GB Windows folder.

 

My windows folder is 16.8GB + pagefile

 

25GB / Win 7 Ultimate

 

Win7 Pro @ work - 37 GB
I seem to recall that my windows 8.1 install is smaller (25 GB?), since I don't install every update. Windows uses around 15 GB (as a rough guess), then the WinSXS (currently 19 GB) folder slowly gets bigger and bigger as you update/install. It stores old versions of dll files in case the OS ever deems them necessary. The variation you'll see in windows installations is generally due to this WinSXS folder.

Your pagefile will take up some space (typically 2 to 8 GB) and the hibernate file is the same size as your system RAM. If you have 16 GB of RAM, you'll be looking at a 16 GB hibernate file if you use it. Given how fast an SSD comes out of sleep mode, I would certainly turn off hibernate altogether.

I agree all around with tilleroftheearth -> if you go with one drive, partition it into two and map out how much space you'll need. Consider whether you'll install any big applications and size accordingly, including some space for OPing.

 

My Windows folder 25GB for Win7 Home Premium 64bit (no page file, no hibernation file). I've got 2 partitions on my 250GB SSD, OS & Programs Partition of 60GB, Games Partition of 156GB (16GB Over Provisioned + 22GB Free Space); Data & Other Games are on an HDD.