Multiple hard drives and installation location

[Guest jasonaerts]

Hi there!I am running a system with 4 drives, 2 for storage and 2 split into a 1-1 OS/Programs configuration; OS = WD300GLFS (velociraptor)PGs = WD3200AAKS (caviar)Store = WD2500KS (oldest)Store = ST3500320AS (barracuda) what would be the better configuration looking at these drives.Having read Nicks guides so many times and most recently the FSX windows 7 install procedure (been waiting for this one a while) i figured it was a great time to shoot for a full reinstall.Going to be doing a full reconfig of my system, following Nicks Guide to the "T"....ishmostlymassive thanks for the time you put into those guides NickJ.msi P55-GD65Intel i7 860 LynnfieldCorsair Dominator 1600C8 @ 8,8,8,24 2x2gGTX 295 ------------------------------------------> these seem to have issues with FSX, special care help here, would be much appreciated.850w Antec TruePower QuatroRunning on W7

[vgbaron 3,486]

Hi there!I am running a system with 4 drives, 2 for storage and 2 split into a 1-1 OS/Programs configuration; OS = WD300GLFS (velociraptor)PGs = WD3200AAKS (caviar)Store = WD2500KS (oldest)Store = ST3500320AS (barracuda) what would be the better configuration looking at these drives.Having read Nicks guides so many times and most recently the FSX windows 7 install procedure (been waiting for this one a while) i figured it was a great time to shoot for a full reinstall.Going to be doing a full reconfig of my system, following Nicks Guide to the "T"....ishmostlymassive thanks for the time you put into those guides NickJ.msi P55-GD65Intel i7 860 LynnfieldCorsair Dominator 1600C8 @ 8,8,8,24 2x2gGTX 295 ------------------------------------------> these seem to have issues with FSX, special care help here, would be much appreciated.850w Antec TruePower QuatroRunning on W7

I'd put the OS and programs on the caviar and put FSX by itself on the VrapI have a 1TB drive in 3 partitions - OS/Storage/Programs and a 600G Vrap for FSX. Also another 1TB drive for backup.Put FSX on it's own drive and put it on the fastest one.Vic

[Guest jasonaerts]

I'd put the OS and programs on the caviar and put FSX by itself on the VrapI have a 1TB drive in 3 partitions - OS/Storage/Programs and a 600G Vrap for FSX. Also another 1TB drive for backup.Put FSX on it's own drive and put it on the fastest one.Vic

Ok i see the sense in that although using a 300g drive just for FSX seems a bit wastefull hehe, wondering if perhaps i should try and pick up a 60g SSD and use that solely for FSX... any thoughts on FSX and an SSD?Thanks

[greggerm 312]

Is it too late to comment?FSX on a SSD works, and works well, but you won't see any in-game performance benefits. Since MSFS is only dependent on the hard drives for loading in scenery and textures, once that job is done, there are very few opportunities for bottlenecks to occur with the hard drive. SSD's will vastly improve your loading times, but after that, they shrink to the background and your CPU & GPU take center stage. I purchased a SSD for FSX use, and after only a few short weeks I removed FSX from the SSD and essentially flip-flopped the drives - putting my OS/Applications on the SSD, and FSX back on a traditional drive. I did lose loading speed in FSX, but I gained a HELL of a lot more by putting my OS/Applications on the SSD. Using the SSD for the day-to-day computer uses provides far more practical benefits than using the SSD for FSX use. Boot times, day-to-day application load times, and everything else about the system is just so much snappier. I lost (0) FPS in FSX by making the change back to traditional drives, but the loading times did move back to their more normal traditional drive times. If you are a scenery designer and you are loading into and out of MSFS constantly, then a SSD makes perfect sense. BUT, for 99% of all other users, using a SSD for MSFS is a wasted investment when it can be put to better use on the OS/Applications side of things. Bottom line - SSD's are great investments for your computers speed, however they are far better suited for operating system and application drives. You will get a far better bang for the buck going that route instead of using it as a dedicated FSX drive. Good luck!-Greg

[Guest jasonaerts]

Is it too late to comment?FSX on a SSD works, and works well, but you won't see any in-game performance benefits. Since MSFS is only dependent on the hard drives for loading in scenery and textures, once that job is done, there are very few opportunities for bottlenecks to occur with the hard drive. SSD's will vastly improve your loading times, but after that, they shrink to the background and your CPU & GPU take center stage. I purchased a SSD for FSX use, and after only a few short weeks I removed FSX from the SSD and essentially flip-flopped the drives - putting my OS/Applications on the SSD, and FSX back on a traditional drive. I did lose loading speed in FSX, but I gained a HELL of a lot more by putting my OS/Applications on the SSD. Using the SSD for the day-to-day computer uses provides far more practical benefits than using the SSD for FSX use. Boot times, day-to-day application load times, and everything else about the system is just so much snappier. I lost (0) FPS in FSX by making the change back to traditional drives, but the loading times did move back to their more normal traditional drive times. If you are a scenery designer and you are loading into and out of MSFS constantly, then a SSD makes perfect sense. BUT, for 99% of all other users, using a SSD for MSFS is a wasted investment when it can be put to better use on the OS/Applications side of things. Bottom line - SSD's are great investments for your computers speed, however they are far better suited for operating system and application drives. You will get a far better bang for the buck going that route instead of using it as a dedicated FSX drive. Good luck!-Greg

Well that certainly makes sense, and considering my normal pc use i think an SSD for fsx would also be kinda pointless.Recently finished my full reinstall and i used my WD Raptor as the FSX drive, but sounds like i should have used that as my OS drive instead :(Ah well thanks for the info Greggerm!

[vgbaron 3,486]

Well that certainly makes sense, and considering my normal pc use i think an SSD for fsx would also be kinda pointless.Recently finished my full reinstall and i used my WD Raptor as the FSX drive, but sounds like i should have used that as my OS drive instead :(Ah well thanks for the info Greggerm!

No - you are just fine the way you are. You want FSX on your fastest drive but the cost vs benefit of an SSD doesn't yet make sense for FSX AND the drives are still small by comparison.If you HAVE an SSD - use it for the OS - if you don't have one don't sweat it. For what you have your best option is FSX on the vRap.Enjoy!Vic

[Guest jasonaerts]

No - you are just fine the way you are. You want FSX on your fastest drive but the cost vs benefit of an SSD doesn't yet make sense for FSX AND the drives are still small by comparison.If you HAVE an SSD - use it for the OS - if you don't have one don't sweat it. For what you have your best option is FSX on the vRap.Enjoy!Vic

Alright thanks :)

[greggerm 312]

I agree completely with Vic - you're just fine (*and in great shape) running FSX on your vRap. No need or worry for changing that at all. Until capacities go up and prices go down, only use a SSD for your operating system & applications. It's not worth the expense purely for FSX's sake, and I speak from experience! Enjoy the system!-Greg

[Guest jasonaerts]

I agree completely with Vic - you're just fine (*and in great shape) running FSX on your vRap. No need or worry for changing that at all. Until capacities go up and prices go down, only use a SSD for your operating system & applications. It's not worth the expense purely for FSX's sake, and I speak from experience! Enjoy the system!-Greg

Yes now that i have the system set up with FSX soley on the Vrap, and following Nicks W7 x64 install guide i finally am stutter free!Now just need to wait for my "Magahalems" HS to arrive so i can get those clocks up a bit ;)Thanks again to both of you :)