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What should I install on each disk? SSD vs HDD

I am contemplating getting an SSD for my desktop system. I will install Win7 on it, and am wondering if I should install all other apps on it as well? I use VS2010. Would it help to install it onto the SSD?

If so, should my VS projects and source code be on the SSD as well? The source files are relatively small, so not sure if there would be any benefit/

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Daniel Williams
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  • Is there much reason not to dump everything on there? Sounds like you're planning on keeping an ATA drive for secondary storage, correct? – James T Snell Aug 08 '11 at 20:46
  • Yes, I am thinking to put things like movies and music onto the 750 GB hard drive. But can probably only afford an 60-80 GB SSD, so want to know how best to use that space. – Daniel Williams Aug 08 '11 at 21:01
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    Other related questions: [SSD for Visual studio : Intel X25-m G2 or OCZ Vertex](http://superuser.com/q/47194/494), [SSD/HDD directory assignment under Windows 7](http://superuser.com/q/60619/494), [Should I install my operating system on my SSD or HDD?](http://superuser.com/q/316570/494), and [What directories in a Windows 7 SSD install would you link/junction to an HDD?](http://superuser.com/q/95862/494) – sblair Aug 09 '11 at 13:25

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Since Visual Studio is just like NetBeans (does a lot of I/O during startup/work), it would benefit from the SSD. And also, install the applications there that you use at boot. I.E. Anti-virus, "Everything", etc.

For the source files ... it depends. If the source is too big, keep it on the secondary HDD. If it fits on the SSD, move it there.

Choose wisely, what you install ... since the space is very limited.
Read the article (check the bottom part): maximizing the lifetime of your SSD.

Apache
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  • The NAND flash memory endurance cycles are still too low for excessive writing (such as using it for swapping). That’s why data retention is much shorter than with conventional hard drives. I would only install system files and install programs on it where the files will not be altered that often. I would think the temp files that VS creates would get excessive (I may be wrong...). You seem to know a lot about what you are talking about with SSDs though, so correct me if I am wrong @Shiki. It looks like your link might have hinted at that, but they need to be aware. +1 for good answer though! – David Aug 08 '11 at 20:59
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    It's pointless to get an SSD and not have the most frequently used programs on it. You might as well stick to platter based disks. @David – Sathyajith Bhat Aug 09 '11 at 06:55
  • @Sathya, I meant frequently written to files, such as if the temp files have to be altered as much as swap space. It could cause the life of the SSD to be shorter, right? You can only write to one cell about 10k times before the cell is unusable, then the SSD will allocate some of its spare cells to keep your data alive. There are discussions about unusual cell wearing all over the internet, like [here](http://forum.crucial.com/t5/Solid-State-Drives-SSD/The-lifespan-of-an-ssd/td-p/32064). (I'm not trying to argue... I just want to make sure I know what I am talking about...). Thanks @Sathya! – David Aug 09 '11 at 12:01